Question about leaving your tent

[KBunn]

Most of the campgrounds we will be using this summer will be withing the national or state parks that we will be exploring. In these cases, I am not worried about leaving our tent behind and setup with all our valuables tucked away in the locked vehicle.

However, there are a few places where we will be staying at a campground and then driving to another stop during the day before returning to our campsite in the evening. For instance, when we visit White Sands National Monument in the heat of summer, we will be staying about 30 miles away at a campsite that is in a much higher elevation. I was wondering, would you all leave the tent setup with the sleeping bags and bedding inside or would you completely pack up the campsite and then set it back up each night? There would be no valuables or electronics left behind, just the tent and bedding, but I don't want to come back to the campsite to find out tent is gone.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

For the most part yes. I have never had much of a problem. I camped out while I was working 10 hours a day, so I was gone for about 11 hours a day and my stuff was fine. Course I talked to the ranger and let them know what I was doing and they kept an eye on it. I wouldn't leave any valuables around the site, or in sight while you are around.

[swebob]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

Thats a tough call. Anytime i leave the campsite in my car i take everything thats in my tent except the aerobeds and i never leave chairs or anything out to attract attention, Im never gone for more then a few hours cause im there to camp and not to go into town and spend the day. And the campgrounds i mostly stay at you just cant drive in without being greated by a ranger. I try to get to know my camping neighbors so we each can keep a eye out on each others property.

If i was gonna be gone all day and there happened to be not that many campers around i might take down my tent but its very rare im not gone more then a hour or two. Where i camped last weekend i doubt my neighbors would have let someone come up and take my tent. I think thats just the chance we have to take.

[KBunn]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

Thats a tough call. Anytime i leave the campsite in my car i take everything thats in my tent except the aerobeds and i never leave chairs or anything out to attract attention, Im never gone for more then a few hours cause im there to camp and not to go into town and spend the day. And the campgrounds i mostly stay at you just cant drive in without being greated by a ranger. I try to get to know my camping neighbors so we each can keep a eye out on each others property.

If i was gonna be gone all day and there happened to be not that many campers around i might take down my tent but its very rare im not gone more then a hour or two. Where i camped last weekend i doubt my neighbors would have let someone come up and take my tent. I think thats just the chance we have to take.

I generally try to make sure that we stay where we will be visiting. At places like White Sands though, it just isn't an option. You can apply for a back country permit there and they do have a few dry sites, but from what I have read, they are 1/2 mile or so from the parking and that is too far to lug the four boys and all our gear I think. Plus, I am unsure whether that would require us to setup and take down each day and night as well or not. Maybe I will try giving them a call and feeling things out.

[KBunn]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

Kingquad said it - neighbors are the best crime deterrent in campgrounds. Setup camp next to a retired couple and take them some cinnamon buns or something good.

With that said there are some things you should always put away or cover up - fishing poles, small coolers, radios, cameras. Small and expensive items just scream "take me".

If you see a neighbor with an extra car, ask them to park in your slot for the day - give them some cinnamon buns too

Thanks for the tips. Yes, I was only going to leave our tent and bedding, that's it. Everything else would already be in the bin and ready to load up and it would only take a few minutes to toss the coolers, stove, etc. in the van.

[Mike]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

... or just don't bring stuff worth stealing.

Most campers have not interest in stealing other peoples stuff. The woods just don't seem to attract that type of person.

Seriously, though, what's to steal? Sleeping bags, a tent, some flashlights, maybe a portable stove... marshmallows and hot dogs?

I guess it used to happen once in awhile back in the day when camping equipment was expensive and there was a market for used camping stuff. Today, it just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle and all the jerks who would normally do that kind of stuff are now living in their mother's basements smoking pot and playing video games.

[PJC001]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

Oliver Lee SP is not that far from White Sands. Camp there and let the camp host know you will be in and out. As recommended -- take your valuables with you. Since most state parks I camp in have far more people in rvs than in tents I don't suspect anyone is going to want to cart my tent away.

