A Couple of Security Tips For Hikers.

[Mountain Mike]

Watch your pack at all times, it's your home. If you have to go for water & there is nobody you trust to look over it, take it with you. In town at stores ask at service desk if you can stash it someplace or put it under your cart on rack there. At Wally worlds ask the greeter. Most store will let you. If not ask for alternatives & hopefully you have friends that can do shifts pack watching while you shop. What most local cops don't realize is theft of a pack can often be consider grand theft, $1,000 + When you figure everything in it it adds up! What it will mean to you on the trail is, end of your hike & transportation home or getting all new gear & possible days at hotel/transport to outfitter.

[dornstar]

Watch your pack at all times, it's your home. If you have to go for water & there is nobody you trust to look over it, take it with you. In town at stores ask at service desk if you can stash it someplace or put it under your cart on rack there. At Wally worlds ask the greeter. Most store will let you. If not ask for alternatives & hopefully you have friends that can do shifts pack watching while you shop. What most local cops don't realize is theft of a pack can often be consider grand theft, $1,000 + When you figure everything in it it adds up! What it will mean to you on the trail is, end of your hike & transportation home or getting all new gear & possible days at hotel/transport to outfitter.

This.

Fear for my pack concerns me more than just about anything else.

[perrymk]

More important safety - as related to out hiking, don't update from a smart phone your current location, some people (men and women) have been stalked on the AT because they were updating their location in real time

I've read that a camera phone is the best defense. As soon as you see someone approaching, take their photo and send. They will realize that the if you don't make it out they are the last person to see you. Apparently most criminals don't want this distinction.

[Pony]

The P.O. in Hanover wouldn't accept my debit card because it wasn't signed. I signed it in front of them then used it. They never bothered to check my ID though to see if the siginature matched. What the heck?

By my count there are at least 3-4 threads going right now about guns and/or protection on the trail. Are people really that scared?

[SunnyWalker]

I have never had anyone worry about my signature for credit card purchases in USA. I was in UK this last Feb and all the time I was asked for ID and etc., when making credit card purchases. They would also compare my sig to the sig on the back of the credit card. It could have been that I was a Yank in UK. I did not observe British citizens making Credit Card purchases and how they were treated. Without exception, though they checked I was always treated very courteously and nicely. The person who started this thread is in UK so that could explain things. I think Americans (including myself) are somewhat naive on security and any danger. Life is a bowl of cherries and what could happen?!??! (We say to ourselves).