SRT wrote:



Gee, is it amphibious too?

wileecoyote wrote:

Good comments from everyone.

I agree with most of you that society in general is safe, honest, and trustworthy. I have already been in enough CG and parks to know that most people are easy going and the environments are generally stable enough.

I disagree, however, that CG and parks are just as safe or safer than your home environment. This might be true if you live in a bad part of town and camp in nicer facilities but for most of us camping (or traveling in general) introduces numerous risk factors which make you more likely to become a victim or to experience some kind of crime around you.

Really? You must camp in some pretty seedy places. I live in a nice, well kept up suburban neighborhood. Not fancy, just middle imcome with a variety of working stiffs, professionals, and somewhat diverse as well (the later not enough IMO, but thats beyond this discussion). Yet we have a bit of crime now and again, mostly vandelism, and an occasional garage break in. But I never worry about my house when I'm gone, nor do I ever feel unsafe at home. Yes, traveling introduces risk factors, but if one takes the time to learn a bit about their travel route and desitination, alot of the uncertainty and risk can be removed.

For starters you are traveling to a variety of places, many of which you are not familiar with and have never visited before. Thus it is much easier to stumble into a bad or questionable area without realizing it until something happens. Unlike hotels which have international standards and reliable reputations for safety and service, the quality of CG and parks varies significantly from place to place and you can't always count on the reviews or websites to paint the full picture.

Also, your camper, out of state plates, and location in a CG mark you clearly as travelers and most criminals are smart enough to know that travelers carry all sorts of easily stolen-and-resold valuables such as cameras, laptops, extra cash, credit cards, etc. And unlike your home, it is pretty easy to tell when a camper is empty just by looking at the windows and lights and checking the parking spot for a TV. So a CG or park represents a collection of prime targets in a vulnerable setting.

Sorry, I have to disagree. Hotels are VERY unsafe places. Not that I fear them. But you are much more likely to encounter violent crime in one visit to motel/hotel than at home or in many vists to a campground. I live near an airport, hence lots of motels. About once a year I read of a violent crime, and every couple of years there is a murder at one of these places. And thats only the stuff that's reported. And these are at well know chains that supposedly have international standards. What standards? For cleanliness and service maybe. They don't/can't screen customers. How can they have standards for clientel anymore than a campground? And since the majority of the chains are franchises, quality varies from location to location


Now consider that strange vehicles or people riding up and down your home street would be likely to arouse suspicion in short order, whereas this is the norm in most parks and CG. Add the fact that most campers don't know each other well enough to distinguish a stranger from a visitor or new arrival and it is pretty easy for a criminal to blend in. Then remember that most campers are easy to break into very quickly with minimal noise and you have a nearly perfect recipe for crime.

Now there's an interesting point. You are correct, we really don't know who's in and out. Still, do we really know our neigbors? Jeffery Dahlmer's neighbors thought he was harmless. People thought they knew John Wayne Gacey ("what a great guy!") yet look at his monsterous secret. These people were "known neighbors" who managed to "blend in". We can only guess at people's real nature and motives. That said, observation is key. If someone/something doesn't look right, keep observing. If you really have good reason to suspect a problem, let the authorities handle it. I can tell you that in WI, the park rangers do a fantastic job of watching what's goin on in their parks. We, as campers have a role in that as well. Its only going to be as unsafe as we allow it to be.

I am not saying that CG or parks are rampant with crime. We all know that is not the case or we wouldn't be on this forum. The overall crime rate for CG and parks may still be low but I'll bet it is higher than the rate in most of our neighborhoods. Most of us are less safe than when staying at home so I believe it is prudent to consider security and take reasonable precautions while traveling. Judging from the posts on this forum some people seem to put more effort into planning for a leaky hose than they put into planning for the safety of their family members while traveling. In our case we have extra risk factors as well so I won't be making that mistake any time soon.

Again, I question where you camp. Must be scary places if they feel less safe than home (mental note to re-consider future trips to Tennessee). Reasonable precautions? I agree. But I, and I'm sure some others here, are offended by comments that infer we "couldn't care less" about crime and safety. The term "reasonable precautions" will mean something different to each of us. If I place security lower on the list than "cracking a beer open", its only because of my many years of experience (over 23 years) camping all over the state of WI and a lot of places out west. I simply haven't been given any reason to be "more secure" than I already am.

nny12972 wrote:

I never really thought about it 'til now----but, apparently, misery does love company----and I honestly believe the coyote wants someone to join him......

....hey oldcoot----how you guys doin' down there? I spent 3 months down there cleaning up after Katrina/Rita......sure hope you all get things back on track soon------it was hard to leave there and come home with so much undone....couldn't do it myself this go-'round, but I sent 4 of my "company kids" down there helping this time...Good luck!
J

crazyoldcoot wrote:

Not only that, it'll go in water too!