Personal safety is always important, especially in these days of heightened security awareness. For those of us who travel by RV, it’s imperative to always be aware of our surroundings in order to keep ourselves and our property as safe as possible. This starts with where you choose to park your rig at night.
- If you are staying at an RV park, be it private or public, be sure to take a look around and talk to staff and residents to get a feel for the level of security.
- If you are staying at a rest stop, parking lot, or other roadside area, be especially vigilant. Be sure to stay in a lit area away from wooded areas or other locations that might conceal the criminal element.
- Rest areas are generally safe if you nest yourself amongst the big-rigs. I used to be an over-the-road trucker in my youth, so I am used to the idling of diesel engines and refrigeration units, but you may not be. Although parking for the night in the company of tractor-trailers keeps you pretty safe, it can also keep you awake if you are not used to it.
- Make sure you lock all doors and storage compartments and turn on your porch light. If you have “scare” lights on your rig, turn them on. “Scare” lights are the large round lights mounted high on the sidewall of most large motorhomes and fifth-wheels.
- Be aware of neighboring business and homes that may be able to assist you in an emergency.
- Always carry a cellular and/or satellite phone and try to stay in areas of strong coverage.
- Be cautious but not paranoid, and always perform the “gut check”. If you don’t feel right about staying in a particular place, go somewhere else.
- Even if you are not into gambling, casino parking lots are great places to camp for the night. They tend to have 24hr. security and are either free or very inexpensive. I have stayed in casino lots or RV parks and have found them to be clean, safe, and affordable. As an added bonus, they usually have great buffets and other eating choices.
- Staying overnight in mall parking lots is usually not permitted by law, so I don’t recommend this unless you want to get a knock on your rig door in the middle of the night from police or security.
- The obvious exception to this is WalMart. Overnight parking regulations are made by jurisdiction, so be sure to ask the store manager if it’s okay to stay the night. Look for other RVers doing the same and stay close to them.
Never leave your RV alone in an unsecured or unprotected area. RVing is a great way of life, but it can be ruined by theft, vandalism, or personal threats. Stay safe out there!
Paul M. ~ “Thank you for the immediate response to our breakdown at a rest stop. The tow truck driver was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We were able to get home that same day.”
Coach-Net 
The best security is a **serious** dog. My Belgian Malinois keeps me and my rig safe. She’s a sweetheart, friendly and social, but she is specially trained and keeps an eye on absolutely everything. Importantly, I keep an eye on HER, and if she thinks something ain’t right, we saddle up and light a shuck. As a full-time RVing single woman, there’s no better “shotgun” than a good dog.
I have to say, I don’t personally like to call attention to my rig by putting on a lot of lights. Kind of shouts out, “Here I am, rich people here, watch your chance to get some,” to the unsavory element. Once I’m tucked in for the night and locked up, I’ve got dual alarm systems: my regular RV one, and the deafening roar of my Malinois when anyone gets within touching distance of my rig.
Having a serious dog means investing in both the dog and the handler training that is part of serious dog ownership, plus ongoing training every day of your dog-life, in addition to all the usual dog stuff. Don’t think you’re going to just buy some scary looking thing and be done with it. Your life depends on your dog, and your dog depends on you for leadership, training, exercise, play, food, and veterinary care, plus good stewardship. In return, you won’t have to worry as much about overnighting in a rest stop or Walmart.
I know a serious dog isn’t for everybody, but if you’re single you need that extra layer of protection that your Yorkie or Shih Tsu just can’t provide.
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If you have a concealed carry permit, keep it in your rig not in the tow vehicle.
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If you have a concealed carry permit…keep it on you!
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By my bed when I am sleeping.
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Being a typical Canadian, this suggestion is outside the realm of the thought process of the author! 🙂
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Whenever you, take the time to think about how you could leave the area on short notice. Don’t park somewhere facing into a barrier; instead, take the time to back in before you get comfortable for the night. If parking between a couple of semi’s, park toward the forward end so that some short box truck doesn’t pull in front of you and box you in. I also watch out to avoid parking under a low-hanging tree branch; nothing like hearing a squirrel jump onto your roof at 0400.
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We were thinking of doing some boondocking on BLM land which seems to be very sparsely populated and is far from towns of any size. We are feeling quite uncertain about being so far out, away from civilization, and are not sure about this kind of camping being safe. We’ve also read this particular area has NO cell service, so that adds to our trepidation.
BTW, we’re in our late 60s – not youngsters. I say if we were 20 years younger we might not be so apprehensive. The idea of being out under the stars with only nature around us sounds appealing until we think of the vulnerability of being out there alone.
We do carry a gun, but the thought of being out in the vastness of the desert area kind of all alone is seeming less and less attractive. How do others deal with this?
