One of the downsides of combing through an online enthusiast forum: you identify stuff you decide you might need. In some cases, you really do need the stuff, and you’re just learning, and that’s super. But in other cases you might find yourself tripping down a path in cyberspace, only to land, hard, on your belly, your knees scraped, your palms rubbed raw, and your Visa balance inflated.

ON THE FORUM: Alert! Trailer stolen! Fabulous Escape trailer stolen from someone’s DRIVEWAY! Ouch.

(Side note: why are there thieves? Oh never mind.)

ON THE FORUM: Multiple discussion threads on insurance, theft prevention, man’s inhumanity to man, etc.

Several threads devoted themselves to theft prevention. Many products, in many price ranges, announced themselves to me. All yearning to be added to our monthly Visa statement.

We ended up ordering a few, including the yellow contraption pictured above. Yes, it’s called the California Immobilizer. Yes, it’s a garish yellow, on purpose, so potential thieves can see it from far way and decide to move on, hoping for easier targets. Yes, it can probably be broken with the right tools, time and willpower. Let’s hope I never find out.

The funny thing is, and I can say this as a native Californian and a marketer by profession, it’s called The California Immobilizer. Aimed at one of the largest vehicle-owning markets in the world, and aptly named.

But it’s made on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia.

I think it’s pretty secure. Hell, I can hardly remove it myself (sticky lock). I imagine a potential thief, crouching by this thing, wishing he or she had brought that sledge hammer along, but instead fiddling with the lock. THE LOCK IS IMPOSSIBLE, even if you have the key. Well, not impossible, but I swear it takes me 7.3 minutes every time I go to unlock the thing.

No one is stealing our trailer.

We hope.

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