In this article I am going to cover two separate but related topics - best practices to keep your Happier Camper from getting stolen and how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe while camping. This is not an exhaustive list by any means and I shouldn’t have to say this but please do not consider this to be ‘the’ authoritative source. Do your research and consider this as one of what should be many inputs to the decisions you will take around security. With that said, these two topics - camper security and personal security - are complimentary but let’s start with how to keep your camper from getting stolen.
As First Time Happier Camper Owners
We were sort of blissfully unaware that camper security was even a thing when we first placed our Happier Camper HC1 order (duh). But as we started to research all of the things we needed to have in order before we picked up our camper, this started to loom large. And by loom large I mean that my husband got super stressed about it and I figured it probably wasn’t that big a deal. Which is an awesome marital dynamic. We had absolutely zero experience camping and owning a camper. We didn’t have any insight into what would allow us to drop a camper at a campsite, go explore the area, take a hike or get a meal at a restaurant, and predictably come back to the actual camper as opposed to an empty site. The more my husband tensely tried to discuss this, the more disinterested I became which if I am totally honest is not a winning strategy for a marriage or co-owning a camper (sorry babe) so let me share with you the fundamentals that we learned in the first years of camping.
Camper Security Basics
Let’s start with thinking through how someone might steal your camper. Imagine you’ve gone out for a hike and your HC1 or HCT is sitting alone at the campsite. How would someone be able to steal it? Well, the first way is that they would just back up their tow vehicle and hook up the camper and drive away with it. Shudder. To do that they need 1) to be able to hook up the camper to the trailer coupler and 2) the wheels of the camper need to be able to roll. Another way to steal the camper is they could just back up a flat bed truck, physically pick up the tongue of the trailer and as long as those wheels can roll, push or pull it up with a winch onto the truck. Bye bye camper and hello insurance claim. Here are some options for making this less likely:
Use a hitch lock - I recommend this. We had this one when we first got the HC1 but after watching a lot of videos that show how this can pop off with a crowbar in a hot minute, we now have this. It is pricier but I feel pretty confident that someone is not going to be able to drop the camper on to their hitch and roll.
Put the front hitch into the locked position - also recommended. Even if someone can pop your hitch lock, having the hitch itself in this position is an additional deterrent.
Use a wheel lock - we had this when we started out but tbh, we stopped using it. For starters, we are sort of lazy and the wheel lock is just that tiny bit inconvenient to use, you have to take off the moon cap each time you put it on and I’ve also seen a lot of videos where they are really easy to pop off with a crowbar. Yes, I do watch a lot of camper videos. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use one because it does prevent the wheel from rolling. For us, having the hitch lock and the hitch itself in a locked position felt like enough.
Locking lug nuts - This comes from someone on the Facebook Owners group and I like it. When I asked people how they approached security an owner noted that someone could literally take your wheels off and pop new ones on, so he has locking lug nuts like these, one on each wheel. A nice inexpensive option to consider. They come in different lengths, so you will need to measure how far the stud sticks out from the lug nut. Bring one lug nut with you and the person at the auto parts store should be able to help you find the right length and thread size (thanks Rocky!).
Leave the stabilizers down - again, not impossible to bypass if you want to steal a camper but one more pain in the neck thing that a thief has to deal with. It’s hard to move a camper with the stabilizers down and I know this because week one I tried to do this because I didn’t go through my ‘move the camper readiness checklist’. That’s a future article.
Leave your cell phone behind - We do this… the idea being that if the camper gets stolen, I can use Find My Device and it should geo-locate the camper. Just remember to hide it well as it won’t be useful if they pull the SIM card.
Let’s talk about your stuff
This is sort of between camper security and personal security, but the reality is that we all travel with stuff. Some of it is in the camper and some you may want to leave outside where you are using it when you pop out for a grocery run. Here’s our rule of thumb on this.
If you aren’t with the camper, keep it locked. Make sure windows, back hatch on the HC1 and the door are all secured.
We bring valuable stuff with us when we are away from the camper. Laptops, cameras, iPads - anything that we consider high value, we don’t take any risk with at all. It comes with us.
