Hidey hole?

[Mattkcc]

And most of them don't really answer my question...

I don't want to hide cash or dope or wills or a gun. I want to hide a camera. Or a laptop. From thieves. Not LE.

Someone suggested a safe secured to the frame. I'll look into that.

It also sounds as if I need to check the law regarding secret compartments in vehicles for any state in which I intend to travel.

It's illegal in California and Illinois, the wording normally includes for the purpose of hiding something illegal. Know in my case I do have a couple of guns which are perfectly legal to own and transport. My need would be to conceal them from the bad guys. The problem with safes is the ones which would stop a theft would be very heavy and bulky.

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

I don't think it is a bad idea at all to make a hidden compartment. It doesn't have to be super insane hidden. You could have a fake wall in the back of one of your cabinets. You could have storage under the bed that locks. You could have a safe under the floor that requires pulling the carpet back a little to get to. Just keep in mind the ease of access to your self. If its a pain to get to you will develop the habit of not using it. 

Your biggest threat is going to be a smash and grab. No one is going to spend 15 minutes combing over the place. If they know about the $100K in the floorboards they will just steal the whole van. 

The comments about law enforcement I don't feel apply. If you're hiding illegal stuff what do you care about the law. If you don't have anything illegal to hide the cops probably aren't going to harass you anyway. 

I'd say Hide your stuff and ideally have it secured and locked. Use common sense when parking ex: don't leave your van for 3 days on 7th & Broadway downtown Los Angeles.

 

[user 37446]

At one time I considered getting a small "job box" to lock up all my stuff.

https://tinyurl.com/yaf2vs5k

That seems to be the best thing - it cannot be construed as a "hidden" compartment, can easily be secured, and if bolted to the frame (on vans with frames lol) is pretty secure. Doesn't have to be very big, just enough for a wallet/purse/camera/electronics. Maybe 12" x 5" fire-resistant safe type box. You can buy these in stores or online... something like this. Read reviews first...

Amazon:  
AmazonBasics Security Safe - 0.5-Cubic Feet (16"x9"x9")

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| 497 answered questions

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[Mattkcc]

Thanks AlmostThere, maybe I am worrying too much about this. I don't worry about leaving my laptop or my camera in my car, I just slide it under a seat. My car is an old Subaru (1995 and still going strong!), so I wouldn't think it would be an attractive target. But a van might contain all sorts of goodies...

I will continue to ponder.

 

[Mattkcc]

One thing I thought about is they make rifle safes that go into a house wall between the studs and would be covered with a mirror. If you had the space under the floor of the van you could cut an opening drop in the safe bolt it in and cover with a rug.

 

[wagoneer]

At one point I hid keys and money in my tow hitch. I have nothing to hide anymore. I use a cheap point shoot with 2 x AA batteries people laugh but it works for me.

 

[wagoneer]

Works for me, $5 dollars at the flea market and no need to alter the image as it is small enough to post