Confidence shaker

888dee

Guest
as you may have read we had our van broken into last week and now wifey keeps asking if I've put it on ebay yet :(

wants to spend the money on the house :(

don't know how I'm gonna get round this one :eek:
 
Is wifey new to camping/motorhoming? Praps she hasn't got the bug like we have. :(

Frank
 
It seems to me there is only one alternative - that is put your wife on ebay!

Len
 
If you`d been mugged on the street would you be on ebay too? :eek:

Bad luck befalls us all, mate. Be glad you were hit early on then you`ll be wise from the start. You need to take lots of trips now to dilute the feeling with loads of good ones :)

Is your mh Peugeot Boxer derived? If so, you should find a side window at the breakers. You wouldnt believe I threw one away would you? :rolleyes:
 
LOC said:
It seems to me there is only one alternative - that is put your wife on ebay!
Len
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That's a bit unfair Len, wifey's probably worrying herself silly thinking that it could have happened while they were asleep in the van, and how easy it would be for thugs to break in and assault / rob /rape them. Poor lass is most likely scared stiff of going away in the van again.

She needs consoling and reassuring.

Frank
 
Boxerman said:
That's a bit unfair Len, wifey's probably worrying herself silly thinking that it could have happened while they were asleep in the van, and how easy it would be for thugs to break in and assault / rob /rape them. Poor lass is most likely scared stiff of going away in the van again.
She needs consoling and reassuring.
Frank
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I'd feel the same way. Once I found myself surrounded by a group of burly thugs shining a bright torch in at me, trying the doors etc. I froze not really knowing how to handle the situation.

The thugs appeared aggressive but I was lucky and they responded to me talking to them. I asked for space to drive away and to my surprise they did actually back away.

It was scary at the time and could easily have put me off but I looked back on the years of happy wilding beforehand and resolved to take off on another trip as quickly as possible afterwards to restore my confidence. I'm happy to say that this is the one and only incident so far (and I hope it stays that way).

There are risks with everything in life, it's just a case of being careful, alert to risks and handling them as best you can if you do get caught out. Hopefully a few successful camping trips with your wife will help to restore her confidence too.
 
@888dee...I can understand your wifes concern. When we bought our motorhome I really wanted to wildcamp but the fear of being in a similar situation gave us much pause for thought. In the end we had an alarm fitted that allowed us to alarm the doors and the...umm not sure what you call it... the alarm that triggers when the van is moved/shook/pushed whilst at the same time being able to isolate the internal motion sensors. This allows us to be fully alarmed and locked whilst sleeping...I know this doesn't stop these situations from occurring but it does give you immediate warning if anyone touches your van and scares the life out of the 'thugs' giving you time to start the engine and drive off...oh and we also have a dog (probably a more effective deterent than anything else!).
So maybe the idea of securing and making your van as safe as your house might help to reassure your wife and give her the confidence to continue:).
 
We were broken into south of Bordeaux but managed to scare the little toe rag off.

Unfortunately nothing is perfect and whichever hobby or way of life we choose there are going to be unfortunate incidents or downsides.

There is no way that you can let these things put you off or they have won and you are no longer living your life they way you would like to.

A bit of added security and reassurance should see plenty of happy camping times ahead, best of luck:D
 
Captain said:
Unfortunately nothing is perfect and whichever hobby or way of life we choose there are going to be unfortunate incidents or downsides.

There is no way that you can let these things put you off or they have won and you are no longer living your life they way you would like to.

A bit of added security and reassurance should see plenty of happy camping times ahead, best of luck:D
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You're dead right. Really sorry to hear about your experience, 888dee. Our house was broken into 3 weeks ago and stuff turned over everywhere. Police caught the little toerags and got some of the stuff back but the feeling of invasion and insecurity was horrible. But a huge cleanup and a 'to hell with them' party with family and friends has made it feel ours again. They are NOT going to win!

I wild camp solo quite a bit and the big dog bowl outside the door trick, plus a can of WD40 to hand to repel anyone who did stick their head in, makes me feel more secure.

Good luck with helping your wife feel more secure again. A few security measures might really help...and maybe going on a few meets with other vanners?
 
thanks for all your supportive comments guys, I've been thining along the same lines, make it more secure, I've been raking in the garage and found an alarm I'll fit and have bought some of THIS

spoken to a few peeps, one guy in particular who earns his living from tinting windows, says it is surprisingly effective...

funnily I don't anything like as vunerable in scotland...
 
One thing you could do to reassure her would be to soup up the security on the van a bit and then have a couple of trips out staying at nice quiet sites, that way she may get over the break in and be able to relax a little.

After a while you could try wilding again when she has a bit more faith in the souped up security and has had a chance to put her own individual stamp on the van! (as a woman I know that approach would probably work for me!)
Nichodia
 
nichodia said:
One thing you could do to reassure her would be to soup up the security on the van a bit and then have a couple of trips out staying at nice quiet sites, that way she may get over the break in and be able to relax a little.

After a while you could try wilding again when she has a bit more faith in the souped up security and has had a chance to put her own individual stamp on the van! (as a woman I know that approach would probably work for me!)
Nichodia
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I agree get her back in the saddle so to speak, take her to a place she really enjoys, ply her with chocky, flowers and vino (Assuming she likes them).
 
Confidence Builder

Seems pretty good stuff for glass windows anyway best thing is not to have goody on view this keeps scroats away.
In Scotland this year I was amassed how many local drivers pulled up at shops/car parks and left cars unlocked with windows open even on remote car parks when walking on beach etc.

Try a weekend away at her favorite place ! :confused: ;) :)


Alf
 
My memory is definitely getting worse.
I answered your thread and forgot all about it, but I do remember how I felt when it happened to me.
Although it was my car he "tanned" and NOT my van.
All I can say is try and keep working on your missus and take her up to the Backwater Reservoir for a night or two. (now that we have lost Kingsbarns).
 
I am sorry to learn of what happened.

I am sure as others say, perhaps a trip to a favourite place may restore your wifes faith ( But I guess that is hard when you have been a victim)

Perhaps it might be worth joining one of the two big clubs, Their sites IMO seem as secure as you can make it.

Then you can re introduce the occasional wildcamp if that is what you prefer.

Channa
 
yeah loss of kingsbarns is indeed a blow, we'd only been there the once and had a brilliant weekend,

going to be a little while before we can venture out unfortunately as simply cannot afford to put the window right until I get paid.

will busy myself installing the alarm I have in the meantime.
 
Alf 1 said:
In Scotland this year I was amassed how many local drivers pulled up at shops/car parks and left cars unlocked with windows open even on remote car parks when walking on beach etc.
Click to expand...

It's always like that up there Alf, I get embarrassed locking the van when we leave it, I feel that it's insulting the locals (still lock it though - I've been conditioned)

Frank
 
Boxerman you are right, my suggestion was out of line and I apologise. On a more serious note do any of you carry any bits of equipment for personal protection just in case? My van is alarmed but I still have a little cannister hanging inside the habitation door and I have got a little hammer just beside the handbrake. I am not quite sure what my reaction would be to a would be thief but I take some comfort from the availability of my two 'assistants'.

However, if we curtail our travelling because of these thugs they win. Notwithstanding that we must ensure we take reasonable precautions. For example, I always park the van facing out so that in the event of 'hassle' I simply drive straight out without having to reverse. Also, I use internal silver screens because if you have external ones fitted it means you have to go outside the van to remove them before you drive off.

Len
 
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