Topic

Leaving your gear at camp – theft concerns


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Leaving your gear at camp – theft concerns

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 51 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1531907
    Roleigh Martin
    BPL Member

    @marti124

    Locale: Founder & Lead Moderator, https://www.facebook.com/groups/SierraNorthPCThikers

    Jack, I saw your comment about trail camp at near 12k below Whitney, what about packs that are left at The mt Whitney Summit Junction? Ever hear of theft of items at that junction?

    Thanks!

    #1531930
    sheila o
    BPL Member

    @bumpass

    Locale: The Far Left Coast? : /

    Its the Main Trail side that has all the tourist traffic. The back side (Guitar Lake side near the junction) tends to have the thru hikers. Here you can take your summit bag and safely leave your pack. Clear food out of pockets so vermins don't chew through.
    Also check the whitney portal site for latest info.

    Regarding car safety: Open interior compartments for viewing. If nothing looks of potential value, less theft?

    #1531934
    Bob Bankhead
    BPL Member

    @wandering_bob

    Locale: Oregon, USA

    Marmots have been known to chew into your pack at the Mt Whitney / JMT trail junction unless you leave it open.

    This is a common spot for hikers to leave their packs. I've not heard of theft issues here, but anything's possible. How many bad guys do you think are willing to walk up those @#$%! switchbacks, over Trail Crest, and down to the Whitney/JMT junction just to rob packs? I was more worried about leaving my gear back at Guitar Lake for my up and back to Whitney, but no one bothered it even there.

    Also, the pack drop location is around a blind cornor on the trail from Trail Crest and directly opposite the JMT junction. A thief could never know when someone was going to walk up behind him. Try to watch three different directions at once while rifling through someone else's pack; not really conducive to theft.

    #1531937
    Jack H.
    Member

    @found

    Locale: Sacramento, CA

    Are you referring to Trail Crest? As in on the ridge? Or is Whitney Summit Junction down by the meadow below Guitar Lake? Either case… I'd leave my stuff. Heck, I'd leave my stuff almost anywhere as the alternative, carrying useless stuff uphill, is something I try to avoid.

    #1531943
    Sarah Kirkconnell
    BPL Member

    @sarbar

    Locale: Homesteading On An Island In The PNW

    In Washington and Oregon a real issue of car break ins isn't for what most would think – they are from witness accounts done often by organized groups looking for:
    cell phones
    wallets
    ID
    credit cards
    computers
    and last of all, your car registration so they have your address.
    Extra points if you leave your house keys in the car.

    Please, please – be UL and all, but DO NOT leave your ID behind!!!!

    #1532159
    Todd Forbes
    Member

    @tf

    I have also heard that leaving you console & glove box open to show there is nothing worth breaking in for works, some even leave their car open.

    Another suggestion was to leave a few empty beer cans & shotgun shells on the front seat in plain view!

    #1532162
    Michael Crosby
    BPL Member

    @djjmikie

    Locale: Ky

    "Another suggestion was to leave a few empty beer cans & shotgun shells on the front seat in plain view!"

    I like it.

    #1532196
    Art Sandt
    Member

    @artsandt

    My experience has been like most here. I've left my camp set up near areas where I know other people saw it and never had anything stolen. The average thief just doesn't want to work so hard to get your down sleeping bag or tent that may not be so easy to re-sell (unless they know about the Gear Swap here), and the average backpacker (or day hiker or horse packer) who would be willing to steal your stuff (if there is such a thing) would likely only look for small valuable things like cash and credit cards. Just keep that stuff with you at all times (or hide it really well) and you probably won't have problems.

    On the other hand, know your vicinity. If there's a rural town within a few miles, ATV trails that pass nearby, and the probability that unscrupulous recreationalists might discover your camp and take it as an excuse for drunk target practice, then don't leave your campsite unattended.

    Kathleen, my own reaction to seeing a bag hung up in the tree with no campsite around would be that it'd either been cached or forgotten or both. It'd be hard to imagine a backpacker actually forgetting their food bag, though! Although it's really only my own laziness (and trying to find an excuse not to carry out somebody else's trash), I'd leave it as I found it.

