It is a good story.  But as you said, it's an urban legend:

http://www.snopes.com/autos/theft/siphon.asp

If only it were true...

Don in Reidsville, NC
1987 Vanagon GL Syncro (Suzie) - For Sale!
1988 Vanagon GL (Sylvia)

----- Original Message -----
From: "TJ Hannink" <tjhannink@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wed 26 January 2005 15:15
Subject: Re: Vanagondalism

> -------------- Original message --------------
>
>> I read about a case where a couple came out of a restaurant by an
>> interstate, to find a man in the parking lot throwing up. He was holding
>> a hose. They followed the trail back to their RV. There they found that
>> he had broken the wrong cap, and attempted to siphon the black water
>> tank...
>
> Urban legend or wishful thinking... there are only two places to access a
> holding tank from the exterior of an RV, the vent stack on the roof and
> the dump valve on the bottom of the tank. If he opened the dump valve, he
> wouldn't have needed a siphon hose, but he could have used some rubber
> boots, especially if he tried it on my coach; it carries up to 40 gallons
> of black and 60 gallons of gray water.
>
> Cheers,
>
>
>
>
> TJ Hannink
> Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
> 1981 Bluebird Wanderlodge, FC-33
> Winter Park, Florida
> http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanderlodge
> FAVOR website:  http://home.earthlink.net/~clubvanagon