UKH

Planning adventures with my van and it occurred to me - how can I keep my gear safe when I'm out on the hill/away from my van?

I figure a crowbar will easily get through my flimsy wooden draws, so creating a lock for them wouldn't work. I thought about getting a Tuffbox - but it's heavy and expensive. I don't particularly want to beef up security for the outside of the van as that just draws attention and smashing a window will get you in anyway.

Any thoughts? What do you do?

Having had my van stolen earlier in the year:

- document what is in it

- make sure your insurance covers the contents

Don't cover the outside with climbing gear stickers. Never ceases to amaze me how many folks do this, it's an advert as to what's likely to be inside.

How much gear and what size?

You can buy a small safe, they are not that expensive, and weld or screw it to the floor. You would keep a laptop, camera and a few bits and bobs safe for a period of time. It might stop a casual crim, or slow down someone with a crowbar or prove a minor inconvenience to someone with an angle grinder. They don't have to be heavy and they dont have to be small. If you wanted a larger one, then look at gun safes. They are up to locker size, can be laid on their side, bolted in multiple places and can have 2x 7 lever locks. You could use two, and some wood, to make a raised floor, for example.

I use Guinness and since starting to use Guinness there's never been a problem 

Guinness is a funny name for a Rottweiler

A wheel clamp could help against having the van stolen.

 I'm wondering if an external box underneath the van where they'd not think of looking might be a plan, it could be annoying to get to, but if it was painted in black Hammerite and dirtied it could be easily overlooked as part of the van itself?

Would be awkward place to keep all your climbing gear, no? Not so much worried about the van getting nicked, more the stuff inside it.

No real solution to big bulky things.  If you're in a well known climbing spot and away for the day, the thieves will know it and have all day to break into whatever you come up with.  Same happens with surfers.  Thief waits for you to lock up and stick the key in the lockbox. when youre in the water they have at least an hour to do whatever they want-and they know it.

As above- do your best not to advertise whats in there.  make is as difficult to get in a possible from the outside, and dont leave anything in there.  i note your point about smashed windows, but really thieves try to avoid that as its so obvious.  getting in via the door and they look like the owner while clearing the van of items.

In our old van, the back end was partitioned off from the main living space, accessibleonly by the rear double doors, we kept all our climbing gear in there. Still possible to get in, but as far as I know it should have at least satisfied the common rule on insurance policies whereby stuff shouldn't be on display. 

Probably a bit extreme though if your van layout is already sorted.

Surely if the van gets nicked, they get the stuff inside it by default!

I like the safe idea mentioned above - just be careful where you're drilling to bolt it in!

Saw a very neat false raised floor with pull-out drawers in a van once - you could get very clever with disguising that.

Maybe have a drawer/locker under the seats that only pulled out/opened at the back, but then have some hefty padlocks, or something, inside the van to stop the doors being opened and therefore denying access to the locker?

Maybe I should get a wheel lock at least.

I like the idea of putting something under the seat. It's a cramped space, so if i could store a box under there it would be a right pain getting it out. Maybe even something chained to the base of the chair.

Yes, I alluded that it might be, for reasons not important I'm always happy to inconvenience myself at the expense of thieves, the bastards.

Make a cage or the bed base out of this stuff.  You'll need some angle steel for a frame and someone to do the cutting and welding.  You'll need to think about how it hinges and how the locks go on, but it will stop anyone without an angle grinder in their back pocket.

https://www.expandedmetalcompany.co.uk/products/mild-steel

You could mount the box on somebody else’s van instead of your own. Thieves would never think of looking there. 

Coil ropes etc around the roof bars in full visibility with hard wear hanging off them or placed on the roof. This makes them invisible and seen as worthless to crooks who think that the valuable stuff must be inside the vehicle .

It’s the same for any sport or trade. Keep things out of sight as best as you can. Park sensibly where they is a chance of a would be thief getting disturbed. After that it’s down to luck and the insurance company. 

