Secure your stuff in public campgrounds !
 

rider came by LBS yesterday, his BoB trailer & what was In it was stolen @ Ft Stevens State park Campground..

had ridden from AK, to Mexico Border , and was riding back home, to AK ..


theory was .. Local Teens were the ones looking for loose stuff to take .. :notamused:

I'd worry about this when traveling solo. With a companion it would be easier to use the showers with someone else to watch over the campsite. A friend of mine rode cross-country alone and has done several weeklong loops here in the east and only once did he have trouble; he caught someone trying to get into his tent when he returned from the showers.

I've had items removed from my handlebar bag when the bike was locked up briefly while I was in a store.

This is always something I would think about in the back of my head during my first tour because I was traveling alone. I always took my most valuable items with me when I went to the showers or inside a store, but I realize that if someone truly wants to steal my stuff than there may not be a whole lot I can do in the end. I try not to buy top of the line gear precisely for this purpose, it would make the sting of losing it maybe a little more bearable. Still I'm confident that most of the time items I tour with should be secure enough.

It does disappoint me to know that people out there will just go around taking stuff that is not theirs, that in turn could ruin someone's entire holiday.

I've never secured my stuff unless I go into a a market or restaurant, but your right, I should be doing it at campsites.Even something as simple as chaining my bike to my tent. If they got a truck, only takes a few seconds to throw your bike in their truck and drive off.

Thanks for the advice.

Just yesterday, I had someone lift the under-seat tool bag. Wasn't anything but an allen wrench set, a tire patch kit and a couple other items. About $60 of stuff. In for a few minutes, gone as quick as that. No surveillance vids, so no telling who did it.

Thankfully, it's been decades since I had a bike or something serious stolen like that.

Can't imagine losing a whole BOB trailer and gear, while on a tour. Hard to guard against, but IMO it's always worth having a second pair of eyes around, and always remaining circumspect about the likelihood. Tough, when going solo, but it's one of the risks. It's a crappy world, sometimes. Lots of folks willing to prey on others, wherever we go.

Unfortunately there is a percentage of the population that feels entitled to help themselves to whatever they please. And have no qualms about doing so.

Aaron :)

If alone, I would take a shower early in the morning or during an off peak time. I would roll the bike into the shower house with me if possible. If someone gets mad, who cares, your leaving anyway.

This used to happen quite regularly at Devils Lake State Park in Lincoln City. I think they changed the location of the hiker-biker spots since then. The lower sites now are easily visible from the check-in kiosk and the upper sites are visible from a residential street. Local teens were the suspects there too. I'd agree to be extra diligent when your campsite is in a town.

I try not to be too attached to my stuff. It's only stuff. And as noted above, I don't equip myself with the very best stuff for that reason. Stuff has a way of growing legs. If it should get lost or stolen, I'd begin a different kind of trip. Same with getting sick, having a major mechanical failure, or sustaining an injury--it happens.

And I stay away from public campgrounds for that very reason. There are often public lands around public campgrounds that are perfect for "stealth" or "distributed" camping. I usually sponge-bathe in a public restroom or in a creek late in the day and don't really need a shower every night.

When shopping or touring out of sight of the bike, I tie every pack and helmet strap and bungee cord around something to slow down or discourage a thief.

Once I left my bike surrounded by homeless guys on the steps of the Cleveland Public Library for a half hour or so. Maybe there's a homeless guy code and I sort of looked like I belonged, because nothing was touched.

I've camped in odd places in the past. If I didn't like where I was, I'd just bring the bike into the tent with me. No trailer.

I take my bike out shopping quite a bit. I always lock the bike, but it is impossible to secure everything in the trailer. If I have $200+ worth of stuff in the trailer, or something that seems particularly tempting, I sometimes avoid stopping. But, so far, no problems.

The annoying thing is the stores that prohibit backpacks. No, not the big hiking packs, but the little purse-sized ones.

I don't think I've been to the Ft. Stevens park. It looks like it might be fun to check out sometime. However, I think that is one of the dirty secrets of the Oregon coast... a lot of tourists, and a lot of theft preying on those tourists.

At least down in the Florence area, lots of relatively hidden beach access points, and people who leave most of their belongings in their cars for a few hour jaunt down on the beach. I think the problem is worse than ordinary hiker access points inland.

On the Southern California coast, I'd always try to bring the bike & gear into the showers. Barring that, I'd lock it in sight of the entrance ranger kiosk. Maybe the ranger wouldn't even care, but it could give thieves a second thought.

But in campgrounds where there weren't any locals to speak of, as in many parts of the Sierra, I didn't bother with that, but did lock the bike when away from it, as well as put any expensive stuff out of sight. Some sites had lockable bear/thief boxes.

I was just there about a month ago and left everything in my tent in the hiker biker area and explored the fort and surrounding area. I really hope they find the little bas**rds who did this.
Devils lake in Lincoln City felt a bit odd until there were several of us wandering in and out. Less chance of a stranger that way.

Anecdotes like this are unfortunate :( I guess there will always be some bad actors out there only focused on themselves. That said, its not the norm from what I've experienced.

I do try and gauge the local vibe before leaving any of my equipment unattended. I'll also observe what the neighboring sites are doing to get a feel too. At times, I'll also chat with other campers and get their opinion, and make them aware of my circumstance.

You hit on a good point--visibility and accessibility. The only place I had someone try to steal something was in DuBois, WY. The tenting area of the campground (a private one) was next to a road that led to a trailer park or some sort of residential area, with nothing but a post rail fence for "security." I stupidly left my stove out. Two kids drove by and stopped. One jumped out and headed for the fence. I was sitting outside the laundry room and started running towards my tent. The kid jumped back in car and they took off.

Normally, I don't worry much at all. I have taken ay least one week+ tour without a lock. But when I am camping in a place--either public or private--where the population has easy visibility and access--I take extra precautions like to leaving anything of value visible, even if that means simply tossing it in my tent.

I was just thinking... record someone snoring while sleeping and put a cheap bluetooth speaker and old iPod mini playing it in your tent while you are out :-)

Should keep people away.