What do you do with your vehicle when camping backcountry

[austinphps]

Lock it and leave it. But I always have stuff left behind in my vehicle. Year round I have a tote with tarps, straps, come-along, extra gloves, boots, jacket. Other than the come-along the rest of the stuff is older so if it were to get taken, ya i'd be pissed, but I guess I'm not out too much. I typically just throw a blanket over it and call it good.

During hunting season or for some overnights I have my RTIC cooler in there. Typically for that I run a python cable through it and attach it to a locking point in the car. They could still get it with some effort but i "think" it helps. Once again, all covered with a blanket.

 

[GotDraw?]

I plaster my Cherokee's windows with every available sticker from every cool piece of gear I own and then am pissed when some tweaker breaks into it.

 

[5MilesBack]

I drive my 25 year old Toyota, and not the newer Toyota. Peace of mind.

A newer Toyota is replaceable, my 31 year old is not. I'd rather lose a new one.

 

[rclouse79]

I lock it and don’t worry about it. When I leave all the expensive stuff is on my back.

 

[Oregon]

I rarely lock my truck. It’s easier to close the door then to replace my window. Someone wants in your truck a locked door not stopping them. I lost about $2.50 in change once.

 

[87TT]

if the right (or wrong) person wants in to your vehicle or wants the vehicle, They are going to have it. That said, the odds of some thief driving all the way out to the trailhead or randomly driving the back roads and trails are so low that I don't even think about it. If I was near a big city, maybe. Way safer out in the woods than in your own driveway.

 

[Poser]

I rarely lock my truck. It’s easier to close the door then to replace my window. Someone wants in your truck a locked door not stopping them. I lost about $2.50 in change once.

Same here. I lived in the metro areas of 2 large cities and learned early on to not lock my vehicle. It would get combined through from time to time. That’s even happened twice since moving to Durango. I bet I haven’t locked my vehicle in 20 years. I’ve never lost anything of value and I keep a hydraulic jack and a powered starter/air pump in there. People that break into vehicles want guns, money, & electronics and care nothing about anything else.

 

[mlgc20]

I rarely lock my truck. It’s easier to close the door then to replace my window. Someone wants in your truck a locked door not stopping them. I lost about $2.50 in change once.

Same for me I typically leave it unlocked. If they want to come inside for a look, they can have at it. If I do lock it, I make sure things are not covered up. I'm not leaving anything of real value in there. So, I don't want them wondering what treasures might be under the blanket. I will typically have a Yeti cooler in the back of my truck. If they really want it, they can have it. I'd just rather have my windows in tact.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

We thought we were safe one year taking my buddies beat up 96 4Runner. Apparently there was a trend back in the 2007ish time frame where thieves were targeting certain vehicles that had platninum in the catalytic converters. They would go around with sawzalls and cut the cat out and drive off. Both of us shit our pants when he fired it up and it was unexpected fully open exhaust with no muffler. Talk about a wtf moment.

This exact thing happened to some 4runners at Trailheads near where I worked back in 2011 or so. The trailheads were very busy and not far from Boulder Colorado so hardly the backcountry though.

 

[Wrongside]

What do you guys do? I am always worried someone is going to vandalise it more so then steal it. But either way..

I've parked all over the province for hunting, climbing and backpacking. Sometimes leaving my truck for weeks at a time. Usually just lock it up and make sure nothing is left in the truck or left in sight. Don't worry about it.

It's only weighed on me a couple of times- parked near certain troubled rural communities. There were burnt out hulks of vehicles in that staging area. i couldn't suppress a grin, when walking into view of my untouched truck after a week on the mountain

 

[Oregon]

Same here. I lived in the metro areas of 2 large cities and learned early on to not lock my vehicle. It would get combined through from time to time. That’s even happened twice since moving to Durango. I bet I haven’t locked my vehicle in 20 years. I’ve never lost anything of value and I keep a hydraulic jack and a powered starter/air pump in there. People that break into vehicles want guns, money, & electronics and care nothing about anything else.

Forgot about a time I was in a buddies truck. We were deep in the forest of northern Michigan. Used a primitive launch to duck hunt on the back waters of the Au Sable river. Changed at the truck into waders. Someone stole my shoes and the thing that stood out was his road atlas(pre-gps days). I assumed a lost barefoot dude. He obviously needed them more than us!

 

[Laramie]

Haven't ever given it a thought in all my years of hunting. I have never had an issue. I do think it is a good idea to leave a note in the vehicle fairly easy to find with your plans in the event rescue personnel need to find you. Many years ago we had a freak snow storm (3-4' in 24 hours) that stranded elk hunters and it was a pain for the rescue people to find everyone.

 

[alexanderg23]

Park it with 5k+ of gear in it. It’s all insured. Any valuables are scheduled.

 

[spike camp]

A newer Toyota is replaceable, my 31 year old is not. I'd rather lose a new one.

So are we talking about full theft of the vehicle now?
Who the hell would Hotwire a beat to shit Tacoma with 260k!?

Besides, all the mods and add on’s on my new Toyota alone, cost more than my beater is worth lol.

 

[Poser]

Park it with 5k+ of gear in it. It’s all insured. Any valuables are scheduled.

Loose 5k worth of hunting gear during the season and you are SOL. If any of the gear is recovered, it could sit in evidence for a long time. Insurance claim could take a long time as well. In the intermediary, you are left scrambling to replace 5k worth of gear, possibly during peak retail season. Not to mention the hassle of getting a police report and dealing with a busted window.

 

[2rocky]

If I'm worried, I park it with someone I trust and get a ride to the trailhead. Particularly if I am going to hunt Point to point.

 

[hansonc87]

I have just locked up the truck and keep anything out of sight, either covered or under seats. Someone broke into my truck years ago and stole some loose change and a old phone case but nothing else.

 

[87TT]

More importantly......…… SET THE BRAKE!

 

[idahohikker]

Y’all don’t lock the door people are employing an interesting strategy. I was once in charge of a fleet of company vehicles in one of the biggest cities in the US, with its fair share of crime. The ones who didn’t lock the doors are the ones who had problems. Hardly any issues with thieves breaking windows to get in. The easy crimes are by far the most common.

 

[5MilesBack]

So are we talking about full theft of the vehicle now? Who the hell would Hotwire a beat to shit Tacoma with 260k!?

If you're just talking about vandalism or breaking in.....then I'd still want a newer vehicle parked there. They're covered, along with everything in them. But it would cost me out of pocket to fix my old one.