Stuff stolen while on a hike

[llamadave]

One of the negatives with a class B is no toad or tow vehicle to use when leaving the campsite to drive to a trail head. So you need to break camp every time. The positive is that you have your bathroom, lunch, and all needed stuff with you at the trail head. To make life easier we don’t bother to stow our electrical cord, leveling blocks, door mat, campfire wood, etc. and leave them behind for a few hours while hiking. Well, today we got back to the campsite at Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick, Canada and all the mentioned stuff was stolen. The park is full and is gated. Not a huge expense to replace, but a big bother to report to camp warden, talk to police, then go shopping to find replacements.

So we are interested in your experience. Do you pack up all these things when leaving a campsite for a few hours? I am thinking I could use a chain to padlock the electrical cord to the breaker box post when leaving the site multiple times on a 1-week stay. See our blog for more on this and to see all my photos in the Canadian Maritimes.

David

[regis101]

Bunch of savages in this town.

[BrianW]

I pack everything whenever we move the van. The main problem I’ve had is people stealing our actual campsite! One time the camp host even gave it away even though we had already registered and paid for it and spent one night there. Sigh.

Sorry to hear about your stuff. Annoying to have to deal with that when you’re on vacation.

[Zappo]

Sorry to hear that’s bullshitz but as always a calculated risk,I’ve come back from riding my Ktm and it’s freezing cold to find firewood stolen in middle of nowhere? Wtf I guess coyotes like to have a bonfire once in a while...

I just stayed at the hard rock Vegas and after J skiing all day and even though I have insurance on them and tired I cable lock wheels/trailer to truck etc it’s more for me so if they’re gone in Mornin I know I tried everything reasonable

[llamadave]

Originally Posted by BrianW

The main problem I’ve had is people stealing our actual campsite! One time the camp host even gave it away even though we had already registered and paid for it and spent one night there. Sigh.
.

At a National Park with online reservations I do not worry so much about losing the site. But at a National Forest campground I agree that is a real problem, and exactly why we like to leave some things to "reserve" it, like a couple of folding chairs worth maybe $20.

David

[Orv]

So far I've been OK leaving stuff behind (and I figure it helps indicate the site is "taken.") I've stayed mostly at California state park campgrounds.

I'd think electrical cords would be the most tempting, given the price of copper. Lotta copper in a 30-amp cord.

I recently started carrying a motor scooter on a hitch carrier to minimize the number of times I have to break camp, not because of theft issues, but because tearing down camp just for a short side trip is a drag. I figure, big RVs tow a car for that stuff, so the equivalent for a van is a scooter.

[sbgrimm]

We carry a collapsible traffic cone and wrote "Campsite taken" on it. Seems to work to claim our territory and no one has stolen it yet. $14 on Amazon.

[BrianW]

Originally Posted by llamadave

At a National Park with online reservations I do not worry so much about losing the site. But at a National Forest campground I agree that is a real problem, and exactly why we like to leave some things to "reserve" it, like a couple of folding chairs worth maybe $20.



David

The time it happened to me was at Assateague National Park :-(

I like that collapsible cone idea, although I’ve heard of people swiping stuff like they left behind, too, or just removing them and claiming the space.

[Edgardo]

So sorry to hear that

[YoTerryh]

Originally Posted by sbgrimm

We carry a collapsible traffic cone and wrote "Campsite taken" on it. Seems to work to claim our territory and no one has stolen it yet. $14 on Amazon.

Years ago my neighbor had a set of 4-5 mini-cones for sale at his garage sale for, like $.50. I snatched 'em up and often place them across the front of our campsite when I leave, especially if I've left nothing else. I also use them around the cable of our portable solar panel to keep people form tripping over it.