Sunday, August 28, 2022

Enhanced Camper Security

In May, our T@B 320 was stolen off our driveway at 4:30 AM. We were awaked by the noise of it being scraped away but didn't get a visual. We called the police immediately. We had a coupler pin lock on that the thief couldn't break, but hauled it off by the chains, and with the tongue jack down (see how it bent to 90 degrees in the picture). Within several minutes the thief flipped it about a mile away and it was totaled. Thief escaped. It was only 10 mos old, and had been used only a few times.
We got an insurance settlement and just purchased a 2023. We're hoping to minimize the chances of this happening again, so we were motivated to increase our security. Here's what we've implemented:
-We installed 3 motion detecting Ring cameras on our property. Any motion where we park the camper immediately alerts us by app and is captured on video
-We already owned one wheel lock. It was not on at the time of the theft. It's not fabulous quality, but it is a visual deterrent. Now we'll use it every time. Also, we'll put the four stabilizers down every time we park it (stablilizers were not down at the time of the theft)

-We bought a 6 foot chain with hardened square-shaped links that are hard to cut and a padlock that is also hard to defeat, and lock it to an Artago ground anchor attached to a buried block of cement.
-We bought a Proven hitch lock, model 2178A, which also protects the tow chains
-I did some research on whether to get a GPS tracker or not. As I thought about it, a GPS tracker would potentially be of value if you assume that the thief is rational (ie they will attempt to preserve the camper during theft) and that it will be in good enough shape that you will want it back when reclaimed. Neither of these assumptions were true in our case, as our T@B was completely destroyed within minutes of the theft. Given this, paying for a monthly subscription for GPS (especially when we already pay for secured indoor winter storage) didn't seem like a great value. Instead, we opted for a good, replacement value insurance policy.

While every security method can be overcome, we hope this combination of methods will not only serve as visual deterrents, but also slow down a determined thief long enough that the motion cameras will alert us and we can call the police, while simultaneously getting good video of the crime.

We're looking forward to getting back to camping!

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