Never done this before
Hi we are brand new to caravanning. We have never camped or caravanned before and are a bit apprehensive about it but excited too. Soo much to buy and learn.
We get our brand new van on 1st February and thankfully get a free 2 nights stay on the site we bought it from.
We have a toddler who is super excited about it and counting how many sleeps there are left to go.
I'm sure I will be viewing lots of the discussions on here about everything and welcome all the help we can get to make this a wonderful experience for my family.
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Hi, Newone, and welcome.
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If you're going on Feb 1st, take more warm layers than you expect
Have fun learning.Do you get a chance of going through whatever technology it has in the daylight, perhaps in a prior visit when you're not dependent on it all working, before you spend a night or two in it?
As a fairly recent caravanner, I found that a "dry run" of as much as possible first really helped. Then it all becomes part of the routine later.
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Hello and welcome newone. That sounds like a good chance to get to grips with your new caravan. Don’t be afraid to ask the dealer staff any questions about your caravan, and take the time to have a really good look around every bit of the van both inside and out. Check all the little things like door catches, inside cupboards, under the sink etc...... and try everything out like the water heater, the space heater. It can be a bit daunting trying to remember everything to ask, so a list of things might be a good idea.
I hope you all have a lovely time, so exciting. Wishing you and your family a nice first stay
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Thank you again everyone for your kind words and advice.
We survived the frost and cold but it was very testing and we were not sure if we liked it or not. Our son was really cold at the back of the van and we could not get it warm - so extra blankets for him. A kind caravaner opposite us lent us a little fan to get it warmer. I've since discovered there are 2 air vents under his bed.
I was ready for selling it before we took it home but decided to give it a better chance. We're going for our first touring weekend on Friday and feel a bit more positive. Hopefully this time the water and waste water won't freeze and my son will be warmer.
I struggled with the space in the van when my wife was in the kitchen area and my son was playing on our pulled out bed. Something I will need to get used to. haha.
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Hi there and belated welcome from me.
At this time of year I tend to leave my van heating on a low setting permanently so it doesn't get really chilly. Once you are cold, it's harder to get warm again. I also carry a low wattage oil-filled heater for emergencies.
I also find duvets easier than blankets but that's personal preference.
In time, if you stick with it, you might consider an awning to give you extra living space.
Maintain a sense of humour and I wish you the best of luck with it.
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Thank you Jillwithajay.
We had duvets with us and lots of blankets. I was wondering about buying a little heater and wondered what would be best.
We probably won't be going in January again - it was the best time to buy the van to get the best deal. To get the deal we had to get it in January. The van had never been heated so was really cold.
If we like it then an awning is something I definitely want to buy. Fingers crossed all goes well this weekend.
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Small oil-filled heater might be the best for continuous use, Newone, but fan heaters can warm the 'van more swiftly despite, generally, being noisier. As Jill says, an awning can give you that bit of room to spread out in BUT I'd start a few conversations on site with Awning Owners and check out what you can.
It's dead easy for us to give advice on here about such things as awnings, almost as easy as pushing our personal preferences over your needs, I'm afraid.
.When you are "Fully Kitted Up" to your satisfaction you might, just might, discover Winter 'Vanning can be great when its not hissing down or knee high in mucky-slush. But please keep on telling us how you're doing and whether our advice was any good
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Thank you ABM. We probably won't be using the van in such cold weather in future. Although we are going tomorrow for the weekend and it's now forecast rain and bad winds :-( We booked this a few weeks ago when the weather forecast looked okay. Hopefully the gale force winds won't get to us till we get home.
I'll look out for a little fan heater or oil filled radiator for the future.
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It’s a bit of a learning curve, but you will get there. It does help if you try not to take too much with you, and put things away as you go, that way you get as much space as possible. Winter touring is always a bit different, you tend to have to spend more time in van, but come Summer and you will be loving it.
A fan heater is great for almost instant heat, Dunelm do little compact oil filled radiators for around £20. If you are used to being in a centrally heated home in Winter, still in fairly light clothing, it does pay to have something a bit thicker and warmer to put on in the van in Winter, and perhaps check out duvet weights. I’m sure after a couple of warmer times out, you will be loving lt.😁
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Yes to small oil filled heater. Our little van has no other heating, nothing built in, and it's surprising how well the 700W heater gets it really nice and cosy.
