Like many, I'm perplexed about what to do with this situation.
Questions:
• Do all the trucks on Bonaire have keys with electronic FOBs? Can you get a truck (by request?) with just a key (I've booked with AB Car Rental).
• Are people leaving the trucks unlocked and the glovebox open?
• Would a thief really steal prescription sunglasses?
I'm considering two products for money, credit card, keys, and hopefully a small pair of glasses with clipons (for that would have to go with the case):
NRS Aquapac Keymaster - 608
S3 T2000 Watertight Dry Case
Reviews of both are spotty. Each has a couple at least reviews indicating leakage, or product doesn't last long, etc. Any opinions on these or any better alternatives?
Good questions. Most rental trucks have standard keys, but more are showing up with the fobs all the time. The rental fleets are a mix of Japanese and Chinese brands and there's not much standardization for brands, models, or features. Seems like nowadays we get what we get. Best you can do is make a request and/or spend your money on a company that has what you want. But that isn't always the least expensive approach.
I leave the truck doors unlocked and the leeward window rolled at least halfway down. I roll the windward window up most of the way if I see rain clouds on the eastern horizon. No worries above leaving the glove box open as long as it's unlocked. They're really adept at opening them on their own.
Thieves will steal anything that looks like it might have some value. If your prescription sunglasses are ugly or old they'll probably leave them alone. But they're in Oakley or Ray Ban frames etc. they'll likely disappear. Also be aware that thieves don't have a lot of time to inspect things before they take them, so they'll often grab everything and sort through it somewhere else later. I like to make it a bit more challenging for them by scattering my stuff all around the truck. I'll throw my towel over the back of the seat, toss my shorts and t-shirt on the floorboards, and toss my old flipflops into opposite corners of the truck bed. It's like a treasure hunt for them. I think they probably like that.
My wife keeps a plastic hair pick, some conditioner, a few elastic ponytail bands, and her cheap drugstore sunglasses in an old Crown Royal velvet bag. When we go diving she tosses it under the seat. One year at Andrea II some local kids dug the bag out while we were diving, stole the $8 sunglasses, and kindly returned the bag to it's hiding place with everything else still inside. So at least they were polite thieves, LOL.
Regarding sunglasses and/or prescription eyewear specifically: I bring an older pair of prescription sunglasses for this purpose. (Older because they're just backups at this point and it won't be as disruptive to my vacation if they go missing.) I leave my good glasses back in the villa for somebody else to go after. I'm all about diversifying my assets.
I've had success with the following strategies:
1) Remove one of the bows and leave it at our villa, then drive around with slightly lopsided glasses. When I go diving I leave them in plain sight in open position on the dashboard or center console etc. Apparently, thieves don't have much use for broken prescription eyewear.
2) For stouter sport-style frames, like Smith or Oakley etc. I'll just put them in a ziploc back and then into my BC pocket. I often sweat in them anyway, so I figure a little salt water won't hurt them either. We always carry fresh water in old soda or juice bottles anyway for post-dive body rinse, so I just pour a bit of that water over the glasses before donning them again.
3) Depending on the vehicle sometimes I've found a convenient hiding place under the dashboard or in the springs under the seat for items like this. I.e. someplace a thief won't take the time to lay on his back to explore while exploring your unattended truck. I wouldn't leave an expensive pair someplace like this, but it decreases the odds of my cheap or older glasses disappearing.
Some others have reported good results by re-purposing old C or D cell dive light housings (without batteries) as waterproof pressure-proof dryboxes for glasses and other items. My wife carries a small Otterbox, which isn't made anymore, that looks similar to S3's T1000 box (the smaller version of the T2000 that you linked.) She puts the truck keys in it along with some cash and a credit card in case we want to eat or shop on the way back to our villa. She's been carrying it for several years now and the only time it ever leaked was when a cash bill was inadvertently pinched in the sealed when she closed it. I'm pretty sure Otterbox sold their molds to S3, but the S3 latches look a bit different, so I'm not sure how well it will work.
Hope this helps.
