My Easy Method to Avoid Trailhead Car Break-Ins
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- Опубликовано: 7 июн 2024
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Since I started hiking trailhead break-ins have been a thing, but it seems like this year they've been increasing. In this video I'll share my strategy on preventing trailhead break-ins. I can't guarentee that it's 100% effective, but it's been working well for me after parking at trailheads hundreds of times.
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When I was military, I did two different tours in countries where car break-ins were pretty common, and they'd specifically target American made cars, because they knew us military guys usually had something worth stealing. We learned really quick to do exactly this. Some of us would even leave the car unlocked so they didn't have to break anything to hunt around, but either way, we'd make sure there was NOTHING worth taking in the car at all. We'd basically leave it completely sanitized with zero objects of any kind in view and all hiding places propped open (console, glove box, back seat). It works.
The other trick is drive a used non-descript car. If you're driving an $80,000 tricked out SUV, they are going to assume there is something hidden worth stealing. If you're driving a slightly beat up Honda from the Bush administration, they won't be as likely to bother.
Which Bush? 911? Or Stormin Norman?
ruclips.net/user/shortsaaCrP-b07mo?si=2nu5hNx6aQPAXFPO
Senior or Junior Bush administration? 😊
@@zteburner5882 These days, definitely Jr. If you have a GWHB era car, that's a classic and will be broken into for sure. 😉
I get comments like this all the time about my beat-up Reagan era pickup.
If you're going to hide stuff in your spare tire well or in the trunk, do that somewhere else before you get to the parking area. In some places, thieves will sit and watch for people who "hide" stuff in their trunk. This happens a lot at beach parking areas.
Yep. In Ventura saw some victims reporting to the police that their car got stolen just this way. They either saw them hide their keys in the wheel well or were going car by car feeling under them.
Yea lotta tweakers have plenty of time to sit and watch
They watch with binoculars they stole from someone.
Here in So CA.there is a gang from Tiajuana watching the surf and beach spots with binoculars, looking for people hiding their keys, it's been going on for a few summers. After a stakeout they caught one person, the rest got away and are still out there.
@@tomr9661 dam. OC or LA beaches? Could they be Cartels?
I did this for years until one day I went to fairly remote area to hike in for an overnight campout. When I got back to my car the next day, my front bucket seats had been stolen. So now I just bury my entire vehicle in the ground.
good way to get your antenna stolen :)
@@rogerw-interested it broke off in a car wash fucking stocker
lol
Lot of work but worth it😂
thanks for the laugh!
Reading all these comments, and listening to what the video-maker said too, I've concluded that theives steal a little bit of innocence and happiness from all of us, even if we're never individually targeted.
Totally agree. It's really sad when people end up having to do these sorts of rituals in response to the mere existence of criminals who expect to never face any real consequences.
OTOH, rumors and vague anonymous "others" can be used in the other way. You don't even need them to be true, just not provably made up; "Did you hear about the thief that went missing after they got cough breaking into a car? I think it was in California... or was it Colorado? Anyway, they even brought in some blood hounds but never found anything."
to play devils advocate, thieves are at some level a product of the capitalist system we live under. Whether it's the government, corporations, or individuals, SOMEONE always has their hand in your pocket and is robbing you blind. The only exception are thieves that steal for fun, those people deserve to go to the worst place.
Thieves will do $800+ of damage to steal something worth $100 that they fence for $50. Scum of the earth.
This is literally why we can't have nice things.
Be prepared. NO FEAR! Be smart. Be safe. No worries! (Always bring a buddy - alone is no bueno on a trail hike - male OR female. Don't let the world fool ya - MOST OF US ARE GOOD! Just, be prepared. Then you don't have to be concerned with the "world," for you are just YOU, and YOU are just fine and dandy. Learn skills and no more fear. PEACE! May a thief never cross your path!
Years ago, I used to hike in the Mt. Hood National Forest (Oregon, outside Portland) shooting landscapes. For years, I had no problems like this. Then one time, I pulled up to a trailhead for a fairly heavily used area, and I noticed that every one of some 20 cars in the lot had smashed windows. I wasn't that fixed on doing the hike, so I took a camera and a telephoto lens and stepped off the trail in a wooded area next to the carpark. Sure as "shooting", within 15 minutes a little truck with four guys roared into the lot some distance away. As they stopped, I stepped out of the bushes, raised my camera and started taking their pictures. That they peeled out of there would be an understatement. No one in authority was interested in following that up, even with photos, as they had not been observed doing anything at that point. I guess I was supposed to let them trash my car before jumping them? Within a year or two, Oregon started a sizable daily user fee to park anywhere in the National Forest area, but never provided any services to go with those charges, so I stopped visiting the area. Bring robbed was one thing. Paying for the privilege of being robbed was a step too far.
Oregon has become an increasingly disappointing experience. Lived here since 1996, it's gone down hill in almost every sense of the word. The authorities not interested in anything that makes sense or the right thing to do doesn't surprise me.
#greateridaho
I suppose you're lucky they didn't "take offense" to you taking their picture. I won't go into a place like that unarmed.
@@a2jettagli Where in the US have things not gone down hill since the mid-90s?
@@flickwtchr seriously contry is becoming a joke rapidly even to its own people. its already a joke to the rest of the world.
When I was in Japan I went to a restaurant. When we sat down at the table we saw a full shopping bag that was left behind! So I took it to the hostess and said, Someone forgot their bag. You can hold it for them. The hostess said, No. Leave it under the table because they'll come back for it. I said, But it might get stolen! She replied, It's safe there because we don't steal things here in Japan.
She's right. We were doing a photoshoot in Osaka and my assistant was walking with a cart of our equipment late at night through the city. We didn't notice that one of the cases fell off with very valuable items inside. We searched and searched to find the case but could not and went back to our hotel empty handed. I told the security guy there what happened and he said he'd check with the local police station, to which I was very doubtful. Sure enough the case was there and had been there since just after we would have lost it. Nothing inside was touched.
