I pick up my new Casita beginning of next year. I am waiting....... I have contemplated things I can do to prevent theft when parked in a campground or site somewhere, as well as at home.

1. Chain or block wheels. At home I intend to place the trailer on blocks and remove the wheels.

2. Fabricate a locking V-shaped cover over the ball coupler. I have contemplated maybe even modifying the tongue of the trailer and making the entire ball coupler assembly removable. That might sound weird but I thought it might sound cool to build a slightly heavier and longer frame and install a standard straight axle. My wife wouldn't think it as much fun as I would....

3. Lock the safety chains to my truck when attached to my truck.

4. An electronic recovery or tracking device?

5. More rigid locking stabilizers acting as a barrier to trailering when extended.

6.  Any other idea?


Sidenote:
I've repaired and installed many diesel furnaces on boats. I've contemplated installing a Webasto AT2000 in this trailer after we get it. That furnace draws 2 amps while running. I need to figure out how to orient the exhaust. A hydronic furnace with domestic hot water would be nice, but involved for such a small trailer.

I have one of the last production Generation II Dodge 5.9 12-valve diesel with the 4 door cab. I've been working to make it difficult to steal, otherwise I am generally afraid to take it anywhere.

Society is falling apart on us...

Hitch lock and/or chain the wheels.  I wouldn't worry about it too much, we don't even lock ours when we are at a campground.

We’ve used a Hitchcock that fits up,into the ball “socket” and haven’t had problems with travel trailer or motorcycle trailers.

12 volt gps tracker and/or Apple Airtag. I use the tracker on my SxS and an airtag on the toyhauler.

double tap

Welcome to the Casita family!

Attached File


One of the security enhancements I made was to hide an Airtag in the trailer (along with several fake decoys).

I don't have an iPhone or any other Apple devices capable of tracking it, but several relatives do - and they'd be glad to help if it was ever stolen.

A hitch coupler lock is always installed whenever the trailer isn't hitched to the tow vehicle, and there's also a padlock on the coupler latch.

I've also been toying with the idea of installing a hidden kill switch for the electric trailer jack hitch - Make it a little more time-consuming for them to raise the tongue enough to hitch up, and raise the pad enough afterwards to keep from dragging it.

Like you, I elected to not have the optional propane furnace installed - They're noisy, drafty, and consume a significant amount of battery power.

Instead, for winter camping, I remove the cabinet door that occupies the same space where the furnace would have been installed, and put in a Camco "Wave" 3000 BTU catalytic heater.

Casita puts an extra "Tee" fitting in the propane line that feeds the stove burner, for connection to the optional furnace - it makes a very handy place to connect the catalytic heater.

The heater gets removed and replaced with the original cabinet door during the summer.

If it is that much of a problem find other campgrounds. Quit camping in the ghettos.

It's not the campgrounds, it's the localities. Individuals can pretty much break into, steal or vandalize things and get away with it. Call the police and they will tell you to file a report yourself online. You yourself should know that.

I'm just trying to sufficiently harden the things I own so that despite some minor damage thieves may do, I will still own the objects I've worked so hard for. I've worked too hard for the few things I have and don't want to easily lose the equivalent of many months worth of take home pay because of the gross indifference of the prosecuting attorneys office.

Funny thing. I once had a coworker who himself and a group of his friends would go camping in parks and 'live off the land' as he would say. Basically, they usually went to the same park and would steal ice chests and coolers. He said they often ate very well. He later made other poor choices and I haven't seen him since.

Check out Fort Knox Locks, pricy but good.

I bought an Amplock  which is pricey but a very tough lock.

Same here, the Amplock weighs about 10 lbs and is a beast.

At first I had one if those Reese locks that has a cast iron ball that goes in the coupler and steel loop that goes over the coupler. Within a few weeks it got jammed up and I couldn't unlock it, so I took my 20v angle grinder to it and cut it off - which took less than a minute. That's when I decided I was going to buy the toughest lock I could find and found the Amplock.

That sounds like a lot of work. What fun will worrying like that give you?

I have a 5th wheel and have never thought about it being stolen. I do have insurance in case. But no worries.

Meth heads stole my trailer a couple years back.  My cameras picked up all the action.
They ran a rope from inside the car.  Rope was tied around the seats and then out the back of their car.  They lifted and pulled the trailer with a rope, not a hitch ball.  Those locks won't stop them.

The meth heads are not worried about doing things safely.  They don't think like normal people.  They are worried about getting away with your shit so it becomes their shit.  They absolutely will try to tow your trailer with their car and a rope.  It only has to work long enough for them to get to a secondary location where they can change automobiles or drill out your lock.

I have a hitch lock on mine.......bright yellow so you can see from a distance.  It probably wouldn't hurt to put a wheel lock on it also......

But if someone wants to steal it, they are going to find a way.