Some people will steal anything

[SctDad]

http://www.caswellbsa.org/

 

One of our packs had their trailer and camping gear stolen.

 

This is a pack in my district. THis just seals the deal that whenever we get one, someone is keeing it at their house.

 

I have some choice words for the people that too this, but the moderators my send me some reprimand

[GernBlansten]

Make sure the local media is made aware of it. Have the cubs in full uniform when the photographer takes a picture of the sad scouts and empty parking spot. It'll guarentee replacement of all lost stuff 3x over. How do I know? It happened 2 years go in my district.

[scottteng]

We had a rash of this a couple of years back several packs and troops lost trailers and gear the thieves are probably not much interested in the gear but the trailers are expensive and salable. Tongue locks help anything that will make it harder to back up to it and drive away.

[DeanRx]

First - sorry for your loss...it does make you wonder about someone that would rip off the scouts. Alas, these are the wrongs we are trying to "right" in our scout activities.

 

I totally agree with Gern about the media coverage...

 

I know of a Pack that lost all their gear in a fire at the storage facility where they rented a garage. It took a press release in the local paper (be sure to coordinate / get OK from your local council) and the outpouring of donations swamped them. They had to actually tell some donors, thanks, but no thanks b/c they would have wound up with more stuff than they could keep in their starage facility.

 

Also - make sure that the local sporting goods stores know of your loss (the ones that the scout families patronize). You'll be surprized at the donations you'll get from the retailers. At the very least many will offer to sell you replacement equipment at their cost. Then all you need is donations or a pancake breakfast to raise the $$ to re-buy.

 

I use the "we're the local scout pack" approach all the time at Lowe's and Sports Chalet. Even without a loss of equipment, both places regularly offer to let us buy gear at cost or very little mark-up. We regularly get plants from Lowe's for free to do our community service projects. Their only request is that when the local paper shows up to get a snapshot of "scouts in action", I make sure and let the fine readers know WHO donated the plants, work gloves and shovels for the task.

 

They KNOW your families pump $$ into their stores and are usually pretty eager to help make things afordable...

[packsaddle]

I hear something like this about once a year. It is sad and yes, I'd love to catch someone doing something like this. When this unit essentially put EVERYTHING into their trailer I cringed at the thought that someone could drive away with it all. We've been lucky.

 

I'd also like to suggest that you get the trailer titled, registered, and licensed, even if not required by your state. That is also a deterrent and you might eventually find it. I've heard of THAT before as well.

 

[John-in-KC]

Be prepared.

 

Our Troop trailer had a tongue lock. Our Troop trailer had wheel chock locks (aka "The Boot").

 

We also coordinated with our Chartered Partner for loss coverage of unit property. Like PS our trailer was titled and licensed to the Chartered Partner.

 

So far, it's not gone wayward in seven years.

 

I'm sad for the unit losing its stuff; I hope the thieves are caught and brought to trial. Even so, I submit it's our duty to the units we serve to Be Prepared.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[Gunny2862]

Sorry about your loss SctDad,

 

While one can debate on hiding or having the trailer in plain view, in our case one trying to take it or break in would have to be in plain view from either side of the building with residences close enough to hear breakage of locks or door mechanisms, on a fairly large open parking lot where the police often stop to do their paperwork on a slow evening. We also have our trailer titled and utilize hitch and tongue locks. Hadn't thought about a boot lock for the wheels though, hmmm, John, do you have make and model information on what you use?

 

Think about where you put the trailer if you do leave it at someones house, in our case it is observed by more people more often than it would be at any of our families homes.

[John-in-KC]

http://www.the-wheel-clamp.co.uk/

[SSScout]

My sympathy for your loss.

Ditto all the above "preventive" stuff. Have faith, like the folks previous have said, with a little media exposure, you will have lots of help replacing the lost material, and the thieves will have that much more trouble unlaoding the loot.

 

Near trailer::: Make sure to have it painted in bright colors " CUB SCOUT PACK XYZ, Sponsor Org, Town State, Wolf Badge " on all four sides. Paint, NOT decals or vynil (too easy to remove). (vinyl?)

