When I was small and we did a lot of camping my dad used to take fishing line and tie one end to the car bumper and make like a square or triangle- at the other end he had sone nuts and bolts in a glass jar that was in our caravan and when someone comes it jangles in the van. It’s saved us so many times.

When I am parked up with my awning out I put a padlock in the hole in the awning arm so that it can’t be retracted bit harder to drive off with my van if they can’t put the awning down

Hi Sue & Derek. Friends of ours just recently (6 weeks ago or so?) were in a C/P in Townsville - asleep in their van - the door was jemmied & entry gained. Their car keys were on the table & pinched by some juvenile lowlifes (that's as far as I will go with that). Their car was stolen from outside the van and subsequently driven around Townsville for the next few days until located and recovered by themselves. I could go on with the story, it goes on and on, but you get the idea. Tips learned from their experience - (1) Do not leave your keys/wallets etc next to your van door. We all have hooks for keys right next to the door entry !!! Put them in the drawer or alcove next to your bed head. (2) Carry & keep somewhere safe a spare car key - our friends did not & it caused all sorts of grief until they could get the spare key posted to them. Another tip given to me - if leaving your van say at a free camp for a day trip etc, on top of putting a pin lock on the DO35, padlock your safety chains as tight as possible so thieves cannot use them to hook over their tow ball and tow your van away. Cheers. Dave

We had friends who were robbed while they slept earlier this year at Lombardina, which was a community we never would have thought of as risky. But it’s about protecting yourselves; they’d gone to bed and hadn’t locked the van door, so their keys (that were on view) and handbag were taken out of the van, and their car taken for a joy ride. Luckily for them, no real damage was done, and they were able to continue on their way after a few days, but it was a wake up call that has coloured their memories of a beautiful place.

Loved the latest video on being alert to safety when travelling. We were in a camper years ago at a caravan park that was hit overnight. People had gear stolen from boats, caravans, eskies and even the meat from freezer in the camp kitchen. Pays to be cautious.

Thats a good video for everyone to remind them about safety as these things do happen doesnt matter where you are camps or van parks thats the way it is today❤ You guys take care

I have installed a WITI alarm system to my caravan with the added GPS tracking device. It works very well. The GPS tracker updates the van's location to an app every 18 hours and is very accurate. The alarm system connects to the caravan's brakes applying them fully as soon as a very sensitive motion detector is activated. It also sets of an alarm, makes all the lights flash and sends a message to my phone app. It also has a door sensor that triggers the alarm as soon as the door is opened, and there is also an internal infrared sensor that can be turned off or on. It would be difficult for anyone to tow the van away with all the brakes fully applied. 🎉

This was brilliant. Thanks for sharing. I didn’t know about wheel clamps so I’ll pass that one on to hubby😉 we still haven’t free camped yet….bit scared but I’ll build up to it eventually! 😊 I love the comments about yr clock being stolen. Some people have a great sense of humour 😂

Hi Deryck & Sue another excellent video. This one was a great lesson. You can retro fit a central locking system to your canopy that work with the car system. Look that up when you can. KEYS. What we do is- spare set of caravan keys kept in the car and a spare car key hidden in the van that way if you loose one or the other you always have a spare to get out of trouble. On a lighter note did some one steal the clock.

We have just returned home from travelling 16kls in Oz ,many free camps some caravan parks. The only place we had trouble and felt unsafe was Alice Springs .

So sad this happened, makes us all be extra vigilant now. We will certainly be adding extra security as we continue our travels around Australia, cheers guys 👍

A friend told me when we bought our van, to ALWAYS take the D-shackles off the chains and lock them up when the van is unhitched. Apparently some thieves will sling the chains over their towball or whatever type of hitch they have, using the shackles to hold the chains in place. They then quickly drive off with your van. Your ball lock is rendered useless just by leaving the shackles available on your chains.

