Safety and Security Questions

[Renegade Recon]

Good Morning Overlanders!
Can (anyone) help me with a few questions? I joined as a member earlier this January; I have been feverishly upgrading my 2018 Jeep Renegade and I am ready to embark on my very first-ever Overland Experience this May. My goal is to travel across America and live out of my Jeep for a year. I've lifted the Renegade with a 2" lift kit, installed "DayStar" rock-sliders; installed brand new KMC Wheels with Toyo Open Country 235/65 R17" all-terrain tires for starters. I am not planning nor am I built for "rock-climbing", and I am not a Jeep Rubicon, but I am planning to go off-road, and off-grid.

My questions might sound foolish but I do have security concerns traveling alone.

First Question: If I camp at a campsite for a night, how do I lock myself in my Jeep if my FOB is also in the vehicle with me but electronically "unlocks" my doors once I am inside? How do you ensure security when you are traveling alone? Where do you put your keys?

Second Question: Unlike the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Sahara, or Jeep Rubicon, the Jeep Renegades do not have a tailgate that offers a spare tire on the back of the vehicle. This dilemma forces me to place the spare tire on top of the Renegade. I have built a platform inside the Renegade for sleep and gear storage...Goose Gear unfortunately does not make a platform for the Renegade! I do not have a RTT and only have the stock side rails on the top of the Jeep to hold down gear. My situation is compounded by the fact that I also cannot carry spare fuel, again because I do not have a tailgate that swings horizontally to hold spare external gas tanks. The Renegade is small and only holds a 12 gallon fuel tank. If I am traveling Arizona, Nevada, southern California or anywhere for that matter, long mileage and lack of extra fuel can limit or dictate where...I can access.

Question: Are there such things a bungie cords that can lock down a spare tire on the roof of a Jeep if I decide to leave the Jeep for a night and go hiking?
Question: Is it SAFE to mount TARK II external fuel tanks to the top of my vehicle if I lay them down flat on the roof of the Renegade?

I realize these are rookie questions, but I could really use some feedback and advice before I leave Florida next month?

Thanks,
astm

 

[Ubiety]

Does your key fob unlock your vehicle when you get near it, or only when you press a button on it or touch your door handle? My Jeep only unlocks when I have the fob on me and I do one of the actions mentioned (press a button or touch the front driver or pax door handles). Maybe keep it in a metal box or copper mesh bag (Faraday cage) whilst inside the vehicle. You might also consider a firearm/pistol especially if you will be camping in areas with critters that think you look tasty (that includes humans). There are many opinions on caliber but I feel a layered approach is better (different calibers for different critters). If you are new to firearms and decide to go this route I highly recommend some training and practice. Also beware of different state’s laws around firearms, for instance CA has restrictive laws. You mention heading out West and we have bears and cougars in some areas. And people.

You might consider a locking cable for the top of your rig to keep things from “walking away”. I have a couple of these that I had snaked through items in the bed of the truck pre-canopy days. Worked well and never lost anything. Now if I could only remember the combination! Hahahaha.

Fuel on the top rack laid sideways? Will it leak? Remember that carrying weight high will make your vehicle less stable should you need to avoid something on the road (swerve) or get yourself onto a dirt road that has holes/washouts. A lift kit will compound this as it effectively gets that weight higher. Are there aftermarket bumpers with swing outs available for your vehicle? These allow mounting of stuff and the ability to swing it out and away from the tailgate.

Happy and safe travels!

I may lock myself in my Jeep today (with keys in my pocket) and see if my wife can unlock it from the outside just to answer the question now in my brain box. You would think Jeep would have thought of this since they do offer auto locking doors while driving… Dunno but aim to find out.

 

[MMc]

Safety, I camp solo a lot, it's pretty rare it feel unsafe, urban camping (city) is VERY different. You have an inner lizard voice that kept your ancestors alive, pay attention to it. If you are camping in the great outdoors you'll be fine. Pay attention and leave if it's not right. The whole the whole bear, mountain lion, coyote fear is way over rated, I sleep on a trap or bevy bag 50% of the time. Store you food properly, keep a spotless camp, they are not interested in you.

Your stuff, get a roof rack that will support your tire, I use Blitz gas cans strapped to my truck, when I am worried about range, (you might be over thinking this, run off the tip of the tank) Use roller cams or ratchet tie downs to hold your gear in place, lock them down with cable locks. Maybe get a cage rack you can drop on the crossmembers, Yakama, Thule, Bajarack, ?
I know a woman that traveled Baja for years in a Prius with a Yakama bullet case, she did fine, so will you.

For the key fob thing go to Jeep your dealer ask him, it's software, Jeep forums?

 

[Ubiety]

The whole the whole bear, mountain lion, coyote fear is way over rated

My brother in law would beg to differ ;) Luckily for him and his family he was prepared and downed a cougar on its way in for an attack; he had been aware of it stalking him for a time and was ready. Overrated? Certainly, but being prepared saved him. The cougar pelt(*) is hung proudly with purple and gold felt matting on his TV room wall; he is a huge UW Husky fan and the cross state rival is the WSU Cougars. Funny!

