Storage and kitchen stuff
Maybe daft questions but here we go. When you are travelling to a site how do you secure things that are kept in cupboards or do you empty everything out and place over the axles. (Such as tinned food). My next question is Pots and pans. Do you use normal
household pans and plates or lightweight stuff. I have plastic plates from my camping days but surely food tastes better on proper plates.
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The tins we carry in the cupboard under the cooker which is over the axle anyway. Cups etc in the top cupboards sit in foam inserts and I attach the two cupboard handles together. The jars of coffee etc stay in the top cupboards too. We use normal plates
and crockery as we prefer it - as you say, tastes better. Pots and pans we dont carry but if we did they would be normal ones.0 -
We keep heavy or spare food in a plastic crate under the bed, over the axle.
Things like tea, coffee, packets go in top cupboards, jars in use, such as jam are in a rack under the sink or in the fridge.
We use melamine plates, but proper mugs, they are in special racks in a top cupboard.
We use decent domestic pots and pans, they are in lower cupboards.
Everything in our van is packed in its normal position where it will be when in use, the floor is kept clear and things like the awning or outside furniture travels in the car.
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We have melamine plates, but normal mugs, and plastic glasses. They are stored in the cupboards over the sink. I also store the tea bags & sugar with the kettle in the overhead lockers, but in plastic containers. Baking trays stay in the oven, and the
normal domestic saucepans live in the cupboard under the cooker. I have a few plastic containers, toaster, chopping board, and large/deep frying pan, that doubles as a wok, in the cupboard next to the heater. Tinned food and jars are in the pull out wire
basket under the sink. I always remove all items of food and drink from the "cocktail cabinet" cupboards and put them in a collapsible crate on the caravan floor when travelling from site to site.0 -
We started with melamine and camping pans as we thought that's what you did in a caravan. But we soon found that actually there is loads of cupboard space, nothing ever moves when we're towing and a good pan is a good pan. So now we have proper crockery,
crystal glassware and decent cutlery. We have tablecloths, flower vases, water jug and decanter, just as we do at home. Good pans can be heavy though, so we have found what works for us and just have what we need stored under the cooker, as above. We tend
to wrap the good glasses in tea towels if moving a fair distance, but have had no breakages if we forget. Stuff a kitchen roll against the plates and cafetiere and put the best cake forks in a small basket. Caravanning is the life!
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Really depends on your lay out as to how you can store things. We have a small two berth with end kitchen layout and actually have quite good storage area ( more than some twin axles we've seen). Anyway, we tend to store pots and pans beneath the Cooker
in a small cupboard and put bubble wrap between them to stop friction wear. We use good quality ones but I wouldn't use my best which I keep for home. We bubble wrap a few Denby plates for dinner but again use ones that we wouldn't mind that much if they break.
Although we have overhead cupboards we carry these in the front drawers. The side plates and bowls tend to be melamine and they go overhead. We do use a couple of Pyrex mugs that we've had for over 25 years of caravanning and again we bubble wrap these and
make sure they can't move.We don't take many tins but I do like cooking so will carry a good stock of basics in the rear cupboard usually kept in those plastic baskets that you can buy in various sizes.
Also keep things like throw away foil dishes for oven cooking ( saves on washing up as well!). Normally you're never far from supermarket wherever you go so don't overstock. Hope this helps but as I said before, it really depends on your layout. Trial and
error will probably be necessary. Enjoy it whatever you decide.0 -
Thanks everyone the advice is excellent. we are new to caravanning and no better advice than asing people that have been doing it for years. We wont take too many tins as we will buy local if needed but there may be something left over from the last trips.
