If you’re looking at the various ways of improving your tourer’s security, one gadget you could find yourself considering is a tracker. However, this could lead to you asking yourself, “is it actually worth buying a caravan tracker?”
Alongside accessories such as the best caravan wheel lock and the best caravan hitchlock, a tracker can provide some valuable peace of mind, and in my opinion, is a gadget well worth buying.
From personal experience, I’m aware of how the standout caravan trackers on the market can work, having tested them on a number of occasions by conducting ‘fake thefts’ and ‘stolen caravan hunts’, with the Tracking HQs unaware of when I would choose to ‘steal’ the caravan.
Regardless of whether you paid three grand for your tourer or bought a top-of-the-range caravan for over £45,000, you’re going to want to do whatever you can to keep your home-on-wheels safe. This is why I think a tracker can be a worthwhile investment for a caravanner, so long, that is, as you’re happy with the initial outlay, plus the ongoing annual monitoring fee, that is.
There’s no avoiding that thieves are, unfortunately, getting increasingly bold, using tools such as angle grinders and oxy-acetylene to attempt to make off with our leisure vehicles. This is why good caravan security has never been more crucial.
When you get a tracker, you pay for the device and having it fitted (which should come to around £200), and will then have the annual monitoring fee, typically costing up to £100.
One that I think is particularly effective is Outsmart the Thief’s Lockdown, which combines an alarm with monitored tracking and comes with a two-year warranty, with other options including brands such as Tracker and Moving Intelligence.
When we tested the Lockdown system most recently, the caravanner received a text from the monitoring station within 24 seconds of the alarm being triggered, and a call after 35 seconds, which checked that the alarm hadn’t been accidentally triggered. Impressive stuff.
If the caravan was actually being stolen, Outsmart the Thief would have sent a link to local police forces, who could then track the tourer’s location on a map through a digital device. We then tracked it down within five miles. It can be supplied and fitted anywhere in the UK, and costs from £799.
Alternatively, you could always consider an app-based, unmonitored tracking system, which you should be able to find available for less than £250.
One caravanner was reunited with their tourer thanks to an unusual sticker, which helped police identify the stolen caravan. The Swift had been stolen from Clay Cross storage site, but despite being heavily tampered with, the police were able to recover it.
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