Complete caravan virgins
Comments
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IKEA are a good source of pots and cutlery/utensils too.
OH is in charge of food and cooking so has equipped the kitchen with what she considers essential, a sort of very basic home kitchen, which can be added to as you require.
I take charge of spares and tools, I like to carry a comprehensive tool kit and quite a few spares.
For bedding we have IKEA duvet/pillows and covers, and we have set aside some towels from the house to use in the van.
We also have a few extra IKEA cushions, and have made washable covers for the seat bases as they get a lot of wear.
For outside we have an aluminium folding/roll-up table and some lightweight chairs.
Over the years we have added a Lidl electric oven, a 2 ring electric hob, an electric griddle plate, and an electric cooking pot. We also use a small electric kettle and toaster.
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I found a cheap Gas spanner was easier than Mole grip although the mole was useful. I say "found" because I now have spindle type gas connectors that are tightened by hand which I find a lot easier. I too carry a few tools not to mention half a pharmacy! And just about everything in between. I need to go back to Keep it Simple - but you never know when things will come in useful!
I also enjoy to cook outside with an electric frying pan/multicooker but I wouldn't go out and buy one specially until you know what you want.
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First essential on the list is a two way spirit level, to make sure you are level when pitching. Second for me would be a pair of plastic ramps (for same purpose) & If not already mentioned a cheap watering can to fill the toilet header tank. Supermarkets
all currently stock melamine plates, cups & decent plastic glasses as well as cutlery well below caravan accessory shop prices.0 -
Do you use the levelling things often? I seem to be ok these days with just levelling fore and aft with the jockey wheel side ways seems good on most CC sites I have been on recently. Although I do carry ramps - they are amongst things that haven't seen the light of day for ages. Failing a spirit level a glass of water is quite useful too! I like to go nose up slightly to make sure the shower drains properly. However only very slightly as in the past the kitchen waste has gone backwards into the bathroom sink line and got messy. Quite why the basin in the washroom and shower are not on the same pipe I fail to see - I would prefer to keep the kitchen sink on its own not the shower.
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The need for ramps (like most things) only becomes essential when you discover you need it but have not got it ! and it depends on the type of sites you frequent. Shower waste is on it's own because the plug hole is so much lower than the kitchen sink,
& if joined, your shower tray would fill with dirty water every time you emptied the washing up bowl ( it's called gravity
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Do you use the levelling things often? I seem to be ok these days with just levelling fore and aft with the jockey wheel side ways seems good on most CC sites I have been on recently. Although I do carry ramps - they are amongst things that haven't seen the light of day for ages. Failing a spirit level a glass of water is quite useful too! I like to go nose up slightly to make sure the shower drains properly. However only very slightly as in the past the kitchen waste has gone backwards into the bathroom sink line and got messy. Quite why the basin in the washroom and shower are not on the same pipe I fail to see - I would prefer to keep the kitchen sink on its own not the shower.
Pippah 45
I think the reason the shower and bathroom WHB do not share the same waste pipe is to prevent the waste from the WHB coming out of the shower tray waste. As the shower tray is the lowest outlet it has its own dedicated waste pipe.
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First essential on the list is a two way spirit level, to make sure you are level when pitching. Second for me would be a pair of plastic ramps (for same purpose) & If not already mentioned a cheap watering can to fill the toilet header tank. Supermarkets
all currently stock melamine plates, cups & decent plastic glasses as well as cutlery well below caravan accessory shop prices.Or if you want something that's nicer to eat from than melamine, a bit more like the expensive Corelle, then have a look at the
Ikea Oftast range at just 50p per item (bowls, tea plates, dinner plates, and apparently mugs). A complete four pieces for six people would be just £12.00! Corelle would cost many times that amount.0 -
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I think the reason the shower and bathroom WHB do not share the same waste pipe is to prevent the waste from the WHB coming out of the shower tray waste. As the shower tray is the lowest outlet it has its own dedicated waste pipe.
