Security question for tent sites.

[apostolic4life]

DW and I are considering taking a trip to WDW this fall (just the two of us, no kids!!!!), and our thoughts have drifted to the possibility of "roughing it" at the FW campgrounds in a tent. We love to camp in tents, but we were wondering if the security was adequate in the campsites. Do you have to pack everything up in your car every day to secure it??? Are there security issues that would require us to limit what we bring on the trip?

I hope someone out there has a seasoned voice of experience to help us! TIA!!

 

[mrzrich]

Although I've never had anything stolen at FW I do lock valuables like cameras and cash in my car. Camping supplies such as stoves and the like, I leave out. We haven't had any trouble, but like in all areas of life. It only takes one creep to ruin it for everyone.

 

[Colson39]

There have been quite a few discussion on this forum about this, and the general concensus is that as long as you don't make it easy to steal something, you should be fine.

The majority of people have never had any issues, but just as with anything there are incidents that do occur. Just don't leave stuff totally laying out in the open (don't put your cooler right on the curb...lol), and you should be alright. I don't think you HAVE to lock everything up in your car (I would lock anything that is valuable in your car), but everything else should be fine if you leave it in your tent.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We too have locked valuables in our vehicle.

For an extra added deterrant..you could probably padlock your zippers on the door if you like. More of a nuisance to someone attempting to get in your tent while you are away as opposed to a genuine security measure.

We also didn't leave too much out on the campsite---put most things in the tent or in the vehicle...out of site out of mind.

We now have a pop up, but do similar measures. When we go to sleep at night, while we don't lock our valuables in the car, we do take items like wallets and such and hide them in a cabinet. Again--that whole out of site, out of mind thing.

 

[tellnotails]

30 plus years of camping in the fort......Zero incidents of theft......

Heck I can't even find my fifth wheel keys much less my tent padlocks...

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

The only thieves we've ever encountered at FW were of the 4-legged kind. DS left a jar of peanut butter on the picnic table and I found it the next morning in the bushes with hundreds of little teeth imprints around the lid.

We always lock valuables in our vehicle.

 

[Colson39]

True, we can't really protect you against the racoons...lol

 

[clkelley]

I locked the tent zippers together my first WDW camping trip and it was more trouble than it was worth.

I just lock stuff in my vehicle or lock it in a plastic footlocker inside my tent. (which is locked to a tree with a cable).

 

[dgaston]

For us it was the squirrels, ate a whole bag of marshmellows from the picnic table at the deck of a cabin!

And also a bag of apples!

 

[nbodyhome]

I know someone who had bikes stolen. So you never know - I think the liklihood is small, but anything can happen (so definitely take some precautions).

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Dont leave your chocolate chip cookies laying around or Chip and Dale will carry them off

 

[CottontailCurl]

Dont leave your chocolate chip cookies laying around or Chip and Dale will carry them off

Or hats, Dale is a big-time hat thief!

About sticky fingered critters; I took the kids to the comfort station after eating a pizza at our campsite one night. My husband said he'd clean up and meet us over there. Well, he hasn't been camping long and his idea of 'cleaning up' was to throw away napkins and stuff and put the leftover pizza in the middle of the picnic table (nice and neat-like). When we got back (just a few minutes later) the box and it's contents were gone. We found the box just outside the tent pad area behind a tree and it had tri-claw slash marks down the front. It was probably a coon but I guess when you're a little kid those claw-marks look huge and they were sure it was something bigger and freaked. The next morning we found the slices all over the ground with just the toppings picked off! Sheesh, there's no pleasing some people!!

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Or hats, Dale is a big-time hat thief!

About sticky fingered critters; I took the kids to the comfort station after eating a pizza at our campsite one night. My husband said he'd clean up and meet us over there. Well, he hasn't been camping long and his idea of 'cleaning up' was to throw away napkins and stuff and put the leftover pizza in the middle of the picnic table (nice and neat-like). When we got back (just a few minutes later) the box and it's contents were gone. We found the box just outside the tent pad area behind a tree and it had tri-claw slash marks down the front. It was probably a coon but I guess when you're a little kid those claw-marks look huge and they were sure it was something bigger and freaked. The next morning we found the slices all over the ground with just the toppings picked off! Sheesh, there's no pleasing some people!!

I forgot about that whole hat thing. Good point !

 

[SundancePass]

We "pack" all of our camping stuff into a HUGE LL Bean rolling duffle bag and fly it to Orlando. In 30+ years of tent camping at WDW, we've never had anything stolen. We do put anything of value in the trunk of the car or back of the van and cover it up.

When we lived in Orlando and camped at WDW we never had anything stolen. But like you wouldn't leave your camera on your front porch, you shouldn't leave it at your campsite in the open or a tent either.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I think MrsGus had a couple of scooters taken from her site a while back, thats about the worst theft I have heard of. Given that she is at FW more than she is at home the law of averages explains some of it.

 

[Sinclare]

We do as the other posters and lock valuables in the truck. We also carry bike locks for our bikes when they are not at the camp site. We don't lock them at the camp site but we do when we take them to other areas where we won't be around them for a long time (pool or to catch a bus for the parks at meadows, outpost, settlement).

The only "theft" I've ever encountered was one year during MNSSHP. We had a couple large families with 8 or so kids in the site beside ours that just came to camp (no parks or anything). They were there all day every day and when we got home at night I could have swore I had put more drinks in the cooler than that . I never actually counted but in the end I figured it was one of the kids sneaking over snagging a pop during the day.

 

[tellnotails]

I was at Wal-Fart the other day look'n at them cable locks for the bikes...

They wanted 10.99 for those......Needless to say the 12 pack of beer won out again....

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I was at Wal-Fart the other day look'n at them cable locks for the bikes...

They wanted 10.99 for those......Needless to say the 12 pack of beer won out again....

I know its tough but keep up the good fight !

 

[tellnotails]

I know its tough but keep up the good fight !

Hey.....the only thing I'm lock'n up are my 1980ish refillable mugs......

I think they have paid for themselves by now..........