When we came back from the arena on Friday night, we found that someone had stolen a re-usable BBQ and also went into a friend's tent and stole his fairly new chair.
 
Also heard horror stories of entire tents being stolen!

Came back from the arena saturday night and both our outer tent door and sleeping bit door were open and our stuff had been moved about and there was mud all over our sleeping stuff when we'd been really careful not to get any on it.
Nothing was taken because all we had in our tent was clothes and food and sleeping bags and the decent stuff was kept in our locker but yeah it was a little weird to think that someone had been in our tent and gone through our stuff...
 
Also in the arena, this one guy tried to get into my boyfriend's bum bag thing, first of all he walked past and patted it twice (obviously trying to feel what was in there), then he came and stood in front of us with his hands behind him and tried to open it and because the crowd was so tightly packed together it made it easier for him but luckily I noticed what was going on and got the bum bag off him and clipped it up under my top just underneath my boobs haha good luck getting to that one without me noticing!

F'ing ****ers! I've been very lucky and not had anything stolen at any of the the festivals I've been to but I remember one year when a couple of the "supposed friends" we went with managed to alienate everyone camping around us cos they were being complete d**kheads! (I still haven't forgiven them and this was 2years ago now!)
It was horrible, one of our tent was slashed, we we're constantly being told that they were going to beat the **** out of the guys in our group if they didn't wind their necks in, a full blown fight did break out at one point!
We were on edge all the time and it really ruined the experience! - it was a miracle that nothing had been stolen after our "mates" pi***d off half the campsite!
Since then I make a concerted effort to make friends with everyone camping around us, it makes u feel more secure, you meet new people and adds so much to the whole experience and I sure as hell won't ever go to a festival with the kind of people that just wanna make trouble! Lesson learnt!

On a lighter note, this year (my first ever DL!) I found everyone was very friendly, welcoming and very entertaining, made me feel right at ease - so thanks everyone :-) x

my tip is to make your tent as messy and foul smelling as possible, i had all my stuff in there (was most worried about my carton of marlboros) and nothing was stolen, bless my dirty disgusting socks.

We saw four kids come over the back wall in orange camp, the security guy said he'd seen them but couldn't do anything about it as he couldn't leave his post. We asked if he could let the other security know, he said he didn't have a radio and they would have to be spotted by someone else. Brilliant.

Wake up the dead thread!
I'm really concerned about this. I'm not planning on bringing anything of value but the idea of thieves scares the **** out of me, and more-so, pisses me off!
Is there any way to literally stop them? I assume a padlock won't do a great deal, but it may be a nice deterrent! So I may get one for DL '13.
I was just googling about booby trapping a tent. Sadly, nothing to be found.. It might be overkill... Something like  but attached to the zip, perhaps? ;D Ideas on deterring/preventing theft?

first point; DO NOT PADLOCK YOUR TENT! a thief will just cut it open, and then you'll have your stuff nicked and a hole in your tent, also the padlock just acts as an advertisement that you have valuables in your tent.
 
Realistically there isn't much you can do except make sure you don't leave anything in your tent that you aren't willing to lose, get a locker for things like keys, ID, phone, etc. It's a good idea to get to know the people camping around you (so then you can all watch out for each other).
 
The chances of anything happening to you is slim, but make sure you are prepared for the possibility it might (and prepare to kick the **** out of anyone you see trying to steal your stuff ).

Yeah I might just make sure I pack really light so there's nothing of worth to be taken. It's not like they're likely to steal a camping cooker or food pack.
I will defend my deckchairs to the death though.

Owen Hebden

Yeah I might just make sure I pack really light so there's nothing of worth to be taken. It's not like they're likely to steal a camping cooker or food pack.
I will defend my deckchairs to the death though.

Oddly enough I have had camping chairs stolen before (never understood why anyone would bother sice they're only worth a fiver)

DLGlamper

Oddly enough I have had camping chairs stolen before (never understood why anyone would bother sice they're only worth a fiver)

Well I was wondering that.. Perhaps they take them to another camp and use them?
OR if they're metal ones they scrap them for money? **** knows [8||]

The thieves are ****s, the first night in red camp this year I woke up at 3 in the morning to two unzipping my tent shining a torch in my face trying to look through my things, luckily as soon as the rest of my camp saw them then went running faster than lightening. stay safe

Owen Hebden

DLGlamper

Oddly enough I have had camping chairs stolen before (never understood why anyone would bother sice they're only worth a fiver)

Well I was wondering that.. Perhaps they take them to another camp and use them?
OR if they're metal ones they scrap them for money? **** knows [8||]

 
Regarding the chairs. 
 
If you want to keep your chairs make sure you bring them into your tent when you go to bed, and or leave the campsite for the arena.
 
Most are stolen when left out... think I have lost 4ish over the years. But only cause of stupidity. Its never nice finding the remnants of your chair on a burnt out fire Monday morning :(
 
I have not known them to be taken from tents.
 
Next is Padlocks..
 
Please don't padlock your tent, I know why you would want to, but it just leads to your tent being cut open. If it isn't padlocked, at least it won't be cut.
 
Otherwise, try and stick by your tent as much as possible if you plan on staying the Sunday night, the campsites do get pretty messy then. Not been as bad as 2006, but still always safer. Sat with a Hammer in my hand in 2006... was nasty...
 
um, what else.... Yeh make sure you get a locker for anything you don't want nicked. If you keep your stuff on you at night, well find somewhere (you know noone will want to fondle) to keep it when you sleep.
 
