The question of security and your camper is an important topic, particularly top of mind for women who are planning to solo camp. I’ve been asked everything from, how do I make sure no one steals my camper when I’m not on the campsite to, how likely is it that someone will unscrew the door hinges and remove it (the answer is never). I’m getting ready for a very big solo trip myself so I thought it was a good time to share how I’m traveling and staying secure. If you haven’t already read it, here is the original article I wrote on security back in the day. Read on for our latest updates.

How concerned should you be?

I thought I’d start by providing some statistics. I can’t confirm the data source from the website that I used and it is slightly dated, but let’s assume this is directionally accurate in 2024 when I’m writing this.

In 2018, RV thefts accounted for approximately .2% of all motor vehicle thefts. 40% were from a residential location and 34% overall were not recovered.
In 2020, 12% of RV thefts were motorhomes. 88% of stolen RVs were towable.
RV theft is most common between June and August.
On average, 208 towable RVs are stolen per month.

At this point in our camping journey, I can happily report we have never experienced a security issue. We’ve covered a lot of miles, been in campgrounds and boondocked, stored the camper on our drive and in a facility and so far, so good. I think that’s due to a combination of good planning, buying the right products (for us), being smart about our choices and probably luck. As with all things camping, there is no single answer that is right for everyone but there are some basic things you want to do whatever your risk profile is. I break down the topic into two categories: safety away from the campsite (your rig vs. your gear) and at the campsite. This article will focus on being away from the campsite.

Securing Your Camper

When we first bought our camper, this was one of our biggest concerns and people ask me about it often. We worried that someone would literally just tow our camper away and we’d come back to an empty spot.

How we think about it

If you are at a campground, we think your camper being outright stolen is unlikely. Even if you have a very private spot, people will have seen you and some sketchy dude showing up with a tractor trailer hauling a rig away just isn’t likely. In most cases, you have to have a tag to get into the camping area at a state or national park which limits access even more. I do think the risk goes up if you are boondocking, but again, unless someone has seen you in the area AND knows that you’ve left your rig for a while, it’s probably not likely. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take precautions because the unlikely can happen. And remember the data above - your biggest risk may be when your rig is on your drive or at a storage facility, so be consistent wherever it is parked.

Behaviors we engage in

While no set of security options is foolproof, there are some basics that you want to consider and it helps to think about what someone needs to do to steal your rig. They either need to tow it by hitching it to their vehicle or they need to load it on to a flat bed - the precautions you take are the same. Make it hard for them to do that. Make your security very visible so that they decide that it is too risky to get through your precautions because it will take time and they may get caught.

And if you won’t creep anyone out, talk to the people in the site next to you. Say hi, let them know you will be around but planning a day away for hiking. Without directly asking them, you’ve made them aware of your schedule and an unknown person showing up at your site could trigger them to ask questions.

Products we use

There are two products you really need to invest in: a wheel lock and a hitch lock. These are designed to make it hard to physically move your rig and thus harder to steal. We consider these to be absolute required investments. Below I’ve described what they are, why you want them and have provided links to my Amazon Affiliate account. If you want to buy, please consider using these links to help me defer the cost of maintaining this site.

The Wheel Lock

The lock we use - the Brahma lock - looks like it is no longer available. Here’s a link to our video showing how it works. I think that’s still useful to check out because it will give you a feeling for what the difference is in having a really robust wheel lock vs. something simpler and less expensive. The pro for us in using the Brahma lock is that I think it’s virtually impossible to quickly break it off. The con is that it can be fiddly to get on the wheel.

There is another brand on the market which I would buy if I didn’t have the Brahma and that is the Turnart Wheel Lock Clamp. This looks like an improvement over the standard pincer lock and closer to what we have. Regardless of what type of wheel lock you get, just get one. Seeing that there is one on your rig means one more security measure to remove before it can be stolen and that’s just a smart deterrent.

The Hitch Lock

Our choice in hitch locks for our camper — If you can’t hitch

it’s harder to steal

The hitch lock is an absolute must-own. It goes over the coupler, making it impossible for someone to attach your rig to their vehicle using their hitch. And while there are a couple of different styles out there, we use the Proven Industries hitch lock. This is designed for the 2 inch coupler we have on the Happier Camper rigs.

I get it - this is a very expensive lock but we think it’s worth it. It completely covers the coupler and your chains fit inside, making it impossible for someone to use them to tow your camper even without putting it on their hitch. That, plus the lock being on the underside (yes, it can be a pain to get to for us too) makes it hard to pick. If this is out of your price range, consider buying a lock for your coupler pin and a standard hitch lock.

Securing your gear

I would say - if it’s expensive, don’t leave it in your camper - but given how much money we all spend on fitting out our rigs just the way we like, that isn’t very realistic. A thief would be better off stealing our mattress toppers than my iPad if they could sell them! That being said, there are some things you can do to limit your risk and hold on to your stuff.