    #1532208
    Justin McMinn
    Member

    @akajut

    Locale: Central Oklahoma

    The places I bp don't see near the traffic that many of the national parks and California areas see so I am never concerned about tourists. The only people I have been concerned with are local fishermen who hike up to a lake to fish for the day and are looking for a bonus. Particularly if they are young without adults. There is one trailhead in the Pecos Wilderness that is well known for people coming back to cars that have been robbed and vandalized. A friend of a friend had to have his brother drive many miles to pick him up because the car was undrivable. I usually have my fingers crossed the last quarter mile on the way back.

    #1532213
    Diplomatic Mike
    Member

    @mikefaedundee

    Locale: Under a bush in Scotland

    I've only ever had one incident. I carried in 6 heavy cans of beer to a weekend camp. I was pitched about 4 hours in from my car, by a nice little stream. It was a very hot day, and i put them in the stream to cool, weighted down by a rock.
    I had a hard 10 hour hike the next day, and i could see my tent in the distance, coming down from the last peak of my walk. My tent was in view for the last couple of hours, and i was dreaming of that first can of cold beer when i reached my tent. I could almost taste it, and could feel it flowing down my dry throat.
    Needless to say, some a******e had spotted my stash, and they were gone. :(
    Nothing else was touched.

    #1532214
    Kathleen B
    Member

    @rosierabbit

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    I'm going to have to 'fess up sometime or other. Normally, it's not hard to remember the food bag, which I tie at the base of a tree. One of the beauties of the Ursack is I don't have to entertain the locals with my ridiculous attempts to bag a tall tree limb. We get up, we eat, we pack up, including the Ursack. Easy.

    But in this particular case, we had eaten breakfast, and instead of breaking camp, attempted to summit a nearby peak. This particular bag was about 100' away from the tent site, out of sight, and apparently out of mind.
    The route didn't go, so we came back, broke camp, and left to try another peak. Umm, without the foodbag, as it happens. What can I say? I'm 62 and forgetful? Thank goodness for the huckleberries.

    By the way, good idea about not leaving the register in the car. I hadn't thought of my home address on it pointing the way to easy pickings.

    #1532220
    Elliott Wolin
    BPL Member

    @ewolin

    Locale: Hampton Roads, Virginia

    No sympathy for those who leave chocolate back in camp…if I saw or smelled some after a few days in the woods my auxiliary chocoholic nervous system would take control and I'd be powerless to stop myself from gorging on it. Think hungry bear seeing honey after a long hibernation. ;-)

    #1532226
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    Good post, Sarah! In the Portland area–especially the Columbia River Gorge–just about everything has been stolen from cars. You may remember that a couple of years ago, a hiker from Seattle had all his overnight gear stolen while parked at the Eagle Creek trailhead for a dayhike. A lot of tourists park in the Gorge for short dayhikes leaving all their luggage in the car, so it's a fertile field for car clouters.

    I always take my car registration and any other clue to my identity. I've been known to leave my cellphone hidden in the car, though. It does have a locking feature which would give a thief a bit of difficulty calling anything except 911. With enough persistence I suppose he'd eventually work out the password to unlock it. It's an old phone, though, that basically just makes phone calls.

    One problem with many newer cars is the electronic chip system hidden inside the car key as part of the security system. It makes the key a lot heavier, and you certainly can't drill holes into it!

    #1532227
    Sarah Kirkconnell
    BPL Member

    @sarbar

    Locale: Homesteading On An Island In The PNW

    Kathleen,

    One friend of mine had his car broken into and they took his car insurance card, registration and his spare house keys. His wife and son were home during that time. Fortunately nothing came of it, but talk about scary! The car was most likely broken into in the early hours and he came out within a couple hours after – had it been multi days out, who knows….
    Still he fared better than our other friend on that trip, whose nearly new car was ripped up – they cut the fuel line and other things, liquids everywhere and fully undriveable. It was just mean spited vandalism.