If we don’t really care if something gets stolen, we are ok leaving it out, unattended. Think… something really inexpensive and not meaningful like the plastic rug or the long dog lead.
For an expensive item that is a pain to move - a generator for example - think about chaining it to the rig or to a tree.
Personal Safety Basics
Let me start by stating the obvious, if a place feels off, leave if at all possible. Trust your gut whether it’s boondocking or a campsite because it’s not worth it to have been right. If you pull in to a spot and see a bunch of empty beer bottles and it looks like the local partying spot, best leave. You really don’t need a bunch of local kids who are drunk thinking it would be fun to scare you at best, rob or hurt you at worst. So with that said, here is a list of ideas to consider when thinking about your safety options:
Camp with your dog - our girl weighs in at 145 pounds and her bark alone will scare you.
Shoes outside your camper door - if you camp solo, go get a large pair of men’s work boots or similar at the Salvation Army and leave them outside the camper door with yours. It sends a message and makes someone think twice about whether they want to harass you if they think there’s a big guy or two in there.
Foldable dog kennel - even if you don’t have a dog, you can put a foldable kennel outside your camper and create the illusion that there’s a sizable animal in there that they don’t want to mess with.
Carrying stickers - ok, I’m never putting a sticker on our camper but if you are into stickers, consider putting an NRA or Smith & Wesson or even Ducks Unlimited sticker on your camper or car. It’s enough to make someone think twice as you may be armed. Or it may make them think you’ve got valuable weapons in your camper that they should try to steal - it could work both ways but it’s an option to consider.
Bear spray - take it when hiking and leave it close at hand in the camper in case you need it. For people traveling across borders, which for most of us would be Canada or Mexico, be aware that you may not be able to bring bear spray in/out of a country. If this is a situation you may find yourself in, I’ve read that a spray bottle filled with chlorine could be a substitute.
If you have to stay somewhere and feel a little unsafe - don’t unhook your rig. Leave it attached to your tow vehicle with the nose of your car or truck pointing to the exit and don’t put down the stabilizers. That way if you need to leave quickly, you aren’t trying to hook up the camper.
Sleep with your car key close by- most car keys have a red button you can push that will set off your car alarm. It may not be the end all, but it might give you time to get into your tow vehicle and take off in a seriously unsafe situation - which I would like to note we have never, ever been in. We have had zero safety issues camping.
More Security Options
Here are some things to consider if you want to take it up a notch - not for everyone and probably more attractive to someone who does a lot of boondocking or lives on the road.
Check that you have cell phone service in your chosen camping location in case you have an emergency. There are apps that will tell you what cell coverage is in the area you are headed to. I’ve tried Coverage? and it works well.
Consider getting a GPS device like Bivy stick - you won’t be reliant on cell coverage for your communications needs and if you spend a lot of time off the grid, it might be the easiest and best option.
Join a boondocking club - a simple google search will help you find plenty and traveling in numbers can make some feel safer.
Motion detectors are an option. If they set of a horn sound or lights it might buy you some time to get to your tow vehicle and high tail out
I’ve seen some pretty amazing security camera set ups like the Arlo Go and there is a lot that falls under this category like cloud storage and data plans so I am noting it here as an option but this needs its own article to do it justice.
And finally, what not to do
Here are some things to think about not doing.
There are some people who like to have a sign outside their camper with their name on it - like The Prestons. You should think about retiring that sign if you have it. Between your last name and your plate number, you are helping someone with way more information than they need to have about you.
Full-time RVr stickers or those maps of the US with a sticker for all the states you’ve visited on the outside of your camper - not a great idea if you are thinking about security. You are advertising that you are spending a lot of time in your rig and are likely to have a lot of your stuff with you… which makes you a tastier target than the guy out for a weekend of camping.
And when you come home after your camping trip, consider the simplest security option of all - park your car on the drive and block in the HC1 or HCT. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best! Anything I missed that you do to keep yourself and your Happier Camper safe? Post in the comments below!