Home security

[BIG KAHUNA]

My better half and I plan on becoming full timers in less than a year with our 5th wheel being our only home. As such I'm wondering what others do to secure their valuable personal items and papers. I've been told that installing additional locks looks too "ghetto" but am looking for suggestions. And yes I do know locks are for honest people!

[Dave W]

We have a hidden place in our 5er and added a pistol Gun Vault (no pistol) more to hold things together. It will hold our passports, some private personal papers, a good wad of money and some jewelry and other valuables. It could have been a wee bit larger but our hiding place is big enough and probably secure enough for any overflow. As far as your lide out spot, there are places in every RV that just take some looking and maybe a mild mod, i.e. false end of an overhead cupboard, bottom of a base cabinet or even the rafters of the 5ers basement

The one we have: https://www.amazon.com/GunVault-NV200-NanoVault-Lock-Black/dp/B00384755S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1508845018&sr=8-5&keywords=Gun+Safe&refinements=p_89%3AGunVault. Cabela's has a nice one as well

[fourfourto]

Have a safe also, if full time maybe a alarm.
A dog barking will stop someone from going in.

[BIG KAHUNA]

For those RVers who have safes in their rigs do you bolt them down?

[Eastham]

I would get a safe deposit box somewhere for most of it .Our friends motor home burned to the ground they lost almost everything .Even the money in a good safe was badly damaged It toot several months for the bank to replace it.If rig is stolen you have nothing.

[fourfourto]

For those RVers who have safes in their rigs do you bolt them down?

yes down and the back
Im sure if you could rip it out with enough time , and a long crow bar nothing is perfect.

[Treasa]

A burglary can happen anytime. And burglars never spend a lot of time looking for the home. The security company in Vancouver (http://www.optimumsecurity.ca/british-columbia/vancouver/) says that "the burglars check the safe and drawers to steel. So keeping your valuables in not-so-obvious place is the smartest way of hiding or protecting your valuables".

Here are some best methods to keep your valuables hidden from the burglars:

Hollow Book RV Safe
Keep your documents and papers inside the books because thieves are in rush and they don’t spend the time to check the bookshelf. This is one of the oldest tricks used till today because it works.

Hidden Stash Hairbrush
You can hide your valuables inside the open compartment present in the end of the hairbrush. Small and tiny precious items can be stored in it.

Candle with compartment
Hide your valuables in a hidden stash candle that has a storage compartment accessed from the bottom.

Water Bottle
Crack the seal and leave the water half empty. The specially designed water bottle has a center section under the label which hold the valuable items whereas the top and bottom of the bottle carries water.

The easiest and simplest method to secure your valuables is through the self-storage units. You can keep your documents, papers and other valuables inside the self-storage unit without any tension or worry.

[Tinner12002]

There are companies out there making under bed and under couch safes resistant to fire and water and of course thieves. Some are fire resistant horizontal gun safes, others just for security. I plan to do the gun safe route somewhere where I can bolt it down at least enough to slow them down so they'd feel its better left alone. I think most thieves are looking for quick and easy items. Any papers I have will be in a fireproof safe inside the gun safe.

[Wilco]

I would also add a burglar alarm. It can sound a siren mounted in your basement that they cannot easily access. They make simpler ones with motion detectors and keypad to turn it off.

[jimthemosaicguy]

Keep in mind I’m no expert. In my job I’ve dealt with a lot of theft incidents many involving safes, fire-waterproof document boxes, etc. In homes, not RVs. But I think some of the info can be taken into consideration with an RV.
I’ll use a safe as an example.

- There’s the location, hidden etc.
- Is it built into the wall or floor? Or, is it exposed and simply bolted to one or both.
- What is it bolted to ? Can it be easily ripped out with a crowbar.
(Thieves don’t care about destroying your floors/walls to get it out)
- Can the safe it’s be crowbarred open in its current location?

