A thru-hiker had his pack stolen after leaving High Point, NJ. He left it on the side of the Denyton Road while he went to the water pump some 50 feet or yards from the road. A pick-up truck stopped and took the pack. Those on the Trail Place list may have already gotten info on this.
My question is: Does this happen much on the AT? Is thievery a common occurance? How do people protect their gear from thieves? Any suggestions?
Skylander
Jack
It’ll happen, prob local trash. Outside a store leave some nasty dirty sox in it. Nobody will touch it. Heald has his set up tent and gear taken on one trip. They got it all and he wasn’t near a trail head.
Bushwhack
Last year at a hostel in New England two fellow thru-hikers got their packs stolen. They had left them with the hostel owner while they were slacking and another hiker posing as a thru-hiker talked the owner out of them saying he was taking the packs to them. We had a grapevine going north and south among hikers looking for the guy. After hearing his description I thought I had encountered him two days prior going south. He apparently had a car and was traversing the trail. This is unusual to have happen but be careful. I did leave my pack outside businesses in town all of the time. Usually I was not alone in doing that at places like grocery stores. You are very nervous about doing that when you first do but I also think that some hikers are a little rude as far as where they will take their packs. I mean if you have six hikers at a restaurant with all of the packs in the place it is a little crowded. Besides six packs together outside are much saver than one. I just made sure I strapped my Leki poles to the pack before I left it. Outside a Dairy Queen my pack got me a hitch one time. A guy saw it and walked into the place looking for me and asked if I needed a ride.
This is a given but always seperate your ID, money, credit cards and such from your pack. I always had that stuff on me. I slept with it.
Two Scoops
Only carry a green pack. When in any doubt at all, wait until no one is around and discretely walk into the woods until you are out of sight. Hide your pack, again wait until there is no one around, walk out and do what you have to do.
Blue Jay
I know it happens but what do you plan to do with the gear. Most thru-hiker gear is pretty nasty from use and not in the best condition by new england. When I hit Manchester Center, VT a girl had her pack stolen outside a grocery store. The police caught the guy driving around with the pack in his car because a person at the scene saw him take the pack. Two scoops has a good idea about watching your ID and money because it’s a pain in the butt to replace.
Darth Pacman
Three packs stolen last year (I know of one more in Damascus), one this year. Out of about 5000 thruhikers, I wouldn’t say that 4 packs would qualify as a common occurance. But, you just have to minimize the time that you’re away from your pack. Sure, I left my pack behind a few times to check out a view that was off the trail and I almost always left it outside restaurants and stores but those are the chances you have to take.
Since a great community forms among thruhikers, many can recognize eachother’s packs so you’ve got more than just your own set of eyes working for you.
Wedding Singer
I’ve been wondering how to keep my stuff safe when I go into stores or whatever, I’ve been thinking about pacsafes… anybody have any experience?
Too-Dang
They can still steal your pack and it’s extra weight. I use the dirty socks and shirt method. It seemed to wrok okay.
Darth Pacman
We usually brought our packs inside stores and restaurants and asked the owners for a safe corner to put them. If they protested, we left. Just leaving the packs outside is inviting trouble. Occasionally we would put the packs outside a window on a porch and would sit at the window keeping watch, but that isn’t a lot of help since the thief could drive off before we were outside. Every year packs are stolen because hikers run into so many good people, they forget that the jackals are still out there.
Several years ago we offered to slack some hikers at Pine Grove and again at DWG. We talked to one person, and told them that any packs left in a certain spot would be taken to the end point about 20 miles up. Amazing to us, both times there were a dozen or more packs waiting for us in the morning, from people who never had a chance to meet us and talk to us to see whether we were good people. They just heard that some former thruhikers were willing to slack them for the day, so they left their packs behind. The trust was amazing. There were a couple of folks who were very relieved to find us waiting there. They admitted that all day they were scared to death that they had handed their packs over to a couple of thieves. One guy said he had wanted to leave his pack, but didn’t dare. I actually thought that he was the smartest of the lot. Yes, we were good people, but they didn’t know that!
Ginny
At least 3 packs have been stolen this year. One near the Waslik Poplar and two right before Trail Days during a hitch out of Pearisburg (there was a write up in the Roanoke newspaper).
The first one was recovered at a campground near Franklin, NC.
The other two were not. They lost their packs when the couple told the two guys to go into a gas station to get directions to a highway.
Pushing Up Daisies
were swiped while getting repaired at a reps tent at Trail Days while I was there.
Hiker Biker Babe was one that had hers lifted. The rep did replace hers with a new one since it was in their hands at the time. She didn’t have any gear it it thank goodness.
They were the first tent beside the gate.
Buster
If I left my pack, it was either \left with a group or I would have it where I could see it. Never felt like taking the chance. Of coarse that was in town. At the shelters it was fine.
Virginian
Because there is such a low percentage of packs that are stolen, is there a complacency that permeates the trail community? Would it be wise to secure the pack with a cable and lock? Bicycles are always being stolen in NYC and elsewhere and now most people “chain” them up when they leave them on the street. Would a bicycle type of cable and lock give bette peace of mind to hikers. Of course that would not protect gear that is in the pack but it would stop the “snatch and grab” type of thief who wants a quick get-a-way.
Of course, all valuables, such as money, ID, Camera(s), and other stuff that wold fit into a waist pack should be kept on person at all times.
What do you think?
Skylander Jack
Jack
pacsafes are great. I use one. its good here in europe with lots of on-off trains / busses. staying in hostels etc. you can chain them up to railings and heaters in hostels etc.
good in europe.
wont be taking it on my thurhiuke next year tho.
Bloody Cactus
2 unusual thefts i witnessed on the Trail this yr each were trailjournalists. Dimples had her clothes stolen from the washer/dryer at the hot springs general store. Apparantly some local girl stole her clothes and got away with it. All the hikers in town pooled money together to get her some new stuff.
also Red or She-Ra had her food bag stolen from the pearisburg church hostel. i thought that was just ridiculous, but i guess even in the Trail community not everyone can be trusted
A-Train ga-nh (so far)
A-train
Items taken during a hike,are not limited to Backpacks…ect.
On a recent section hike(Hot Springs to Bland Va), my partner, and I stopped for a break at Trimpi shelter.A SOBO hiker was also resting inside the shelter.He mentioned that when he arrived,he noticed a school book laying inside the shelter.It appeared to be one of the reader books from the school house at the Settlers Museum,locater on the AT.
It was laying on the floor,and could have easily ended up being fuel for a campfire.We made mention that we were hiking north,and would drop it off at the museum.The caretakers at the museum were very pleased, that my partner brought it home.
I feel that all of us that are out hiking(no matter where it’s at),try to project a positive image.A hiker can still go out, and do his or her thing while hiking.When it comes right down to it, a thief, has no regard for anyone,and their property.
Bill Harris