That and thick walking socks to put on when coming in, for me, a real essential.
But I've only just seen this thread, and by now you're probably out there trying it all out, so maybe I'm a bit late to the party! Hope it's going really well :-)
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For heating up a very cold van, we use an electric fan heater on 2kw and turn the van's own heating to gas, which is usually more powerful than the electric side of things.
The fan heater will give you instant warmth while the van heating on gas works on warming the whole fabric of the van.
It is also good to have a fan heater as emergency back up, as things in the van can go wrong occasionally.
When you arrive, make something hot to eat or drink once you are set up, it does help at this time of year.
The floor will be the coldest place, we sometimes put a rug on the floor for extra insulation, it is good to have warm feet.
If it is very cold, we have fleece blankets to put over the duvets, and electric blankets or heating pads are also useful.
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Do persevere, it’s well worth it. We took delivery of a new van in January and as snow was forecast we took it straight to storage. Three days later we were out in it, on the coldest day of the winter. On gas the van warmed up in an hour so wife could take coat off. (We have Alde heating so it takes a while. ) It then took me 2 days to get a sense of how the thermostat works. If I set it at 23 the caravan is 21! Have it set at 18 over night. Even if you have an older caravan with the truma 3000 heater, the brown box, you should never be cold. Try running on gas to get it warm and then electric to keep it comfortable. On another issue have you thought about joining your local centre? Your little one would probably have immediate friends, and you would get any help you need.
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Thank you again everyone.
I didn't know that the gas would warm up the van quicker, I'll remember that. Ours is a truma system. The van warmed up quite quickly on the electric. I think the ducting is under the van for the heating. I covered the vents under my sons bed this time and it was much better - even with the high winds. He also decided that he had to go to sleep in his dressing gown. He slept all night through rain and strong wind.
I kept the heating on 17 overnight to keep the van warmer.
We have the vans carpets down and take our slippers. Warm walking socks is a good idea too.
We had awful trouble getting the water in the van to come through. Not sure if it was an air lock or if there is something wrong with the pump in the water barrel or if it was kinked or the connection to the van or if it was us. We asked lots of other caravanners who really helped us. we still didn't get much water out of it.
We learnt a lot from this weekend though.
What's a local centre? Probably the most stupid question. lol
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Newone, thanks for coming back and updating us. Just a word of caution, if there are air vents in the van don't cover them, they are safety features to prevent CO (carbon monoxide) forming. They also keep the van ventilated to prevent condensation and damp. The heating vents have little flaps on them which can be adjusted or closed, these are safe.
Have a look under membership at the top of the page for details about centres and all the vanning events they organise, some offer lots of family activities.
Good luck with more trips, it will all sort out in the end!
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+ 1 here.
Congratulations for having enjoyed it so thoroughly at a challenging time of year, too!1 -
Don't know what type of water pump you have, but make sure that the rubber cover on the water barrel (aquaroll) is not tight over the hole as if it is that can cause an airtight seal and the water won't flow properly. I'd also advise carpeting the floor under the seating area.
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I just covered the 2 vents under my sons bed. There are more vents in the van. But I will be very careful. The wind was that bad my sons bed was really cold. We had a draft through the front windows the wind was that strong. Next time we go it will be warmer and I won't cover them.
Our van is brand new and thankfully has a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm.
I'll make sure the cover on the aquaroll roll isn't on tight. I don't think it was as it doesn't seem to fit on that well.
I'm blown away (no pun intended) by everyones help and the time you've all taken to help me. Thank you all.
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Many will disagree but after 30 years of caravans and, more recently, a motorhome we find cold weather and caravanning incompatible. Yes, you can keep the van warm but what do you do during the day with young children (or adults come to that). There are only so many games of Snakes & Ladders, Scrabble or Monopoly you can play before getting bored out of your skull. I’m afraid it’s hotels in hot climates for us.
The only proviso is that if you Caravan regularly it can be quite nice to go somewhere close to an interesting city or town BUT for two nights maximum!
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How about getting out and about and enjoying our beautiful countryside. There are stacks of things that kids enjoy doing regardless of the weather. There's no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing!!
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