    #1532232
    Justin McMinn
    Member

    @akajut

    Locale: Central Oklahoma

    Almost makes you want to get a motion sensing hunting cameras to monitor the car.

    #1532233
    Roleigh Martin
    BPL Member

    @marti124

    Locale: Founder & Lead Moderator, https://www.facebook.com/groups/SierraNorthPCThikers

    Bob, I never thought about Marmots. Hiking up to Whitney, I've only see one Marmot above 13,000, and that was right up at the Summit. How many marmots are up above 13,000 feet? Is that Summit junction at 13,300 give or take a few feet?

    #1532234
    Tad Englund
    BPL Member

    @bestbuilder

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    Justin, I heard an idea about a guy wanting to sit high up on a hill overlooking a trail head with a high powered rifle and a good scope waiting for the tweakers to come by and as they tried something he would shout out the tires of their car- Its just a thought but sounded like a good way to get back at them, boy would they be surprised.

    #1532236
    Scott Bentz
    BPL Member

    @scottbentz

    Locale: Southern California

    I surf a lot and most surfers just stash their keys somewhere. Naturally, knuckleheads come around and take advantage. Now, I use this:

    http://www.hitchsafe.com/

    I used it while my car was at the portal for 2 weeks, and I use it at the beach. I always have a spare key and it's better than a hide a key. If you have a removable trailer hitch it's a good way to go.

    Doesn't do much for me if I leave my tent at a base camp though!

    #1532239
    Bob Bankhead
    BPL Member

    @wandering_bob

    Locale: Oregon, USA

    Roleigh:

    The junction of the JMT and the Mt Whitney Trail is at 13,450 feet. Yes, marmots are common there because there are so many packs left there day after day. They just tend to stay back in the rocks until folks leave before they get into things.

    #1532241
    Hikin’ Jim
    BPL Member

    @hikin_jim

    Locale: Orange County, CA, USA

    Almost makes you want to get a motion sensing hunting cameras to monitor the car.

    Or a paintball gun with balls filled with indelible dye like they used for the elections in Iraq. Put a nice juicy "target" car packed with luggage (all empty), hide in the bushes and …
    :)

    #1532246
    Sarah Kirkconnell
    BPL Member

    @sarbar

    Locale: Homesteading On An Island In The PNW

    Had to laugh (sadly) about Marmots being mentioned. Seems they have had an issue the past couple years at ONP with them sneaking into engine compartments and taking cozy naps! They like to chew on wires, etc as well.

    I know last year they were warning hikers at Obstruction Point TH to open and check before getting in and turning over the engine – just in case!

    #1532329
    Michael Skwarczek
    Member

    @uberkatzen

    Locale: Sudamerica

    That has me reflecting on how many times I hide my wallet, keys, phone, and iPod sort of haphazardly in the nooks and crannies of my car and forget where I stashed them.

    #1532357
    Hendrik Morkel
    BPL Member

    @skullmonkey

    Locale: Finland

    I life in Finland. Have absolutely no concerns leaving my gear anywhere, be it in the city, at the trailhead or on the trail. Its that safe and good here =)

    #1532378
    Jim Colten
    BPL Member

    @jcolten

    Locale: MN

    I life in Finland. Have absolutely no concerns leaving my gear anywhere, be it in the city, at the trailhead or on the trail. Its that safe and good here =)

    That would explain why while I was pleased to see the large use of bicycles when we visited Suomi, I saw almost no bike locks.

    Three cheers for Hendrik/s countrymen!

    #1532451
    Hikin’ Jim
    BPL Member

    @hikin_jim

    Locale: Orange County, CA, USA

    I noticed when I was doing some hiking in Japan a couple of years ago that they basically* had no bike locks. I was quite impressed.

    HJ

    *They had a little 2 or 3 inch metal bar attached to the forks that you could push through the spokes. That was their version of a bike lock.

Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 51 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...