Security?

[Bodeccia]

Been lurking like a beast on these threads (we'll be starting our camping holidays next year). In our research for stuff, it occurred to me that we'll be taking quite a lot of kit which will amount to quite a lot of ££s. The tent alone is a significant amount of money. Icey teks - they must be nickable and desirable?

What is your advice about locking your tent? Do you do so? Is it necessary? Do you take insurance? I've looked on the threads here, but I haven't found any current advice.

Don't mean to make people paranoid, just wondered what you seasoned campers do. TIA

[MrsPnut]

Most camp sites are very safe, campers tend to take note of those camped around them and will know if someone else is hanging around.

Store valuables in your car or on your person but your tent and equipment will be fine.

We used to have insurance for our camping stuff added onto our house insurance but we don't anymore. No reason other than we only camp a few times a year now and can't see the point.

[s88]

I have just returned from a camping trip, everyone seems to watch out for each other. Once you're there a couple of days you're chatting to your 'neighbours' . people would notice and alert the site manager or police

[PedlarsSpanner]

Yes it's bloody wonderful, folk look out for each other in a way unimaginable at hame

Yes to locking valuables in car or keep on your person

In all my years of camping avec and sans children I have never heard of or had a theft not even a mallet

[momb]

Lock electronics in your car. There's no way to secure a tent: you can cut round a padlock with a pair of scissors!
Never had anything stolen on a campsite, though did wake up at a festival to find our windbreak missing.

[Slubberdegullion]

I've never locked my tent.

Valuables (like money and phones) tend to come with us off site.

I will be insuring my new tent though.

It's one of the lovely things about camping. A brief nod and a smile and "good morning with your neighbours is all it needs for them to then notice if something is untoward with your tent when you are out, which btw is much more likely to be the wind picking up and a guy coming loose or a wind break looking precarious, than anyone trying to pinch stuff.
It does happen but it's pretty rare tbh.

[DoristheCamel]

As everyone else has said really - campers generally look out for one another.

Use common sense. Dont flash stuff about. I took a portable flatscreen TV with us in 2012 for the Olympics but tucked it away when not in use and the tent doors open to not flash the fact I had it there about. I started the 2 weeks taking it in the car and packing it away every time we went out but got fed up, so just left it tucked behind something in the tent.

I always take purses, money and other electronics out with us in the car.

If you are worried about your icey tek - just keep it out of sight, so people dont know you have it. Place a blanket over it. My weekend set up is quite small, so when I go for weekends I usually cook outside and leave my stove and gas bottle all set up outside the tent. So far - no problem.

[ViviPru]

Echo what everyone else has said. And times when we've been accidentally lax (Leaving the van window down all day and night with wallets/mobiles/portable DABs on display) nothing has been touched.

It did occur to me the other day that we were leaving one of the most valuable possessions we own (the tent) unsupervised in the middle of a field, but the thought passed as soon as it arrived.

We're lazy gets too when camping and spend most of our time slobbing round the site.

[Bodeccia]

Thanks for the replies, I figured that campers were basically "happy" (!)