Ways to Prevent Gear Being Stolen from Vehicles

I know the best solution is to not leave gear in your car at a trail head however, at times it's going to happen.  I see a lot of posts that come up where people have their cars broken into and their gear stolen.  I just wanted to start a discussion to share ways of trying to prevent this or at least reduce it.  It seems that most of these are smash and grab type crimes and adding a little deterrent might just save someone from having to go through this.  I recently has my car broken into (luckily I had nothing in there of value) but they did a hell of a job tearing through it to try and find something. 

Ideas:

1. If you have a rig install lock boxes that are bolted down. Seems like a good long term solution for those that are on the road.

2. If you can't bolt it down; get a lock box with a cable/chain lock attached to a fixed point in your car.  The nice thing about boxes is that you can store other gear or gear that wouldn't be secure with my next suggestion. 

3. Get a U Lock that you would use for a bike and thread cams/nuts to it by the cable/thumb loop or lobes.  Then secure it to a fixed point in your car so that they would need to cut the cams/nuts, U-lock or cable to get it out.  Sure it could be done but I'm guessing these thieves aren't going to be prepared for something like that.  It won't do much for biners but a large portion of gear can be secured this way.  (This is what I have done and haven't had any issues.)

4. If you see someone suspicious strike up a conversation while menacingly swinging a number 5 tri cam. (Courtesy of Blake Harrington) 

I brought this up before in a someone stole my shit forum but I wanted to throw it out in a more visible way so it's not buried in the forum black holes.  Please feel free to share ideas or suggestions.

Happy Climbing!! 

You're right - don't leave your gear in your car. In fact, leaving anything in your car is to invite a break-in. 

Get good quality renters insurance.

Set land mines around the vehicle.

ViperScale . wrote:

Set land mines around the vehicle.

Hopefully not too close or you'd be the cause of your own gear destruction! Plus I hear land mines could be hard to come by without some black market connections. 

Growing up in a drug and crime ridden city, I learnt that you never leave stuff visible in the car. Even putting it into a box and leaving that inside the car massively reduces the likelyhood of a smash and grab. 

My SUV has a built in thing to visibly shield the contents of my trunk. I pretty regularly leave stuff in there at the trailhead for multiple days. 

Leave nothing of value visible in the car.  Nobody wants to risk their neck breaking into a car that doesn't have an obvious pay off.

I have come across a few cars that have been broken into at climbing areas in the past.  In just about all cases the vehicles are covered in climbing stickers.  I would think that thieves targeting climbing areas would be attracted to cars that scream climber.  Also I have a Jeep and cherokee and have often times folded down the back seat and placed extra gear under the back rest once it is folded down

As a compromise between leaving gear in your car versus bringing too much with you, I have occasionally stashed gear a short distance from the trailhead and hidden off trail. Not a good solution if you're living in your car, but works well if you just want to leave behind half a rack and a rope, etc.

Then leave the car unlocked so a thief can rummage through the emptiness without breaking your windows.

Don’t keep gear in your car if you don’t have an alarm.

Park your car where it is as visible as possible to passing motorists.  Don’t park a small car behind a big van.

The lock box is best.... if you can drill holes in the floor. Run headless bolts from below the box, so the nuts are in the box with big washers... and can’t be un -bolted. 

Had a corvar convertible one time. Stuff got stolen soft goods, sleeping bag, stove etc.... but the rack and the gun inside the box were still there... not because they didn’t try hard. 

Get a good steel box.... not some cheapo Harbor Freight toolbox. 

One time I lived in a hi-crime part of LA.... I left nothing in the car and the windows rolled 1/2 way down.... with the fuel injection relay removed. That worked... but sometimes I would find evidence of Hookers using my car. Gross

BrokenChairs BrettC wrote:

Hopefully not too close or you'd be the cause of your own gear destruction! Plus I hear land mines could be hard to come by without some black market connections. 

Naw just got to make your own and make them directional so they only explode away from the car so you don't damage it...

 Truck. Lock box. 

I doubt BH recommended a #5 Tricam. Light, short sling, wrong tool for the job. Maybe you meant #5 Camalot? It's rough out there. Details matter.

ViperScale . wrote:

Naw just got to make your own and make them directional so they only explode away from the car so you don't damage it...

Good call I think your thinking.  

J Achey wrote:

I doubt BH recommended a #5 Tricam. Light, short sling, wrong tool for the job. Maybe you meant #5 Camalot? It's rough out there. Details matter.

I believe I read it in the intro pages to Index in the Cascades Rock book.  It also could have been in the Index guide I don't exactly recall at the moment.  I'll confirm when I get off work; the details are crucial here. 

Pet rattlesnake in the car.

Guy Keesee wrote:

That worked... but sometimes I would find evidence of Hookers using my car. Gross

One thing that almost never happens at the trailhead, thankfully. 

AndrewArroz wrote:

One thing that almost never happens at the trailhead, thankfully. 

Don't jinx it :p

We built a platform bed w storage under it below window height and disabled the rear door power lock actuator so someone couldn't just open the back doors by hitting unlock buttons if they broke a window (chevy suburban w barn doors). The bed was made with star drive screws and 3/4 in plywood with no access from the front side, so it would be a royal pain to tear it apart, but obviously not impossible if they had proper tools. 

Edit. We also got this tire carrier w a locking hitch pin which makes it impossible to open the back doors up. 

About that Renters Insurance.... My Gf and I had our bikes stolen at Bally's casino in Vegas during a road trip and filed a claim with Liberty Mutual. A few years later when we went to get homeowners insurance, we found out they upped the rate on the homeowners insurance for the next 5 years due to that claim. The renters claim equaled the cost of the upped rates on the homeowners policy! The agent recommended not filing claims for things under 5K in the future... Obviously not an issue if your planning on renting for the foreseeable future, but thought I'd share!

Steve Skarvinko wrote:

About that Renters Insurance.... My Gf and I had our bikes stolen at Bally's casino in Vegas during a road trip and filed a claim with Liberty Mutual. A few years later when we went to get homeowners insurance, we found out they upped the rate on the homeowners insurance for the next 5 years due to that claim. The renters claim equaled the cost of the upped rates on the homeowners policy! The agent recommended not filing claims for things under 5K in the future... Obviously not an issue if your planning on renting for the foreseeable future, but thought I'd share!

This could have been avoided by simply finding another homeowners insurance provider, too. 

Leave your dog IN the car. Two birds with one stone.