Uglify your stuff

[K2]

Here's an article about making your stuff more secure by making it look really bad.

http://www.wisebread.com/uglify-your...o-keep-it-safe

[slugger]

Security by obscurity, It's hit or miss. I wouldn't risk it.

[Mountain Wildman]

I suppose that's one way to do it, But here is another way, In America anyway.

[TIDE-HSV]

Ski theft is a major problem in most of the mountain west ski areas. Locking them up helps, since, for the thief, it's not worth the time to defeat the cable/lock. I lived part-time in the Colorado Rockies during ski season for about ten years, during which time, I experienced two pretty bald attempts to steal my brand-new "hot" skis. One was in Breckenridge, at the end of the day. My wife had gone into a shop and we'd stood our skis against the wall adjacent to the door. I noticed one guy sidling closer to them, so I did the same. We finally ended up a couple of feet on each side, at which point I looked him in the eye and said "Don't even think about it." At that point, he turned on his heel and marched towards the parking lot, joined by his three accomplices.

One other incident occurred at Mid-Vail. We hadn't locked our skis, since we were near them and we normally took turns to go into the restroom and bring back food. I happened to look up and saw a guy getting off the lift. He looked like some male model - blond hair, sunglasses, red turtleneck - but no sign of skis. He scanned the area and his eyes landed on my skis and he started edging towards them. He also scanned the area and saw me staring at him. He turned away. Over the next fifteen minutes or so, it was cat and mouse, as he moved around the area. He kept glancing back, checking me, and, each time, I was still staring at him. He went into the facility, came out, checked me again. This time he gave up and got back on the downhill lift and left, still ski-less. Of course the lift attendants had to be in cahoots. I guess the moral is that you can dirty up your neat stuff - or you can lock it up or keep a tight eye on it...

[DapperD]

Here's an article about making your stuff more secure by making it look really bad.

http://www.wisebread.com/uglify-your...o-keep-it-safe

This is similar to an article I was reading that said if you want to avoid having your car stolen, get it's color in pink or yellow. As much as this may work, I think keeping an eye on your belongings, having an alarm and theft insurance on your vehicle, etc...makes more sense, not to mention the fact that it is much more aesthetically pleasing

[Cool AT Breeze]

Maybe this is why Jacks gear smells like a**.

[Gray Blazer]

I've been on to that for a long time. My S-10 Blazer is so ugly ... when I leave it at trailheads in TN, the locals try to fix it up.

[TIDE-HSV]

I've been on to that for a long time. My S-10 Blazer is so ugly ... when I leave it at trailheads in TN, the locals try to fix it up.

LOL! Once on a hike up Alum Cave to Mt. LeConte I made a snap decision to go back and get my golf umbrella (it was raining cats and dogs). In my haste, I forgot to lock the car back and it was parked right on 441. When we came down three days later, there it sat, undisturbed. My wife's theory was that all the potential thieves thought it was a trap...

[JAK]

More relevant to hikers is how we often uglify ourselves.
Doesn't take much effort in my case.

[Marta]

One visit to Breckenridge, most of the snowboards and skis of my friends were stolen off the porch of our condo one night. My 15-year-old skis were left behind. Works for me.

[Danielsen]

I've certainly used this strategy to avoid camera theft. I've known photographer friends whose brand-name camera bags got snatched, but my dumpy little blue-and-orange EF Tours backpack has never been touched, despite sometimes containing my camera, lenses, flashes, and laptop. A lot of people actually substitute diaper bags for camera bags when traveling with photo gear.

As it is, with a big crack in the front (sealed with shoe goo), a scratched-up screen and body, and an old manual lens on the front my DSLR is pretty uglified on its own. Maybe I should "decorate" it with some tape.

[Country Roads]

A couple of years ago I went to one of my wilderness area haunts. In my haste to hit the trail, I not only did not lock the car, I left the front and back passenger windows down. This occurred to me about 4 hours and 8 miles from the car. Yes, rain was in the forecast and it was the fourth of July weekend. I figured I would have a stripped, flooded car.

But, when I got back the next afternoon, the windows were up (crank up type, yes they do still make those) and the doors were locked. A note from a guy named Josh from Tennessee was on the dash. He hoped I had had a nice hike and If I ever got to Tennessee, I owed him a Michelob. Gotta love hikers. And when I get to Tenn someday, I will buy him that beer.

[Doctari]

I keep my GPS in a beat up soft sided lunch "Cooler" when not in use, it has been often left in my unlocked car overnight. An additional "Security measure" I take is to just toss it in the back seat so it looks like an empty or forgotten lunch.
My $90.00 ski (trekking) poles are painted coyote brown to cover the "Black Diamond" name & logo. Not totally affective as the symbol is on the hand grips; bright orange on black, but in my mind it helps.
My grey OES tarp is FILTHY, bird droppings & all. In fact there are parts that are slowly turning (stained) black from hanging under trees. I for one wouldn't steal it, YUK! I even have a purple patch on it WAY too big for the hole* underneath. The tarp is actually in very good condition, it just LOOKS old & beat up.




*made by a figure 9 when I was packing it 3 weeks after purchase. About the size of this: O

[clb]

Country Roads, that may just be one of the coolest things I've ever heard!

[TIDE-HSV]

A couple of years ago I went to one of my wilderness area haunts. In my haste to hit the trail, I not only did not lock the car, I left the front and back passenger windows down. This occurred to me about 4 hours and 8 miles from the car. Yes, rain was in the forecast and it was the fourth of July weekend. I figured I would have a stripped, flooded car.

But, when I got back the next afternoon, the windows were up (crank up type, yes they do still make those) and the doors were locked. A note from a guy named Josh from Tennessee was on the dash. He hoped I had had a nice hike and If I ever got to Tennessee, I owed him a Michelob. Gotta love hikers. And when I get to Tenn someday, I will buy him that beer.

Along the lines of good Samaritans, around 15 years ago, my wife and I arrived very late for a winter flight to Colorado. It was frantic city, trying to get our stuff out of the car and make the plane. . We were gone skiing for just over a week. When we got back, the airport security people had secured, with duct tape, a plastic cover over the left rear window we'd left open (electric, so they had no way of raising it).

[sbhikes]

I live in a college town with really bad bike theft. A lot of college students will spray paint their bikes hideous neon or metallic colors. After putting a bunch of bumper stickers on it. Paint everything including the seat and tires. Looks like hell and it's really easy to see your neon green bike being ridden away.

[trailangelbronco]

I just poop all over everything that own.