I'm already collecting plastic containers when we go shopping 'just incase'. The caravan is in storage about 2 miles away from home and i'm bringing it home tomorrow to do a few jobs on it. My wife hasn't got attahced to it yet it is still 'My caravan' she
says. She will get the bug once we have been away in it so at the moment. She loved camping.0 -
i saved some weight swapping to Corelle to eat off - plastic thrown out a long time ago! Corelle is amazingly light and so far no breakages. I have broken the occasional glass but no more than at home. I did buy some cheap glasses in a supermarket recently
but they are paper thin and will stay at home in favour of a more robust design. My caravan came with a plate rack and mug/glass holder. Pans under the cooker and also inside it is useful. The kettle travels in the oven. I try not to take too many pans
but am not so successful with that. Lidl sometimes sell nice stainless steel pans that aren't really very heavy.I store lots of bits and bobs in those very cheap lightweight baskets both plastic and the nicer woven variety. Open cupboards carefully when you arrive on site I know one family who did some damage to their small daughter's head when a tin of baked beans
fell on her! I have marked a work surface that way!I do hope your wife takes to Caravanning point her to CT to chat to those of us who love it! Perhaps we should have a discussion going to help convert Other Halves to our wonderful way of life!? I am sure there are reluctant OHs of both sexes!
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Our caravan is in storage, too, so we have a 'caravan shelf' in the shed at home. Anything we buy for the caravan goes straight on there, as well as towels we have taken home to wash, replacement basics like oil, washing up liquid, coffee, etc. Then we just
put the contents of the shelf in the car before we set off to pick up the van and that way we don't forget anything.0 -
We store our heavy food items in plastic baskets and then put them out when we arrive on site. Does not fake that long
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Try to keep the heavy items low down but they can travel quite safely in the cupboards. We put our "proper" plates flat rather than on their side in a rack and place a piece of the rubber non slip sheet between each to prevent them getting chipped or marked
if they move a little. Some of our glasses, we remove from the shelves and put into boxes to avoid damage. The boxes are put under the front seats.0 -
Don't go mad buying too much at this stage until you've 'lived' with your van for a few trips and then you'll see better what you need.
Except for food, which I put in a large crate on the floor over the axle, everything stays in situ whilst travelling. (My food cupboard is a top locker so I find it safer to keep it low for travelling.)
We use Melamine crockery - because it's too good to dump and we honestly don't mind it - and a small selection of ovenproof dishes/pans/trays. All crockery lives in a top locker but in a fixed rack. Pots and pans live in the cupboard underneath the cooker. Cutlery lives in a drawer under the sink.
We keep decent quality acrylic drinking 'glasses' rather than carry anything which is real glass. If we were starting out, we'd probably buy Corelle.
Don't carry large containers of shampool/washing up liquid/Aquakem liquids, etc., if you're only doing short trips. Use 'travel sizes' and refill them each outing.
Hope your wife enjoys doing her bit to ready the van for outings. The 'inside' preparation is my job whilst OH does 'outside'.
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Like other people, heavy things like tins go under the bed, it's not uncommon for tins to fall out of high cupboards and damage work surfaces. Our pans are light weight ones from B&M, not expensive to buy or replace. We have gradually collected plastic jars which we use for storage instead of glass, we even dispense jams / marmalade etc into plastic tubs, that way most things are already in place when you arrive with less setting up to do.
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" I store lots of bits and bobs in those very cheap lightweight baskets both plastic and the nicer woven variety. Open cupboards carefully when you arrive on site I know one family who did some damage to their small daughter's head when a tin of baked beans fell on her! I have marked a work surface that way! "
This is THE most important thing.
Never put tins or heavy things in a cupboard over the cooker, sink or worktop.
These are very easily damaged if something leaps out of a cupboard when you open it.
Also, open the fridge very gingerly after arrival on site. I speak from experience!!
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If you need to buy pots and pans, IKEA is a good source if you are within easy reach of a store. Their mid range pans have a decent weight of base and you are less likely to burn food if the pan has a decent base.
Very cheap, lightweight pans are a false economy in our experience.
For frying pans, we have mid range Tefal ones.
We carry 2 smallish pans, 1 larger one that we rarely use, and 2 sizes of frying pan.