So, what are some options in my Fuzion 416?
I haven’t fully committed to using the space or how to go about. But, one idea I’ve had is using the tool box in the floor in the back of the garages. I drew a little diagram and keep in mind I only considered. Can it be forcibly removed and can it be forced open in the toolbox or the dismantled then remove the safe (this will make more sense later. If so, how long could it take and what tools would they need.

Once again, the only requirements I considered at this point were keeping the thief from forcing open and or taking the safe with them. And not drilling holes or cutting holes in my RV.

So, Feel free to rip my idea to shreds because if we can think of drawbacks a thief sure can. BUT, it’s easy to point out the problems but can you think of a FULL-PROOF SOLUTION?

The idea:
I could drop a safe into the toolbox whether that in the middle or on one side. Then take 2-3 flat bars and build a grid that sits on top of the safe.
It could sit freely on top of the safe. It doesn’t have to be attached to the safe or the toolbox or the floor. The grid just can’t bend if pulled or moved in a way that it could be twisted or taken out in one piece.

I could put some kind of post thru the rods and pad lock it so you could remove the grid and safe if wanted

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[x96mnn]

I use a product called wer@home.

[notanlines]

x96mnn, you might want to explain in a different manner. Most of us are so busy being retired and watching reruns of Gunsmoke that we don't have time to track down the nonsense that popped up.
It continues to say “protected.”

[bobbecky]

As we full time, I have considered a security system. The only one I would think of using would be this one: https://simplisafe.com/

[Tinner12002]

As we full time, I have considered a security system. The only one I would think of using would be this one: https://simplisafe.com/

I like what they have but I sent them a question as to what would happen if power was disconnected from the RV or even if power was off at a house, if the system had a battery backup or even a 12v backup for power. Would hate to think that disconnecting the power would disable the system. Waiting to hear back from them.

[xrated]

I like what they have but I sent them a question as to what would happen if power was disconnected from the RV or even if power was off at a house, if the system had a battery backup or even a 12v backup for power. Would hate to think that disconnecting the power would disable the system. Waiting to hear back from them.

Any alarm system that is worth anything, will have a battery backup for continued protection when/if the power goes out. Depending on the system, some will provide backup for a few hours on up to maybe 12 hours.

[Chief Mole]

I did some looking in our new unit and found quite a few areas that could be utilized for semi-secure storage areas. Look in your own unit for panels that cover access points for the heater, water heater or pump and tank access hand or man holes. The big question is this hide going to be a periodic or long term hide? Periodic hides are generally easier to access and have less interference to access while a long term hide may require some dismantling for access. In our unit, where the washer/dryer hookup is, there is a cabinet with three drawers and I'll be looking at that spot as a possible long term hide. A 1/4 inch thick false wall hide in a book case is a good point for hiding papers in a book shelf. An access in the mattress works pretty good too. Think of where you wouldn't look for something and then ask someone else where they'd think of looking for the same thing. If they guess any of your hiding spots, time to think of a different hiding spot.

[B-O-B'03]

I have been thinking of one of these (http://www.gunsafes.com/Locker-Down-Console-Safe-2009-2014-Ford-F150-Floor-Shift-Flow-Through-Console.html) for the truck.

You put it together inside the console and it uses the same bolts through the floor as the console to hold it in.

We have a friend that is retired and loves staying at our house when we go out of town... win - win.

-Brian

[theasphaltrv'er]

As we full time, I have considered a security system. The only one I would think of using would be this one: https://simplisafe.com/

bobbecky; ... We/I installed a SimpliSafe system in our S & B. Have used it for 2 years now and really like it. Have gotten a couple alerts that the power went off and the battery backup kicked in. Was also alerted when the power came back on. Also we/I added Ring stickup cameras to the outside. Hopefully our S&B is a little more secure when we are out and about.

Milo

[Pearlie]

We have Simplisafe for our home. If we lose power then there is a battery backup. I can say that we have had near-instantaneous notification from the monitoring service any time the alarm is on and we accidentally set it off. They also test periodically. We have been more than pleased with Simplisafe.