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.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Sep 30, 2009 at 3:43 pm #1531907Roleigh MartinBPL Member
@marti124
Locale: Founder & Lead Moderator, https://www.facebook.com/groups/SierraNorthPCThikersJack, 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!
Sep 30, 2009 at 4:26 pm #1531930Its 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?
Sep 30, 2009 at 4:30 pm #1531934Marmots 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.
Sep 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm #1531937Are 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.
Sep 30, 2009 at 4:52 pm #1531943In 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!!!!
Oct 1, 2009 at 11:23 am #1532159I 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!
Oct 1, 2009 at 11:41 am #1532162"Another suggestion was to leave a few empty beer cans & shotgun shells on the front seat in plain view!"
I like it.
Oct 1, 2009 at 12:57 pm #1532196My 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.
Oct 1, 2009 at 1:35 pm #1532208The 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.
Oct 1, 2009 at 1:50 pm #1532213I'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.Oct 1, 2009 at 2:08 pm #1532214I'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.
Oct 1, 2009 at 2:26 pm #1532220No 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. ;-)
Oct 1, 2009 at 2:50 pm #1532226Good 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!
Oct 1, 2009 at 2:51 pm #1532227Kathleen,
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.Oct 1, 2009 at 3:05 pm #1532232Almost makes you want to get a motion sensing hunting cameras to monitor the car.
Oct 1, 2009 at 3:13 pm #1532233Roleigh MartinBPL Member@marti124
Locale: Founder & Lead Moderator, https://www.facebook.com/groups/SierraNorthPCThikersBob, 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?
Oct 1, 2009 at 3:19 pm #1532234Justin, 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.
Oct 1, 2009 at 3:44 pm #1532236I surf a lot and most surfers just stash their keys somewhere. Naturally, knuckleheads come around and take advantage. Now, I use this:
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!
Oct 1, 2009 at 3:57 pm #1532239Roleigh:
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.
Oct 1, 2009 at 4:04 pm #1532241Almost 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 …
:)Oct 1, 2009 at 4:27 pm #1532246Had 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!
Oct 1, 2009 at 9:42 pm #1532329That 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.
Oct 1, 2009 at 11:40 pm #1532357I 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 =)
Oct 2, 2009 at 3:39 am #1532378I 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!
Oct 2, 2009 at 9:52 am #1532451I 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.
-
AuthorPosts
- 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!
Our Community Posts are Moderated
Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
Get the Newsletter
Gear Research & Discovery Tools
- Browse our curated Gear Shop
- See the latest Gear Deals and Sales
- Our Recommendations
- Search for Gear on Sale with the Gear Finder
- Used Gear Swap
- Member Gear Reviews and BPL Gear Review Articles
- Browse by Gear Type or Brand.