In the early 70's when I was in the Navy me and a friend were in Sasebo when he went into a clothing store to buy a shirt he saw in the window. After we left the store and were about a block away an employee came running after us holding a camera that he left it in the dressing room.
Interesting. Please explain how such a well-mannered and honest society could start a war that killed millions and destroyed much of SE Asia.
high trust society
@cats,
That's why I respect them,
They still have a lot to be proud of.
Had mine broken into last when it was parked in a lot, stole all the stereo and even the change out of the little holder. They left the doors wide open and all my paperwork and personal worthless things strewn everywhere on the ground. Man it felt like such a violation. Thieves are one of the most despicable types of humans there are.
Yet you continue to live in california, its funny the solution you come up with isn't harsher crime or better police its just show them you got nothing valuable to steal! Yeah hide in your closet and pray for the police to do something
Don't forget to paint your car's catalytic converter with a bright colored paint- and if possible get it engraved with the VIN. Especially important if you're going to leave it overnight.
I've cancelled multi-day hiking trips because the parking areas were known spots for catalytic converter thieves, not just car break ins.
Are you a NH hiker? Appalachia lot (Northern Presidentials trails) is the catalytic converter capitol of the world.
If your glovebox has a light that would drain your battery.
Better yet, get something like a catshield (a steel plate welded over the entire area of the catalytic converter). I live in Minneapolis Minnesota and my Honda Element was a popular one for catalytic converter theft, mine was stolen twice in one year.
Some “enlightened”, “progressive” elected officials in California, Chicago, and Baltimore among other places want to punish the auto manufacturers for making their catalytic converters “too easy” to steal. No punishment for the thieves, just for the car manufacturers. If you have to use a sawzall to remove a component, it is not “easy” to steal. It takes a concerted effort. Yet, these morons sit in positions of power in local and state government.
Another thing to consider is to take your documents like insurance and registration with you in your pack so they don't get your address and rob your home while you're gone. Just remember to put them back in your car after the hike.
Wow. That is a GREAT point. Thank you!
I keep all those documents in my wallet.
My paperwork doesn't have addresses on them anymore (for a few years now). However, they don't need to know my name, so still a good idea for me.
That seems like a pretty low percentile risk. Probably only relevant if you live alone and have no security cameras.
What thieves will do is steal your garage remote along with your address, and then go to your home to burglarize it at their convenience. Scary stuff
Bluetooth scanners: make sure you fully turn off anything that might have a Bluetooth setting enabled. Easy for thieves to simply drive by, do a quick scan and know if there's any headphones, iPads or anything else, especially in remote places without them even getting and looking at your car. Same for the airtags/tiles - if you have one then you might have something worth popping the window for.
Great point, thank you for posting
A lot of people put air tags in their cars and leave them permanently so that they can track the car down if it gets stolen.
Just get a aluminium or tinfoil wrapped bag, or just wrap your electronics in tinfoil. Easy solution.
Good thing I use good old wired ear buds :-)
@@skittlerippleHaving that tinfoil on hand is also useful if the lizard people are scanning. I just wrap some of that around my head, and bam! They can't scan for me anymore. Problem solved.
These tips are considered "entry level common sense" for life here in South Africa. Other good tips to remember are always check the ground of the car park for broken glass. If you see lots of it, especially fresh, be sure this is a popular spot for car breakins and park elsewhere. Also be aware of people loitering in the vicinity. Coupla decades ago, saw a very well dressed man apparently on a long phone call, just up the trail in a rich area. By the time we got back, he was gone, so was my car radio - very professional job - he knew where to cut the hooter wires accessible from underneath the car so no alarm went off. I had the auto electrician move the car hooter to a less accessible location
my friend used to leave "dirty" adult diapers on the front seats to deter thieves. It's best to leave the package there so the potential thief can see the "adult diaper" box as well. She used a mixture of coffee grounds and play dough to create the #2 on the diaper. She used yellow food coloring to create the look of #1 on the diaper as well. Of course, there was no way to verify if the fake diaper worked or not, but her last three car had never been broken into.
What a lousy way to live.
😂😂😂😂😂
Biden car for the last 15 years.
Use peanut butter, it’s cheap and easy😂😂😂
Except it's real @@rick3747
This won't appeal to many, take it for what it's worth. Years ago I used to visit a remote location in Los Angeles County that was designated as a shooting area, in the Angeles National Forest. Needless to say, the parking area was very remote, and a good distance from the site. Every so often I would find a secluded spot and just sit and wait to see what would happen in the parking area.
On one occasion, I had to make my presence known to two guys that had stopped, parked, and were just walking around the lot looking at cars. I was visibly armed and took them completely by surprise. Never said a word, they got back in their car and left.
In states that have constitutional carry, you can just put a pistol on your hip. It really helps to keep everybody polite.
Thats great but the next possibly less capable victim might just end up dead cos the thieves are carrying guns now.
@@glorgauaye ive seen em in the suoermarkets jumping and twitching at every lil movement and flashing the gun at everyone in sight cos theyre terrified and seem to have some mental condition.
Its no way to go through life. Scared 24/7. Theres ways of handling that dont involve whos more capable. All very stoneage.
@@luminousfractal420 Agreed. I was carrying and prepared to intercede if it came down to that. It's not for all occasions, but the alternative is to take everything out of your car and hope for the best. I'm not going to just roll over.
@@Piano_Castle I had a hunch that I'd get some results, and on one day I was right.
What a sad world we live in and have to do things like you suggested to prevent theft. Thanks for sharing.
It's actually a by-product of generations of greed and income inequality. My dad used to say, "A hungry man is an angry man." Of COURSE, the people who commit these crimes are bags of sh*t, and deserve to be punished, but we as a society could have avoided the problem altogether, if we didn't have a poverty problem in the first place.
