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Old 09-28-2021, 05:33 PM   #1
DutchmenSport
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It pays to be prepared ....

... but this time I wasn't!

We're still at Wilderness State Park near Mackinaw City, Michigan and all is (was) going well until today. I wasn't prepared for what happened today!

Word of warning for all.

OK, RV ownership for 25 years, been around RV all my life, but still, what seems like the impossible to happen, CAN still happen.

We went into Mackinaw City for the day. We had lunch at Mackinaw City Weinerlicious and then through the down town area, worked our way to a tea shop, got some fudge, to the park under the Mackinaw Bridge and finally to the fort. Great day, wonderful experience, all was well, the world is great!

Returned to the camper and .... no keys! Ugg! I lost mine somewhere.

I asked my wife for her keys and she said, they are in the camper! OH.... double UGG!

Both doors were locked (dead bolts) and I checked all the windows. One was not locked, the one above the kitchen sink. I was able to slide the screen to the side and got the ladder out of the bed of the truck, and climbed through that itty bitty window, getting stuck about half way in. OK, so my "hips" are bigger than my shoulder ... so I found out, but a 45 degree turn of the hips and a shove from my wife and I fit in.... only to land with that fat posterior in the kitchen sink and my feet still dangling out the window and my head hanging over the counter and both hands in the air mimicking an old fashioned Pentecostal Revival Meeting! I was stuck in the sink! Well.... I was able to reach up and grab the cabinet door handle and pull my southern posterior out of that sink and did a "ker-plop" to the floor! By now, I just know God was laughing at me and the hilarious predicament I was just in. Well, maybe I'm not so sure about God, but in spite of everything, my wife sure was laughing hysterically at me, in spite of our situation.

I finally made it in, got the doors opened, and she found her keys.

We then decided to travel back and retrace our route to see if we could find the lost keys. So we retraced all our steps and searched the grounds everywhere we went, and no keys.

Now, I'm not comfortable with just one set of keys. So my wife checked for RV dealerships in this area to see if we could get duplicate keys.

She found Petoskey RV, in Potoskey, Michigan and we high-tailed it over there and they had all 4 keys we needed. So, we got 2 new sets.

The drive back to the camper was just a little bit slower and the panic feeling subsided, and now, all life is back to normal again.

My greatest thanks to Petoskey RV who had the duplicate keys (all 4 of them) and took care of us immediately. We arrived at 4:45 pm and they closed at 5:00. Really, really nice people there! I feel they did save us a bunch of agony.

Meanwhile, I have since put that 3rd set of key in a secret location on the outside of the trailer and hope I never, never, ever have to use them.

And oh, did I mention, this fat old body, squeezing through that itty bitty window is 66 and 1/2 years old!
 
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Old 09-28-2021, 05:44 PM   #2
jsb5717
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OK, I'm sorry that I found this scenario funny

Hard to plan for that mishap but certainly doable. Thing is, it could happen to anyone. I'm just glad you could actually get inside without a locksmith. Well Done!
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Old 09-28-2021, 05:48 PM   #3
mlh
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I always keep a full set, truck and camper hid on my camper and motor home. You can’t ever tell when you will need them. You could loose your keys or lock them up in the truck. My truck has a key pad on the door so there isn’t much problem with it.
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Old 09-28-2021, 06:22 PM   #4
Theunz
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I keep a truck key in the trailer and a trailer key in the truck.
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Old 09-28-2021, 11:16 PM   #5
AZ Traveler
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One of the reasons we never lock our rig.
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Old 09-29-2021, 05:10 AM   #6
RMcNeal
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Extra set in the truck. We also have the keypad. I haven't tried it but a friend said he had his wife hit the unlock on her key fob over the cell phone and unlocked his car from miles away.
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Old 09-29-2021, 09:38 AM   #7
432bartman
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Even with our remote door lock, we keep a hide-a-key. Glad you got it remedied.
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Old 09-29-2021, 07:36 PM   #8
TCmontana
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Funny you had this happened, and I thought it never wood to us. but it did now we have a key in a key Lockbox. Here is the link, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works great.
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Old 09-30-2021, 09:01 AM   #9
padredw
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Thank you, DutchmanSport for sharing your story. Yes, it is funny and we all enjoyed that, and revealing because we could all see ourselves in such a predicament; but MOST OF ALL you willingness not only to laugh at yourself, but to allow us to laugh with you. In our world today that kind of humility is in short supply.
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Old 09-30-2021, 10:19 AM   #10
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we have a RV lock with the keypad, but I still keep a set in the truck, you never know
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Old 09-30-2021, 04:39 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padredw View Post
Thank you, DutchmanSport for sharing your story. Yes, it is funny and we all enjoyed that, and revealing because we could all see ourselves in such a predicament; but MOST OF ALL you willingness not only to laugh at yourself, but to allow us to laugh with you. In our world today that kind of humility is in short supply.