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A satellite phone and a dog. I’m a 60+ woman who boondocks on public lands alone, year round. I’ve only ever had one encounter with a human who wanted to do me harm. My dog sent him packing, with something to remember us by 😆
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Thank you Laura for your reply. So good you have a protective pooch! The dog idea is great, but we’re just not wanting another pet at this point in our lives. I’d thought about one of those devices that makes a barking dog sound, but never looked seriously into it.
I don’t know where or when we started losing our fearlessness. It makes me sad. I’m an old country girl at heart who never had many concerns, but have spent too many years in the city. Hubby is a city boy who has become more and more cautious and suspicious of people’s potentially bad behaviors.
What we plan to do is stay in an RV park about 15 miles from the BLM area and go inspect it and perhaps stay into the evening with our toad. Maybe once we see the area we won’t feel so inhibited.
As for the satellite – that’s our list. We’ve sunk so much $$ into the RV, the toad, the towing system, the brake system, etc. that we’re just not ready to spend a lot more. It is on our wish list though! We don’t go out into the boonies all that often to make it a real priority at this point. We take DVDs to watch and lots of books and magazines since we get no TV most places.
Perhaps I should say that the BLM area we are interested in is called Trona Pinnacles near Ridgecrest CA – just in case anyone has had any experience with this area.
Thanks again!
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We also have guns. My question is – do you need a carrying permit in California, or can I just carry it for self-defense?
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California weapons laws are complicated, but it’s safest to assume that whatever you plan to do, you can’t. Here is a site that talks about open unloaded carry, on your person and in a vehicle: https://www.wklaw.com/practice-areas/california-open-carry-gun-laws-california-penal-code-26350-pc/
Concealed carry requires a permit that you generally can’t get. Look at: https://www.wklaw.com/areas-concealed-weapons-sentencing-punishment.html#READBELOW
BTW, I think we now have 11 new California regulations as of June 2016, including one on ammo sales. With the laws coming this fast, who even knows what’s legal and illegal anymore (which just may be the goal). You even need to have a pistol in a locked case while transporting your weapon to an approved gun range. Fortunately, you can still hold it while firing at targets on the range.
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I suggest you get the “Legal Heat” app for your smart phone, which summarizes the gun laws of all the states. There is also an app called “CCW.” In that app you can enter your permits state(s), and it shows a map of the states in which your permit is honored. Even if you do not have a permit or your permit is not honored by a state, you always have the Constitutional right to transport your firearm through the state. However, you must have it unloaded and secured in an area that is not accessible to the driver when you are driving. When you park at night, your RV becomes a home, and you can bring it inside the RV. Even with that right, I would be careful in gun unfriendly states such as California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and the New England States. A shotgun might be the safest alternative, although some features of practical shotguns like pistol grips are illegal in some states. An AR-15 is an excellent defensive gun, but some states have highly restrictive laws on that class of firearms Also be careful about tactical shotguns with pistol grips. If you are going to Canada or Mexico, leave all you guns at home.
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Lee:
I read through the California law about open and concealed carry, and I didn’t find anything about “your RV becomes your home at night.” Further, your weapon needs to be in a locked container, not just not readily accessible within the vehicle. Practically, you are unlikely to ever have your vehicle searched, but you should accurately know your legal exposure. (There are Border Patrol checkpoints at a number of locations within Southern California, and your vehicle can be searched at one of these. They are looking mostly for northbound people and drugs, but finding a pistol in your map storage tray is a gift you don’t want to give them.) I regularly drive my car into Mexico (at a very sleepy little crossing, not Tijuana), and my car is searched (and proof of Mexican insurance is required), not tear out the interior panels, but a mirror inspection of the bottom and a hand under all the seats level (the Mexicans are looking for weapons & cash moving south). I don’t know what happens for RV’s. Two years ago, I drove my RV into Canada (no weapons aboard), and was held in Canadian secondary inspection for over two hours while they looked and typed messages. When they finally let me in, a Dougie Howser type Canadian officer said “We are so sorry sir, but a very bad man shares the same name as you.” Anyway, I would rank Mexico as the dumbest place to ever take a weapon; they are serious and they like searching. Canada is similar but more polite. And California has bad legal issues, but your probability of trouble is low. And, ignorance of the law is never an excuse. Many non-Americans have never touched a weapon, and they have an image of Americans as recklessly careless, highly armed, weirdly dangerous people. They see us through the lens of their media and our own movies and TV products.
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Some states do require that the handgun be unloaded and lock when in transport. I can’t cite authority for the “parked RV as your home,” but I am pretty sure that is correct. You’ll probably have to look at case law instead of statutes to find it. Nevertheless, you can be right and still be harassed In the anti gun states, leaving you to prove it. Good point about the border checkpoints, but they are Feds and may not turn you on to state authorities.
