Tent Security

[Padgey]

I've seen a few posts on this forum about the security of peoples tents and tying bells or cans to the zip to alarm people of anyone trying to enter the tent, but would people be interested in something that notifies them of the tent being opened when they are away from it?

I'm sounding the idea out for a mate who asked me for my thoughts and I said I would go one better and put it to the good people of the Efest forum.  The gadget would be like a small tracking device, about the size of a lighter, that can be clipped to the zip of the tent, it will notify you if your tent is being opened by sending information to your phone via an app.  The device can also be used to locate your tent if you are lost, or can be used in a similar way to locate people carrying it if you were to lose them.

Would something like this be of interest to people, and if so what would someone pay for a gadget like this?

[Tommy101]

Personally one of the joys of the festival is being able to revert to an old Nokia as part of my cutting off the outside world, so am not interested in festival apps.

Another thing I would say id that people often nudge tents walking past, or genuinely open them by mistake. I'd rather not be notified of these when on the other side of the site, it'd make me either concerned for the rest of the evening or head back for a possible false alarm.

In reality would the notification actually do anything? Unless you were 50ft away from the tent the trespassers will be long gone by the time you could do anything about it. 

I'm sure you'll find interest from some others though, sorry if I've pissed on your campfire so early.

[big__phil]

This sounds like a device that would tell you when you're being robbed, whilst it's happening. If I'm elsewhere having fun I think I'd rather not know! Not as if you can do a lot about it...unless you happen to be really close to your tent.

Not something I'd buy. Plus I'm not sure it would work without a smartphone to receive the alert? (I don't take my proper phone to festivals.)

[russycarps]

I suppose some people would find the tracking element useful. But how accurate would that be? it would have to be accurate to the metre considering how tightly packed the tents are. 

The security element is useless though as the fellow above says. What good is knowing your tent has been opened if you're a mile away? 

Also, having one of these gadgets on your tent will make people think you have something worth nicking.

As for cost, anything more than £5 will make the gadget itself a target for theft.

In conclusion, I wouldnt buy it.

 

 

[Padgey]

2 minutes ago, Tommy101 said:

Another thing I would say id that people often nudge tents walking past, or genuinely open them by mistake. I'd rather not be notified of these when on the other side of the site, it'd make me either concerned for the rest of the evening or head back for a possible false alarm.

I'm sure you'll find interest from some others though, sorry if I've pissed on your campfire so early.

I'm unsure of the sensitivity of it Tommy and one of the issues I thought of.  And you're right the damage may already be done by the time you get back.

All feedback is welcome, just an idea that being put out there.

[The Nal]

Just put something in the tent that electrocutes and/or beheads any intruders. That way it won't interrupt your festival with vibrating phones and the like.

And by the time you're back at your tent someone will have already cleaned away the twitching corpses.

[CaledonianGonzo]

I keep a polar bear in mine.

[Quark]

Sorry Padgey but with the other chaps on this one.  Knowing what I'm like for constantly checking things at the best of times (see my efests login history for evidence  ) I'd be in a permanent state of paranoia!  Plus I'm with Tommy in that I go back to a £10 Nokia for the duration.

My only other concern, which wouldn't affect me personally, is whether it may discourage people from using lockups as they get a false sense of security?

Again, apologies for the bonfire pissing

[morph100]

Just wrap your tent in security tape and leave a policeman's helmet on top and put up signs around it says protected by CCTV and beware guard dogs, then wrap the area in razor wire, plant a few land mines but be sure to dig them back up when you leave we don't want any exploding cows.....

[Charm]

I don't really care if someone goes in my tent when I'm not there as I don't leave anything valuable behind, more concerned about someone coming in when I'm home and likely to be sleeping. 
Charm x

[Spindles]

It would be the most expensive thing in my tent if I used one.

If anyone wants to have a rummage around among my soiled undercrackers and old sweaty socks looking for valuables they are welcome and you never know, they might get lucky, I found a bud in the corner of the sleeping compartment last time I unpacked it that must have been the best part of .3g

Don't take anything to the festival you couldn't afford to lose, anything that is essential to your week or your return journey goes in the lockups and the tent should contain nothing worth nicking.

Not wanting to piss on your parade, of course, but spending money on something like this would give an entirely false sense of security (it won't stop theft, only let you know it's happening, something that you'll eventually discover anyway) and encourage people to bring shit to the festival that encourages more thievery.

[Padgey]

9 minutes ago, Quark said:

Sorry Padgey but with the other chaps on this one.  Knowing what I'm like for constantly checking things at the best of times (see my efests login history for evidence  ) I'd be in a permanent state of paranoia!  Plus I'm with Tommy in that I go back to a £10 Nokia for the duration.

My only other concern, which wouldn't affect me personally, is whether it may discourage people from using lockups as they get a false sense of security?

Again, apologies for the bonfire pissing

Cheers Quark, totally see where you're coming from with the checking of the phone thing.  There's never anything left in my tent worth nicking, phone and wallet stay on me at all times and I think a lot of other people have the same idea, otherwise like you say they should use the lockups.

[Hugh Jass]

The easier thing to do is USE THE LOCKUPS!

[morph100]

2 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

The easier thing to do is USE THE LOCKUPS!

My tent didn't fit in the lock ups they told me to pitch it in the fields with everyone else  

[Cuzzy]

I'd be more worried about whever I left the oven on than someone rummaging through the tent sifting through my dirty undercrackers 

[Gnomicide]

I'm going to leave a couple of flamingoes guarding mine.

[grumpyhack]

As HJ says, use the lockups or simply carry with you anything of value.

[Avalon_Fields]

The only time I've seen tents robbed at Glastonbury, few years back, they slashed open the back of the tents, so any device on the zip would redundant.

[shuttlep]

I like the idea of finding my tent

 

I share  a tent normally and I am not always with the person I am sharing with plus anyone who camps with me is welcome in my tent and will normally go in to find my shit. so it would't really work.

 

but alas I feel we are not your target audience,. I feel this item would sell. but to newbies who have not been before who maybe go alone.  to the hardened festival goer we don;t have anything valuable in the tent.

 

if sold to the youth who have never been , it will fly out like hot cakes

[musky]

There's probably a market for this, just not for those that are regulars at Glastonbury. 

I wouldn't be interested for exactly the reasons already mentioned, but plenty do take smartphones and people still do try to hide stuff in their tent. And of course not all festivals are as big as Glasto. 

Although your friend is clearly targeting festivals there must be other potential uses. Having gear nicked is a constant worry for musicians for instance. 

[Padgey]

41 minutes ago, musky said:

Although your friend is clearly targeting festivals there must be other potential uses. Having gear nicked is a constant worry for musicians for instance. 

Festivals was just one idea, I think bikes, cars, laptop bags etc are other ideas for the use of it.

[GoonerRob]

48 minutes ago, Padgey said:

Festivals was just one idea, I think bikes, cars, laptop bags etc are other ideas for the use of it.

Pretty sure stuff like this exists (without the text security feature) 

https://www.thetrackr.com/

[Pinhead]

The best security is to bring nothing worth nicking...

[Gnomicide]

2 hours ago, shuttlep said:

... plus anyone who camps with me is welcome in my tent and will normally go in to find my shit. so it would't really work.

People who shit in their tent are the worst.

[shuttlep]

Just now, Gnomicide said:

People who shit in their tent are the worst.

guilty as charged