Originally Posted by
CrazyLemurBoy
On the note of leaving your gear stashed at your campsite - I was fooled into thinking this was a good idea since I was in the posh mountain town of Boulder, Colorado. I mean, I did it plenty of times before in far sketchier areas. When I returned to my campsite EVERYTHING WAS GONE. EVERYTHING. Including my camping gear for the night. This was a very painful night.
Don't let your gear out of your sight, don't leave it at your site.
IMO, there a world of difference in the risks and "rules" for theft between "deep woods" campgrounds, and those near population centers. I'm sure that there are opportunists who see campers as easy pickins, and work nearby campgrounds. OTOH- out in the woods, you're surrounded by fellow campers, and while nothing is absolutely safe, odds favor you there.
When I travel, especially camping, I try to get to know my temporary neighbors. Neighbors who share a drink or meal tend to watch out for each other, and the watchful eye (or appearance of a watchful eye) can make a big difference.
BTW- one thing all travelers should do, is photograph key documents, especially their passport, and attach to an email they send themselves. Leave it archived in some obscure file on your email server or the cloud (not downloaded to the laptop), so in the event of loss, you can reconstruct the documents from any internet connection anywhere in the world.