Never Get Locked Out Again.

When it comes to security, the Airstream is as good as any trailer I have seen. There is a dead bolt built into the door and there is no picking the lock once you’ve lock the door. To lock the door, you just slide the door handle to the lock position and shut it behind you on your way out. That’s assuming you don’t forget the keys inside. As we start spending more time on the road, I am concerned that one day it is gonna happen. I am gonna step out of the trailer and out of habit, slide that lock across the door and shut it behind me with the keys inside. Imagine being locked out of your house with your 2 year old inside who doesn’t know how to let herself out. Except your house might be in the middle of the desert, deep in a national park or along the long stretches of empty beaches on the Oregon coast.

So getting a secure hide-a-key is one of my projects for the Airstream. If you are a surfer, you’d know all about dilemma of where to stash your car keys when you are out in the water. Some of the newer cars have the remote door entry built-in to the key so taking it into the water with you is out of the question. I started research for hide-a-key products originally for the purpose of safely storing my keys while I am surfing so having a 25 foot trailer attached to the rear of my car didn’t orignally seem like a big deal. One of the first hide-a-key products I have is the HitchSafe Key Vault.

HitchSafe Key Vault

This product is great for someone with a 2 inch hitch receiver on the vehicle. It is weather proof and all metal construction that should keep whatever in there dry and secure. The only problem is it doesn’t work so well when you need your hitch receiver to do a little more work than to just hold some keys and a 20 dollar emergency bill. Like towing a 6000 lb. Airstream.

Master lock makes a fairly simple key storage box much like the one you may see on the door knob of a home for sale. It resembles a large padlock and is also weather proof and made of metal with rubber outer shell.

Master Lock Access Key Storage Box

This key lock is nice and also the least expensive product of the lot but it is not ideal for a moving vehicle. You might find a strut under your car to attached this too but I’d be worried of it banging against the undercarriage constantly while the car is moving.

Another product Master Lock makes apparently is design just for someone just like me. It is a combination lock key safe that also works as the hitch pin for your hitch receiver.

Master Lock Receiver Hitch Safe

Receiver Hitch Safe keeps the security box securely fastened to the hitch without effecting the ability to tow a trailer. It might not be the most elegant solution as it is not technically a ‘hide-a-key’, it is made of heavy duty steel and the same weather-proof combination lock as in the previous 2 options. Here is a video of how the Receiver Hitch Safe works from the good folks at etrailer.com

Video from eTrailer.com

So which one did we go with for our hide-a-key and where do we keep it? Well, if I told you then that would not be a very hidden key now would it! (Is there a hint in there somewhere?) I think all three of these products do a great job of keeping your spare keys safe and mostly hidden (except for the last one). It’s just a matter of your application and your preference on what works for you. Here’s some links and prices on where you can get one of your own.

Product Links:

1. HitchSafe Key Vault $69.95
2. Master Lock 5400D Select Access Key Storage Box $20.32
3. Master Lock RECEIVER HITCH SAFE $43.99