New caravan, novice caravanners - now what?
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Make sure you have a winder for the corner steadies. When we bought our first used caravan it came with one, however when we traded it in for a newer (although still used) model it didn’t. We’d let one go with the old van and had to ask the dealer for a replacement. Luckily I’d noticed its absence as it could have been awkward, to say the least, arriving on a site and having no way to wind the steadies down.
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Our current van came has a corner steady winder with a foldable handle, which is now in my caravan store, never having been used- it will go with the van... I still use my old tried and trusted corner steady handle I've had for years... 😀😀
David
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oh, one ting i forgot is check your caravan specs, can google search it if you dont have the book and check its maximum allowable weight, then check what your cars curb weight is as best to try to keep it under 85% but need to check that your car curb weight isnt less than that of the caravans maximum weight (it dont matter if you dont fully load the caravan) still its maximum weight is important also an idea to purchase a Calibrated Nose Weight Gauge Caravan Trailer and check the weight at the tow hook of the caravan
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Well, thanks for all these ideas. We've just booked our first weekend away - end of June. I'm on half term next week so my holiday will be spent getting stuff for the van. I'm leaving the techy stuff for my husband and I'm going to sort the water carriers, pots and soft furnishings, and possible a new TV - any recommendations? Hopefully we will have some lovely neighbours on the site to assist us when (not if) we have forgotten how to do things! Once again thanks for all your input. Rach.
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Depending on site you go to the amps can affect what you can use all at once. I use low voltage kettle and toaster, check the guidance in the advice section as some sites can be as low as 6amps. A spirit level is handy as you need water to drain out of the caravan sinks and shower. What ever you do enjoy,
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That’s low Wattage. The volts will always be 230/240 on mains hook up. 👍🏻
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We picked her up yesterday and the handover was, errr, rushed! The guy doing it didn't want to be videoed, so we tried to jot down as much as we could. One thing we didn't go through was jacking the van up and where the jacking points are. We didn't get a jack with her either.
Anyhow, we have got pipes, aqua roll and waste container. Now off to Go Outdoors for other stuff - chemicals for loo, loo paper, chairs etc.
We're looking at getting a porch awning - any recommendations?
Thanks for being here, it definitely makes me fell less nervous
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Generally speaking, the jack that might come with some vans is pretty useless, ours has never been unpacked. Much safer and easier with a trolley jack. Halfords do a good one.
Don't waste money on the special loo paper, just get supermarket's own brand.
Special chemicals not really essential either.......plain water in flush......Aldi/Lidl bio washing pods in cassette.
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That’s frightening🤔, why camera shy I wonder?. I have tendered for tree work in the past & one couple asked if I minded being filmed giving my pitch/estimate & answering questions-I answered not a problem. I got the job but was never filmed, apparently the couple rejected anyone who refused to be video’d they saw it as an honesty issue🤷🏻♂️
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As Kj says the jack is useless, I tried it once 20+ years ago when I considered myself fairly fit and strong and I couldn't use it all. I carry small hydraulic jack again from Halfords but if the worst ever happens it will be a call to Mayday/Green flag or a mobile fitting service, especially if it's an offside tyre on the road on a wet night. One of the rules of caravanning things always happen when it's raining!
I would use the pink stuff for the flush, it smells better than water and works better in my experience but just get the dealer special. Get the lightest chairs you can if you're going to carry them in the caravan and even if not the lighter the better anyway.
Porch awning? we have a small Suncamp air one which we love and use for weekends, small breaks, for longer we use an air awning again but larger from Kampa, I would have a look on site to see what others are using and what size will fit your needs, don't be afraid to ask the onwers about their choice or visit your local dealer.
Post edit the jacking point will be in your manual but usually unless you have a Alko jacking point fitted it will be near to where the axle tube meets the chassis going forward to back. Plenty of videos on youtube to show you.
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Don’t go mad buying things initially, you need to find out what sort of tourers you like to be😁
Some like the carry light approach, which makes for easier set up and pack up, although you will always need a few essentials, and it is a good idea to kit your van out, rather than borrowing from home.
Some prefer to take the kitchen sink and don’t mind spending a day setting up, and a day packing up, if they have all the comforts they require. Be careful on how much weight you are carrying though if you opt for this.
We once set off to Cornwall, got to Exeter to find that we had the awning alright, but the poles were still on the garage floor🤣 No way were we going back 275 miles. We spent the whole month in Cornwall, no awning, and guess what? Sunshine every day, someone was taking care of us that holiday😁 After that we didn’t bother as much with awning in Summer. Handy in Winter though, especially as we had three pooches.
Good luck with it all, and hope your first time out is a good one👍
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While I would not spend a fortune on specialist items, I would invest in some decent pots and pans for the caravan, cheap and lightweight ones usually result in burnt food. And some decent cutlery, kitchen knives, and itensils.
If you would like some new stuff at home, put the old stuff in the van, otherwise get some mid range stuff from some where like Ikea or Argos.
We got Ikea stuff as we have one nearby.....1 larger pot for when the family come along, and 2 smaller ones, all non stick, then later a small ordinary pot for things like boiling eggs or veg. We also have large and small Tefal non stick frying pans.
For a porch awning, measure up the van so the awning does not end up with one end coming half way over a window. A 3.6 or 3.9m one is usually a good size.
We find it not worth putting up an awning of any type unless staying at least 4 nights.
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You might want to think about putting the pink stuff in the toilet flush water. You can get black gunk accumulating in the tank which could clog the flush mechanism. An alternative is to put the pink stuff in a small spray bottle and spray the toilet bowl from time to time .
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We were shocked last year when clearing out the garage while moving house to amount of caravan stuff that had been accumulated over the years Steps, ground sheets hook up cables wheel clamp etc but we were able to donate it to our old neighbours a young couple and their two sons who had bought their first caravan
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Steve, awnings are a nightmare subject. When new to it you do not really know until you have bought and found you have got it wrong.
Get yourself a sun canopy, Isabella Shadow are the go to and take minutes to set up and give protection from the sun. They also only way a few Kg.
Buy a cheap second hand porch awning, blow up if possible and assess your awning needs after one season. If you plan to holiday abroad in the sun you may not need one. If your plans are UK then you may need a full size awning, only time will tell.
Colin
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We just got a new awning from a local outdoors/camping centre. Fantastic deal with £500 off the initial price, due it being a couple of years older model. Air awning, so in theory easy to put up.
Also need to sort out some kind of floor covering.
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