Locked out

[Ahdmeyer]

Just a fyi,I left this morning and locked the camper with the my key from the outside .a little later my wife took the dog out,opened the door and then closed it while outside uh oh locked out!. She borrowed a phone and called me to come back to let her in. I then did some checking,maybe you all know but maybe this will help someone, if you lock the door with the key and someone opens it from the inside and then closes it,you will be locked out.did not know this.maybe it will keep someone from being locked out.
Al meyer 3931fb

[DutchmenSport]

Yes, if the handle is locked from the outside, the door can be opened from the inside, but not the outside unless you have a key.

Unlike the deadbolt that has to be unlocked for the door to open inside or outside.

I've locked myself out many times, mostly at night when the doggies need to go potty. Fortunate my wife is sleeping inside. I've done this many, many times.

Just a tip: Get another set of keys made for all the doors on your camper and find a place to hide them so you can access them from the outside of the camper, just in case, in the event you lock yourself out. I have such a spot (I'm not divulging where it is though), and I've also attached set of keys for the tow vehicle (the truck) so I always have another key for it too. They are both attached to the same ring.

[ScottnSue]

Yep, you're not the first to do this. My wife's brother and his wife did this their second time out in their new 5th wheel. Had to call a locksmith.
We keep an extra key in a magnetic box hidden outside for such emergency. Also, I never lock the handle anymore. I always lock the deadbolt instead. I guess I instead one of those nice touch pads lock systems instead. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the key.

[Zinnman]

We have attached a realtor lock box inside our LP tank area. It holds an entry door key for that just in case situation. We have the RVLock keypad, but batteries can die.

[mhs4771]

Simple, we NEVER use the Door Lock, partly because there are Master Keys for the Door Handle Lock, we only use the Dead Bolt.
That's why when you leave your unit at the Dealer/Service Center, they tell you to only lock with the Door Handle. If you lock with the Dead Bolt they will be calling you to come unlock the door.

[RMcNeal]

Did the same thing a couple of years ago. My wife went outside with one of our dogs while I went to get breakfast. She had to have the camp host call me to return and open the door. I've since hidden a key outside when we are camping so we can get to it.

[AZ Traveler]

We do not lock our doors.

[BB_TX]

Yep, locked ourselves out once when we took the dogs for a walk. And our keys were inside the trailer. Fortunately the basement doors were unlocked. I crawled into the basement, pushed up the trap door for the laundry basket (do they still put those in the Montes?), squeezed up thru the opening, and got inside to open the door. I am slim, but pretty tall and it wasn't easy.

Went to a locksmith and had 3 sets of keys made. One set always left in the truck. And the truck has a door keypad in case I left the truck keys in the trailer.

[Foldbak]

You must have different door locks then me. I have a red lever on the inside. It locks the deadbolt and won't open unless you unlock it. I didn't know there was another style. All of my trailers have been the same.

[Carl n Susan]

Tony: it wasn't the inside red lock. On the outside, there are two key locks. one turns the deadbolt (which is connected to the inside red handle) and the other key locks the flipper handle on the outside. It doesn't disable the flipper handle inside. So one innocently exits the RV using the inside flipper, does their thing, and then encounters the locked outside flipper handle.

[dhuhn]

Buy a RV keyless entry lock. We installed one a couple years ago we love it. no more having to take our keys with us every time we leave the RV.

[DutchmenSport]

Perhaps a word of explanation of how I locked myself out while walking the doggies at 2:00 am???? Here's how you should NOT do it!

1. You have 2 doors on your camper.
2. You decide to go somewhere, like a drive or a hike.
3. Before you leave the camper, both doors are locked from the outside with the door handle lock, not the dead bolt.
4. You leave for awhile and then return.
5. When you return you use one door and unlock it. (lets call it door 1)
6. When you go to bed, you now follow a routine and dead bolt both doors from the inside and go to bed. All is safe and secure.
7. The dogs wake you up at 2:00 AM and need to potty.
8. You exit door #2. You unbolt the dead bolt, go outside and shut the door behind you.
9. Yep, you've just locked yourself out. Door #1 is deadbolted from the inside but the handle lock is unlocked. Door #2 is not deadbolted but the handle lock is locked .... and the keys are inside!

At 2:00 AM it's very easy for this to happen!

That's how you SHOULD NOT do it!

[BB_TX]

Or;
We went out to walk the dog and locked the door. Wife forgot her sunglasses. She took the key, unlocked the door, opened the door, turned key back to lock position, removed key, went inside, laid key on cabinet, got her sunglasses, came back out without the key, closed door, bang. Locked out.

[Carl n Susan]

The key (pun intended) takeaway here is: never lock the outside flipper handle lock! Only use the dead bolt lock.

[mlh]

Most of the time I’m like AZ Travler I don’t lock the door. I keep a set on one of the pull handles on a dump tank just in case I loose the other set.
Lynwood

[Foldbak]

I only use the deadbolt and have a spare set of keys hidden.

[Wisconsin Retiree]

Added the key lock box as well.

[twindman]

Originally Posted by Wisconsin Retiree

Added the key lock box as well.

Ahhhh. Now I know just where to look!

[twindman]

I forgot to mention - there is a more serious lock out problem you may get. At least on my model, the door lock/handle assembly after a while will have a screw come loose. The screw holds the deadbolt (I think) mechanism to the handle. So if the screw comes off, there is nothing holding the handle to anything and the door lock won't open.
I was very lucky when this happened to me, as for some reason I had not locked my rear window slide lock. My daughter was along (and only about 30 years old then). With our help she was able to climb inside the rig. Then I passed the tools (screwdrivers and ??) to her and she disassembled the door handle mechanism. Then opened the door.
Oh, this reminds me I should disassemble mine and make sure everything is snug inside! LOL

[GILAELKHUNTER]

A year ago, Easter we were camping with family and friends and the grand kids were playing, running in and out of our HC310 and the door got locked and closed with all the keys inside. Two other campers in camp were Keystone Cougars and one of their door keys worked to unlock ours. It wasn't exactly the same key but was close enough that it worked with a little jiggling. I got lucky.