If you can’t laugh at yourself you shouldn’t laugh at anyone.
I like for someone to point out a mistake I have made. I learn something every time someone does.
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Old 09-30-2021, 07:12 PM   #12
Todd & Mary
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My greatest fear!

I installed an RV lock with a keypad and 2 remotes, 1 remote lives in the truck! large investment, but we don't have to worry about getting locked out anymore.
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Old 09-30-2021, 08:13 PM   #13
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Glad you had a window unlocked! Guess this can happen to any of us, I guess some model RV’s have the same keys?
Glad it worked out for you but I bet you’ll be sore in the morning!! I know I would be and I’m a young 65��
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Old 10-03-2021, 11:09 AM   #14
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I carry 3 sets of keys in my truck after similar adventure, although not quite as interesting as yours. Going for a walk and wife needed to go back inside for something. She unlocked the door, opened it, and turned the key back to lock position. She went inside, laid the keys down, returned without the keys, and shut the door. Locked.
Our 2007 had a laundry basket under a lift up door in the floor at the top of the stairs. Basket hung down into basement. Fortunately my basement doors were latched but not locked. Pulled out most everything in the basement (not nearly as high as new ones), crawled in, pushed up on the basket until the floor door opened, then crawled up thru that small door.
Got 3 new full sets keys made as soon as we got home.
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Old 10-03-2021, 11:24 AM   #15
DutchmenSport
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To conclude the story, we made it home from our 2 week Michigan trip yesterday (Saturday night). We stopped at Middlebury, Indiana and had a 2:00 pm (lunch-dinner) at Essenhaus/ and then drove the rest of the way back home. All safe and sound, and tummies very, very happy!

Looking back at the lost key "event" ... we are both laughing about it now. And that's OK if you all want to laugh too!
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Old 10-03-2021, 02:19 PM   #16
andrew selkregg
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I share your pain. I had the opposite problem. We got up one morning and were getting ready to hit the road. Tried to open the door and it wouldn't open. Deadbolt lock mechanism had come apart internally and wouldn't actuate the deadbolt. I have a 2015 3610rl and can remove the dinette window screen and with the window open, reach the lock. I thought i'd be able to unlock the door with the key and get out that way but although the key turned, it did nothing. I knew I could take the latch apart from the inside, but all my tools are in the basement. Now I'm looking out the window, hoping to see someone outside walking that could retrieve a screwdriver for me. I know I could get out through the emergency escape, but wasn't anxious to see what a 4 foot drop would do to a 70 year old body. And then there's the issue of getting back in with the screwdriver. Somebody finally came by and handed me a phillips head and I repaired the lock. I now keep a phillips head inside the camper.

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Old 10-03-2021, 02:54 PM   #17
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What a story!!

We use a keyless entry, have a full set of spare keys in a magnetic box hidden in the front compartment and have a full set of keys in the truck.
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Old 10-03-2021, 03:55 PM   #18
Delaine and Lindy
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We never lock doors, been in literally hundreds upon hundreds of RV park. Just really no reason to lock the RV. Flat screw driver opens all doors, and side doors. The cost of replacement doors, out weighs the cost of replacing what the common low life thieves will still. The RV parks we stay in are normally not one were you have to worry about thieves. We also have a fur kid. It is a choice.


Happy trails.
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Old 10-03-2021, 04:34 PM   #19
StageCoachDriver
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I keep a spare set in my truck. And, if I'm locked out of the truck, I can unlock it with my phone (myGMC). Also, keep a spare set of truck keys in the truck.
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Old 10-03-2021, 05:21 PM   #20
Byron B
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Dutchmen Sport,

We were just there a few months ago. Sure glad we did not have the same experience!
Thanks for sharing. As long as we can laugh at ourselves we will be ok. Particularly at my age when things of this sort seem to happen more frequently!
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