Best locks for UHauls?

Hello. DS has less than 48 hours between “graduation”And PCS move checkin some states away. He and another ensign are stopping overnight with their respective UHauls and cars trailed behind. Any recommendations on good locks/tips either for the car trailers or U-Haul gates to deter or ideally prevent theft? His travel buddy has a gun safe with a Texas-sized arsenal. Upping the concern. Has anyone parked say at a police station or any other recommendations for a well lit secure area while completing a military move? All feedback and ideas welcome.

Herman_Snerd said:

Hello. DS has less than 48 hours between “graduation”And PCS move checkin some states away. He and another ensign are stopping overnight with their respective UHauls and cars trailed behind. Any recommendations on good locks/tips either for the car trailers or U-Haul gates to deter or ideally prevent theft? His travel buddy has a gun safe with a Texas-sized arsenal. Upping the concern. Has anyone parked say at a police station or any other recommendations for a well lit secure area while completing a military move? All feedback and ideas welcome.

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Mine did this. A couple things: make sure their insurance carrier covers items in a uhaul (my sons didn’t, until he changed to USAA).

Also, pay a little more for a reputable hotel chain, park I. A lighted area and back up against a wall or other barrier to prevent access to the back.

There also is a Facebook group of people (ie parents) who will house military movers going through their area. Presumably in safe neighborhoods. PM me if you want that info.

Did the U-Haul thing with DD when she went from TBS to MOS school. Got a padlock from Lowe's -- a solid, hefty one that cost about $25. But a padlock won't stop a determined thief with a lock-breaking tool.

So the best thing is deterrence. We always parked as close to the front door as possible, under a bright light. If possible, backed the truck right up to the concrete light pillar to minimize room for maneuver. Or backed it up to the sidewalk that faced room windows. Thieves don't like to work where they're exposed -- or so I've been told.

Also consider putting a Club device on the steering wheel, if you're worried about the thief driving away.

=> Cross-posted with @justdoit19. We might have been at the same seminar.

Air tags are another tool. Hide them here and there in case the worst case does happen. For sure in the gun case.

@MidCakePa what seminar? I just thought I was brilliant. Or paranoid

It is all said above but let me nicely package it all up. 26 Years in Law enforcement and still at it for some reason!
Don’t bother with the PD the cops are on the road and the ones in HQ are busy processing prisoners, helping DV victims and such so it is not necessarily the safest place to park that most people think it would be. Back the truck up against a concrete wall with the direction of another person. I am talking and inch away at best. Club on the steering wheel and you are all set. Keep in mind nothing deters those that are truely motivated but locks are only a deterrent. Most thieves want an easy target. Park in a known nice neighborhood in my opinion is the best and easiest IF it is available. Best of luck and safe travels…..

Weapons (guns) should never be left unattended in a vehicle even if they are secured. Those stay at arms length at all times.

Get him a battery operated security camera that has motion detection. Set the camera inside the trailer using the alarm any time the trailer is left unsecured. I have a specific camera in mind, but don't know if I can post it. The name rhymes with slink, but just maybe starts with a 'b'. You will need wifi to connect the camera, but most hotels have free wifi, or he can set up his phone to be a wifi hot-spot. In this configuration, alarm means that it will alarm to his phone if movement is detected. If you want a loud alarm that will go off in or near the trailer, a certain retailer of cheap chinese products has "Portable Motion Sensor Alarm and Entrance Alert Chime with 90dB Siren Sound
$14.50" Just use your most popular internet search which rhymes with frugal to seek it out online.
lol.

When i helped my son move from one base to another, we had everything in his car. If it was up to him, he would have left everything in the car. Every time we stayed at a hotel (most of them being Hampton Inn or Double Tree), we took everything out of the car and put it back when we left. Sure we left some stupid stuff that we didn't mind getting stolen but the real issue is if they break a window to steal something dumb like a folding chair, then of course the broken window becomes the big issue. He had the huge large tower computer he built that we would have to bring up and down. This he knew to bring upstairs to the hotel. Damn thing was heavy.

Two summers ago moved a friend from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest in a 26' UHaul towing a car on a vehicle trailer. After an overnight in Billings, MT discovered that 3/4 of our gas tank had been siphoned during the night! While sharing this with another family also driving a 26' with a car in tow, they shared their practice was to park for the night with the car as close to the fuel tank as possible to prevent siphoning.