For many people in desert areas like southern California and Arizona (yes, so Cal is a desert), fall brings the beginning of the ATV and off road season. But it also brings thieves out in droves. These guys get braver and braver every year. They also get more proficient.

Off roading is an expensive activity, as many of you know. That brings out those idiots and low-life's that would rather steal someone else's things instead of working for it themselves.

Not to worry, there's a few things you can do to protect your ass(ets) while you've got your gear out for everyone to see. You can start by securing your goodies together with a chain, in a fashion that will make it noisy and time consuming to un-do. Try to keep the valuables out of sight. Camp with lots of friends. If you can, keep the ATVs, bikes, rails etc in a trailer, and keep the trailer blocked in and use a tongue lock. Get a noisy dog.

Finally, when you camp, you are legally in a "temporary residence", meaning you can have loaded fire-arms inside your trailer or tent. There's a pretty good (albeit a few months old) discussion about this over at the ASA (American Sand Association) Forum where you can get some good info from experienced people, including at least one LEO.