* He is a lawyer and did contact Fish and Wildlife who investigated and called the kill justified and allowed him to keep the animal.

 

[MMc]

My brother in law would beg to differ ;) Luckily for him and his family he was prepared and downed a cougar on its way in for an attack; he had been aware of it stalking him for a time and was ready. Overrated? Certainly, but being prepared saved him. The cougar pelt(*) is hung proudly with purple and gold felt matting on his TV room wall; he is a huge UW Husky fan and the cross state rival is the WSU Cougars. Funny!

* He is a lawyer and did contact Fish and Wildlife who investigated and called the kill justified and allowed him to keep the animal.

Cats are apex predators, they are not used to being attacked, a rock most likely does the same. I wasn't there and have no need to argue. I have hunted all my life and camp more the most, my experience is different.

 

[Ubiety]

Cats are apex predators, they are not used to being attacked, a rock most likely done the same. I wasn't there and have no need to argue. I have hunted all my life and camp more the most, my experience is different.

Forgive me if I misunderstood your comment but my BIL was the one being attacked and defending. My wife reminded me of the mt bikers who were attacked by a cougar on suburban-ish Seattle area trails recently; one was lucky to only get mauled and escaped with his life, the other was not so lucky. My experience completely agrees with you that most of the time wild animals will not be an issue however I choose to be prepared for the times that they are, and thankfully my BIL was also prepared.

Back to the normally scheduled programming ;)

I tried placing my key fob in and around the truck and opening the locked doors. When the fob was placed outside I was able to open the doors if the fob was within ~2 feet of the door handle (hanging off of the mirror, hanging off of the roof above door). When placed inside I was unable to open the door from the outside, tried with it on the seat and in a door pocket. Will try with me inside and with my wife on the outside once she is ready.

 

[Ubiety]

Our son could not gain access to the locked truck with myself and the key fob inside. Tried locating the fob in several different locations and I was safe! ;)

Also, many remote areas in the West do not have cell service. Highly recommend some sort of satellite communications device to get a message out in case of emergency. The Garmin InReach is a neat looking device but I do not have an InReach so cannot comment further.

 

[Mike W]

The inreach mini is a great choice. As long as you have a sky view you can get messages in/out and enable tracking. It is great to get off grid away from the cell towers but also have that safety factor. You can hit the SOS button and chat with the emergency service rep at inreach, so if its a minor emergency it is ok to use. You don't have to worry about super expensive response if you chat with them. If they don't hear from you they will figure out an appropriate way to respond that may be a bit more expensive, but that is good if it saves lives.

I honestly would not worry a ton about human factor safety if you are out away from cities. And don't worry too much about wild life unless you are in a particularly dense bear area or in a park where bears learn to get into vehicles. If you do end up in that situation just have meals away from camp and then keep things tidy and smell free around camp.

Something that should be mentioned though is some appropriate medical kit and spend a little time getting familiar with everything in it. And sometimes it is good to supplement the kits with a few extras including other medications or comfort items. Make sure you have a quick access way to put out vehicle fires (you either catch them right away or it is often too late and you loose the whole thing. I recommend element e50. Also think about having a bag with you that has some basic survival stuff that you can take with you .

Speaking of safety they just set off the sirens for a tornado warning... got to go...

 

[Ubiety]

Speaking of safety they just set off the sirens for a tornado warning... got to go...

Hope that is a non-event for you!

 

[pluton]

Personally, I'd get a roof rack. If a nice $1000 BajaRack isn't in the budget, look at the offerings from Yakima, Thule, and the Amazon-sold "knockoffs". Spare tire/Gas can be carried on such a roof rack. They make spare tire mounts to add to the rack, but you can also figure out how to do it with ratchet straps. Ditto for gas cans---fancy custom mount or improvise with secure straps. Actual elastic bungee straps probably shouldn't be used for anything heavy, like a tire or gas can.
I like these type of gas cans, but other types such as Rotapax are available.
Jerry Can, 20 Liter, Metal Green, With Flexible Spout by VALPRO - GJC20SPK

 

[grubworm]

My questions might sound foolish but I do have security concerns traveling alone.

i've done a lot of solo travel all over the world...one thing i do know is that if you display some weird satanic stuff...you WONT be bothered. get some vinyl stickers of a pentagram and goats head and leave some burnt out candles outside your vehicle...maybe sprinkle some chicken bones around or do a symbol with the bones in the area and i promise you can sleep like a baby with nobody bothering you.
seriously. say youre lost and come across a vehicle parked in the woods and as you approach it you see a pentagram and bones...bet you keep walking

 

[bgenlvtex]

Situational awareness is the most profound skill a person can possess.

In all things human,animal,environmental be aware of the current conditions and threat potential.

I blame Walt Disney for people's tendency to anthropomorphize. I don't know who to blame for the predatory parasitic human element (well I do but it's against the rules).

Have a plan, accept that it may very well involve violence then either resign yourself to being a purveyor or victim of it.