That is so bad, may I suggest travelling ing a Bushmaster the 50 cal machine gun with laser guided scopes up top tends to put a lot of those people off from knocking stuff off your site.

Eufy style cameras will log onto your van wifi and talk to your mobile. You can watch your van from anywhere you have mobile coverage. The cameras will alarm if a person walks into the van cameras view. The alarm can be sent directly to your cloud account.

Well said, trust your instincts. Good advice. I hope the GRR has been kind to you. Enjoy your week.

Did your clock get knocked off also?😂

So sad people can steal stuff without feeling like a horrible person. I just don't understand this world. I miss the good old days before the internet. Back when everyone was friendly and honest people.

That was great guys thank you for sharing this. We have stayed at a couple of van parks were there has been theft either the night before or that night. Most of the security guys we have met have told us what theft has been going on, fishing rods, Eskeys full of alcohol and bikes. One night we had been out for dinner and came back to find our kids shoes were missing.

I'm not a caravan person, but similarly disgusted that we can't travel around without being thieved from. The law courts are not hard enough on the perpetrator even if the police have done their job at finding the thief. I don't need a van, just my Falcon is fine, when i go get a swap n go gas bottle at the servo and old reliable is gone, some prick drove it 600kms then burnt it out. My best friend vehicle 13yrs together done heaps of camping, gone in 60 seconds and totally fried. It's a pure shame we can't live like humans anymore and enjoy life as we knew. Good luck on your travels.

We had a GPS tracker in a work Landcruiser 4WD that was stolen. We tracked the 4WD just out of town, where they stopped and removed the tracker. The tracker was found by the Police. The 4WD was never recovered. Do not rely on one device only.

Cracking EP guys and what a bugger they knocked off your gear. Thanks for sharing,

Great tips for general awareness guys, one night in Coober Pedy caravan park we woke up in the middle of the night to find an intruder INSIDE our camper trailer... luckily the keys/wallet/phones were under our pillows, there is no going back to sleep after that stuff, Shame they have now taken your clock tho! 🤣

We had brand new fishing rods stolen out of our tent in a caravan park. We now have a caravan and so far only stay in caravan parks . We always put everything away at night .

I haven't started yet, still waiting for my RV MoHo to be delivered (mid-2024). So I'm still planning everything. This was really informative, thank you for posting this. Sorry that you got robbed.

Thank you so much for this tonight. 😢it’s so sad what has happened to you,you are such a beautiful couple and a breath of fresh air 🦋🌺🌸🐬 .I am now going to lock things up,my wife says I trust to much. Thank you again have a wonderful week.🍷🍷🦋🌸🐬🌺

I have just finished watching your channel and your segment tonight was all about locking up and being safe. Last year we were at Bullara station in WA for 2 nights, the morning we were to leave we got up and someone had stolen our tow hitch on the land cruiser which left us in a pickle, we were heading to Exmouth but couldn’t get there as our tow hitch was a Lovells and quite different, we walked all around the park to finally find one that would get us to Exmouth so we borrowed it and then returned it, we bought one in Exmouth luckily that did the job, it wasn’t the right one but it got us home. Now we lock the tow hitch.

On our journey, we were at a caravan park in Alice Springs and myself and Mrs had gone for a shower at the same time. As I was returning, I could see a light shining in our car and I thought it was the other half getting something out of the car. As I got closer, this bloke took off like a rabbit! 2 others took off from other vans, and another camper was chasing them. These 3 blokes jumped the fence which had barbed wire around the top but had jumpers over the wire so not to get caught up on it. Coppers came to investigate and search the back of the park but they had gone. Very scary as it's not something you expect when on holidays. Luckily, we spooked them before they could steel anything but my keys were on the kitchen bench on our camper trailer and my wallet was in the car.

Hope someone funds your clock 😉💜 Great video.

The worst experiences we have ever had on the road have been in campsites with many other people around. These days we try to find places where nobody else if camping because then the potential for trouble is zero. More people = more trouble from our experience and the closer you are to big population centres, the more likely there is to be problems.