The example that springs to mind is Japan: no such petty crime problems. (Or almost, anyway.) Why? For the last 3 generations or so, the idea that the CEO should be rich (as opposed to SUPER, MEGA RICH), while all workers should have a comfortable life, is pretty much the culture there. That means that they have seriously reduced the number of people who are angry/poor. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if most of your population is getting their needs met, they are less likely to prey on their neighbours.
So while I agree with you that it IS a sad world we live in, I'd also like to say that it's not the WHOLE world that is sad like this. There ARE places where, "we can have nice things."
@@Maplecook I do agree with your statement and thanks for pointing that out in regards to Japan, I didn’t know that about their CEO’s.
@@evelynwald9132 Thanks for the response, Evelyn. Yeah, I spent my youth in Japan (even though I was born in Canada), so I was always comparing N.American society to Japanese society in my head. It forced to wonder about a LOT of things that each side takes for granted.
"Finders keepers, losers weepers!" is a seriously greedy attitude. In Japan, it's: "That's not yours. It actually belongs to someone, so they deserve to get it back. If you keep it, think of the suffering they will go through."
If you lose something in Japan -- like, say, an expensive pair of Gucci gloves -- you will 99% of the time find it pinned to the nearest tree with a note, "Did you lose this?"
Most cars I have seen have expensive stereos, and no car alarms. People left their front doors open to the neighbourhood during the day. Nobody ever locked up their bicycles in my town. It was GREAT.
That's what happens when everyone has enough.
@@Maplecook What an interesting life experience you had, living in another country can really put a different perspective on how to approach life. I never quite understood the "finders keepers" attitude either. Someone is missing something that may be of some value to that person, even if it’s only sentimental.
@@evelynwald9132 You and I are like individuals, then. I always thought it was an unjust saying too, even before I moved to Japan.
I speak Japanese well enough to be mistaken for a native speaker, and I teach it for a living here in Canada, so I still go through the, "Okay, let's reflect on what this cultural feature means..." stuff, on the daily.
I really miss the no-crime aspect of daily life over there, but I sure don't miss the work culture! haha
Cheers! =)
I keep a lot of dry garbage in my back seat area...fast food containers, old dirty towels, and junk that no junkie wants. Then I layer all of it on top if I have to leave something valuable underneath. It's an art! The grosser the better. Love that adult diaper+fake poo idea someone posted.
I keep my car looking like a waste site crossed over with an abandoned homeless shelter and that's worked pretty well for me all my life. Zero break ins even in the worst parts of the cities as well 😊
I keep my car clean, but I have a Walmart bag full of paper trash that I scatter around when I go hiking. Figured if the car looked trashed, people wouldn't think it was worth digging through.
My friend did that. Not as a plan, Aj was just a mess. He lived where the rent was cheap and bullets sang at night. One look into his car with a blown airbag and tadpoles in the armrest and they went elsewhere.
Yea...dump a box of tampons out and its all good.
@@TVADSNOW799Dip a couple in paint for good measure LOL
Yes I had a cop one time searching my car and he just gave up because it was so disgusting
My husband had his car broken into and the radio stolen twice when he was in college at the University of Cincinnati (late 90s/early 2000s). He never replaced the radio after the second break-in. He also never locked the doors or kept anything of value in it.
One time after a date, we returned to his car to find the window smashed out and a cinderblock in the front seat. My husband was angry, but he calmly said, "all that idiot had to do was open the door!" Lol.
My brother rented a parking spot in northern Chicago. Thieves broke a window at some point to steal his stuff (though work gloves and books were untouched). Then a short time after (the broken window still unfixed) they broke another window to break in again. Once again work gloves and books not taken.
I don't understand why ppl like radios, they're super distracting, heavy, and will get you window broken in.
What’s worked for me so far is that I had some magnetic signs made up that says “Venomous Snake Research Team, Caution! Live Animals Inside”. I get to the trailhead, I slap them on my front doors and head off for my hike or MTB ride.
That's not a bad idea. Putting some sort of small animal carrier on the seat with a pillow case inside would add to the authenticity. Leaving the door to the carrier ajar wouldn't hurt either.
Why not a neon sign saying rob me? Could anything be less believable than your sign?
@@653j521 - I was thinking the same. Any thief who saw a sign saying "Venomous Snake Research Team, Caution! Live Animals Inside" would laugh and more likely break in. The only reason he hasn't had a break in is simply because thieves probably weren't around at the time.
@@653j521 how smart do you think theives are?
No one with any modicum amount of intelligence is going to believe you're keeping live snakes in your car at a trailhead while you go hiking for hours. And even if you were, you're not keeping them free roaming in the cabin; they're going to be in some kind of enclosed container, so who would be deterred by that?
Good video. Has totally real and legit points and suggestions.
My father used to live in a house boat on the river, and would dock his boat at a local marina. Well, this marina had a reaaaaaly awful vehicle break-in problem, and absolutely no security or cameras (bc it they were cheap as hell). His strategy was to take everything out of his car, open his (empty) glove box, and even go so far as to push down flat the back seats so that the inside of the (empty) trunk was visible when you peered through the back windows. He KNEW that these strategies worked, bc his car was never broken into, and when he'd leave for work in the morning, he could see the smear on his windows of someone wiping the condensation off the glass so that they could look into the car in the middle of the night.
This has become a big problem here in the uk. I was nearly broken into while sitting next to the car at a picnic table while watching a meteor shower.
I wonder why?
Same in Auckland, NZ. A Pacific Island guy smashed our window and stole our bags while we were sitting at a nearby picnic table eating lunch at midday. It will never improve unless the government installs some CCTV and hires some more police officers. The criminals outnumber the police and the cameras.
shooting meteor showers are the most sketched times I do photography bc the only other ppl out there are crazies like me
Happens alot in gun free zones
Y’all got too many of those dirty migrants infesting your country, must be the reason. My condolences man.
Rule #1: No urban hikes in San Francisco
In SF, the best way to avoid a break-in is by not having a car in SF.
“Urban” and “hike” are mutually exclusive. The word you’re looking for is “walk.”
