security when camping

[vnmum]

we want to start camping with the children but I am not sure about how security works when you are on a site. I know you would obviously padlock your tent but is that enough? surely if someone wanted to break in they could or is there a sort of unwritten rule between campers that everyone is honest.

Also , if you take bikes with you, what do you do about securing those overnight or if you go out for the day?

I've been camping my whole life and have never padlocked a tent! Not much point when a pair of scissors would secure entry:) Never had anything nicked either. Obviously you don't leave any valuables in there unattended, but either an unwritten rule or the fact that clothes and suitcases are not that interesting to thieves is enough to keep contents fairly secure I think.

A padlock would be useless. A sharp knife and they could be in in seconds! We have never worried too much, just lock valuables, iPods, dsi's and the lime in the car when the tent is unattended.

We did have a satnav cable travel alert thing nicked from our car on our first camping trip but that wasn't the most salubrious of sites and we left the car unlocked!

I leave nothing of any value in the tent (phone,purse, radio), it all lives in the car. For bikes, I try and chain them all together and then onto something like a fence or the car. I've never had anything stolen (touch wood).

thanks, that is sort of what i thought but wanted to check. DH thought of chaining all bikes together and leaving them in the tent if we go out in the car for a day out as it would be pretty obvious someone is nicking them if they are trying to carry four bikes at once. would that be a good idea or not?

Never padlocked a tent in my life! Don't take anything valuable you can't keep on you. Padlock bikes to something solid.

Lol at padlocking tent

I have never had anything stolen from a tent, I think campers are a pretty honest bunch. The only thefts I've heard of are at festivals which can be targeted by gangs of thieves. Keep valuables locked in the car, dunno about bikes as we've never taken them but bigger sites might have a bike rack at reception?