Are campgrounds safe? Can you leave your campsite during the day without worrying about theft? Do you need to secure your camper at night with locks or alarms? Do you need a gun?

These are some of the questions I hear, mostly from newcomers to camping.

Historically, starting with the Memorial Day weekend and continuing through Labor Day, summer is the peak camping season. Last year (due to the COVID pandemic) was the busiest camping season I can remember, with most campgrounds that accept reservations full to capacity almost every day of summer. Many of these campers were new to this outdoor activity, and I expect this summer to be just as busy.

The Campground Community

Campgrounds are like neighborhoods, the old kind of neighborhoods where most people looked out for their neighbors. Although we normally leave our campsite during the day, we are comfortable leaving much of our equipment outdoors unsecured, such as chairs, tables, stove, and other items.

Below is a picture of our camper as we were leaving for the day to go fishing up in the High Sierra.

In nearly 60 years of camping, I have only experienced one incident of theft — a bundle of firewood, which I was able to identify and recover from the thief. The real concern is securing our personal property at our homes, or the possibility of theft while traveling to and from a campground, such as when our tent trailer was vandalized and stripped back in 2013.

Using Common Sense

There are a few items that are always of risk when left outside in an unattended campsite. These are things that can be quickly and easily grabbed by a thief. A couple items that stand out as common targets are ice chests and high-end small portable generators like those made by Honda and Yamaha.

Ice chests are targets because they often contain beer and food.

Generators like our Honda units are small, expensive and highly sought after by thieves. At the campsite, when we use our generators, which is rarely, we keep them secured to the trailer frame with a thick locking cable. In addition, I added metal theft deterrent brackets to the plastic handles that can easily be cut with a saw.

When we leave the campground for extended periods, I put the generators in the back of our truck and take them with us.

Another item that might be at risk is our compact Weber Baby Q grill. We always leave it outside the camper, even when we are gone. It is secured to the camper frame with a lock and steel cable. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the security cable to the left and rear of the Baby Q. I have done this for almost 20 years without a single problem. Keep in mind we have probably camped nearly 2,000 days without incident with our Baby Q left outside the camper.

Other Valuables

Tents and tent trailers are not secure. Even though a tent trailer may have a locking door, it is easy to get inside through the canvas sides. The locks on hard-sided travel trailer doors are easy to break into. We have never had a trailer or tent broken into while camping. But it can happen.

If you have valuables and you leave your campsite, lock them inside you car or truck out of view, or take them with you. If you leave your campground for even a few minutes, don’t leave items like cameras, laptop computers, tablets, or other electronic gizmos outside on a table. Put them away first.

Personal Safety

Many new campers are paranoid about this. I cannot count the number of times I have slept outside under the stars. In warm weather we leave the camper’s windows and doors open at night when we go to bed. You are safer in a campground than in your own home!

All of this leads to a discussion of firearms or other defensive weapons. Although I have never owned a gun, I was well trained in their use when I was in the military. I have nothing against guns. The only reason I do not own one is because I don’t feel I need one for self-defense. Also keep in mind that many government campgrounds prohibit the possession of firearms.

In summary, campgrounds are safer places than our homes. A little bit of common sense will protect your property from thieves and even keep the honest people honest. Your biggest potential for theft are raccoons or bears, so follow best practices for securing food in areas where wild animals can be problematic.