We use our short extending ladder far more than we use the tele. It's quicker and lighter. It's a Werner Abru bought from b&q 6 years ago. 1.9m closed, 9ft fully extended. We use a step up sometimes to gain a little height when cleaning conny roofs, and we use it on its end to reach gate bolts.The extending ladder is simply slid into a lipped pvc shelf (impervious to water). The shelf is an offcut of plastic fascia. This is mounted on adjustable shelving from Travis Perkins and the poles are in tubes underneath.
I'm not sure but I think my tele ladder might be a heavier duty than the one from screwfix as it says plus on the label and I could see no mention of soft closure on the screwfix add. Tele ladders are definitely slower to work with than simple extending ladders and they can get a bit stiff with time.
I know of course that not everyone has room for a 1.9 ladder storage within the van, and not everyone has a drive. That does make life a lot more difficult.
Although we live in a nice neighbourhood, I work with the knowledge that bad people travel. With that in mind, our three vehicles are parked on our own driveway and are covered by 4 security sensors. 2 activating floodlights and 2 activating a discrete alarm within the house which cannot be heard outside unless the front door is open. I fitted both systems myself at a modest total cost of less than a £150. The audible alarm system was less than £50.
If I had to park overnight on a public road or car park, I'd secure the ladder on the van roof with a quality motorcycle cable lock on one bar and a heavy duty galvanised chain and a strong padlock on the other. Two different methods needed to cut, unless they were using a cordless disc cutter. Would they make all that noise for such a low value item? I'd hope not.
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