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Old 08-14-2019, 03:09 PM   #21
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True dat . Same here.
However it must be truly visible as something that’s been, “kicked to the curb”.
The flip side of this is, “ If it’s not yours, don’t touch it”.
Very convoluted

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Old 08-14-2019, 08:58 PM   #22
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These stories are crazy! I mean seriously. I've camped all my life all over the place and only had my spot stolen once. Camp host did nothing. I found my site tag crumpled up about 20' from the site the next morning.

Generally where I'm from and have camped most (TN, NC, GA,) you don't go near or touch a site that has anything at all at it. Still, I don't leave valuables.

I cannot count the number of times I have walked in to a bathouse in a campground and found a smartphone plugged in and charging sitting by the sink and NO ONE to be seen! It still blows my mind every time.
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Old 08-14-2019, 10:38 PM   #23
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I've gotten more relaxed about leaving things in camp over the years, partially because replacing a set of camp chairs is no longer an economic event for me. However, I still wouldn't leave anything behind that would be a pain to go without for the rest of the trip. Leveling blocks would be high on that list.

That said, as much as the time I spent in Manhattan as a kid in the 80s conditioned me to assuming that anything not fastened in a tamper proof manner will invariably vanish, that really has not been my experience in the wester US over the past 20 years. For the most part strangers do make an effort to return lost items, even ones of value, to the correct owner.
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Old 08-14-2019, 11:27 PM   #24
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Leave your porta potty in the middle of the site, lid up and freshly used. Smear some chocolate here and there on your belongings.
I remember hearing about a guy who kept all his tools in a bucket with a toilet seat on top. He said no one ever stole them.

Relatedly, I've heard of people who full-timed in trailers getting rid of trash by gift wrapping it, putting it in the bed of the pickup, then going to the mall.
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Old 08-14-2019, 11:34 PM   #25
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As I approached it, I found it occupied by a decrepit-looking RV! I double-checked the site number to make sure I had the correct number and it was indeed my spot...
I had an experience a little like that at Emma Wood State Beach. For those who don't know, this is a public beach and camping area along the Pacific Coast Highway, close to Ventura, California. It's basically just a series of asphalt parking spaces that back up on the beach. (And I mean right up on the beach -- high tide can see waves coming within ten feet of your campsite.) There are no other facilities, except for a few dumpsters, but it's convenient to Ventura and you can sleep right next to the surf.

Anyway, I arrived and there was a clapped-out Ford Contour in my space, and a few people with a campfire in the campfire ring. I got out to inquire, and they immediately offered to leave. I think they were just opportunistically taking advantage of the empty space, since I arrived quite late at night. They were actually pretty nice about it, and I probably would have invited them to hang out for a while if I hadn't needed to go to bed right away.
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Old 08-15-2019, 07:22 AM   #26
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I remember hearing about a guy who kept all his tools in a bucket with a toilet seat on top. He said no one ever stole them.

Relatedly, I've heard of people who full-timed in trailers getting rid of trash by gift wrapping it, putting it in the bed of the pickup, then going to the mall.
Awesome, ya gotta think outside the bucket.....errrrr.....box.
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Old 08-15-2019, 11:45 AM   #27
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I had an experience a little like that at Emma Wood State Beach. For those who don't know, this is a public beach and camping area along the Pacific Coast Highway, close to Ventura, California. It's basically just a series of asphalt parking spaces that back up on the beach. (And I mean right up on the beach -- high tide can see waves coming within ten feet of your campsite.) There are no other facilities, except for a few dumpsters, but it's convenient to Ventura and you can sleep right next to the surf.

Anyway, I arrived and there was a clapped-out Ford Contour in my space, and a few people with a campfire in the campfire ring. I got out to inquire, and they immediately offered to leave. I think they were just opportunistically taking advantage of the empty space, since I arrived quite late at night. They were actually pretty nice about it, and I probably would have invited them to hang out for a while if I hadn't needed to go to bed right away.
Yea,40 bucks a night,stuffed diagonally side x side at Emma Wood S.B.
I think NOT I was just there last week. Ya can't spend the night at ANY
Ca state beach and all state and private campgrounds are 35-40 bucks a night Ruined my plan to take a casual drive up the coast to the Redwoods. Came home. Gonna go to Escalante instead. Utah beats the hell out of Ca anyway
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Old 08-16-2019, 09:52 AM   #28
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Thanks for all your advice, experiences, and humor. We have now recovered from the thefts and have a plan going forward. The three problems with the theft are 1) Hurt ego from being violated, 2) Inconvenience of finding replacements, and 3) Cost of replacements. A few beers took care of 1. 2: New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are not a great places to shop for replacements. Went to 3 stores before finding a door mat we liked. A 10/3 power cord with the right ends was not to be found, so I made one with a 12/3 extension cord and connector I found at an RV store. This handles all the power we need and is much easier to stow than the big one that SMB provided. When we get home I will pick up a spare cable. 3: Total cost was about one tank of diesel, not too big a deal.

From now on when we leave chairs and table to reserve a site, we will write "VANESSA" and phone number in big black letters on them. I will from now on chain and padlock the cable to the power post when leaving it behind to go hiking. Even the big 10/3 cable costs only $60 on Amazon so the copper can't be worth too much. Since these things have been stolen from us only once in over 100 times we have left it on an empty site, I expect the chance of it happening again will go from 1% to near 0.

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Old 08-18-2019, 11:45 AM   #29
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Best thing we ever bought for the van is a 6$ kids tent from Walmart. Sets up in 2 minutes and we use it to claim BLM spots, store little things while away from our site, and sometimes use it to keep things in at night. I like to think most people are good and are less prone to take things from a camp site if it looks like people are actually camping there.
As for claiming spots at BLM areas we put a couple rocks in it and leave for the day. it has worked like a charm so far and worst case scenario someone takes our 6$ kids tent
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Old 08-18-2019, 11:51 AM   #30
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Sorry to hear that, we also lost some stuff at Cape Breton Natl Park - thought Canada was safer I guess.

We often "lost" campsites when we first started with our Sportsmobile in 1980's.
We finally just bought a 2 person, easy to set up tent, for about $19. If we were going away for day or evening just set it up -used almost no space, and we often used it to store some "expendable" stuff. At least it made the campsite look occupied.
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