😂😂😂😂😂😂 perfect….
@@nicks8026 If you know San Francisco, you can go for a hike at Land's End or the Presidio. Outdoors within the city limits.
@@E_Crypto I know it quite well.
Those are good ideas, Hiking guy! I'll remember those. Let me tell everyone here what I did when I had to leave my Toyota truck with a broken steering arm at the staging area of a trail going to Chiva Falls east of Tucson.....1st of all, it was not obvious that it was dis-abled. Secondly, I made it look like I was possibly somewheres nearby by leaving windows down and portable chair near the driver's side of the rig......a small box of 22 ammunition ...some were spent some not....was sprawled out on the hood on a large rag. A drink was left on the hood also. I left the impression that I was out there someplace WITH my pistol. It worked....came back later with the tow truck and nothing was disturbed. That was 1985ish by the way. I was a thinker.
NowI think I understand why some ppl glue their drink on their trunks! lol
All great advice that I've done since I started hiking years ago. I've also placed valuables in a metal ammunition box that's weatherproof and stashed that along the trail somewhere nearby. As well as placing a note in the window that tells them that I've set up two trail cams that record everything. Once a group of guys pulled in and were looking in windows until they came to my truck and the note. They looked around the tree line a little bit then just left without looking in any other cars. I had captured a perfect view of their car but no tags.
His advice is spot on. Im a Bay Area photographer and shoot all over SF. And like he says dont leave it unlocked. An empty car is your safest bet.
I learned to keep my car interior looking like I just picked up a rental car and leave nothing in plain sight. I used to have fully custom stereo systems with after market amplifiers and additional speakers all built with stealth and factory appearance as the main design goal. And I could park almost anywhere with the top down, windows open and a proximity security system that spoke to people who stuck their heads too close to the interior for too long. People avoided the plain looking car and assume that if it was parked with the top down someone must be keeping an eye on it who will run at them the moment they get too close to it or linger too long.
What type of car do you own? Does that dissuade them too?
I'm planning on removing my mom's stock radio, but lucky, we never had any break ins here my whole life :) @PhilLesh69
Good advice, I also do two other things. I attach to the steering wheel a "Club" a steering wheel lock bar AND I open the fuse box and remove the gas pump's fuse. So if they break into the car and try to steal it, they're not going to get very far...
Better to remove the starter relay, lest the dude burns up your starter trying to do so with no gas. Or both, that’s not a bad idea either. Starter relays can be gotten around with a screwdriver across the solenoid I just remembered. Then there’s the old kill switch idea.
@@aeyb701 I'm not a mechanic so thanks for the tips.
Just don’t lose those things on the hike! 😅 And couldn’t someone just switch a fuse of the same amp from your fuse box?
Unless you own a Kia they're not very likely to try to steal your car. Kias are so simple to steal it's Tic Tok sport.
They're there for a quick score. Move onto the next trail head.
BTW, the club is useless. 30 years ago I use to defeat those in a matter of seconds. No freon, no cutting the steering wheel though that works. I'd just force the lock. The pins will shear right off. The club may on the other hand stop you if you lose the key.
@@ericaulbach it's easy to hide the fuse in the car. It's also much more likely that the thief is going to think the car is out of gas and will never even think about checking the fuse.
The usual presumption is that vehicle break-ins are due to theft. However, sometimes break-ins may be attributed to vandalism, hooliganism or just plain meanness or spitefulness.
How sadly true. Neighbor's house was burglarized; they dumped the refrigerator, smashed holes in walls, sick stuff.
Who is going to drive out to a remote trailhead just to vandalize a car? The criminals who go all the way out there did so to make a profit.
@@joemclaughlin8657 One of the threads above mentioned seeing a truck of 4 guys zooming into a vandalized parking lot, looking for cars. The kind of bored young people who destroy mailboxes in the country. Small town kids go crazy, not all of them are the Waltons.
What about tomfoolery?
I put a blow up doll with wig and ball cap in the driver's seat. It looks like the driver's still sitting there. Most people aren't going to go up to a person sitting in a car and stare at them long enough to tell it's fake.
This is one of the reasons I stopped hiking in my area. The meth heads here dont even bother looking into the cars before they break in. They just smash the windows, vandalise your car and leave with thousands of dollars in repairs. its infuriating and its groups of individuals that literally patrol the trailheads.
Stopped hiking altogether? Wow! Whereabouts?
Are the hiking spots not very remote?
@@allyson-- Some are, some arent. This issues is Local thieves know where they are and canvas areas looking for cars on trail heads or unattended cars along rivers, or local dispersed camp sites.
The potential for car break ins at trailheads has become quite a concern for me over the last two or three years. So far I haven't had the misfortune of this happening to me, but I've become nervous about it. I left my car at a trailhead at Huntington Lake for a week and took the shuttle to Vermillion Valley Resort a couple of weeks ago and I was greatly relieved to come around the bend on the way back to see it still sitting there untouched.
I've heard about a lot of break ins on Angeles Crest Hwy and even at Kearsarge Pass trailhead in Onion Valley.
It would be nice to hire a trailhead lot attendant to watch over the cars.😂
Once when a group of us went to such a place, I noticed two men sitting in a car just watching us. I decided to stay behind and after five or ten minutes the men started their car and pulled out. So having an attendant works.
Yes, always a good feeling to see the car at the end of a long backpack trip. Two of the best times of a trip, leaving home and getting back home.
@@billruss6704 Yep👍
Lot attendant , good job opportunity. Charge them $20. a day. 10 cars, that's $200. a day for basically doing nothing .
@@kenhoyer8601: exactly, but I guarantee you that person wasn’t planning on paying $10. They wanted taxpayers to pay it, not themselves
Last time we went hiking/camping we took a rental car.. left nothing in it besides some water bottles and empty coffee cups. Also, we left it unlocked. The cost of a cheap rental was a negligible expense compared to the hassle of getting your own car repaired especially considering the insurance deductible. And also consider the cost of the rental was split between all of us.
