Jeep Security: How to Hide Your Keys and Valuables
With beach season only a few months away, our water-bound friends should be thinking about how to store their keys and belongings while they enjoy the waves. From the factory, a Wrangler doesn’t present many options for securing your valuables inside of it. Worse yet is the factory soft top and its easy cabin accessibility via a sharp knife. So, how do you store stuff when you’re out on the water? We have some ideas here along with some from our forum members.
The first thing any new JK owner should purchase after leaving the dealership is a lockable storage box. They range from ones that stow under the seats to those that replace the center console arm rest. The best-known is probably the Tuffy Security Products Conceal Carry Box. It comes with either a key lock or a push-button lock. The latter would probably be the best option as it would allow you to store your keys inside and not require you to keep a set of keys for the box itself. For extra security, it’s also small enough to fit under the driver’s seat.
Tuffy also offers a replacement glove box, …
…a direct-fit box with a sliding drawer that goes under the driver’s seat, …
…a complete replacement center console, …
…and even a security deck enclosure that can hold stuff on top of it, too.
You can also have a spare, chipless key made that you can carry with you and use to lock your Wrangler. A chipless key won’t start your truck, but it will allow you to lock the key with the security chip and fob inside of it. Unfortunately, thieves can still get access into your soft-topped JK with a knife.
A jobsite box, like the one in the picture above, is an interesting idea. However, it causes you to lose rear-seat access.
If you have a hitch receiver, a HitchSafe is a useful form of security, although we have heard that some models may be easy to pry open.
If you want to be absolutely sure that a thief never reaches the inside of your JK, then you may want to look into the security to which member j3ph3ry_j33p has resorted. He said, “I run a dual[-]battery system in my JK; the second is a 12v with 950CCA in the rear[,] and under the hood[,] I have a kill-switch for it that decouples its current and switches it into a capacitor from an old 4×10 Fender guitar amp that is capable of 14000mA. I then have a by-pass [sic] 8[-]gauge grounding wire that is attached through the driver’s side[ ]door strap [and] grounded directly into the sheet-metal [sic]. I get out, put-on [sic] my insulated rubber electrician gloves and open my hood after locking the JK. I flip the switch routing this second batteries [sic] juice to the exterior sheetmetal. I then close the hood and take the gloves w/ me. It is grounded via the tires on the earth unless some idiot comes along and has the gumption to touch any metal upon my Jeep, where-upon [sic] they would become the only resistor for the loop.”
Does it work? “I have had baked pigeon and squirrel for dinner [on] multiple occasions.”
That’s probably not the most legal option, so we do not recommend or condone it.
What are some of your ideas?
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
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