Been considering moving into a house I can drag around with my truck, got me thinking about how that may clash with my favorite hobby. Obviously I would have to down size but what else is there that I'm missing ?

Can you put a safe in a camper ? Lets say 24 gun , Or do you have to go the security cabinet rout due to weight or space?

Do they make campers with safes already in them?

Let's say I want to travel, and I dont want to worry about what's legal where, do you rent a storage unit and just hope no one steals it? Are there places that specialize in gun storage? Let's assume you dont have any family or close friends you would trust your collection to.

Say your collection is worth more than the camper its riding in, is there reasonably cost effective insurance for something like that?

When I think of campers , security or resistance to B&E when no ones home dosent come to mind. Are their ways to fortify a camper without making it look like a rolling fortress and hence bigger target?


Maybe I'm over thinking the situation, but I thought it may be an interesting topic of discussion. Would love to hear from any collectors that also drag their home around behind their truck.

I would think a 24 gun safe would reek havoc on the floor of an travel trailer over a short time unless you gave it more support under it somehow.. imo.
And dont hold me to it, but doesn't the NRA have a insurance deal for guns or a trust. If not they might know or suggest an insurance company that could help you out or point you in the right direction

I know nothing about campers , I've just been brainstorming this idea for awhile and I started going down the rabbit hole with trying to keep my hobby mostly unaffected

I would check with Gun Cleaners which is a franchise. They would clean and store them for some length of time for normal fee but for extended periods might add an additional charge.
I have a membership just to clean shotguns and an occasional AR... I clean my own rifles/ pistols for the most part.

Build a cabinet under the master bed to replace box spring

Carter's Country use to offer gun storage.

I start by liquidating most of my collection, if not all, and buy a few high quality pieces If you have 5-6 whatever pistols sell them and buy 1-2 very nice pieces. Obviously this is a bigger factor with long guns.

With an RV weight is everything. Reduce your collection to 3-4 guns with ammo. A locker will be much better suited for secure storage.

Dang, I thought I was doing good recently liquidating 1/2 my collection. By those recommendations I'm going to have to half it 2 more times. I thought deciding what to ditch the first time was hard lol

I think I'd look for family and/or friends to hold onto your safe most of your collection. I have a crappy Sentry safe, meaning it's about as light as a safe gets, and I also think that it would destroy your camper's floorboard if you ride around with it. I got a few more than your with about 20 of them being long guns.

As for the legalities of crossing all sorts of states, tread cautiously. I believe it really comes down to magazine capacity as the most immediate concern for weapons being transported UNloaded. So whatever firearm you carry around, you may want to consider getting from CA compliant magazine. However, once you insert a loaded magazine the rules change substantially in some states. Having a TX CHL will help alot in this capacity. If you're planning on doing this long term, then it mught behoove you to get multiple states' CHL so you can cover yourself legally. If i remember correctly as of a few years ago, if you have texas and like 2 other specific states then your reciprocity covers all 50 states.

I like this idea

Most fifth wheel trailers have under bed storage in lieu of box springs. Rifle storage there would be easy and locks can be added to make secure. We use the gun magnets in at least ten locations throughout our fifth wheel to store handguns. I feel the trailer is no less secure than a conventional house. If a thief wants your stuff, they’ll find a way in. Think of this, windows on trailer are six or more feet from the ground to bottom of window. Door is most vulnerable point of entry. You can’t kick a trailer door in. It has to be pried open from the outside.

Gun insurance is pretty cheap, I would get a separate policy.

I've been doing it for two years. If you get a big toy hauler, you can bolt a pretty good size safe in the garage. Most beds have enough room to build in good storage below. The big issue is ammo. When I started, I got rid of all center fire pistol cartridges except 9mm and 357/38 and rifle in 5.56, 6.5 G and C, and .308. I did cheat. We are able to have a cargo trailer on our lot.

Damn good question for those considering that course of retirement. How quickly items became stuff rather than essentials was a major awakening for me soon after I retired.

I'm starting to feel like freedom from "stuff" is the way to go. I'm no where close to retirement though. Recently I've been working on downsizing the collection quite a bit, I thought I would regret it but so far it's going well. Will need to take it a step further though if I go full time in a camper

Depends on how many guns ya are talking about saw a guy running sass comp w guns and gear stored in locking box of his 5th wheel. Good lock not a cheap trailer lock. Locked like a good set up

24 gun safe is going to be way too heavy for your camper, if you can even get it in. Locking them up under the master bed is the best idea.

If you want a true gun safe then you will need to go the route of the Toy Hauler and place it in the cargo hold area. Toy haulers are great, they offer lots of beds, the ability to store heavy items in the back, but you lose living area. The idea of under the bed, if you are looking at a non toy hauler option seems to be the best. with a little work, a simple 4 digit combo lock and some angle iron you could have a difficult to break into under bed safe. Now, I would recommend spending a little of time and money and get some 5/8" X sheet rock. Line the floor, sides, and under the bed portion of the area, use fire caulk to seal the joints, and fire rated cloth to seal the part where the bed goes up and down. This will in effect give you are 1 hour rated "Safe" under your bed with a weight addition of only a couple hundred pounds top.

Also, if you full time in an RV, most places you stay, if this is a retirement thing, well be nicer parks. Since we opened our Park about 4 years ago, I know we have had a couple cars gone through, but I do not believe we have had a Travel Trailer broken into, there are a majority of full time people in most parks and you get to know your neighbors, normally, very close neighbors and every looks out for every. The RV community is a great community I have found out.

While chasing Helicopters across the country for 10 years, I kept several in my 5th wheel. Just spread them out in places, under the couch, bed, in the closet, and even one in the below deck storage also one or two in the truck. I even reloaded in it for a while, and no one even noticed or cared. You would or maybe would not be surprised how many people keep fire arms in their RV, no matter the state laws. I know one guy that has six bolt action rifles under the couch in his 5th wheel, and thats just the ones he showed me. All were in a jacket or case so they didnt get knocked around. If you stay in reasonable nice RV parks no one will mess with your RV, and most places dont care what you do in their park, as long as your not doing stupid stuff.