Did think at one point about buying a second-hand hearse to use as a camper ... after all, there's a flat space to sleep on, and if you store stuff in the right sort of container it probably won't get nicked. (o::

You can't! If they want your stuff badly enough they'll get it. The best you can do is make it difficult and time consuming. 

Dread-i suggested a bolted down safe, that'll keep your most valuable stuff secure (electronics/passport/cash etc).

Van door locks are crap, especially older ones. Beefed up security on the doors shows you're serious and if your van looks more secure than the other ones in the car park they may not bother trying. Also it's much harder to get bulky items out of a window than through an open door (looks really suspicious too).

Fit an alarm if your van doesn't already have one. 

Don't forget the obvious things as well. Put all valuables out of site, lock doors, close windows, get good insurance cover and choose where you park wisely.

Unfortunately, once lockdown has ended and unemployment rises I suspect theft from vehicles will be on the rise.   

Then steal their van and have 2 vans as well as climbing gear Even better. 

Park your van in China, or Bhutan (statistically a lot safer)

Sorry

Get some martial art and gun club stickers? Crazy far right organisations?

There was a guide book which, when referring to parking at a particular crag in France, suggested that you leave a snake on the front seat.

Interesting article with some transferable advice.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/mar/05/invisible-city-how-homeless-ma...

Regard anything not on your person as at risk. 

Keep the essentials with you at all times. Passport, driving licence, credit card, cash, essential meds, phone, charger cable. Try to keep your cash and phone topped up, you wouldn't want your van disappearing when out of charge and cash. 

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That's a brilliant idea about padlocking the seat. 

I suppose some kind of removable steering wheel could be a plan too.

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Great idea re padlocking the seat, Clive! Unfortunately only our passenger seat rotates.

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One could hide it I was thinking.

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Why cover the OBD port? Good idea with the chair. A captains chair would be ideal.

The OBD port is an attack vector which a thief with a laptop or phone & appropriate cable can use to gain electronic access to the van up to and including getting it to start.

I've been thinking of replacing the wooden frame of the bed in mine with a welded steel one, I have a major project on the go at the moment so will get to it eventually, I'd box in the sides with steel sheet to make a big locker.

I wish I'd thought of these things before I did my van...

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Better still: move the OBD port. Put the armoured cover around the moved port, then put a fake one in the usual position.

Increases the chance of someone spotting them before they get away with your vehicle.

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In the good old days you could just take the rotor arm with you😊.

Get a safe and bolt it to the chassis of the vehicle. That takes care of phone/laptop/etc. What you are looking to do here is deter/defeat the opporunistic thief. If someone turns up with an angle grinder and is prepared to spend 30 minutes at it, nothing you do will make any difference. You are trying to stop smash and grab.

When it comes to your climbing gear, have a drawer that is harder to access (e.g. you have to open the back door to get into it) and keep it in there. Most incidents of thefts that I've heard about from others involve the thief riffling through everything very quickly (longer time = higher chance of getting caught) and taking anything that looks of value, typically climbing gear isn't on that list, it's electronics, money and maybe documents. I've not heard of anyone whose conversion was torn apart looking for stuff - that makes noise and takes time, luckily, so it's not common.

You could install some type of immobilising/theft prevention thing if you are worried about someone stealing the whole van but this is something I've never really looked into.

Reminds me I had a friend who had bought a hearse. I always think giving your vehicle a name is a bit twee if not downright kitsch but I did like this one, referred to as Morticia.

Also, get some fake magnet signage made up for companies that would only ever store useless shit in their van. 

'Jims Reusable Nappy Laundrette Service'

'Grant & Sons compost deliveries'

Etc. 

Parking anywhere dodgy? Slap the sign on the side over the window. 

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So I'm not the only one who thinks that sounds like a brilliant laugh, I was thinking more a bank of flash capacitors to deliver a true knock out to whatever gets plugged in to it, and a camera to record it for posterity because watching the thieves leave with a smoking phone or laptop would be hilarious. I have seen a USB killer about which works on the same principle.