As living expenses increase and homes become seemingly impossible to acquire, many are turning toward nontraditional approaches to create a space they call home. These trends include tiny houses, shipping containers, boats, tree houses, and vans. If you have chosen van life, you are probably considering adding extra items to enhance safety and security. These van security tips can get you started if you are thinking about starting the van life journey.
Boost Van Security with a High-Quality Lock
You want to ensure that your van and all your precious items are secure by adding a lock. It is a useful item to have, especially if you leave your van alone overnight. There are two types of locks you can invest in, slam locks and deadlocks. Slam locks are simple; they automatically lock your van as soon as the door closes. As a result, it can be easy to lock your keys inside. We advise keeping your keys on your person or to have an emergency spare. A deadlock, on the other hand, is a separate lock that is manually locked. They are difficult to open with force and can be an excellent deterrent for break-ins when you leave your van alone.
Add a Safety Alarm
Since your van also stores your important items like any home does, it is important to add extra layers of security. Although most modern vehicles have standard alarms, it may be beneficial to add an additional alarm. You should consider one that is combined with an immobilizer. An immobilizer is a device fitted to your van that prevents the engine from running unless the correct key is present. For this reason, you will need to get this safety alarm fitted by professionals. Moreover, some find it beneficial to add a tracker to their van and to also carry a personal alarm.
Increase Safety with LED Lights and Conspicuity Tape
Protecting your vehicle from theft is important, but you also need to consider how to keep your van illuminated during late-night drives. There may be occasions when you may need to pull over to the side of the road or camp out in a dark or isolated space. For this reason, we recommend installing conspicuity (reflective) tape on your vehicle. It is a simple installation that will enhance your vehicle’s visibility. Another option that can keep you in your vehicle and enhance your visibility is LED strobes or light bars. The light bar simply connects to your cigarette plug cord. It can be mounted to your van and will keep you visible.
Enhance Van Security with Reliable Indoor and Outdoor Lighting
Additionally, you want to consider having reliable indoor and outdoor lighting to ensure your van is safe and secure for yourself and your guests. Indoor and outdoor motion sensor lights can add lighting when you are moving about and security to alert you of any motion. Besides motion sensor lights, we recommend using as much lighting as possible. After all, your van is your new home and fiddling with a flashlight every night can be tiring.
Moreover, if you are traveling with a pet or are worried about potential nighttime emergencies, a beam light may be essential to light the way. For example, LED GoLights are mounted onto your van. It can light up to a distance of 2,933 feet. If your dog needs to go outside or if you have lost something late at night, this kind of lighting is essential.
Additional Van Life Tip: Park in a Secure Location
Besides adding lights, alarms, and locks, a key way to keep your vans secure is to choose optimal parking. This can include parking in a busy or well-lit area. Also, you can park in an area that has security cameras from local businesses. Not all areas have street security cameras, so you can also use a dashcam. It will record footage or send you a phone alert if it detects movement.
As you embark on your new van life journey, keep your new van visible and secure. Fortunately, Custer products has an assortment of lights to fit all your lighting and safety needs and more! Contact us today so we can better assist you.
