Basement Storage Security

As fulltimers, most of us have to lug all our stuff with us. That makes "basement storage," those handy outside compartments with lots of stuffing space, so attractive. But beware--that storage may not be as secure as you think.

For outside compartments with the standard "cabinet lock," your lock may not be as secure as you like. Visit any used RV sales lot and try your own compartment key on different RVs. You may be surprised just how many other rig compartments you can open. With so many RVs made, and so few suppliers to the industry, there's bound to be a lot more keys in common than we'd like to think.

Changing out the standard cabinet lock is easy, all it takes is a replacement lock, an adjustable wrench, and a few minutes time. We visited a locksmith and had him make up a number of compartment locks--all keyed alike--to replace our OEM locks. We feel a lot more secure knowing that not just "anybody" will easily open up our storage pods.