Near los angeles?
Not only that, but it avoids a claim on your insurance record too.
Sad reality
Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
If you’re going backpacking you have to basically rent a car for a week just to drive it on two days. Not really worth it
I left a note on the dash. "I'm on the hillside, in camo, watching you". The "O" in you had a crosshair in it that matched my rifle scope.
Pathetic that we live in a society plagued with these low lives and have to go through these processes to not become a victim. There was some Triathlon victims a few days ago posted by the Sheriff, it’s getting out of control.
Multiculturalism.
@@TucsonDude, our car got broken into and stripped of everything they could find (two of our party hid stuff with the spare tire), in lily-white Utah in the 1980s. The cops told us there was an organized group doing it at all the trailheads in the area. It was winter, we were wet and dirty, and they had busted out both the driver's side window and the back window. Anyway, the crime is not new, just more widely known.
@@jaysilver9193 Maybe, but I lived in "lily-white" Utah about five years ago and there were lots of blacks and latinos there. In the Ogden area, crime was getting worse.
Dang them from coming on their chained ships! @TucsonDude
Blacks
I had a buddy who swore that the "leave it unlocked" technique works much better when you put a 12 pack of beer in plain sight. The theory is that it gives them a "score" and makes them less likely to vandalize you out of frustration. I have no idea if this actually works or just encourages someone to go in your car but it's an interesting theory.
Place stolen cars at all trailheads, exchange the beer in the box with a small IED’s and before you know it thieves will shy away from cars parked at trailheads! 😎
It's not so much that they're less likely to vandalize you out of frustration as it is they want to quickly leave the area once they snag a prize.
It only works for the first group of thieves the next group who knows what they'll do finding nothing but empty beer cans.
I owned several convertibles and noticed that parking with the top down deters thefts. If course, owning a convertible that usually has the top down forces you to have a clean interior with no junk that could fly around. So it's a combination of nothing in plain sight and a sense people get around fancy cars that are wide open must be under watch by somebody nearby. Like a bouncer or the person right inside whatever store it is parked in front of is keeping an eye on it while the owner dips inside for something.
had a friend who referred to it as "city insurance" in the 80s, to leave the passenger door unlocked and a few dollars in change in plain sight. it cost him a few dollars a month but his car was never damaged, and they never bothered to look further. I'm sure premiums have gone up since then, though.
Noted your glove compartment light was on. Wondering the effect on the battery. Best to check to see if that light goes off or remove it from the socket.
I caught that too. I don't want to return to a dead battery, especially in a somewhat remote area.
Almost any semi-new vehicle will either monitor battery voltage just use a timer and shut down everything. Like when you turn off the car and your radio keeps playing. If you open the door it will kill it. If you sit there a while without opening the door it also will shut down.
light goes off after a minute but each car is different, for all new vehicles that I've used as a rental leaving a glove or center console open doesn't result in the light staying on forever and draining the battery
Remove the LED bulb.
Almost all relatively modern cars have some sort of "battery saver" mode that monitors the car battery and the interior lights and accessories after you remove the key or leave the car, and it turns off any interior lights or accessories after a short while, or if the battery voltage goes below a certain level. Check your owner's manual if you want to know. They try to prevent you from killing the battery by leaving the dome light on, for example.
I went on a bike ride yesterday and parked my truck in an out of the way parking area and even though I live in a low crime area a break in was still in the back of my mind. It is terrible what is happening to this country where people are not even stealing out of need but for something to do where they can make a few bucks or worse because they are jealous that you have something they do not. Your video has good simple advice, when a thief looks into your car make sure there is nothing there that will entice them.
And they wear designer clothes, I dress like a hill billy and ppl thinks my white as steals, sure let me see this cheapest thing to steal in the clearance rack at Walmart 7' security guard pretending to shop around...
I do something similar, and have never had a problem either, and I'm actually also surprised no one has ever broken into any of my vehicles at trail heads. I go on very long trail runs and my car sits there for hours on end. Smart thinking HikingGuy, great video
*I use a Rubber Snake and leave it on the back seat. Looks real AF!*
Middle school?
I always said, I've no worries about 4 legend creatures in nature--its the bipeds for sure. In SF, CA, USA, there are beautiful hikes. Leave your car at home, take the bus, carry small backpack. Don't miss out by all means!
Good lesson! In 1982 I learned "San Francisco car parking 101" after my car was broken into near SF State (by using a Slim-Jim) for a gym bag on the rear seat and the rear deck car speakers: Never ever leave anything visible when leaving your car. I have not had a problem since (and I don't have a garage).
I remember going to Italy about 15 years ago and people left their cars unlocked and windows down when they parked on the street at night. This showed any would-be thieves that there was nothing in the car and you did not need to break a window or jimmy a lock to get in the car and check it out. Some people even removed the shifter knob to make it more painful if someone did want to take the car.
I used to whitewater kayak. Smash and grab was very common, and I took the same approach that you describe. I not only left the doors unlocked, but (if it wasn't raining) also rolled the windows down. I started leaving the windows down after hearing from others that thieves smashed their (side) windows, even though the car was not locked (evidently the thieves assumed it was, and just smashed, without even checking to see if it was locked) I did that for about 10 years with no issues. Yes, it's not a foolproof approach, but nothing is.
Wouldn't your car get filled with mosquitos & insects?
These are good tips... I leave my car at trailheads a lot and stress quite a bit on this topic. Will definitely use some of your ideas; thank you.
One excellent resource for keeping your vehicle intact is a simple ambush. Wait for an attempted break-in, charge with the melée weapon of your choice, then leave for the hungry bears to clean up the mess. Oh…always check for pesky trail cams beforehand. 😎
Love this form of break-in control!! Oh, if it were only legal.
Do you go hiking before or after clubbing the burglars?
@@hollyr.1139 : After. As a reward and because other miscreants will be deterred by wildlife, great and small, scavenging the remains. While on the trail, find a place to conceal your “treasure.”
