<p>My son is starting college this summer and I was wondering what most kids use to keep their valuables (laptop, ipod, camera) in when they are not in their rooms. We were thinking of a two drawer filing cabinet, using one drawer for misc. items and the locking drawer for his valuables. Does this sound reasonable or are there better options?
Thanks</p>
<p>I used the lock on my door...and that wasn't even all that often. Unless your son is going to like a bottom of the barrell school...actually, my school was rather bottom of the barrell and people still didnt steal my stuff...you probably don't have much to worry about. If he cares THAT much about the stuff, he should take the ipod with him at all times. I suggest that even if he's not worried, can never have too much music around even when walking around campus...</p>
<p>If people want to steal that bad, they will break into any lock and object you use to try and protect them.</p>
<p>I just locked my door, like hokegoalie said. I didn't have anything really valuable that someone could just tote off without people noticing anyway (I had a desktop computer, not a laptop, etc). Seriously though, unless people are dumb and leave their doors unlocked when they aren't there, you don't really have anything to worry about.</p>
<p>just lock your doors/dont leave stuff blatantly out. (ex. put the digicam in a drawer when not in use)</p>
<p>If you live in an apartment or dorm I would definitely invest in a foot locker (one of the kinds that you can add your own lock; as often the ones with built in locks are easy to open)...even if you have a great roommate, you never really know who is going to always be in your room (ie roommates friends, ect) so I would always be safe and lock anything valuable in a foot locker...plus they can slide under the bed for easy storage</p>
<p>My son used one of those small lock boxes for keeping extra cash and he was on some meds that really shouldn't be left out. Other than those items he and roommate just tried to keep door locked, but I didn't really hear of problems with theft. Yes, he had a laptop and just made sure the ID number was recorded as most everyone at school used same laptop.</p>
<p>anyone else having trouble with the idea of trusting their roomate with not stealing their stuff?</p>
<p>I would rather trust my roommate...but valuables can get taken by anyone who enters the room with your roommate or whatever....I just prize my valuables more then I trust anyone else (not just the roommate)...plus then the roommate is never liable if something is missing....It is just a piece of mind if everything is kept as safe as possible...no excuses</p>
<p>In this situation, Im going to listen to Tony, "Who do I trust? Me! [I don't need him; I don't need her. Everything is roses; I don't need nobody]"
As to theft only*</p>
<p>I just put things in my room, and my roomie and I always locked our door. I completely trusted my roomie. I would've trusted her with my life, honestly, but I was just very very lucky. If I had anything I felt I needed to hide for other reasons, haha, I ride horses, and so I have a pair of tall riding boots, and I would hide things in there. Put things in really obvious places. My roomie and I also had mutual belongings, maybe of a less than legal nature which we hid in the most obviously unobvious place--a cheezits box, which was located with our other food items. I'd imagine that would be good for hiding any particular item. It all depends on how much you trust your roomie.</p>
<p>I don't trust anyone. Just don't be stupid about it. I had a small safe where I kept stuff like SS card and important stuff - other than that, kept the door locked. Didn't leave credit cards/cash sitting around.</p>
<p>I'm buying a small safe to store my valuables in. Better safe than sorry. lol.</p>
<p>I think the file cabinet may take up a lot of room, but he could use the top drawer for filing papers - shocking. I have a laptop lock, it loops around something solid & then pops into the back of my laptop. It'll take a good pair of wire cutters to snap it. Other valuables (passport, etc) I keep in a small lockbox that I have locked around my bed rails under my bed with a bike lock. The locks are more of a deterent if someone breaks into my place, not so much for preventing roomate theft. I'd hope my roomate wouldn't take anything. Like what if I forget to lock my room one day, or my roomate does? You do it everyday.. but can you remember locking your door this morning?</p>
<p>I never forgot to lock my room. I hate people and don't trust anyone. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your input, it looks like he may not need something quite so big, especially since space is so limited. I really wasn't concerned with his roomate, more so with friends of roomate or if roomate happens to leave door unlocked. You just never know....</p>
<p>If anyone else has any suggestions I would love to hear from you.</p>
<p>well your son and his roommate can discuss door locking habits, and then determine if some sort of small lock box is necessary. I ended up feeling very comfortable with my roommate, and so all I did was lock my laptop with one or those cable locks to the bed frame. My little fun camera was hidden in a drawer, my nice camera was in an innocuous bag under the bed, the ipod i would actually just leave out in an ipod stereo dock on a shelf. Thefts can happen very fast. So unless your storage thing is something very large and heavy, even if it is locked, a petty theif will probably just walk off with the locked box, and then work on opening it later.</p>
<p>We used a 2 drawer locking file cabinet - seconds as a side table - tv stand - step to top bunk - printer stand, etc...... top drawer for important papers/files/papers/books - bottom drawer for computer/camera/jewelry/dvd player etc..... - worked great - still uses it too. Roomy had one too - stacked up made a great side table for the top bunk for clock/light etc.............. alot harder to walk off with than a lock box or small item. Worked for us.</p>
<p>I think the filing cabinet would take up a lot of space that just doesn't exist.
I have a cable lock that I use to lock my laptop to my desk. I keep my purse in a desk drawer, and my digital camera is in a desk drawer. I never have much cash in my purse, and can cancel my debit card easily enough. My college ID is always on me, and that is what is most important on my campus. I'm really careful about locking my door when I'm not in the room, and there are enough open doors on my floor so that someone would notice if anything fishy was going on. I do worry a bit about my DVD player, but it would have to be carried out, and I think that would look pretty fishy. Like I said, the big thing is just to lock your room</p>
<p>i think a lock box is the best way to go in a college dorm. especially if u have space issues. i know its nothing new..just giving my two cents..</p>
<p>honestly i would say just lock the door. i kept thousand dollar guitars in my room and they were never stolen when i wasnt around, yet my 10 dollar grill that my roommates left outside was stolen. the message here is : make sure you take your things inside, and keep your doors locked.</p>