A safe in our Van

[CopperK]

Everyone seems to want to tell you to not have cash. They are not answering your question, which is a reasonable one. I would recommend you have something built in to the floor deck somewhere and perhaps disguised under something greasy and oily looking so that no one would want to touch it. This may be visible from underneath so you should particularly disguise it there as well.

I would start by asking yourself if you want to have it easily accessible from the inside of the van. If it doesn’t need to be easily accessible you can perhaps conceal it inside a phony propane tank. Often times vans and pick ups will have propane tanks mounted underneath-long narrow ones. That might be a good place to have a rifle or other firearms as well, provided you could remove an end cap. The seam could be concealed by a strap for example. Magnets could hold it on securely.

if you want it accessible from the inside you could have some sort of a drawer, perhaps by removing an airbag on the passenger side, and Aktivated by a hidden switch. If you look on YouTube you’ll see some clever solutions for that. Whether or not you carry a lot of cash it’s handy to have hidden compartment the store valuable documents such as passports ID, jewelry and watches, or a camera. Good luck and God bless.

Those are really good suggestions - love the fake propane tank idea! As a stop gap - I put heavy coins in the bottom of a large kitty litter bucket, which is heavy anyway. Mark the top used litter or get a bucket for road salt for snow/ice, which is heavy and useful - cash goes in a bag at the bottom. The weight seems normal and when the top is removed no one will want to push their hand down through road salt. Thieves always look in the same places - drawers, clothing or they see if you have any tools they want. I've hid cash in sanitary napkins even - men have no interest in rooting around there and women rarely do that kind of break and enter stealing. LOL

 

[user 423]

I use a 20mm ammo can that I modified to lock. Can is bolted to the camper floor in a hidden location.

An easy mod? Would you share how you did that? I have a couple of those ammo cans.

 

[Jim D]

Never take valuables with you in a van or RV! Damn, if someone with bad thoughts finds out your using cash to pay for any of your daily needs they may come after it. Most van livers are good people but that doesn't mean there are no criminals amongst us. We van dwellers have a hard time out on the road because nobody wants the criminals that are on the run and live in their vehicles around. I haven't used cash in so long I can't say when I last used cash. Every legit business has electronic pay systems. I have several cards I just swipe and go. If you have a vending business just grab the cash during the day and take it straight to the bank. Make sure you have a bank account near your pickup places and you can have many accounts at different banks. Just make sure the cash gets into the bank as fast as possible no matter the amount. Get a list of legit businesses that accept cards and use the cards.

 

[CopperK]

I agree with you for two reasons: 1) I used to need cash for focus groups, so I know the importance of being careful when leaving the bank, and 2) The vehicle could get stolen. We can't discuss politics here, so please start doing some research regrading changes that the central bankers would like to see in regards to cash - they say on one hand that they don't want to eliminate cash but on the other hand that is the published stated goal (research: fiat money, World Economic Forum, Bank of International Settlements, International Monetary Fund and in case someone is not aware Central Banks - the Feds are not owned by their respective countries, they are private.) This is not politics, it is factual information with opposing viewpoints in the media. So, you research and decide for yourself, but since cash is your concern long-term that's why I'm pointing you in that direction. (I was a professional business researcher).

Another possible solution is to buy a few large cash VISA cards (they still have some where you don't have to register your identity when you activate it, so check that out if it's an issue of privacy. Make certain you secure them in a pouch that will block your cell signal to protect the magnetic strips.

 

[Jimmyflorida]

So if you sell everything for van life your saying not sure to have anything valuable thanks sound kinda crazy to me I guess you can't have a computer because thanks valuable or any electronics what was I surpose to traveling to Alaska and some places in Canada didn't take my credit card then what because you said I can't have any cash just because carry cash is not right for you doesn't mean no should ever carry cash

 

[scaredycat72]

A safe bolted anywhere out of sight would slow down a thief. If you're trying to think of a place a thief wouldn't look, you'd be better off putting it in an empty container in a full freezer. An adult diaper that looks like it's been messed in would also work.

I was raised by criminals and I've dated two decent car thieves in my life. One mostly stole the entire vehicle, at which point your safe and hiding place are useless. The other one was mostly smash and grab but if he had the time, the entire vehicle was searched. Every part of the seats were cut open, the floors were cut open, glove compartments were removed,, panels were removed, etc. With enough time, if your money is in a safe, it's going to be found.

That being said, smash and grab thieves operate on get in and get out. They don't know when you're coming back so they're not going to hang around to pry open your safe. They're going to give it their best effort and then they're going to bolt. I suggest getting the best safe you can and bolting it anywhere out of sight. Overthinking it isn't going to keep your money any safer.