Ive heard others talk about gut feels with travelling, too and do the same as you both. Fair enough, i say! If even for the fact youll feel more relaxed and sleep better at the next place, its worth it 👍

Great video, thanks guys 😊

Yes guy's great video, just subscribed, I got hirejacked when I was at ayers rock Uluru , I was on a motorbike and 5 or 6 aboriginal guys dragged my off the bike and sucked the petrol from my tank and almost left me empty in the middle of nowhere, these people want our respect, are you joking. Stop doing the crime and I'll respect them, anyway enough ranting, ❤ peace love and respect 🙏.

Sorry you guy’s experienced this 😮 I’ve just bought a ‘van and now considering going full hog on security. It’s an industry I’ve been in for over 30 years so will be covering all aspects.

One question….when is your book coming out? I love your Wednesday chats. Have to sit and write them all down. Lol. Yeah, I’m a note taker too. 😅

Great advice guys, thanks again. Travel safe👍

Great ep with good advise thank you 👍

This really sucks guy's, never leave your gear in sight, and big tip you should put 4 motion cameras on your caravan with spot lights, also cable lock your chairs to your outside table have alarm padlocks and if that doesn't work the shotgun full of salt and pepper right up the you no what, a light sabre works well ask luck skywalker 😂 good luck guy's hope you had insurance 👍

Another very informative video. Bob …. You are hilarious.

I too have been the victim of thieves in the night, my hitch pin was taken. I only noticed it as my trailer hitch was sticking out when i was packing up to leave my campsite, i knew it was there the day before as i always check everything the day prior to leaving. Another camper came over and had a spare one that he kindly gave me so i could continue on. I now have a spare one plus i purchased one that can be locked with a key. Its going to happen, I hear about it like you guys but we will not let those scumbags ruin our trip. I also have several camera's , drones etc and they are always with me, if I'm in the camper or car, that's where the are too. Thanks for uploading this video so we are all aware of the dangers of thieves on the road. Stay Safe.

Ive heard of a family camping on the beach came back to their patriot style camper and someone had stolen all their water having showers 😬 We were camping at fraser island and we all went out for a day trip bar two in the group. And some guy with an empty ute drove into the camp. He said he was looking for his mates 🙄 empty ute and all 🤔

We lost a 120 lite esky full of Christmas cheer including a seafood platter on Christmas Eve. Total value would been approximately $800 from our annex. The same night the local police Sargent staying at the same van park lost his 80L camp fridge full of alcohol.

Thanks for sharing, safe travelling guys

We drove into Hattah np in Victoria a few years ago , we by passed the first camp and continued on to a camp much further in ,there wasn’t anybody around ,after setting up the van and paying the camp fee l said to my husband that l didn’t like it here it felt sinister so we packed up and drove all the way back to the first camp which was by the ranger station after staying there over night we continued our trip ,but a few weeks later it was on the news that there had been a huge drug bust (weed) a bit further on from where we had first set up ,it was in the scrub. Moral of the story is yes trust your own instincts

I am glad you have bought up the subject there are a lot of places people need to be bit smarter KZfaqrs don’t report the problems which should be addressed to make fellow un initiated aware just look at the comments thank you enjoy

You can cover all your camera gear, computers etc itemised under your insurance for theft and or damage.