How we think about it

Beach camping in Texas in our Happier Camper HCT

We try not to get too stressed about stuff being stolen out of our camper. The reality is, it’s pretty easy to break into a camper. Someone could smash a window and camper locks aren’t unique (check out this article and try not to panic). A lot of our camping is at state and national campgrounds - like this amazing site we had at a state park on the beach in Texas - where people just want to enjoy the great outdoors and aren’t there to commit a crime.

Behaviors we engage in

It’s not a long list but here goes…

If it’s electronics - laptops, cameras, drones, Starlink, portable AC units - put it in your vehicle and take it with you
Put movable things in the camper before you go and lock up. If it’s super heavy like a generator, chain it to the rig or a tree
If you can’t live without it, don’t bring it. I have some beaded Native American jewelry that I treasure and while I’d like to have it with me on long haul trips, I leave it at home. Losing it or having it stolen would break my heart because they can’t be replaced.

I know, there isn’t a lot here. And I don’t have any product recommendations either. I do want to revisit with Happier Camper if they have recommendations for replacement locks and whether that would void the warranty on the rig, but that’s an article for another time. If you have any security hacks that I haven’t covered, please drop in the comments below. Happy camping!

If you have a travel trailer, you should have a wheel lock. You may not choose to use it all the time, but there is going to be a time when you wish you had one and you need to plan in advance. In this article I will explain the basics about wheel locks and what we bought to make our camper look less attractive to steal than the one down the block.

Types of wheel locks

Let’s start with the basics because as with all things camping, there are a bunch of terms and four different types of wheel lock types that you will see when researching what to buy.

Clamps - Do a google search for camper wheel locks and this is the most common result. These pincer-type locks can expand to fit different tire sizes and to use it you just put one arm around either side of your wheel and lock it. They are often bright yellow or orange making it easy to see that you’ve made an effort to secure your rig.
Brace - These wheel locks are designed to work with dual tires and are shaped like an X. The brace sits between the two tires and prevents the tires from rolling.
Boot - You’ve probably seen something like this if you’ve ever seen a car with a boot on it due to a parking violation. The design includes a plate that covers the entire center of the wheel and it also has pincer arms like the clamp wheel lock.
Wheel chock - This one is also like a clamp lock but it has a plate that braces on the ground with sharp teeth. It’s name says it all. The design combines your need for a chock with a wheel lock.

What type of wheel lock do you need?

That depends on your rig. Using the process of elimination, unless you have dual tires, you wouldn’t buy a brace so let’s set that one aside. Clamp locks and wheel chock locks are basically the same thing from a security perspective, so for the sake of ease of discussion, let’s just call these both clamp locks - which means the question is…

Should you get a clamp lock or a boot lock?

Keep in mind that we have a Happier Camper HCT, so our choice is based on our rig but I will give you a simple answer - if you can afford it, get the boot lock. From a pure security perspective, a boot lock is harder to remove than a clamp lock - so it’s the obvious answer. Get a boot lock. YouTube has dozens of videos showing how easy it is to remove a clamp lock with a crowbar, but that doesn’t mean that if you choose a clamp lock it doesn’t add value. Let me explain.

Camper security is about looking less attractive than the next guy

And I don’t mean having a less attractive rig, I mean that when someone with ill intent looks at your rig next to someone else’s, yours looks like it is going to be more difficult and will take longer to steal. It’s as simple as that. YouTube is littered with videos showing how, with the right tools, almost every physical security measure you implement can be removed. I recommend that you don’t watch them, they will just make you anxious. What you need to figure out is, what is the right amount of money to spend to make my rig look less attractive to steal than the person next to me and what makes me feel less nervous that my very expensive investment is going to be where I left it.

the right answer for us

We have a boot lock (and a hitch lock). We had a clamp lock when we first started out but it doesn’t take a sophisticated criminal with the right tools to remove it so, for us, it felt like having no lock at all. It was a big financial step up to get a boot lock but given how we want to camp (boondocking and leaving our rig to take off and explore), we felt the upgrade was warranted. We recently bought the Brahma boot lock and it’s outstanding. I did a video on this and you will note that I didn’t film the actual install of the lock. Well, I did film it but it involved Mike swearing a bit and multiple attempts to get it put on so I didn’t use it. I’m sure with practice it’s going to get easier but this is an important point for you to consider because the truth is, for most of the camping we did in our previous rig we had the clamp lock but we never used it. Wheel locks are sort of a hassle to put on and we are a bit lazy so you need to think about your personality, your risk profile and your budget when making your choice.

Hopefully this helps you figure out the best wheel lock option for your situation. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.