 

[Happy Camper]

The best you can do is the best you can do. Every situation is different. You can be robbed or safe in very similar situations. There is no perfect solution because there is no perfect situation.

Smart best efforts are ok. Live with the results and accept that sometimes no matter how prepared, stuff happens.

Conversely, sometimes you're completely unprepared, and nothing happens.

 

[savana1957]

So if you sell everything for van life your saying not sure to have anything valuable thanks sound kinda crazy to me I guess you can't have a computer because thanks valuable or any electronics what was I surpose to traveling to Alaska and some places in Canada didn't take my credit card then what because you said I can't have any cash just because carry cash is not right for you doesn't mean no should ever carry cash

Agree.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

An easy mod? Would you share how you did that? I have a couple of those ammo cans.

Took me a little while to get to this:

Bolted through floor with carriage boIts, nuts inside box. It doesn't show up in the picture but I welded the ring closed on the eyebolt. Padlock on ring.

For any defense one must define who/what one is defending against.
For me:
- theft of opportunity (i.e. smash and grab)
- fire
if someone has enough time they can find and break into almost anything.

What I need to protect:
- handgun
- spare cash (enough to pay for gas/groceries if credit cards don't work).
- photocopies of drivers license, carry permit, other important papers.
- backup credit card.
- spare key fob and keys.

 

[Camper]

Harbor Freight Tools has several small safes.... I have a small one and am happy with it. $29 I think.

https://www.harborfreight.com/019-cu-ft-electronic-digital-safe-62981.html

 

[user 423]

Took me a little while to get to this:
View attachment 32753
Bolted through floor with carriage boIts, nuts inside box. It doesn't show up in the picture but I welded the ring closed on the eyebolt. Padlock on ring.

OK,thanks. I use one of my boxes to store misc. nuts and bolts and sifting thru those I found 2 of those eyebolts. So I now have a little project to work on. Just trying to think where I'd put it.

 

[vanbrat]

Thank you everyone for the great ideas! I think I will find something I can bolt, as in a u shaped bolt. and have the nuts on the inside of a super strong metal fire resistant box and bolt the thing under the frame of the bed so that unless you are under the bed it is out of sight. If the lock is such that even a bolt cutter would have trouble fitting so much the better. That would work for the cash we don't use unless there's an emergency that hubby thinks we need. Also maybe copies of coded banking info. The cash we may need on a more day to day time would go in another safe maybe hidden under the potty bucket. OR? We would also have in there the medical info and who to contact info and it would be easier to get at. If the whole van got stolen, we would have photos of the safes and insurance may help with that.
While I mostly use credit card (not debt) when on the road, we had to go through hoops when it got hacked on the first day of a trip a few years back. The credit card company fixed it after we talked to someone, but we were told if it had been the debit card the money may have just been gone. But there are too many times when cash is the only chose, so we will always have some cash in our pockets. Also, hubby keeps such a tight watch on bank and cards I like having cash so I can say "Don't worry it was on sale".. Which is a family joke. around me and my fabric addiction.

 

[Happy Camper]

Prepaid debit cards that can have money loaded on them conveniently are the way to go. You can put a smaller amount on the card and use that. If the card gets compromised, you're only out the money that you have on that card.

If you need more than is on the card, just load more. If possible, never use a debit card tied to your bank account unless absolutely necessary. It's simple, easy, and and can give you ease of mind.

There are a number of these cards that do not charge for loading money, so don't use one that does. One thing to be aware of is that they do charge for ATM withdrawals. But not buying online or other purchases.

 

[FredW]

If you have several prepaid cards and they get stolen, is there a way to recover the money? If it can't be recovered, I guess you still need a secure storage space(?)

 

[vanbrat]

No matter how or what I use. I want to find a way to secure my funds. And again, thank you to everyone for your ideas.

 

[Happy Camper]

Yes you can freeze the cards if you lose them. Get replacements sent to you. Etc.

I'm currently using cash app debit card. I can have as much or as little money on there as I want. The other day I went through a drive through and realized I didn't have enough money on the card. Opened the app, added $25, and handed them the card. Took less than 20 seconds. If someone was able to use this card somehow, they would have $13.82 to play with. While it would suck, it's not much of anything. $5 to replace a lost card. I had to do that once.

It's rare, but maybe 1 in every 50 new places I use it, I can't for some reason. It is a visa card and has protections as well. I do have a backup card or cash for those rare times.

This isn't the first prepaid card I've used, but I do like it a lot. I have been using and recommending prepaid debit cards since the 90s. As a computer/tech guy, I knew before most that nothing is completely secure in that arena. So it was the easiest way to minimize exposure.