Have you ever been locked out of your RV?

Posted on by Lowes Travels

Have you?

We had exactly that unpleasant experience recently.  It was late in the afternoon on the day we were under a tornado watch, and the winds were already picking up.  We were busy stowing anything that might get blown away, and Steve had the barbecue going to get our chicken cooked (no storm will come between Steve and his trusty Weber!).

I took our trash to the dumpster up the road a ways, and when I came back Steve said, “We have a problem.” Uh-oh, what could that be?

On my way to the dumpster, the wind had slammed the door, and it had somehow locked.  We’re still not sure if one of us may have accidentally pushed the lock down previously while grabbing for the door – we didn’t even know the door could be locked and then closed from the outside, which seems like a bad thing.  Now what were we going to do?  Our cell phones, car keys, house keys and everything else were locked inside.  We could not get in through any windows, because we had very conscientiously closed them to prepare for the big storm.  And we had no spare key hidden on the rig.

While Steve rummaged through his toolbox (at least the compartments were unlocked) and felt his blood pressure rising, I went over to our neighbor’s site and asked if I could borrow a cell phone so I could call a locksmith.  She called from her Onstar and asked for the phone number of a local locksmith.  She then drove me to the front gate to see if the office staff might have a phone number also.  On the way there, I suddenly saw Steve driving ferociously fast after us.  I asked myself, how did he get the car keys?

Steve told us he had been able to “pick” the door lock with a tiny allen wrench and small screwdriver from his toolbox.  Whew! We both looked frazzled and stressed out as we related the story to the park host and the lady that helped us.  I should probably explain that Steve has decades of experience working on cars, and a basic understanding of how locks work. He got this done purely out of desperation because we were miles away from any help. He does not advocate picking locks, and admits he got lucky on this one.

Lesson learned: I dont know about you, but it never occured to us that we could get locked out of the rig this way.  A spare door key hidden under the RV or tucked away in the propane compartment will eliminate a panic attack if this ever happens to us again!

Holiday Campground # 111
The calm after the storm at Holiday Campground – Lagrange, GA

 

 

32 thoughts on “Have you ever been locked out of your RV?”

  1. Picking the lock – Wow! Yes, we have an extra set of keys tucked away in a hidden but accessible location. We also keep a second set of keys in the car. Glad it turned out OK.

  2. Scary that the lock can be picked so easily! We are fortunate that our trailer cannot be locked without a key. But we still have an extra key hidden away just in case we lose our keys somehow.

    1. I was also surprised that Steve was able to pick the lock, which as you say is not a good thing that can be done easily. Our locked out situation was very unlikely but it jolted us to do something for the future.

  3. I’m still laughing because I can so relate. We got locked out on our very first trip out with the rig. Just like you cell phone inside. Long story short, a neighbor helped break in and a lesson well learned. We keep a spare set of keys in the truck. Glad all is well.

    1. That was a jolt for us. We opened all compartments hoping that we did have a spare key somewhere that we just forgot about. That was an unpleasant situation, now we learned another lesson.

  5. We also were locked out..not fun! Thank goodness we are at Emeral Coast RV Resort in Panama City Beach. Did you know there are lots of keys to fit your lock? We called the head of maintenance and the very first key on his key chain…probably 50 keys…opened our door. it seems he had lots of master keys! Glad Steve was able to get the door opened!

  6. We’ve never been locked out, thank goodness, but have always kept a spare set of keys in a hidden (and always open) place. Definitely a good idea!
    Nina

  7. Same thing happened to us. Strong wind slammed the door shut and somehow it locked us out with all our keys and cell phones inside. Luckily we had an open window and were able to reach a long pole in and flip the door lock. Now we have a spare key in a hidden spot. Glad you’re lock picking skills came in handy 🙂

  10. Yes, I have. It was in Fallon, NV. I left the RV to do laundry, when I came back the door was locked. It was 35 degrees outside with a chilly breeze. I had no coat, no cell phone, no Good Sam number. The maintenance guy at the RV park tried about five keys but none worked. I don’t remember where Bob was. I went into the RV park office/store and they let me borrow their phone. I FINALLY found the correct number for Good Sam Road Service. Another long story short, they sent out a locksmith who had the 5er open in about two seconds. Good Sam covered the entire cost.

  12. lol. Yes we did a couple days ago. All the windows but one were unlocked…my behind was not fitting through! Kenny took the awning rod through the window and used it to unlock the door. Glad he’s so handy – I’d of called Good Sam. Lesson learned for us too. 🙂

    1. That was really a jolt and a lesson to hide a spare key somewhere. That was a very unpleasant situation but now I can laugh it too. We cant figure out how the door could be locked by a strong wind !

  14. Doesn’t look like we can lock ourselves out, unless we lose the keys, which is a concern. We have a spare in the car, but hiding a key somewhere accessible in the RV is not a bad idea. Happy to hear that you didn’t have to resort to a locksmith.

  15. Yep, I locked us out, in the Georgia Horse Park near Atlanta. David broke in through a window screen. Now we keep a spare key under the car!

  16. My plan if that ever happens in our fifth wheel is to pry open the wimpy storage doors and get in through the laundry trap door, but a hidden spare key does sound easier, but not as fun. 🙂

  17. We are fortunate that we have a keypad system for the door to our 5th wheel. It’s one less key to worry about. However, I have always wanted to learn how to pick a lock! 🙂

  18. I was locked out WITH my keys last year. I had a drill and a couple of friends with “know how” and they drilled through the lock in the door. We were all scratching our heads trying to figure out what happened. Even AAA couldn’t figure it out. As it turned out, there was recall of Fastec Locks. http://www.fastecindustrial.com/recall/

    1. I will read that link and check if we have Fastec Locks. To this day we are still scratching our heads why it happened. Fortunately Steve did not have to drill holes and his little picking worked that stressful day.

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