Hope that helps. Probably already been covered by everyone else but meh
 
EDIT
 
Ah that was it - Tent booby trapping
 
I don't know a way to booby trap, but I know a possible deterrent. Once you have had a few drinks Attach your empty cans up by string, and attach them to the tent door zip on the inside. If someone tries to open when you sleeping. Hopefully it should wake you
 
Fry 
 
Signing out

Fryems

Owen Hebden

DLGlamper

Oddly enough I have had camping chairs stolen before (never understood why anyone would bother sice they're only worth a fiver)

Well I was wondering that.. Perhaps they take them to another camp and use them?
OR if they're metal ones they scrap them for money? **** knows [8||]

Regarding the chairs. 

If you want to keep your chairs make sure you bring them into your tent when you go to bed, and or leave the campsite for the arena.

Most are stolen when left out... think I have lost 4ish over the years. But only cause of stupidity. Its never nice finding the remnants of your chair on a burnt out fire Monday morning :(

I have not known them to be taken from tents.

Next is Padlocks..

Please don't padlock your tent, I know why you would want to, but it just leads to your tent being cut open. If it isn't padlocked, at least it won't be cut.

Otherwise, try and stick by your tent as much as possible if you plan on staying the Sunday night, the campsites do get pretty messy then. Not been as bad as 2006, but still always safer. Sat with a Hammer in my hand in 2006... was nasty...

um, what else.... Yeh make sure you get a locker for anything you don't want nicked. If you keep your stuff on you at night, well find somewhere (you know noone will want to fondle) to keep it when you sleep.

Hope that helps. Probably already been covered by everyone else but meh

EDIT

Ah that was it - Tent booby trapping

I don't know a way to booby trap, but I know a possible deterrent. Once you have had a few drinks Attach your empty cans up by string, and attach them to the tent door zip on the inside. If someone tries to open when you sleeping. Hopefully it should wake you

Fry 

Signing out

Had the same experience with chairs back in 2007 (was my own fault for leaving it outside so can't really complain too much), since then as above I've always kept my chair inside the tent. The booby trap sounds like a good idea though I tend to wear earplugs at night so I'm not sure that would be of much use.

Fryems 


Regarding the chairs.  

If you want to keep your chairs make sure you bring them into your tent when you go to bed, and or leave the campsite for the arena. 

Most are stolen when left out... think I have lost 4ish over the years. But only cause of stupidity. Its never nice finding the remnants of your chair on a burnt out fire Monday morning :( 

I have not known them to be taken from tents. 

Next is Padlocks.. 

Please don't padlock your tent, I know why you would want to, but it just leads to your tent being cut open. If it isn't padlocked, at least it won't be cut. 

Otherwise, try and stick by your tent as much as possible if you plan on staying the Sunday night, the campsites do get pretty messy then. Not been as bad as 2006, but still always safer. Sat with a Hammer in my hand in 2006... was nasty... 

um, what else.... Yeh make sure you get a locker for anything you don't want nicked. If you keep your stuff on you at night, well find somewhere (you know noone will want to fondle) to keep it when you sleep. 

Hope that helps. Probably already been covered by everyone else but meh 

EDIT 

Ah that was it - Tent booby trapping 

I don't know a way to booby trap, but I know a possible deterrent. Once you have had a few drinks Attach your empty cans up by string, and attach them to the tent door zip on the inside. If someone tries to open when you sleeping. Hopefully it should wake you 

Fry  

Signing out 

 
Some sound advice. Thanks.

Oh and if anyone catches any thieves kick the shit out of them!

Toots666

Oh and if anyone catches any thieves kick the shit out of them!

 
I started bodybuilding at the gym recently, so 8 months from now when DL comes around I'll be more than able to sort them out 

Edit - just saw I posted the exact message up there ^ - ignore this one!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...mp;hash=item3a7b25500d
 
STOP TACKLE THEFT! The title made me laugh but perhaps something like this inside the tent might give a potential thief a shock. Not sure anyone would take any notice though as there's always a lot of noise on the campsite.

I never take anything of any value or that I would be worried about going missing. I also leave my tent in a disorganised mess so anyone looking for something would potentially have to spend longer in the tent than they would like. If I have anything of any value in the tent then it's well hidden. Burst stitching in jackets/sleeping bags make great non official pockets.
 
Lockers are your best option but obviously your going to want to carry your phone or a camera etc around during the day. Invest in a UV pen
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Permanent-Ultra-Violet-Marker-Pen/dp/B0019SLP60
and stick something identifiable on your phone/camera. When the police have caught thieves in the past it can be difficult for them to get peoples property back to them. Some identifying markers could help. 
 
Wallet chains or zip/tight pockets for anything you carry about during the day is a must. If your taking large amounts of cash with you each day split the amounts don't leave it all in your wallet.
 
Just to point out about traps in your tents I think this is not a great idea. Alarms that tie round the zips or empty cans on the zip are fine. Just I remember the story of either security or someone cleaning the site on the Monday to find an abandoned tent rigged with a gas can. People always take things too far. I have seen people who tie string round the zip then thread this into the bottom of their sleeping bags around their feet. I think that would wake most folk up. Again I never leave anything lying around, it takes 2 seconds to hide stuff in a tent. Far too many people leave expensive phones or wallets in a hand bag or right next to their head or in the tent pockets. When you read through the threads on here about people who have been robbed they lots of them say "they took my bag that was right next to my head" or "I found my empty wallet the next morning lying next to the jeans I had on". If you leave your property in the first place a thief would look your making life very easy for them.
 
 

what we do is put our tent right next to the fire lane, obviously most theives are gonna be scouring the inner depths of campsites where theyre less likely to be spotted. we've not had things stolen from inside the tent itself just stuff stupidly left out like my mams 17 year old kettle  
 
but last year i was saving a can of fruit cocktail for my monday morning boost which was stolen thursday night from the porch part of the tent but in return someone actually deposited chairs inside our tent!! dont know whether it was some drunk mistake or a theifs trade for the fruit but we had them from thursday night till sunday when they inevitably went missing again...