Security

Security both for ourselves & our gear has been forefront in our preparations for living full time on the road & during the last month we have solved a couple of areas that have concerned us. We realise that we're never going to stop the person (or people) that is fully intent on breaking in to either the van or the vehicle but we've gone a long way in deterring them.

We're also not going to get paranoid about security but at least we know we've taken steps to protect ourselves & our possessions. We've looked at installing an alarm & we may well do that in time but for now our thinking is that an alarm would be of no help if the van is parked up in an isolated area. It may scare the intruder(s) off for a short time but they'd return when they realise that no one is around (assuming we are not there).

The windows on the fifth-wheeler are relatively small with a horizontal metal bar through the centre of each, they are also quite high off the ground. Some one determined on getting in would have to be small (a child?) & have something to climb on to get through them. The easiest point of  access would be busting through the door, but not now that we've had a 3 locking point security door installed. The mesh is powder coated stainless steel tough enough to withstand a sledgehammer as was demonstrated to us in the showroom of Tauranga branch of Home Plus who were extremely helpful in  making sure everything was designed & fitted perfectly to our unusual 'home'. An added bonus is we have a great insect screen & can have fresh air in the van during the long hot nights of summer (the screen on the 5th-wheeler door is not that large & can only wind open a few inches)

We have also had fitted to the ute well-side a Roll-N-Lock rigid cover supplied & fitted by Beaut Utes in Hamilton. The rolling cover can be stopped at several positions to cover part or all of the contents & is lockable.

Inside we have had installed a cargo manager which can be set at various positions too, although for us it will stay locked in place just in front of the hitch. The inflatable & outboard will be installed in this space in the not too distant future!