One idea could be to relegate your older household ones to the caravan, if they are suitable, and get new ones for use at home.
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For convenience, try to give everything a logical ‘home’ and travel with it there. It will make things much easier as you don’t want to be moving things around each time you arrive or before setting out. Try to stack things so that they cannot move (forward)
and are unlikely to fall out when a cupboard is opened. Pay respect to speed bumps.You may have more difficulty if your layout has a rear end kitchen, in which case try to keep only light stuff in the top lockers. Those lockers are the wrong place for heavy items, which should be low and nearer the axle. Breakables could also get damaged
in those lockers as they are subject to the most movement when travelling. Remember to load so as to maintain the correct noseweight. For that reason, I’d keep the contents of end kitchen cupboards constant and place the variables (items that change) nearer
the centre if possible.I wouldn’t mess with bubble wrap; towels are good for padding and have a double purpose. Camping gear is fine equipment to take. I used some for years before changing to stuff that was less practical but nicer to look at. Try to avoid cluttering yourself
up with old things from the household that are “too good to chuck and might be useful”; only take what you need. I always have a small amount of emergency food, just in case. It seems to work well, as we’ve rarely needed it(!) but it’s comforting to know it’d
be there if we did. A couple of tins of something, or dried food, plus a little long-life milk.Being eager is natural but try to take your time, and allow your OH to keep up; this pastime is about relaxing. Good luck with your new toy; I hope you both get to enjoy it often.
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Our caravan is in storage, too, so we have a 'caravan shelf' in the shed at home. Anything we buy for the caravan goes straight on there, as well as towels we have taken home to wash, replacement basics like oil, washing up liquid, coffee, etc. Then we just
put the contents of the shelf in the car before we set off to pick up the van and that way we don't forget anything.We too have to store our motorhome and anything that comes home after a trip such as towels, bedding,any containers for top ups etc get sorted and then put into a cupboard along with the collapsable containers in which we put our clothes/shoes in for transportation,
they are collapsed once we've stored our bits and thus take up very little weight or space. We use a cupboard for dirty linen and a large laundry bag which we transfer it into for bringing home. Again stored in the motorhome cupboard. I also leave our motorhome
with a list of requisites and as they are gathered I add them to the cupboard - that way apart from fridge contents and clothing everything is in one place ready. Avoids stress
We like to be able to take off any enjoy as often and quickly as we can.0 -
rule one: the heavier the item the lower down it is stored/ travels ( use a storage box for the tins etc which travels on floor and takes about five minutes to empty into a cupboard on site)
rule two: items which travel in situ are pinned down with rubber matting or soft items, also have racks for plates and cups (melamine), and keep glasses in a plastic box with lid
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We are fortunate that the food cupboard next to the fridge is huge so that's where it all goes, except light things like crisps, biscuits and cereals, they go in a big top locker over the cab.
The pans (1 Medium, 2 small) live under the cooker, I made cloth bags for them out of old sheets, so they don't rub each other which means I can stack them inside each other. The electric kettle and chrome teapot also live under the cooker but they go into
teacosies that I got cheap from a market. Crockery is Corelle and sits in a rack in top cupboard, mugs in cloth bags sit in mug rack. I made the bags as being a M/H we can hear them rattling. Fry pans small and med + electric one and cooking trays live in
oven again in cloth bags.0 -
The heaviest food and drink we take is drink (wines, spirits, mixers etc). It goes in a large picnic basket (with handles) that sits over the axles in the shower. Then unpacked into a cupboard on site, and the empty basket under the bed.
Glasses for the aforementioned go in a large Jacobs cracker box in a low cupboard with a few bits of kitchen roll. I break more glasses at home than away.
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You lot seem to pay far more attention to food and crockery stowage than I do. Although some items tend to have a 'permanent slot' mostly stuff goes wherever there is a space.
