You lock your RV’s door and head out for a day exploring Yellowstone National Park. When you return that night, you’re surprised to find the door wide open, televisions gone, and drawers ransacked.
What can you do to prevent this from happening again? While nothing is guaranteed, replacing your RV door locks can give you added security.
Let’s see how!
Are RV Door Locks Keyed the Same?
Yes. Many factory RV door locks are keyed the same. It’s easier for dealers and salespeople to carry around one key to open many different RVs instead of keeping up with different keys.
But once you purchase a vehicle, you’ll want to change your locks for security.
The person staying beside you at the campground could easily walk up to your travel trailer, use their key to unlock the door, and go through your belongings while you’re out adventuring. Most people hopefully wouldn’t do this, but unfortunately, there are the few who would.
For this reason, replacing your door lock should be a top priority once you purchase an RV.
Pro Tip: The RVing community is known for being trusting, but safety when RVing is still important. Read more to find out: Do You Trust Your RV Park Neighbors?
Are You Able to Replace Your RV Door Lock?
Yes, and there are several options!
Choose what works best for you. We’ll look at a few here, but make sure you always check the compatibility of your RV, so you don’t have to return a lock because it doesn’t fit correctly.
You may also want to consider replacing your storage bay locks and upgrading them to a better quality.
Are Compartment Storage Locks All the Same Too?
Yes (quite often). You’ve invested a lot of money into your RV, so replace (or upgrade) these locks as well. Sometimes the outside equipment in these compartment storage bays is the most expensive item in your whole RV.
You don’t want someone walking away with your Blackstone grill or Husky sway bars.
Best Options for Replacing Your RV Entry Door Lock
Let’s look at the best ways to protect your belongings better. Here are three options for replacing your RV entry locks and compartment storage locks.
Valterra Stainless Steel Lock
This stainless steel lock looks similar to doorknobs in a stick-and-bricks home. It features an inside knob, five-pin tumbler, solid brass key cylinder, and one-piece latch housing with half-inch latch bolt. It will fit 1-⅜ to 1-3/4 motorhome doors.
It’s easy to install and sturdy.
Note: This type of lock is for motorhomes and not travel trailers or fifth wheels.
RV Travel Trailer Entry Lock
These locks replace your storage compartment locks. Most people say they’re easy to install and work well. Just remember, you can’t remove the key in the unlocked position, so your key will remain in the lock while your storage compartment is open.
Latch.It RV Door Lock
This lock can replace most travel trailer or fifth wheel door locks, but as with any lock system, check your compatibility before purchasing. Its waterproof and metal design reinforces the quality and build of this door lock. The kit comes ready to install with four unique keys.
Most people say the installation is quick and easy.
Pro Tip: Replacing the locks on your RV will immediately make your RV safer, but Is It Safe to RV in America?
Can You Reinforce Your RV Door Lock Without Replacing Everything?
You can, but you’d spend just as much time (if not more) doing this as it would take to replace the RV door lock. Replacing your lock is a fairly simple and inexpensive upgrade, so it’s definitely the recommended and preferred method to reinforce your door.
Can You Re-Key Your Lock by Yourself?
Re-keying your locks is one option if you don’t want to buy a replacement. It’s different from replacing because you’re keeping the same lock but reconfiguring the locking mechanism.
This sounds like a difficult process, but it’s not too bad. There are plenty of YouTube videos you can watch to help you do this successfully.
Again, considering the time and effort involved, you may just want to order a replacement RV door lock.
Replace Your RV’s Door Lock for a Safer Home
Replacing your locks is a pretty easy job that you could probably knock out in half an hour. RV door locks are also rather inexpensive, especially considering the security they provide. Safety and security should be of utmost importance when you travel.
Especially if you travel full-time and are carrying all of your belongings with you. Have you ever replaced your RV’s locks?
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Hi, great piece and I just received my Keyless latch.it Door-Locks and I hope they fit my new 44’ 5th wheel. We’ll see! Main reason for my comment here is about the compartment locks on the market. I have researched quite a bit and the tubular cam lock type is fairly easy to pick unless it has been redesigned. I found a type with seven uneven sides inside the tubular front so that a typical pick mechanism is much harder to use successfully. Does anyone have info on this, or anything about the tubular cam locks that can give me more confidence in them (this is the type of compartment lock that latch.it sells – I have been emailing back and forth with their support team trying to get more information but still am in the dark).
Thanks for promoting this topic!
In reference to changing locks, I own a Bambi Airstream and it looks like changing the two door locks and one storage lock is not possible leaving my only option to re-key the locks by a locksmith.
Does anyone know different?
This is the first time since we bought this jayco whitehawk 23 mrb that I’ve heard the dealer or seen anything in any online video or write up about replacing the factory key and locks with something different because of it being like ‘dealer demo key’. On any list of “important things for a new RV owner to be aware of or do” i have NEVER been told that my camper is keyed the same as everyone else’s??? I mean for me to have not been told such a thing seems to be criminally negligent of the dealer or the manufacturer or something. For a new owner to be not told that the security they think they have in a door lock is just less secure than a luggage lock basically?!? I mean what in the actual f**k?! You have both me and my living companion freaking out hardcore that any neighbor or any person with any camper key has been in my place unknown to me and planted spy cameras or bugging devices or removed items that I may have forgotten or certain places… The list is endless to the paranoia that this article instilled. Or is this just fear-instilling clickbait to spur sales of some
rv replacement lock manufacturer? I have been full timing in a travel trailer for about 5 yrs now and I wonder who has been wandering around in my camper while I’m at the store browsing my credit card numbers or whatever else. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Many of the higher end RV’s have a separate home quality dead bolt lock. This offers better security from locks that are keyed alike.
I removed and brought the lock to two different locksmiths and both told me they could not even figure out how to take it apart and didn’t want to damage it. I bought and installed a prefab home thin deadbolt so now I can lock but anyone with a pocket knife or screwdriver can in.
I use International Lock and Hardware. Replaced my entry door lock and replaced all storage doors with new cores keyed alike. Very simple to do and Industrial Lock was great to deal with and a reasonable cost.