I know this is not a Trailhead situation but satisfying non the less.
Some criminal mastermind broke into my parked car to steal change by breaking window $ 365 cost to fix
It was parked right across from the city police parking garage
Six cops we’re smoking outside and busted the perp
Back in the 70s when druggies were stealing car stereos, a hiker put a sign on his windshield that said 'i don't have a stereo'...when the hiker came back...he found his windshield broken and a sign that said 'well then get one'.
Your videos are always so informative and useful. Love the simple
style.
After acquiring a trunk monkey I have never had anyone get away with my stuff 😂
Ahhh, the speed racer & classic RUclips Ad reference!!! :D
Years ago, when I drove an old pickup truck, and the locks didn't always work, I used to hide a whole bunch of tools right out in plain sight. I had a cardboard box, with no marks other than my own stickers, that said "Centers for Disease Control", and "Warning: Biohazard" on the sides. Carefully placed as through a medical professional labelled it. ...and of course, the bottom edge of the box got a good dose of WD40,, so it appeared to be leaking....
...never seemed to ever have my truck disturbed....
Deterrent with a good dose of a sense of humor! Well played. 😊
When I lived in Australia, my older brother's hobby was catching snakes in the outback. He would sometimes sell the non-venomous pythons, usually 5-7 feet long to car owners who wanted them to deter thieves. It was likely more effective when there were more attractive targets around that didn't have snakes wrapped around their steering wheel.
That's hilarious, but with doors and windows closed, doesn't it get too hot for the snakes? Especially in a hot region of Australia?
Cruel. Thanks for self snitching about your ethics and local community.
@@ivechang6720i dont think it’s snitching if he doesn’t give a shit 🤷🏼♂️ also he didn’t do anything
I guess the smell of snake shit might deter some thieves.
When I lived in Australia this is the kind of bullshit story we told each other in the playground at recess to demonstrate how cool we were because we all had a cousin, uncle, friend of our dad's who was the bronzest Aussie imaginable and could put out a bushfire just with his own piss.
One thing to add: do the sanitizing BEFORE you get to a trailhead (in case folks are looking).
Friends in NYC would put a sign in their car: “Car is unlocked, there’s nothing to take, please don’t break my window. Thank you!” Lol
Assuming the thieves can read.....
a great change from the typical hiking content out there, very useful thanks
These are great ideas, I implement many of them also, but will definitely try the inside out grocery bag concept in addition. One of my only hesitancies with future semi-nomad life, long term camping out of a van/SUV is just this issue...parking at these hiking trailhead locations and worrying about theft. I leave my belongings at home or take them with me on the trail and do the suggestions in this video, however my thoughts are that I suppose if one is camping/living out of their vehicle and decide to park at one of these trail heads and go for a hike...it is either...get a storage unit in town which seems unpractical, carpool from a safe area, or go to great lengths and get as many theft deterrents, alarms, and cameras as possible to make it look like the most difficult attempt in the lot, which may bring about a negative effect. Empirically, I am not sure if this would help deter thefts, or if it would attract them thinking there are more valuables as a result. I have seen some other videos of great deterrent ideas for people who are camping, but I am curious of real world results.
Great video and advice!
I always keep my doors locked it at least stops the lazy thieves. lol
So far so good for me and my friends. Catalytic converter thefts were starting to become a big problem in my area though.
I remember the day that many car breaking were for removing the stereo or actually stealing the car . The more shabby it looks the less looks it will get .
Great ideas here, thanks!
Great advice for the trailhead. Great advice for the city. Thank you, Brotherman!
Not related to trailhead parking exactly but I used to camp in the woods for deer hunting opening week and I would hang a note on my tent saying, "I have a tack driving .30-'06 and I may be watching you right now. Is it worth it? Do you feel lucky?" No one ever stole from my tent while I was deer hunting. Maybe put similar notes on your car when parking at trailheads.
So anybody anywhere actually stays by the car guarding it with a gun?
Sounds like a new sport.😂 Hide in the bushs in a ghilli and wait for the MF's.
@@653j521 No. But if would be thieves are led to believe it's being guarded by an armed person they will think twice before breaking in. In the case of my tent, I was usually at least a half mile away, BUT anyone who read that warning wouldn't know that.
I don’t think I’d put a note in my tent advertising my weapon and could of be watching. The potential thief might be a macho kinda guy himself and he might figure a few well aimed shots into the tent would neutralize the situation just fine.
I had a bear destroy my car to get at a coffee cup that had glazed sugar fingerprints on it from a donut I'd ate.
Leave nothing in your car, not just things people might steal but what animals might take too.
All very good ideas. Thank you..
Thanks! I left a black trash bag full of climbing gear in my pickup behind the seat and set up a basecamp in the Sierras, South Lake Trailhead. I came back the next day to get my climbing gear to climb North Palisades. My gear was gone. $12,000 worth of gear gone. I drove to the Sheriff’s office in Bishop to report it and they told me 13 other vehicles had reported a break in the same night. Next few days I drove all over Yosemite looking for my gear hiking to many climbing routes and talking to many climbers. Nada.
They were probably at home selling it on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, or the local pawn shop. For gear that expensive, I'd hope it would be registered, so it could be identified. My local pawn shops would be alerted after the police, then I'd be looking online for it, and at least alert locals it is stolen property, and ask to be notified if they see it being sold.
Just curious, what were you climbing with that costs $12k? My harnesses are less than $100 each, rope is at most a few hundred, and a handful of slings and biners worth. maybe $100 total, grigri is ~$90, ascender $50... I can't even get it to add up to $1k.
You're just lucky. The one break in I had was pure vandalism. They smashed the front window & jumped on the top of the roof just for spite. Never leave anything in the car you can't afford to loose.
Including your car. The best trailhead vehicle is an unlocked redneck vehicle with a gun rack, and with a gazillion miles with the interior that has never been cleaned. Other than that nothing works.