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Eileen, we face risks every day but for some reason, we get spooked by some and not others. Everytime we pull out onto the road, our risk factors go through the roof but we think nothing of it because we have done it so often before.
For added peace of mind, contact the local police detachment that would cover the area nearest where you plan to go and ask what the crime rates are both in that location and in the general area. My guess is that it will be low.
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Hello Mark. Thank you for the great input! As I explained in my reply to Laura above, we have decided to stay closer to town and will go to check out the BLM area we are interested in. We plan to take a little bundle of firewood and a meal and go out in our toad and hopefully stay into the darkness so we can get a sense about the area. The daylight is not a problem…at least for me. It would be the darkness and lack of others out there that would probably result in sleepless nights. 🙂
I do like your idea of contacting the law enforcement in the area…not sure who they are on BLM land, but will research that. This is big dirt bike and ATV country so it’s entirely possible that there might be folks around – at least close enough to help if the need arose.
And I do like your comments about the daily risks we take…so many of them without a fleeting thought. We’re new to RVing (towed a travel trailer for years way back) so we’re still in a big learning curve. We know folks who go into very remote areas and think nothing of it. We’d probably be a bit more eager if we were travelilng with another couple or a group. Perhaps that will happen in the future!
Again, thanks for taking the time to post! I appreciate it!
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That’s a terrific idea to check with the local police enforcement or Highway patrol.
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Common sence is the Rule of Thumb!
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Some good info I also being new at R/V ing appreciate and weigh all advise
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Not politically correct anymore to just say “responsibly carry your firearm with you and keep it close by……??
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I live in Canada, so I have never even owned a gun much else held one. We are travelling to San Diego in October. Will be our son in San Diego for 6 months.
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Lorraine:
California is not much different than Canada (except for the trees, rocks and water) in that we have extremely stringent weapons control here too. However, the truth is that there are two Americas, one the urban core with considerable danger, and the rest of America (what we like to call the normal part, which if taken by itself, has crime rates similar to such deadly places as Denmark). In San Diego County, you will almost have to seek out a dangerous part; the default is pretty secure. Assuming you are bringing your RV, take the opportunity to explore the considerable free BLM lands within 50 miles of the coast, but be prepared for an RV unfriendly zone (no overnight at W-M or even on city streets, and minimum $35/night RV parks). I hope your son has parking available on his property. Otherwise, welcome to SoCal! 🙂
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What does BLM stand for?
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Hello Joe. BLM stands for Bureau of Land Management.
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To amplify, the Bureau of Land Management controls all the miscellaneous government owned land (other than military bases, National Parks). For RV’ers, the BLM is the owner of a huge amount of the USA, and they have established everything from specific campgrounds to designated chunks of land where you can just pull off the road and park your RV or set up a tent. Yeah, regulations still apply, but in many places in the West, you can just drive out, find a flat spot, and hang out for a week or so of dry camping. Finding the places usually involves asking the locals or making an assumption that those other 30 RV’ers know what they are doing. Sometimes a BLM area will have a day-time ranger with a sign-in book, other places may just have tracks off the edge of the roads. Look at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html
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Bureau of Land Management.
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So does the constitution permit the federal government to own land? Yes it does, but there are very strict limitations. Our founding fathers were very specific concerning federal ownership and control of land. Article I, section 8, clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution gives the feds control of 10 square miles of Washington DC. It further states that land within the boundaries of a state may only be acquired if they first have the consent of the state legislature. The federal government is limited in it’s acquisition of land to four purposes, military forts, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings. Nowhere in the constitution does it grant the federal government the power to “own” millions of acres. The so called “public lands” that they currently control must be returned to the states.
If you’ve been paying attention lately, the Feds have been in overdrive in their pursuit to control vast areas of the west. The perception is that this is for environmental reasons; after all you can hardly turn the TV on or pick up a newspaper without seeing some dire news story about the environment. Global warming, climate change and sustainable development have become everyday terms.
In reality, federal control of our land has nothing to do with the environment or saving the planet, it’s all about money, power, and control.
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We enjoy boondocking on BLM land and other out-of-the-way places just because there are no bright lights and noisy neighbors. No, we don’t carry a gun, but we do check out the area before settling for the night to see if we feel comfortable with it. If there are other people around, we might stop for a chat. Your suggestions for safety precautions in parking lots, rest areas and other more populated areas are mostly good. Even so, never stay in a place that makes you feel unsafe.
I take exception to the suggestion of turning on the “scare” lights on your rig. Fine if you are all alone in the wilderness, but there’s nothing that most campers hate worse than having bright lights shinning into their rigs, ruining the night sky and spoiling the ambiance around the campfire. If you are that uncomfortable in an area, go to a private well-lit campground. Don’t ruin the camping experience for people who enjoy a a quiet evening looking at the stars.
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