Bus Break-Ins

[Seangie]

My wife and I were debating that if it did happen, whether it was more likely that the van or the bus would be broken into.  So out of curiosity I am asking if anyone has ever had there bus broken into and stuff stolen from it (not just kids screwing around but legitimate theft) and where and when it happened?

I'd like to hear about bus theft from other private bus owners.  I've searched the threads and haven't found any threads that are directly related to someones bus or bays being broken into other than parts being stolen from buses that are just sitting. 

Also - other than carrying a glock what other things are you doing to avoid being a target for theft while on the road? (i.e. how/where to park, talking to locals, etc)

Thanks guys!

-Sean


www.herdofturtles.org
1984 Eagle Model 10S

[lostagain]

Never had the slightest problem in 10 years of wandering all over western Canada and the US. Not worried about it either.

We don't have a Glock in the bus, but have 2 wasp spray cans, the Canadian hand gun, ha, ha, one at the front and one in the bed room, to be used against an intruder. Probably, hopefully never.

JC

[thomasinnv]

We have never had a theft involving the bus. All we do for security is lock the bays and a deadbolt on the front door. If we are going to be gone for a while and don't feel really comfortable about where we are parked we will also place a padlock on the door button on the front of the bus. As far as personal protection, there's a pistol in the bedroom, one in the car, one in the wife's purse. There is also a sniper rifle and a 12 gauge with slugs in an "undisclosed location". Guns don't kill people. Stupid people with guns kill people.

Sent from my PantechP9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[muldoonman]

I carry a mean ole Pit Bull! Max Ain't very nice! You want something "Come on in"

[belfert]

I leave my bus unlocked at home all the time.  The interior of the bus is basically devoid of anything of value.  There is a $60 microwave, but it is bolted down.

One forum member who lives near me told me he had his black and white CRT rear view monitor stolen maybe five years ago.  His bus is parked at his house.

[Eagle Andy]

Never had any issues here in Montana, when we travel we do lock things up. I also take percautions on what is going on around us and where we park. Belive in being where you are supposed to be and do what you have to do.

[Mike in GA]

Because of the rather high floor height in most bus conversions, the idea of someone breaking in through a window seems remote. Especially if the occupants are at home. The intruder would be very vulnerable I think. One member in our BusNuts chapter carries a child's baseball bat just in case that happens, but after 25 years of full-timing has never needed it.
     In our case we carry a pistol in an undisclosed location but have rarely put it by the bedside.
     Other members carry the aformentioned wasp spray or even a marine flare gun.
     I do routinely park at WalMarts and the occasional rest area, but I try to park under a light, with the door of the bus facing the store, and I always lock the bays.
     No problems so far after 13 years of fun travel.

Mike in GA

[lvmci]

Hi Sean, Ive never had the bus or class A broken into (I had to break into the motorhome once myself) but did have a trailer broken into in LA, my dog was barking I was told, she was a puppy, I had just bought an expensive new kind of tv, this was in the 1980s, and left the box around, they broke in when I was away for a while, I think the dog brought attention to the trailer, they saw the tv, when I was gone, it was the opportunity. Mostly I think trailer & RV parks are just little communities that look after their own (meaning residents), lvmci...

[Len Silva]

I never had a problem in many years of living on the road in my job.  I stayed in some questionable trailer parks a few times, but never an issue.  I will say, I felt a lot more secure in the 4104 that I did in a travel trailer.

[eagle19952]

I had an attempted break in, (realized because my door handle was extremely bent/pried to the point of replacement apparently with something similar to a large crescent wrench), after previously having lost two bicycles.
My remedy was a sign in the door window, a security alarm company sticker on the bumper and a usb wired camera clearly visible in the
same window that is occasionally recording.
No more bent door handles.
PS this was in a space in an RV park in N. Florida panhandle, right next to the owners house ...they installed security cameras of their own the following day.
these attempts were not while the bus was occupied.

[Jon]

On a Prevost forum I read it was reported that several coaches in a converter's lot were broken into and audio-visual equipment was stolen from them. One owner reported he was in a campground (I forget where) and his bedroom window had been forced open and some personal items were stolen while he was away from the coach. Those are the only two instances I saw anyone mention problems with breakins

[OneLapper]

Two winters in a row, 2011 & 2012, I had 100 plus gallons of diesel stolen each time. I used to top off the tank for the winter to reduce condensation.  For 2013 I left 20 or so gallons in it.  It was all there in the spring.  I usually use the coach year round and top off the tank about 10 miles from home.  No damage done, just some spilled fuel on the ground which got my attention. 

I keep a pistol crossbow hidden in the bus in the states it's legal in, which is most without a permit.  Otherwise a pistol where legal. 

[DKO]

I am OCD about locking absolutely everything. Even though one guy in high school was fond of saying, "A lock is only intended to keep an honest man out." It turns out he was a thief.

We have traveled year round, country wide for 11 years in various RVs and our bus for half of that time. I had diesel stolen from the bus in an RV Park in Colorado Springs in 2010. I told some of the workers we were going to Durango for two days in our car. I wondered why they were not as friendly when I got back to the bus. Well, I wondered until I pulled out and noticed my fuel gauge.

We are all well trained and well equipped to discourage somebody from coming in and hurting one of my girls while we are in the bus but if somebody wants in while we are gone then all our locks will only slow them down and probably not all that much. I tell God pretty regular, "All this stuff belongs to you so if you let somebody take it then they are taking your stuff and not mine. I will let you deal with it."

DKO

[gumpy]

I had someone come into my bus while it was parked at my house. They tried to steal my backup camera off the dash (probably me that Brian was referring to). They didn't take it, just unscrewed a couple of the 4 screws that hold it to the mount and moved my Tigger off the top of it. That's how I knew it had been tampered with. Tigger wasn't in his place when I got in. I think it was probably someone from the mexican roofing crew that was working on the house across the street at the time. I suspect they realized it wasn't a TV and decided they were at risk of being shot if I caught them in there. As near as I could tell, they didn't touch anything else, though there wasn't much else in there. At that time, we carried the TV and VCR/DVD out from the house for each trip and back in when we got home.

Other than that, I've never had anyone messing with anything, that I'm aware of. I used to leave all my bays and even the front door unlocked (it was unlocked at the time the above incident occurred). I don't do that any more unless I need to be in them frequently for some reason or when we're camped and around the bus.

As for having personal protection while traveling... well, we'll just say maybe, and leave it at that. It's anybody's guess if an illegal entry will result in a life limiting experience or not. 

[napamikey]

I have never been broken into, but when I lived in west Oakland, CA  I stored the bus on the street. Vandals threw firecrackers which shattered the windshields and all the windows on the right side.  An expensive lesson but still cheaper than storage overall. Storage prices in the bay area are insane and this was the only incident in 3 years.  It is the same story in San Francisco when I lived in a central neighborhood (3 blocks from union square), I had a car window broken quarterly even though there was nothing to steal.  Was still cheaper to replace the glass than pay for parking!  Something just to budget for.