Do camper vans attract more car prowls?

[zippyslug31]

I've often wondered this since my westy is my trailhead car and I sometimes go on hikes in the Columbia River Gorge (notorious for car break-ins). Pretty much every time I return to the van I wonder if all my windows are going to be in one piece.

If I was a car-prowling, crack-headed, low-life, and I saw a camper van sitting at a trailhead I'm thinking "jackpot!" with all those cabinets hiding God-knows-what kind of loot. The irony is the badguy isn't going to get much cash for a tea kettle, can of soup, or pair of old shoes that most of us keep in our vans... but it's got to look more attractive than your typical family sedan, right?

Anybody have their vans broken into and was it because you had stuff laying out so you 'had it coming'? Anybody park in a spot where their van was the only car SPARED the break-in because it is obviously 'just some old hippie van' and there wasn't anything worth stealing inside?

Put my mind at ease or tell me to stop hiking (and worrying about such things)!
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previous:
'80 westy
current:
'90 syncro westy 2.5L subi, triple knob, 16" wheels.
'84 sunroof van, 2.1L motor.

[r39o]

Dang, dude, don't jinx it for me!

I think we ALL worry about stuff like that.

That is why God created those neat locking metal drawers Rocky Mountain Westy sells.

Same thing for wheel locks.

Ditto alarm systems. Or the kind of meat eating alarms with teeth.

All you can do is slow a thief down.
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[Syncronoid]

The trick with trailheads is to not bring anything in the van other than what you are taking with you into the backcountry. Leave all the curtains open as well as the cabinet doors. That way, anyone considering breaking in will see that there is very little to steal. I've even left the rooftop box wide open to show people there's nothing there to steal.
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'90 Syncro Westy w/GW2.5L

[SCM]

I don't think that many non-VW fans make the connection of a Vanagon with the busses "poor hippies" used to drive so I doubt that type of logic applies. And if they DID make that connection they may think that breaking in and raiding your stash will save them the trip to the pawn shop before hitting up their dealer.

Now, if I were a low-life theif, I would recognize a nicely maintained Westy (especially one with cool accesorries and tinted windows) as a high dollar toy hauler that might have some cool and expensive gear inside.

For instance, wifey and I often have upwards of $5k worth of mountain bikes crammed inside the van when we park it in towns etc during trips.

The scenario you describe is similar to one that I dealt with while backpacking in New Hampshire, the Adirondaks, and at one trailhead here in Bozeman. The best solution is to use a "normal" beater car, leave nothing in it, and don't bother locking it.
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'91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine

[kamzcab86]

[photogdave]

I had the Tiger Van broken into a few year ago, when I lived in a less shady neighborhood than I do now. I had come back from camping the night before and was too tired to unload everything to my third floor apartment.
They got my tools, hiking boots and my front privacy curtain?! They left the slider wide open...
Now I unload as soon as I get home. Sometimes I leave some cooking stuff in there and have been a little lazy with my tools lately. For trail head parking I have a big safe - much bigger than the under seat drawers - and lock anything valuable in there.
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[zippyslug31]

[zippyslug31]

[Timwhy]

[furrylittleotter]

I learned a simple trick from my Dad, Don't lock it. Reasons being simple; it forces you to keep the van devoid of anything of value, and prevents damage by breakin from occurring. I took out the front cabinet faces under my sink and added a locking steel "Safe" which is bolted to my floor. It can hold a laptop, camera, camcorder, passports, etc. all at once. I also have a master switch for all battery power and unplug my ignitor at times. I am working on a giant U-lock for my clutch and brake pedals. That is security, not a door lock.

They usually break the vent windows and they are never right again...

If anyone thinks "stashing" items out of sight is a good idea, well, it isn't. And the damage done will be greater than the valuables are worth, by far, usually.

The cheapest "safe" you can make is the "Tighty Whitey Safe" : get a small hamper, put all your valuables in the bottom, cover with clothes and lay a pair of tighty whities on top with exposed brown racing stripe. Your valuables will be safe.

[nemobuscaptain]

Ideas:
http://www.vwvagabonds.com/Security.html

They have metal mesh mounted inside the windows. You can see it if you look closely in the show at the bottom of the page:

http://www.vwvagabonds.com/JovaSale
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[levi]

[nemobuscaptain]

[Racerrojo]

buy your self a Pit Bull with AIDS and live it in the van
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Tight is tight... too tight is expensive!!!!


Too many vans and mostly all projects

[furrylittleotter]

How do you make the bus devoid of anything of value? You don't have a radio? Speakers? Tools? Jack? CDs/mp3s? Camping equipment? I've had them steal a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. Hell, I've seen them steal wiring.

I've also seen some druggy breakout a vent window despite the fact that the bus wasn't locked.[/quote]

Other alternatives were given. If it makes you feel better to lock it then lock it. They put a railing around the Grand Canyon as well. When people continued to fall, they put a sign on the railing. Same thing at Niagra Falls. Lock your van. It's safer that way.

[shorepig]

Here's a funny break in story....2 actually

Story 1:

I drove my westy to a bar in East Vancouver one night, with the intention of sleeping in it after a night of heavy drinking . Well, my buddy part way through the night decided he needed to borrow my van and drive it home to let his wife in their house. His wife had forgotten her keys at work and couldn't get in the house. By the time he returned it was pretty much that time of the night...time for me to crash in the van. I asked him where he parked it....it was on the worst street...the worst corner, of EAST VANCOUVER!!!. Thanks a lot buddy. So I weaved and stumbled my way to the van, shut the curtains, opened the side window screens, and passed out in my undies. ZZZzzz ZZZzzz ZZzz.

At about 4am I was woken up by my van rocking back and forth....then someone walked around the van and checked all the doors (they were locked), then they banged on the van in different spots...likely trying to set off an alarm or wake up someone in the van. At this point I was pretty much shiteing in my undies. I was now out of the bed and starting to peek out the curtains looking for the SOB. Then, I lifted up the passenger sliding door curtain and saw this guy in a puffy black coat, black pants and a black toque (yes we call it a toque up north eh) reach into his coat and pull out the mother of all flat head screw drivers! I swear it was 60 cm long (that's two feet for you Americans). He was just about to jack my lock as I reached into my spice rack for.....BEAR SPRAY !!! I put it up to the screen and unloaded a can of evil right in his face! It was glorious! He dropped like a rock and squealed like a pig! I then frantically jumped behind the wheel and drove off in my under ware. It was truly awesome!

Story 2:

I was parked in front of a busy east van bar (The Cambie) having pre pints with the boys with the curtains closed as to not attract attention to the illegalities within. All of the sudden a wanker walks up and opens the sliding door. He immediately looks very surprised to see us there, pauses for a moment then says "hey dudes, does anyone have any change?" Answer "No. What the hell are you doing?" Then he says, "How about a beer?" At about that point he ran. Classic East Van thief.
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85 Westy
92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4 V6
74 Honda CB500T cafe racer
2013 ktm 690r
Sector nine pintail

[greenraVR6]

probably depends on what your van looks like if it will get prowled or not. A thief is either gonna think "this old piece of **** ain't got nothin to steal" and move on, or "man somebody put some money into this old ****ty van, must be something to steal in there"
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'88 vanagon*****'91 gti 1.8t*****'04 r32*****'11 suburban z71

[lloydy]

you could always get a south african 'alarm'
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bdf_1352583873
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16" syncro multivan pop top AHU TDI
“Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.”

[Summers420us]

Make a bed and put the pillows in it so it looks like someone is taking a nap.
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1997 EVC
1988 2WD Westfalia with OE 2.1 (R.I.P.)

[campism]