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Get yourself some of that non slip stuff that you can buy in caravan stores and Poundland type shops and use in cupboards. Vital for stopping slippage during transit. One more tip, always check cupboards are fully closed before setting off. Experienced one
or two "oops" over the years and also worth checking if you've gone too quickly over speed ramps or a big pothole.0 -
When we first started Caravanning, we invested in some 'Tefal' pans with folding handles. Not sure If you can still get them but they have been a boon; suffering a bit now but still great. As for everything else, we store it where we store it but agree with
all, heavier stuff near the axle. We are about to invest in Correlle crockery; we have accumulated so much melamine stuff but I have never liked it. We have always had China mugs though. Tea isn't the same out of a plastic mug. Like Jill says though, evolve
your needs. Much of the stuff we bought we left out for others 'free to a good home' ; we didn't want it in the end and someone else could use it.0 -
we carry most stuff in boxes on the floor but that is because we take it to the caravan that way so its just as easy to leave it in them for transit then unpack on arrival.
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So many good ideas , i cant wait to get out in my van we bought it in september and havent been anywhere yet ! Am chomping at the bit , work has eased now xmas is over so am trying to decide where first?
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So many good ideas , i cant wait to get out in my van we bought it in september and havent been anywhere yet ! Am chomping at the bit , work has eased now xmas is over so am trying to decide where first?
Write your comments here... If staying in the North then look for high ground.
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Perhaps the "where" could be a place your wife would especially like to visit? Things she wants to see/do there? Depending on your time but I would suggest not too long a journey that tires everyone out. But somewhere far enough to be new to you. I think
a lot of us have travelled too far - I certainly have - when a shorter distance reveals lots of unexplored places of interest etc. This year a Caravanning friend wanted to stay in Woodhall Spa which is barely 20 miles for me but I found all sorts of new adventures
including the wonderful old Kinema in the Woods that I had been trying to get around to for years! Enjoy!0 -
we spent four days in Woodhall Spa a couple of months back and even got to see a movie in the "Kinema" it was great....
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We tend not to carry much food with us, but buy when we arrive on sites. We use most of our cupboards and everything stays where it is kept, when we travel. We use Corelle plates and dishes which are virtually unbreakable. I can't recall us having a problem with things falling out of cupboards in transit. We use ordinary glasses - just make sure the cupboard is packed tightly.
With regards to saucepans etc., we use the lighter camping variety. Not only do they weigh less, but food heats up quicker as they ae thinner.
David
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My vote goes for Corelle plates. I hate drinking out of melamine so we treated ourselves a couple of years ago. As for pots and pans, we bought a cheap (and therefore lightweight) set from Tesco. Poundland is excellent for small kitchen utensils. I have
a full set of reasonable knives in the van - got from Tesco when they had one of the "collect the coupon" offers a couple of years ago. I also keep a small "lock and lock" (Poundland actually) box with lots of small plastic containers with esential herbs,
stock cubes etc. I like to cook when we are away. We always have the makings of one emrgency meal in the caravan (tin of stewing steak, instant mash), so that we can make up a quick meal if things travel wise don't work out. Part of the fun of kitting out
is looking around charity shops where you can often find some excellent bargains - last year we got some elctronic weighing scales complete with battery for £1.50 - needless to say this is not in the caravan!0 -
When we first started Caravanning, we invested in some 'Tefal' pans with folding handles. Not sure If you can still get them but they have been a boon; suffering a bit now but still great. As for everything else, we store it where we store it but agree with
all, heavier stuff near the axle. We are about to invest in Correlle crockery; we have accumulated so much melamine stuff but I have never liked it. We have always had China mugs though. Tea isn't the same out of a plastic mug. Like Jill says though, evolve
your needs. Much of the stuff we bought we left out for others 'free to a good home' ; we didn't want it in the end and someone else could use it.Write your comments here...just bought a set of light weight tefal pans these have a clip on handle and can go direct from hob to oven. Half price!! Stack so easily In the cupboard under the oven. Chucking out all the old heavy old pans!
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