Has anyone been robbed?

[Delta223]

Hi; being parked all alone in a parking lot or similar area at night doesn't seem very safe to me. Has anyone had the misfortune of a robbery take place? What steps can be done to prevent such an occurance? 

 

[Van-Tramp]

One guy tried to break into my trailer while I was sleeping in it. He met my S&amp;W 40 face to face and ran off before his day got (much) worse.<br><br>Nothing can prevent it, but you can minimize the opportunities you give criminals to rob you. First step... get out of the cities.<br><br>I actually wrote a little about it a while back on my blog: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/safe-and-secure-van-living/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Safe and secure van living</a></span><br><br>

 

[spd2918]

As Van-Tramp wrote: stay out of the urban areas.&nbsp; Low level criminals are opportunistic lazy *******s and rarely travel to nice neighborhoods to do car break-ins.

 

[Wild_E]

I forgot to lock the doors on my camper conversion, one of the lame dudes that work for the owner stole money out of my camper. Another time someone stole a battery I neglected to put in because it was a major downpour that day.&nbsp;

 

[user 423]

At a Walmart in Eugene,OR I wasn't quite asleep at midnight or so and I heard a car stop nearby, then a door open and close. A guy came up to the rear window of my van and peered in. The windows were pretty darkly tinted and I'm sure he couldn't see me but I could see him. A tilt-out window on a side door was open and he came around and started to feel for the door lock button. Then I let forth loudly with..."Hey, there isn't anything in here worth dying for!"...and I'm sure he heard the click as I cocked my .357.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He left in a hurry.

 

[Patrick46]

I let forth loudly with..."Hey, there isn't anything in here worth dying for!"...and I'm sure he heard the click as I cocked my .357.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He left in a hurry. <BR><BR><BR>Ain't it amazing how effective that little sound is??? <IMG class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif">

 

[blueberry]

I don't plan on having a gun but I just may find the sound effect and download it to my iPod...<br><br>http://www.pond5.com/sound-effects/1/gun-cocked.html<br><br>p.s. They've got some convincing dog growls too.

 

[MK7]

Remote car starter is a good idea. Better yet, buy a good alarm system....they usually have panic button and remote start. Some thieves don't care about alarms going off, so that's when I'd start the car remotely. Guns are good, but many states won't allow them. <br><br>How about this inspection camera peeking out of a hole to view blindspots of a cargo van w/o windows:&nbsp; http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-inspection-camera-67979.html<br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

<span style="color: #808080;"><strong>"...</strong></span><span style="line-height: 18.18181800842285px;"><span style="color: #808080;"><strong>get out of the cities."</strong></span><br><br>Yeah, the meth-heads out in the rural areas are much better.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"></span>

 

[Unchained]

Years ago, I was snoozing in the cab of my pickup in the far corner of a highway rest stop (legal to sleep 6 hours there) when some lowlife who could definitely see me through the windshield decided to try the door. Not sure what his intentions were, but imagine his surprise when 65lbs of VERY angry pit bull sprang up out of the shadowed passenger side footwell like a jack in the box and snarled right into his face through the cracked driver's side window.&nbsp;<br>Pretty sure it took him days to clean the poop out of his pants, even though he completely missed the equally pissed off (but silent) rottweiler in the back seat. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br><br>Please note that I would never have chosen the largely dark and deserted corner if I had not had 150lbs of very protective dogflesh in the truck. Had I been alone, I would have parked much closer to the bathrooms and under or close to a lightpole. Lowlife types dislike security lights, where they are more likely to be seen breaking into a vehicle, which makes the spaces near them a bit safer for vandwellers.

 

[nomadz]

knock on wood.. i have never been robbed, and as far as i know they never tried..<br><br>but gassing people in their sleep (rv'ers and truck drivers) is pretty popular especially in italie and france..&nbsp;<br>scares the crap out of me so i bought a gas alarm from pro car.

 

[Simran]

Never had anyone bother my van, thankfully. Not sure what I'd do. I don't usually even lock my van when I'm in it. Up north in the hinterlands there isn't much crime. To hard to stay warm in the winter. Thieves are usually to lazy to cut enough wood to keep from freezing to death up here. They either stick to the cities where the pickin is easier or move south where its warmer. Works for me.


Gus

 

[Ballenxj]

Not in a van, but had this happen two times before, once in a house and once in an apartment. Both times they were greeted by a very unfriendly person. Both times they opted to leave without the need for escalation to a higher level.