Vehicle broken into and nothing stolen?!?!

[Jsaults]

I was at Raystown Lake in PA last week, and spent four blissfull nights in my CJH. I returned to southern WV Sunday evening, and was too burned out to unload my vehicle (2011 Outback).

Monday morning at 0500 the Police knocked on my door - my car and four others at my apartment complex had been broken into. Broke the passenger side rear door quarter window. Figuring out if anything had been taken was not easy, as I had simply packed over the previous week by throwing in what I might need with little regard for neatness. The result was a well-stuffed car.

What was NOT taken: CJH, WBBB, SuperFly, McCat fly, HG TQs and UQ, two WP cameras in a Pelican box, four canoe paddles worth a total of about $700, a new MSR tent I had hoped to sell, a Garmin GPS.

What WAS taken: A fabric and mesh duffle with shoulder straps containing a pair of water shoes and a splash top. The contents were dumped out onto the pavement, and I guess the thieves figured they would fill it with booty from other vehicles.

But the Police found the duffel out at the end of the driveway, empty.

Lessons learned: Petty thieves have no concept of what gear costs. Resale value of camping gear is pretty low if you want to buy drugs, booze, or video games. And lastly, a small piece of armoured glass shatters into a bazillion pieces. I am still finding shards in my gear!

Jim

[Mule]

That was great luck. I guess the Great Pumpkin is keeping an eye on you this Halloween.

[Roadrunnr72]

That sucks!! Glad they didn't get the gear. Years ago, my brother and his wife went on an overnight canoe trip. Got back to the parking lot and found one of the back windows on his P/U had been broken. The only thing missing was a flashlight, it was the only thing he had in the truck. The really sad part, he left the door unlocked, so if someone wanted in, they wouldn't break a window.

[leemur]

Wow, glad none of your camping gear was taken or destroyed. Hope the damage to your car isn't too costly.

[Les Rust]

Sorry that you had to endure that expereince--glad that you still have your gear. Thieves are not too smart.

[Cali]

Jsaults, what a bummer to wake up to, but The Good Lord blessed you with nothing taken. That thief didn't realize the value of all that great gear. Drugs blurred his perception. LOL... Remember the commercial of the fried egg, that's what drugs do to the brain.
Watch out for glass, and I hope it doesn't cut into your gear.

[Triptease]

Lessons learned: Petty thieves have no concept of what gear costs.

No kidding. I had my car broken into once while on a dive trip. They took the change out of my ashtray, some random items from my glove compartment, but left the $10,000+ worth of dive gear in the back seat.

Glad to hear the stupidity of others saved you from a very expensive experience.

[Cannibal]

Lessons learned: Petty thieves have no concept of what gear costs.

It's not just the scumbags that steal that don't understand that concept. I have twice been accused of being a vagrant while sitting in a camp that wasn't along a heavily used trail. A vagrant!? On any given trip I take, there is at least $800 worth of gear; usually upwards of $1,000...and I'm a vagrant!?

It normally irritates me, but in your case, I agree that it's a very good thing. I loathe thieves and sincerely wish that it was legal (even just barely) to set bobby-traps for the rotten pieces of .....

Glad your gear is still yours!

[Dutch]

Fixing your window will still bite. Car break in creeps are real low lifes.

[UncleMJM]

Fixing your window will still bite. Car break in creeps are real low lifes.

Precisely why I don't lock my '95 Blazer, nor do I leave anything in it of value. The cost of the window repair exceeds the value of anything in the car.