What do you do when you are going to be away from your campsite most of the day?

[SpeakEasy]

I would not put the stepper door up and lock it. That's like announcing that no one's home. If you have all the canvas closed up (which you must do because you can't risk leaving it open in a surprise rainstorm), then a passerby has no way to know whether or not someone is inside keeping an eye on things. With the stepper door up and locked there is no doubt.

-Speak

[AustinBoston]

I would not put the stepper door up and lock it. That's like announcing that no one's home. If you have all the canvas closed up (which you must do because you can't risk leaving it open in a surprise rainstorm), then a passerby has no way to know whether or not someone is inside keeping an eye on things. With the stepper door up and locked there is no doubt.

-Speak

You are on the wrong scale.

If a campground brat goes into your camper (because you failed to lock it) and scratches his knee (or starts a fire, or...), it will cost enough to buy several campers and a lifetime membership at the campground.  I am sure the accidental injury is less likely than the theft, but it's way more costly.

Lock the stepper door, not to prevent theft, but to give the lawyers one less excuse.

Austin

[Camping Coxes]

Lock the stepper door, not to prevent theft, but to give the lawyers one less excuse.
 
Austin

To quote my dear departed daddy, "A lock doesn't keep a thief out, it only keeps an honest man honest."
 
We are talking about fabric and zippers and velcro.  If someone really wants in my trailer, they're getting in.  Have said that, putting one more barrier to access can't hurt.  
 
And being in the legal industry, I agree about using some form of due diligence to block access.  Same reason my doorknobs on my back gates are 5' off the ground instead of the reasonable waist-high level -- we have a pool and I need to do whatever necessary to make it difficult for a small child to give in to his temptation to go into my backyard to check it out.  Yes, it's inconvenient if I'm hauling groceries in and have to reach up to open the gate, but it's a necessary evil.

[mike4947]

To give an example to Austin's post. Way back when my son was about 10-11 we had left to go to some attraction and at the end of the day when we returned the campground was in an uproar. Police, people running around, people crying and yelling. We pulled into our site wondering what all the fuss was about when the DW opened the trailer and found one of the kids my son had played with the previous day sleeping on our bunkend.

He was lonely and came over to play with Patrick and had gone into our unocked trailer and fallen asleep waiting for him to come back. Needless to say the "fuss" was a "lost child". I won't bother with the details of the next several hours but needless to say, yes I lock the trailer door now.

[SpeakEasy]

I hate being wrong.

I also hate our litigous society.



-Speak

[wavery]

To give an example to Austin's post. Way back when my son was about 10-11 we had left to go to some attraction and at the end of the day when we returned the campground was in an uproar. Police, people running around, people crying and yelling. We pulled into our site wondering what all the fuss was about when the DW opened the trailer and found one of the kids my son had played with the previous day sleeping on our bunkend.

He was lonely and came over to play with Patrick and had gone into our unocked trailer and fallen asleep waiting for him to come back. Needless to say the "fuss" was a "lost child". I won't bother with the details of the next several hours but needless to say, yes I lock the trailer door now.

This is a "Fair-enough" example and brings up an interesting point. However, I would say that scenario would be quite rare.  

Having said that, it makes me wonder if there is a small dead-bolt type lock that could be installed on the screen door. That way, it would keep out the curious or accidental intruder without making it obvious that no one is home. Although, I suppose that it would be easy enough to just undo the velcro on the door, reach though and lock the screen from the inside then replace the velcro again.

I don't close and lock our outer door and put up the step either and I doubt that I will start doing it now. It's just hanging out a big fat sign that says, "No one is in this camper". However, this discussion has brought up some interesting food for thought.