 

Good Luck YiS

 

[nldscout]

In addition to hitch locks, we had a ring welded on the frame of our troop trailer and carry a strong 50 ft chain and an uncuttable lock. When the trailer is parked out of its secured lot it gets chained down to some immovable object, tree, telephone pole, solid fence post.

 

you want to take our trailer, be prepared to work very hard for it.

[SctDad]

It wasn't our trailer, but I will send on the words. I sent out the info to all of our parents so that we can be on the lookout. Hopefully the pack will get their stuff back.

 

I was talking woth some of our other leaders the past few days, and they all agree. When we get a trailer, we will prevent this by storing it at our CC's house. He has two rather large German Shephards and another LARGE dog. I think there might be some hesitation to try to get the trailer.

[croushorn]

Good thing our CC doesn't keep our trailer at his house; more than once he'd be upset at me digging around at odd hours!

Don't forget these arrangements need to be convenient for all and sustainable after your CC moves on. I think we've talked about this before: try and find a local storage yard that will give you a space for the write-off or in trade for an annual good turn project.

I really like the idea of NLD - wheel lock or find something unmovable to chain it to, maybe both! We park ours in front of our storage barn at our Church, plain view for all from a nearby state highway. We only use a latch paddlock and a tounge padlock though. I am reconsidering burying some kind of concrete anchor for ours.

[Knight]

Someone stole my 2005 "collector's edtion" BSA baseball hat with an antelope pin on it from my car.

 

Who would want a used baseball hat and a cheap pin? I don't get it.

[Crew21_Adv]

Fellow Scouters,

 

We stow our Troop trailer in a gated and secured parking lot.

 

I can empathize though. I have heard of Scout trailer being stolen, Scout huts being broken into and stolen from. (Our OA Chapter recently painted over the graffiti and our local camp long house). More recently with a Troop in my district lost their Troop flag and all the streamers during an international camporee. It was taken from within their site at night time. (some other Scouting unit, probably thought it hilarious to take a BSA flag as a souvenir)

 

Specifically for trailers, it doesn't take long. As a side story, when I lived in Puerto Rico, the Japanese sedans were the most common cars. Also the most common "refurbished parts". Anytime you went to the Mall of the Americas in San Juan, you could easily spot a tow truck, backing up to a new model Japanese sedan. Less than 60 seconds, and the truck is towing the sedan out of the parking lot with the alarm going off. The thieves never took them to chop shops, they stripped them on the side of the road. It took less than an hour till you would find a burnt out frame of a car. Supposedly they would do a favor by leaving your car on a major road, so the police could identify the VIN number and a victim could receive their insurance payment faster.

 

All that to say. The Scout trailer gear was probably dumped on the side of the road within 10 minutes, the ID plate was probably popped off or filed in 20 minutes, and it was probably repainted within the half hour.

 

Sorry for the Pack's loss. But it's becoming a dangerous world out there and many people do not have the character as our Scouts do.

 

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

[GaHillBilly]

Having had work trailers stolen myself, I'm partial to tongue locks. Chains and padlocks -- not so much!

 

Long story short, in years past my work crews had reason to carry 36" two-handled 'master keys' for Master padlocks. Believe me, unless you've been VERY careful in your padlock AND chain selection, a chain or lock can be popped in less time than it takes to find your key.

 

There's another technique that works pretty well, too: do something to disable the trailer (or vehicle). My father had one of the original US VW beetles with a reserve gas tank, but no gauge. The valve had 3 positions: main, off, reserve. He had to park in some bad places, and got in the habit of leaving the valve in 'off'. He twice had to walk 3 blocks to recover his car, and he had to replace vent windows twice, but the thieves abandoned the car.

 

A hidden ignition kill switch (or a coil -- not spark -- wire in the SM's pack) can guarantee your remotely parked vehicle is still there on your return from backpacking.

 

And, if you've got an air supply, putting blocks under a trailer's axle and then letting the air our of the tires can work well, too.

 

GaHillBilly