My Lunar used to have an outlet for each ie kitchen sink, shower & bathroom basin. I joined the shower and basin together so I only had 2 outlets going into my wastmaster. In 9 years I never had the basin waste coming up the shower's plug hole.
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I think the reason the shower and bathroom WHB do not share the same waste pipe is to prevent the waste from the WHB coming out of the shower tray waste. As the shower tray is the lowest outlet it has its own dedicated waste pipe.
My Lunar used to have an outlet for each ie kitchen sink, shower & bathroom basin. I joined the shower and basin together so I only had 2 outlets going into my wastmaster. In 9 years I never had the basin waste coming up the shower's plug hole.
Could it be a case of where they are joined? If close to the outlet, rather than the close to the shower and basin, it would be less likely to result in flow comming up the shower.
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We picked our first caravan up in September last year and the list of things we needed is......
1) fuses - we seem to use a lot
2) watering can to fill up the toilet pink flusher bit
3) good cutlery....lightweight knives and forks are pants!!!!
4) patience for when you are reversing the caravan into the pitch
5) A cordless drill to wind the steadies up and down.
No doubt there is more....
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Thanks everyone, we survived and thoroughly enjoyed our first weekend, bickering kept to a minimum, unlike one poor couple who were also new and were having a proper humdinger of a row regarding their awning. Watering can is on the list. We did find a lot
of people watched us as we attempted to pitch up first time, apparently tickets can be sold for this spectacle. Absolutely loved it and even though we were only a few miles from home it felt like a holiday. Caravanners R us from now on.0 -
Henzy it is true I think those tickets sell well! Recently a friend and I were pitching up on next door pitches. After we had finished one of the neighbours strolled over and said "you and your friend were no fun to watch you were far too efficient!" It's
nice to get some compliments after years of practice!So glad you enjoyed the first outing.
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I, got fed up with watering can, I use a plastic milk bottle now, touch wood in over 30 years of caravanning, I have not replaced a single fuse.
My advice is use from your cutlery etc from home until you sure what you really do need and buy from other than dealer shops they are expensive.
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Another vote for a 2Ltr milk bottle. Ideal size for adding water to the loo as well.
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We use a cheap Ikea PS2002 watering can, in pink to fill the toilet flush. It has a long spout that saves spillage. We store a small bottle of flush fluid in it and travel with it in the front locker next to the waste container. Costs 80p
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With our Ikea watering can it takes 3 loads to fill the Thetford loo tank.
If I do it then it takes longer timewise as I like to have a chat with fellow campers
If I'm under orders it can be quicker or might get filled from the water hog via the sink tap, or if on a fully serviced pitch it gets filled before connecting the caravan to the water tap.
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How many trips to the tap does it take to fill the tank with a 2ltr bottle? My tank seems to take almost a full watering can, about 6 gallons.
I think my flush tank holds about 10L but I rarely fill it right up as I like to travel with a small amount in it.
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One bit of advice that I would give regarding what is needed in the caravan is, whatever you put in, weigh it and make a note somewhere then you only have to do this once. It's surprising how the weight adds up and you may soon find that your payload has
been exceeded. Each individual item doesn't need to be weighed. For example, put all your crockery into a box and weigh that on a set of bathroom scales. Similarly with bedding etc. I weighed all the food that we take with us and, although this varies from
trip to trip there is always about the same sort of quantity each time. The weights of things like aquaroll and wastemaster are not just recorded but are also marked on each item. If you have a motor mover you need to be aware of the weight of that as it comes
off the payload, as does the weight of the battery.0 -
Thanks everyone, we survived and thoroughly enjoyed our first weekend, bickering kept to a minimum, unlike one poor couple who were also new and were having a proper humdinger of a row regarding their awning. Watering can is on the list. We did find a lot
of people watched us as we attempted to pitch up first time, apparently tickets can be sold for this spectacle. Absolutely loved it and even though we were only a few miles from home it felt like a holiday. Caravanners R us from now on.Write your comments here...
Putting up an awning as a couple is commonly referred to as 'divorce in a bag'.
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Litres more like. It's all the fault of them thar "Remainers".
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