Great reminder for all of us, thanks guys

We have been lucky as we stay wherever we like so far the only time we had anything stolen we were in a caravan park

Hi guy's I'm new here, your safety advice was very helpful & interesting. I saw on another channel yesterday about a guy who has a hidden safe in his campervan. It was made big enough to hold his valuable equipment, while still being small enough to be hidden away where no one would find it. It's secretly bolted onto the campervans chassis & those bolt's are hidden too. I thought it's a great idea.😊😊 I've subscribed to your channel, as my ex (also my best friend) are planning on travelling & being grey nomads in a campervan within the next 2 + years, after dreaming about doing it for the last 35+ years😅😅 Looking forward to watching more of your videos 😊😊Cheers from the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria 😊😊Safe travels❤❤

We use a jaycar pir motion sensor. I think it cost $10 remote control. You can change settings from full-on alarm or chirp. Handy if things are open in gut feeling territory eg Canopy open on other side while having beers out front🤙😊

I timely subject, well presented. Saturday 24th June 2023, at the Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park. An old couple (my age) two sites down from us had their 100 Series Land Cruiser stolen. The thieves broke into their T van while they were asleep, stole the man's wallet, his car keys and his wife's handbag. A lot more than I've listed was stolen but I don't see the point in listing everything. The thieves then quietly managed to steal the vehicle. No-one heard a thing. I certainly didn't and I'm a notoriously light sleeper. You can use your own imagination as to who the likely perpetrators were. This brazen act obviously ruined the couple's trip, not to mention their retirement plans in general. I don't know if they managed to get their vehicle back as we left that morning, feeling relieved we were leaving Derby.

Ive added 2 dash cams to my caravan, front and rear.

Caravan parks are definitely a target over free camps because they have time to scope caravan parks and prepare. We were in Kalgoorlie and these kids came at night with two ladders! One to get over the fence and another to climb back. They went through one guys site like they were shopping at Bunnings. Why did they pick this one van? Because he left stuff outside everywhere. Here’s a tip….I always lock our A frame chains to our trailer mate jack with a massive lock. I’ve heard people had their trailer a mates stolen in the CP.

Great video guys thanks for sharing

Hi sorry to hear about this BUT - as an ex security officer i can tell you if you don't have your expensive items locked away "securely" then eventually something will walk, if you leave expensive items on display (such as a GoPro on the dash) then it takes less than 30seconds to have it swiped. Don't be over cautious - ask yourself if it was taken can you afford to replace it? if the answer is no then put it inside with you while you sleep ! As for the van there are items on the market that can make your hitch safe etc... yes they may be expensive but hey again go back to my question. It is unfortunate but there are thieves out there everywhere DON'T take your SAFETY or your assets Safety for granted and YES your gut feeling is your 1st line of defence..... Lock it up - Lock it up - Lock it up ! and get a dog that barks ha ha ha ... good luck you two.

Gr8 ep 🤙 don’t look now but your wall clock is Gonski 😮

Where is the clock? Really robbed? Lowlifes everywhere. Hope you haven’t lost to much. All the best wishes go with you.

Great informative video guys. ❤

I was out camping in my camper trailer one weekend with the family, beautiful free camp on the water in the middle of no where with a few camp sites around, i woke up at 3am to someone walking away from my camper, lucky nothing of value was left out 👍

You clock got stolen too😂😂 We've had a few gut feelings too when staying in free camps. Good to be reminded to be safety aware.

Good Morning 😊 I see the clock is gone , did it wave his hands and say goodbye 😂 Saftey is important , be vigilant . In S.A you lock it and its still go missing 😢 Crime Capital of the world 😠 Thanks for the chat & Safe Travels 🙏🏽 Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦

Touch wood we have been very lucky lost nothing whilst on the road and been very slack about security that will change now ,sitting at one of your fave places Perlubie Beach wind blowing getting sand blasted outside only 21 sites available now so will be a battle come Xmas the allocated sites are 27 mtrs wide huge dont know if can park more than one van on each site

Loyalty Beach is known for it, and they are quiet n so sneaky!

Exactly the same thing happened to our crew at Loyalty Beach.

Keep your keys in a drawer or somewhere safe other than on a hanger beside the door we had our neighbours dmax stolen when staying just outside Mt isa. They were also brazen enough to try and come back the next night to steal our y62 using the dmax as the drop off vehicle. We spooked them by setting off our car alarm while they were trying to get into our caravan. We ended up having half the van park chasing them off. Scary feeling when someone is trying to get through your front door while you are on the other side.