When I drove for Uber, assholes would scratch my car all the time. I had to eat and piss in the car. It sure didn’t help that Uber back then had the now-disputed ads that claimed Uber was easy money. It wasn’t hard but there was no money.
Sad ppl still think there's money in it, ppl literally died for minimum wages @purpleburglaralert
I know it can happen where I live too, but man I'm thankful that I'm over 5 hours from a major city. Not quite enough people at our trailheads for this to have gotten bad, but I do appreciate these tips!
For some reason, I was thinking about this very topic last week. Thank you.
Thanks for the tips!
2:40 - turns out if you turn a bag inside out, it's still a bag. Just from the other side. That doesn't show it's empty. If anything you should flatten it down completely.
Also I knew a guy with a jeep with a soft top and he would def leave the doors unlocked because they would otherwise cut the softtop which was WAY more expensive than anything else, including glass.
All good advice. Modern cars have security systems that set off the car alarm when a door is opened. That's why thieves break a window and reach in to grab whatever they can reach without opening the door.
Always lock your car.
Nice vid - thanks. I am one that does leave my car unlocked, unlocked with no valuables or insurance/car license info. I have had it riffled through a couple times, (one time the guy got scared off and dropped his fancy flashlight which I still have) but never lost anything and never had any damage, knock on wood... And I love your idea of leaving the glove box and arm rest open - going to start doing that.
hi wafflesn, have you become a flat earther yet?
I bought a 70 Ford Pinto from a friend back in the 90s for when I went hiking. It had a manual trans and always parked on a hill, bump starting it cause it wasn't worth getting a new battery.
it's aways nerve-racking when getting close to the car after a trip. some great ideas
Yep. I parked at my favorite hiking spot, in my favorite space, and got out to see the ground littered all around my car with broken window glass. Not good. I do all the stuff Chris advises, and I’ve heard of other people doing the same, and still getting broken into. I’ve heard of people leaving signs saying “car unlocked nothing inside” and also experiencing break ins.
I've also never had a break in. I attribute this to having my dogs hike with me, having dog paraphernalia visible, and not driving high end vehicles. I'd avoid any local area that has a reputation for problems. Often if you google a location, wilderness users have left reviews, and if this location has chronic problems, people will have commented on it.
Yea I would own a Ferrari but I'm trying to avoid break ins at the trailhead
@@CrunchyTire
Yeah that’s why you don’t have a Ferrari lol
Leaving some children’s toys, blanket, sippy cup, etc. visible might lead thieves to believe you won’t be gone for very long.
I don't think so... I mean, do you think, that the potential thieves believe that the dogs are hiding under seats?
This is exactly what I've been doing and so far so good. It also helps to have a crappy looking car and manual transmission.
Leaving the center console and glove box open and empty is a Gr8 idea. Thx for posting.
Now that I know where you hide stuff……so when and where’s your next hike? Hahahaha. Kidding brother. Good info and reminders for folks. Most of these break-ins are because of visible items that are easily seen. You wouldn’t believe how many purses, laptops and iPads are left plain view on a passenger or rear seat.
When I travel, whether to a trailhead or for work, I bring some recycling with me. A cardboard box with empty bottles and cans along with newspapers can make your car look like it belongs to someone poorer who drives to the recycling depot instead of having curbside pickup. I also leave an empty cracker box and or pizza box in the car. I'm not a sloppy person, just trying to look like I have nothing of value. When I vacation and bring a laptop, I hike with it. Maybe the extra calories I burn help me work off the pizza. If I was backpacking, I would try to arrange a shuttle, I guess.
Sadly, long gone are the days of leaving a 6 pack in a small snow bank at the beginning of a day hike and happily finding cold beer at the end of the day! 😢
Whenever possible, my brother gets a ride to the trailhead and schedules a pick up time. Living in the bay area we did everything suggested in this video (all helpful) but stilllll we had our windows broken. I truly think it was out of spite. There's some real trash walking amongst us in human form.
Great vid. I do a lot of outdoorsy stuff and there are a lot of break ins in my area. Thanks for the tips. Here are some more.
Some EV's, like teslas, have a front trunk that can not be accessed from inside the car without a key. Breaking a window will not get you into the front trunk. This makes the front trunk relatively more secure than the cabin or a rear trunk. In addition to your key, you can select a personal pin to unlock.
I also purchased an after market low frequency RFID ring for my Tesla. It goes on my finger. It acts just like a key. It is waterproof and does not use batteries. I can go hiking , running, skiing, surfing, and swimming while leave all my belongings locked securely in the front trunk so keys, wallet phone, camera and all are safe. No more leaving my keyfob under a rock LOL.
Also , please make sure you turn off all bluetooth devices because some thieves use bluetooth scanners to tell them what is in your car before they break the window.
There's definitely an easy way to break in the frunk, it just hasn't been invented yet. It'll work for a few more years.
BMWs trunks needs a key too!
I've always worried about this, but luckily never had it happen. And I have left my truck sit for up to two weeks while backpacking.
Excellent idea to leave the console and glove box open and take important papers with you. If you bring water and clean clothes for post-trail just leave them laying out in plain sight.
Good ideas!
I don't hike, but this is basically exactly what I've done for many years any time I'm in a high crime or otherwise risky location. I leave everything that's inside the car wide open and all the (more or less worthless) items that I leave behind completely visible so there's little to zero temptation to break in and have a look around. So far, so good. I think it's a great strategy.
Hate to say this but I go to the gym looking really poor and carry my swimming stuff in a plastic Walmart bag. I recently sold a bunch of backpacks on eBay and just kept a good one for travel. I don’t think things are going to get better. It is best just to live simple and reduce as much as possible.
I knew someone who put a fake/prop dynamite with a clock in the trunk. Neighbors said that those thief’s ran out like crazy and accelerated. He got a warning from the cops not to do that bc of ATF and FBI does not like that kind of stuff (even if it is fake). Good thing they didn’t write him up for that since it was in Cali.
Good luck with that after being pulled over and having your car searched.
