Getting around the "white cargo van = lucrative breakin" thing

[rruff]

Being a Nomad you can just about live in the wealthiest neighborhoods undetected.

Really? These are usually well patrolled, and... I just don't think you'd be fooling anyone for long...

 

[Walt]

Your fake business name (magnetic removable signage) might be something like "Sam's Septic Salvation". That should keep folks away. Or maybe "Hattie's Honey Dippers".

 

[bagabum]

We all know that the standard white cargo vans are attractive prey to folks looking for expensive tools and equipment they can steal and sell. So I'm just wondering about some possible strategies for defusing this expectation, such as:
1. Buying a non-white van (although they seem relatively rare, and mechanical soundness is Job 1)
2. Painting a white van a different color (which costs thousands)
3. Adding distinctly personal decals such as cartoon characters, other pop-culture imagery etc. that a commercial van would never have (at the risk of making your vehicle more recognizable and therefore less stealthy: "Hey, that same Calvin and Hobbes fan keeps parking here....")

What do you think? Or is it a non-issue?

Have commercial decals stating "Road Kill Removal" or "Hazardous Waste Removal" placed on it.

 

[BlueMarkOhio]

"Sweet William's Organic Fertilizer - Aged to perfection"

 

[Retired 96]

Really? These are usually well patrolled, and... I just don't think you'd be fooling anyone for long...

 

[Retired 96]

Well -I don't mean you can literally move in the neighborhood and set up camp. I sleep in the day time most of the time anyway. The areas I'm referring to I used to patrol those same zip codes back in day (1981).

 

[magentawave]

I have Beware Of The Dog sign in my window....and I'm thinking about buying a tape recording of a dog barking (Amazon)

“Warning Vicious Dog” stickers plus a motion activated BIG dog bark over a sub woofer could be effective. Being able to program it to bark every x minutes might help too. Only problem is that on hot days someone might break your window with the intention of saving the dog!

 

[magentawave]

I was just thinking of different signage indicating nothing of value.
Perhaps something like:
GoodWilly Used Clothing Pickup.
Dirty Dee's Fresh Dirt for Gardens
You get the picture.
I think I may get several different signs.
I like the statement about hanging out in low crime areas the best.
Being a Nomad you can just about live in the wealthiest neighborhoods undetected.

Someone left a comment on a YouTube page about this. He had signs on his van that said something like “carpentry service” and was broken into several times. He said that he changed the signage to something that had to do with septic tanks or sewage and no one has broken into his van for the last few years.

 

[Gr8ful]

Why not just put a good load alarm system on it?

 

[dreamrunnerjt]

Do you suppose if using a sign referencing animal research you could overnight park at a zoo?

 

[Happy Camper]

“Warning Vicious Dog” stickers plus a motion activated BIG dog bark over a sub woofer could be effective. Being able to program it to bark every x minutes might help too. Only problem is that on hot days someone might break your window with the intention of saving the dog!

You'd get good Samaritans calling animal control because there's a dog left in the van alone. That's a sure bet.

 

[magentawave]

Why not just put a good load alarm system on it?

Alarms are good but we are trying to make potential thieves pass our vehicle over. Besides signs, I plan on installing an ignition kill switch in mine too.

 

[maki2]

Just grab some house paint as x make it an ugly shade of pepto bismol pink with ugly lavender polka dots. No one will steal it or break into it. You won’t want to be see driving around in it either!

 

[Happy Camper]