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Anyone encounter anything on the road that was a scary experience?
Robbed for instance?
I was reading a thread where there were suggestions to a woman (granted travelling alone) buy a gun for her travels.
Is a gun a practical thing to have for a full time (or part time) RV life style?
I remember as a kid I was in a campground in Lake Arrowhead with a friend and her family, and a guy was in a sleeping bag and got robbed. My friend's dad let him sleep in their car. He was really scared.
Anyway, never tried the RV thing as an adult, just wondering...
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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had a drunk campground manager pull up to the tent @ 2am honking his horn and saying he would run over the tent if I didn't come out with a $20 bill to pay for the site. (I had paid his wife for the site long before dark, but he was probably already at the bar.)
Have had unpleasant altercations in remote forest service campgrounds where local hoodlums seem to rule after dark via vigilante brigades.
Lots of careless firearms users (like the one across the lake 'skipping bullets' toward the campground all night). "Yes Leroy, bullets can travel across the lake when bounced off the water." The whole campground was lying low until daylight when Ranger Bob rowed across and woke the guy up and arrested him.
Very heavy rain forced me to pull over and sleep in my car late one night (mid 1970's). I woke up at daybreak and found I was quite near Attica Prison (scary, tho probably one of the safer spots to sleep in a car).
I have spent hundreds and hundreds of nights camping without issue. (and millions of miles (40 yr commercial driver).
A gun is indeed a very practical thing for a fulltime RV'r; IF you have the training AND composure to properly handle the MANY situations (all of which you trust will NEVER require the use of a firearm).
I personally don't carry, but the majority of my friends do. (and we are not Mormon, tho many Mormons tend to hand carry). I go to a Mormon friend's place to target shoot with their large collection of assault rifles and handguns.
I feel far 'less safe' in more populated areas than I do in the boonies (I'm a country / prairie kid, and camping in NJ, MA, CT gives me the creeps). In reality there are quacks everywhere, and you never know where you will encounter one. I would avoid sleeping overnight in rest areas and remote truckstops. (tho I used to frequent them)
There are a whole lot more bold offenders on the roads today, and far less good Samaritans willing to intervene. In general, YMMV
Nights can be unnerving and long. Thus I really like my travels via private guest homes (~$10/night). In 30 yrs (using worldwide) I have never felt vulnerable or unsafe while in those places, much different than your average motel / campground. Tho one night in an Agritourismo in Basque region, I think ETA was having a secret meeting in the barn/home we were staying. Different cultures can appear very intense and threatening when you are alone.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 11-28-2011 at 12:58 AM..
We have never had a problem. However, we do carry. If we are traveling at night, I keep a .25 Baretta close in the truck and a .357 in the rig at night...
Most of the stealth-camping confrontations I've had are with the police or other authorities who think it is important to run people off. Waving a gun around at them is not a good idea. Nor even having one, since you are "suspicious" by your very presence.
In hundreds of nights of stealth camping, I've had only two or three occasions where I was even awakened by any human activity (except by the police), but I have no idea what I have slept through.
In general, I feel very safe. Even in Mexico, we just turn down a side road out of highway view, and pull far enough over that traffic can get by.
State Parks are the worst places to camp. You have to be in designated places, which are crowded and noisy and brightly-lit all night. And a camp site costs almost as much as a cheap motel.
Nothing scarier than a fender bender or blowout. I've had guns with me while camping a few times, but it's not something that I carry for self protection. I think that'll get you killed or jailed a lot more often than saving your life. If I was a trained LEO, maybe I would. I just know I'd have a very difficult time shooting someone, and wielding a gun without the intent and ability to use it without hesitation is a dangerous thing to do, and for most of us, using it without hesitation is more apt to kill an innocent person.
No, I don't recommend that most people carrying a handgun. Even carrying one in the forest to "protect against grizzlies" is a dumb thing to do, imho. All but the biggest, heaviest guns would only wound a grizzly enough to make him mad.
If you want to carry something, whether it's for human intruders or grizzlies, carry some pepper spray/bear spray. After many decades of hunting and owning guns, that's my opinion.
Anyone encounter anything on the road that was a scary experience?
Robbed for instance?
I was reading a thread where there were suggestions to a woman (granted travelling alone) buy a gun for her travels.
Is a gun a practical thing to have for a full time (or part time) RV life style?
I remember as a kid I was in a campground in Lake Arrowhead with a friend and her family, and a guy was in a sleeping bag and got robbed. My friend's dad let him sleep in their car. He was really scared.
Anyway, never tried the RV thing as an adult, just wondering...
Thanks for any feedback!
The scary thing for me was finding a guy hanging in a tree in a remote campsite close to ours but he didn't want to rob me cause he was dead.
I always have a handgun when I'm camping but only had to show it once a long time ago to prevent a problem from getting worst.
Nights can be unnerving and long. Thus I really like my travels via private guest homes (~$10/night). In 30 yrs (using worldwide) I have never felt vulnerable or unsafe while in those places, much different than your average motel / campground.
I would love to know how you find the private guest homes. Are they friends
or is there a website ??
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,688 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46166
BTW, Is there some alarm / device that would bark really MEAN and shake the RV, so a 'lurker' would flee?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelly237
I would love to know how you find the private guest homes. Are they friends
or is there a website ??
PM'd
Enjoy, have many a great "safe" trip.
BTW, Is there some alarm / device that would bark really MEAN and shake the RV, so a 'lurker' would flee?
You actually hear of very little campground lawlessness, but I feel it is certainly risky for single gals. (without big MEAN dogs). My dog is decent sized and protective, but.... also a real woos sometimes. I don't think my life should depend on that dog, + I like to leave him home to watch the farm.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,140,525 times
Reputation: 2677
The scariest thing to me... is other drivers! I had a lady once who just decided to "stop" in the middle of the road and make a left turn. No turn signal... nothing... just slam on the brakes. Thankfully, I was doing less than the speed limit, and had room between us; otherwise.... she'd have had my coach in her backseat. By the time I did get the behemoth shut down there was just inches between our bumpers... people just don't realize that you can't maneuver or shut these things down on a dime....
I have been RV'ing for over 30 years and never had any problems at any campgrounds except for the loud drunks that think everyone enjoys their taste in music.
Closest call I have had was last summer where the RV parked beside me caught fire and burned to the ground, luckily I was close to my site and was able to unhook and move my coach without damage...
More panic stops on the highway than I can count
Biggest issues I have experienced over the years is dealing with mother nature, I have been chased inside secure shelters due to tornado's, or caught in unexpected snow storms or stranded because of washed out roads due to flooding......I could write a book just on weather stories..... Lol
Heck that's all part of life on the road......
Last edited by rtandc; 03-27-2012 at 03:42 PM..
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The whole campground was lying low until daylight when Ranger Bob rowed across and woke the guy up and arrested him. 
BTW, Is there some alarm / device that would bark really MEAN and shake the RV, so a 'lurker' would flee?
