Hide an AirTag in Your Caravan to Track It If Stolen

Caravan and camper theft is depressingly common in Australia. The “stolen” search in the Avan owners' Facebook group shows a steady stream of vans going missing from driveways, storage yards and campsites. An Apple AirTag hidden inside the van is a cheap way to stand a chance of locating it via the enormous Find My network.

The catch: an AirTag is designed to announce itself. If it travels with a thief, their iPhone will eventually warn them that an unknown tracker is moving with them and the tag will start beeping, so they can find it and bin it. The common workaround is to physically remove the speaker. The tag still reports its location, it just can't chirp and give away the hiding spot.

A 4-pack of AirTags is around $165: hide one in the van and there are still three left over for your keys and wallet.

Hiding it in the van

Pick a spot that's out of sight, not fully metal-shrouded (a metal enclosure can weaken the Bluetooth signal) and somewhere a thief is unlikely to look. A blob of Blu Tack stops the tag rattling around or dropping out. With the speaker gone, a thief sweeping the van for an “unknown tracker” has no beep to home in on.

Once it's hidden, test it from your car: check the tag still shows up clearly in the Find My app from the driver's seat, so you know the signal gets through whatever it's tucked behind before you rely on it.

Another layer: a coupler / hitch lock

Tracking only helps after the van is gone. A universal coupler lock clamps over the trailer coupling and stops a thief just hitching up and driving off. They're cheap, quick to fit, and a visible lock alone often sends an opportunist looking for an easier target. Aldi also periodically sell an Adventuridge-branded version in their Special Buys.

On the same theme, a jockey wheel with a removable handle is another cheap layer that gets in a thief's way (see the jockey wheel upgrade write-up).

Opening an AirTag is fiddly, go gently. Plenty of people report wrecking the tag while prising it open.

YouTube comment:

“I managed to break two AirTags when opening them. For some reason, a very tiny component was loosened and teared apart when opening, making the AirTag untraceable.”