@@LuckyCharms777 "Officer, I can explain!"
Good video. Reasonable strategy.
I have left my doors unlocked at boat ramps for years with no problem. There is no full proof way to deter them. I think your idea is great.
A word about game cameras. They won't stop thieves from breaking into your car. But they may help to ID the criminal(s). Assess the parking area. Locate where you can mount a game camera without it being seen. Thieves don't think too much about being recorded in remote locations. Then park within 30 ft of the camera's location. That's the average detection ragne of these cameras. Game cameras will only record activity that is with the camera's detection zone. The "Baid Car" TV series uses small hidden cameras to video the thieves in action.
Yeah, but can you actually get any rural or state police cops to do anything about it even if you do get some footage? I doubt it.
He's a wise man. He actually watches the other break-in videos and learned from them. I didn't know about the trunk peek method until I watched Rober this summer, like Hike Guy did here.
I have driven a Jeep with a soft top for the last 20 years. Six months out of the year I don’t even have the doors on. Any other time a thief can just cut the top open. I don’t leave anything in the Jeep at all, I do not lock the center console or glovebox so they don’t get damaged. I definitely subscribe to the theory of “don’t give them a reason to look twice”. It’s worked for me.
Yeah.... I do nearly the same but I have a 2 door pickup so I lean the back of the passenger seat forward so they can see onto back of seat area 😅as well. Also leave my sun visors down. So far, it has worked. 👍
This truly is the breakdown of society and things haven't even gotten bad yet. Best tip.. own nothing and walk everywhere.
"...back in my day, no one ever broke into cars..." [eye_roll]
@@RyTrapp0 Although crime is way down from decades ago, there has also been a huge increase in security. Most people don't let their kids roam free, cars and houses are harder to break into than they used to be, and people are more security conscious (probably because of 24 hour news). I would guess that crime is now more concentrated on easy targets, like a parked car with nobody around, since there are now fewer easy targets.
@@jmodifiedCrime is way down?
@@kd6836 Yes. In the early 90s when I was a young man, the violent crime rate in the US was nearly double what it is now, the murder rate was more than double, and property crime was about 2.5 times higher. People "felt" safer because local crimes were not national news as they are now, but they were not safer on average. I can remember daily gas station robberies that went on for months, frequent pizza delivery driver muggings, lots of break-ins in my neighborhood - and I lived in a relatively safe area. That stuff was considered normal then and barely worth a mention in the local paper or on local news, but it would be a big deal if it happened today.
The trend for both violent and property crime is still downward. The pandemic caused a large spike in murder as you would expect, but that has almost returned to trend.
Where I live we tend to leave the doors unlocked at remote trail heads in winter. It gets cold here, really cold, and a broken window can be a serious problem. That's all I have about leaving your door unlocked, thanks. Great tips, sad comment on the times.
Good this is working for you, but it's not recommended (doors unlocked/windows open) in California, where the possibility of vehicle theft is higher than average.
I can see that, locked doors and closed windows are a minor barrier, but open windows and unlocked doors are no barrier. They'll go for the easiest first.@@kenc2257
One place for sure you want to take a pass on is Multnomah Falls off I-84 in Oregon. Notorious for a parking lot full of glass from vehicles broken into. Your chances are big time high. Just look from a distance and don't leave your vehicle.
Good advice. An "Econobox" car will draw a lot less attention than a Dodge HELLCAT Hemi !
You are also dealing with Vandals at remote parking areas. I agree with you about locking your doors, but it is a trade off.
Even leaving windows open an bit at teh top will bring out the troublemakers who just want to dump SOMETHING into your car.
(Think SPIDERS, SNAKES and "body fluids"...) Some are pranks, some are malicious. An ALARM system might help, but not much.
As for me, We usually travel in groups, and drive older cars / trucks and leave our windows down with the doors and trunks unlocked.
One time my catalytic converter was cut out, and the battery stolen ! I was surprised they didn't steal the tires. 😲
I used to park in a sketchy neighborhood to work the night shift years ago. After the first time getting robbed I started leaving nothing of value in the car and left the car unlocked. They broke the window anyway and took about a buck fifty from the change in my coffee holder.
I am plying with the notion of leaving my windows open. Opening the glove compartment. Leaving the back seat down. Leaving the trunk open. Remove one tire.
I'm thinking of putting all around window grills on an off-roader. :-)
If you’re where it’s legal to open or concealed carry, leave 3 or 4 rounds of pistol ammo on passenger’s seat, so they consider that you’re returning armed.
That’s even more of a reason to break in
When we lived in Northern Nevada (Minden), I was 30 minutes from hikes in the Lake Tahoe area. My neighbor, a local Deputy Sheriff, told me to remove my auto registration from the car when leaving the car at a trail head. Local thieves would break in the car, take the registration, and if you were local, they would go to your home to break in while you’re on the trail. Be safe out there, and thanks for your tips.
Nice common sense things to do! Thanks for the ideas because this is something I’ve worried a lot about. Especially if you’re at a quiet spot.
Great video, short, concise with great information to someone just learning the tricks to not be a victim. They key is to not leaving anything in the car that you are not willing to lose to a thief. It's not if you will get your car broken into, It when...
Man this hits too close and two days too late. Just got back to the truck today after a four day trip and my friends tonneau cover was sliced open with several tools, fishing gear and my cooler stolen. First time this has ever happened to any of us. 😖
You really feel violated when that stuff happens. It's amazing as a society we put up with it.
Love the look and ease of use of soft tonneaus - but the fact that someone can just blade it has always been a turn off for me, compared to a hard tonneau. But they both have their pros & cons, that's just a real bummer of a con lol.
@@markbajek2541
Yep. When I had a car stolen it felt pretty bad. You lose a bit of innocence.
Nice video but one thing I'd recommend is stashing what valuables you're leaving behind before you leave the house. If you do it after you're parked a thief could be watching from afar and simply break in after you're gone.
Yep, that happened to me.
Really sensible advice
all great ideas!