Dorm Trunks

<p>Any experience with them? A family friend who used to work for Yale suggested a dorm trunk. One that can lock. To avoid theft of valuable items. Are the rooms big enough? Are they all made the same? I did a Yahoo search and I saw some on the Walmart website, they were pretty inexpensive/$50.00. Is it safe to say, like with anything else, you get what you pay for?</p>

<p>I don’t see kids using them at Yale or elsewhere. Definitely not suitable for air transport and Yale rooms (many shapes and sizes) do better with smaller plastic stacking/drawer units which many kids have. Theft does not seem to be an issue.</p>

<p>Yeah I don’t think they are used much.</p>

<p>Ok…I thought I read somewhere here on CC, where there are thefts in the Yale dorms…I think it was a discussion about dorm insurance. </p>

<p>There is always a risk of theft in dorm rooms. My D didn’t have a locked dorm trunk but did have a laptop cable lock that she ALWAYS kept on. Other things such as passports, birth certificate etc, she just kept hidden in either the closet or in a drawer among lots of clothes. People that would steal will take things that are out in plain sight, they wouldn’t take the time to find things hidden in the back of a closet or underneath 10 sweaters in a drawer. As far as a trunk goes, depending on how high you can loft a bed, I am sure one could fit underneath it. No need to pay 50 for it…you can get one at walmart for $20 and put a lock on it.</p>

<p>We got one of these at Walmart. They list them here in a two pack. We got a single one in store for about $20. You put your own padlock on it. I originally thought D would put her laptop in if she left for a period of time, but she usually had it with her. <a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-92-Qt-Footlocker-Set-of-2/16415912”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-92-Qt-Footlocker-Set-of-2/16415912&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>She does keep important papers in it, extra cash, meds, etc. But I am not aware of any theft issues from her first year. I guess going into the first year I wanted her to have it, not knowing the roommate or roommate’s friends. It held lots of other stuff for move in and out and was not heavy when empty. It does have wheels on one end, although they really bumped along on the cobblestones at move out. :)</p>

<p>I went to our local Walmart and forgot to pick up a trunk… L-) o</p>

<p>We did remember to ask about a laptop lock & the clerk who rolled his eyes at me in disgust said that Walmart doesn’t carry them…huh? What? Wow…</p>

<p>D did not have a laptop lock. I had heard that many kids do not use them.</p>

<p>DD went to visit an Ivy League school in a rural setting this past January…her wallet was stolen from the dining hall. Cash, IDs, debit card, Credit Card, Free travel pass… ALL stolen…everything. So if it can happen in rural, cow pastureville, it can happen here. The irony, she has never had a problem growing up in New Haven, CT…EVER!!! So we were stunned and shocked to say the least. We were lulled in to believing that this bucolic setting was different. LOLOL we were wrong!</p>

<p>D did not have a laptop lock because she admitted that she would never use it. </p>

<p>Back in the 1980s, we visited Harvard (where my sister’s wallet got stolen right out of her purse) and NYC (where my dad left his wallet with cash in the cab during the drop off at LGA and the cabbie drove back to find him to give the wallet back to him). The contrast was ironic.</p>

<p>EXACTLY @yohoho‌ LOLOL. People always talk about NHV, being such a bad place. I send my DD to an elite school for 4 days & she is a victim of a crime. It took me awhile to wrap my brain around it. The response of the administration was even more shocking!!! She was so upset that she refused to go to her alumni interview, and told the interviewer why she was canceling. What a disaster. They still admitted her! We were shocked.</p>

<p>My kids didn’t use a trunk or a laptop lock–son graduated with no problems, daughter half way through, so far no problems. They generally left the bedroom door locked when they were away.</p>

<p>Neither my son, nor any of his roommates for the past 3 years have had a trunk. And much to my chagrin and disapproval, my son and his roommates tape open the door to their suite and leave their rooms unlocked. In 3 years – living in a variety of suites with 3, 11, and 4 other kids – nothing has been stolen. But, it does make me uncomfortable.</p>

<p>My son has the same cheap trunk I used in college! He has had no theft/security problems at Yale whatsoever. But it gave him (or maybe mostly me?) peace of mind when he took it to summer programs and then college, just knowing he had a place to lock things up if needed. I was also glad he had it this summer when he moved into a house with a bunch of strangers. </p>

<p>Honestly, I would probably buy one for my younger kid to take to college if I came across another cheap one. Good for storage if nothing else, and nicer looking than a plastic bin. S1 turns it on end and used it as a bedside table, but it could easily push under the bed. </p>

<p>For peace of mind, I think I will grab one…</p>

<p>Still shopping for my DD who goes up really soon. I bought her a small safe from the Container Store which she can lock up money and other small valuables in. She plans on putting some of her nicer jewelry in it because that is easy to walk away with. Not too concerned about other stuff, the doors to the bedrooms do lock even though there is a lot of traffic in the common rooms.</p>