[terasec]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

I never had a problem leaving my stuff unattended.
Just don't leave anything laying around.
Tent and sleeping gear generally stays up. And valueables go in the car.
I would check with camps policy on unattended sites. Some want you back by a certain time. And to be notified if your late. Helps them keep tabs on abandoned sites.would say most thefts are by bored kids. Walking by and see an easy item to steal

[KBunn]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

Oliver Lee SP is not that far from White Sands. Camp there and let the camp host know you will be in and out. As recommended -- take your valuables with you. Since most state parks I camp in have far more people in rvs than in tents I don't suspect anyone is going to want to cart my tent away.

Thanks! I'll check that place out.

Thanks to everyone for the input. I have a pretty good idea how to work it all now.

[Hikenhunter]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

I agree with the other posters here. I have never had a problem. I usually let the ranger or canp host know if I'm going to be gone for a long period of time. If I am I put as much portable stuff in the car and take it with me. I also use a Pop up canopy where ever we the picknick table and cooking gear go. I have side walls for it so they are dropped and secured. I think the biggest problem would come from a passer by seeing something as he passed your site so just keep anything portable out of sight.JMO

[Nickadeamus]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

I also have not had much of a problem yet. And even though I put a lot of stuff in my car I still get days that I just feel uneasy about not knowing if anyone is messing around with my gear. Then all I do is go back and check up on it, and sometimes just stay at camp.

But what some of my friends and I have come up with a regiment that we do when we all go camping together.

What we do is plan out what the group will do during are time out and split up are time so we have someone stay behind for half the day then change who will stay the other half. We break up are camping trip this way for the whole trip.

The person that stays back at camp for the first half is the one that makes the lunch for the group, and the person on the second half makes dinner.

This way we don’t have to put anything away out of sight and we don’t have to worry that someone might steal are stuff.

[timd]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

My wife and I have never had any problems (or at least they stole something we didn't miss ). We've always stuck to state parks and we usually aren't away from the site for more than a few hours. Cell phone, wallet, etc usually get locked in the car but I can't say always. I don't know that I've ever been nervous about theft.

One thing that is nice about state parks, at least in WI, is that the park rangers are law enforcement officers (at least that is how I understand it). Given that, most WI state parks probably have more officers per capita than anywhere else in the state.

[sarahspins]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

I've never had problems leaving our campsite set up. All we leave set up is the tent and sleeping stuff inside, and our chairs around the campfire.. nothing else (clothing, electronics, kitchen stuff, food, etc) stays behind.

We were initially worried about leaving our chairs out because they would be so easy to snatch and grab, but after seeing so many others do the same we became less paranoid about them - plus they can be replaced very easily if anyone did take them.

For the most part campers are an honest bunch. I actually worried more about our stuff when I had some of it strapped to the roof rack on my car than leaving it at a campsite.

[frank6160]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

My only fear is camping outside of a "campground" (boondocking so to speak) where you may be the only camper for miles around. But then if you are that far from everything most likely there will be no one coming around anyway. I have a small trailer I tow with all my gear in it. I put away the easy stuff to grab and make sure everything else is together on the trailer and it's has a lock on it so it can't be hooked up and towed away.

[Mike]

Re: Question about leaving your tent

My only fear is camping outside of a "campground" (boondocking so to speak) where you may be the only camper for miles around. But then if you are that far from everything most likely there will be no one coming around anyway. I have a small trailer I tow with all my gear in it. I put away the easy stuff to grab and make sure everything else is together on the trailer and it's has a lock on it so it can't be hooked up and towed away.

That's crazy thinking, man. When you are camping, your greatest risk is people not animals and not the wilderness. I always feel safest the more remote I am

I was talking to a national park ranger yesterday who told me that the most useful education she had for her job was police science and law enforcement. She said that they are so busy in the summer that they can barely keep up. She said that if they had a person just in charge of a drug task force, her park alone could make a dozen arrests per night

The farther away from people you are, the safer you are