Thanks for a great video, yes unfortunately you have to be cautious when camping. Where’s the clock???

The title of the episode said robbed, and then i saw the clock was missing... not the clock!! 😵 Damn robbers will thieve anything these days! (Joke)

Holy Hell the clock missing

Hi guy's sorry to tell you but your famous clock has been stolen ha . Another great episode

Sorry to hear your gear got raided 😢 I cant believe the cheek of it, right beside where your sleeping! Its interesting about the paid sites vs unpaid, too 🤔

I moved on a couple nights ago. That gut feeling was scary.

Hi Guys. I watch your videos every week. Thanks for providing the content. I noticed your clock wasn't on the wall, did someone make off with it? LOL. Cheers and safe travels. Pm

But… the clock is gone? Was *it* stolen? We need to know the complete story guys…

Haha yes did you notice your clock has been stolen 😂

I leave my camping chair out as my red cattle dog sleeps on it..goodluck taking it or getting within 10mt of my set up.. Even if his inside no chance! He'll let me know everytime .. Goodluck😂

Hopefully there is an item or two with a G.P.S signal. Apple air tags people.

Hey guys, my business didn’t sell, I am stuck in nz for a bit longer, I am in Gods hands. His time is perfect-

Welcome to 'Africa' (lawleness, entitled and WOKE)! We live with it everyday since The New South Africa in 94, and the whole World forced us there!

I always say, locking your gear stops the honest people. There are some scumbags around. We have friends borrowed camping gear (not ours)to out and try camping, some scumbag stole everything but the tent.

Loved the vid, first question, who stole your clock? 😅😅

Fir Gps trackung to your van and a alarm to your car.

What filter system do you use when filling your tanks at all the different places you stay at?

Hey Sue. Slightly off topic, but I just have to ask you about your hats! I love them and have been admiring them forever. ❤ Can you tell me what they are and where you got them from? A sneaky discount code would be a bonus too 😉

GPS tags are great.

Oh what a horrible feeling that would've been when you saw your gear on the ground.

Where's the clock ⏰️ 🤔 - was the first thing i looked for! 😅

I understand that insurance on Vans do not cover contents. Do you have insurance elsewhere for your stuff?

Ours was our fishing mad child new rods from directly under our bed window at a well know park. Totally gutted he was.

The guy who got his car stolen on the great ocean road LEFT HIS KEYS IN THE CAR

In reality condidering you are on the road full time thats a pretty low incident level. Issues around alice springs is known. For me i go for $10 chairs so not fussed if they walk. That said im at spear creek tonight and just put my $100 shimano fishing shoes inside. Always keep my drone etc in the van hidden away. In reality the incident rate is pretty low in aus. It is really just being smart with where you stay. Would i free camp in a major town, probably not but 100km away a little town with 200 people no problems. Pitty about the clock. Time is precious.

I wonder if many mukmats have been pinched. I’ve wanted to get one but I am worried it might grow legs

I thought you were going to say someone stole your clock 🤣

Ssuch a hard lesson guys & sucks that it happened to you. Silver linings though cause how good is that a74 😉

Never had this problem of theft during the Bush Tucker man’s day.

Did they steal the clock? 😯😯

defiantly dark tint your windows on your car

wow very unexpected experience friend

This was Theft, or burglary. Robbery invovles violence or threat of violence.

Hey guys it is getting very concerning alright, sorry to hear you lost so much camera gear, not good. And they get away with it as it’s very hard to catch them and they know it. Take care.

It makes me so angry and sad that these sort of &%$holes exist, it would be nice to be able to trust humanity but it seems to no longer exist. Vandals, thieves, etc. with no conscience as to what it does to those affected. Thanks for the tips guys just a real pity we even need them.

Where’s the clock gone?😢