Start up kit
We are brand new to caravanning and collect a new twin axle van on Friday. I have been on a club beginners towing course and have a two hour road session arranged for Thursday to get used to towing a trailer around junctions, roundabouts and narrow roads etc. I will be getting a locknlevel kit this week and the van comes with twin alco wheel locks. I have a suitable towing vehicle for the van.
We will get the van on Friday afternoon and have a two hour handover session where we will 'hopefully' understand how everything works then stay overnight locally to 'bed into' the van. Saturday we have a 145 mile tow mainly on motorway and A roads to a family farm where we will stay for a few days to get used to the van. Water and electricity will be at hand.
My question is what do member think we will need in the immediate short term to kit us out to get going. We can source necessary kit from the dealer on Friday and Saturday.
My thoughts so far are a nose weight gauge, a level and a hitch lock, clean and grey water containers and toilet chemicals and bedding.
Comments
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Welcome to the club.
I'd recommend that you don't buy things like bedding, crockery, pots and pans, etc., from a dealer as they'll be far more expensive. Many supermarkets, for example, now sell lightweight unbreakable tableware and places like Dunelms have decent quality bedding at reasonable prices.
Manage with things from home initially and see how you go on before buying too much. We all have garages or attics full of things we thought we couldn't live without.
Fellow campers on sites will usually be happy to chat, offer help and advice and show you 'handy gadgets' or bargain equipment they've found.
If you can, video the handover as you'll never remember everything.
Enjoy.
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If they are a decent dealer and there was no PX then I would have expected them to throw in a basic start up kit as part of the deali.ie. Gas cylinder /water/waste containers and maybe a leisure battery do not stock up with things you like the look of just most of us have done that and have a room at home full of not needed after all,
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Agree with above. Try and get as much out of dealer free as you can, good ones will come up with something. After that, move away from dealers for everything else. Aldi (yep....ALDI) do some cracking caravan equipment, and it’s on sale at the moment. Toilet fluid and rinse, caravan cleaner, folding buckets and wash up bowl should you need one. They do steps as well, but I would swerve these, only item we have bought that didn’t live up to expectations. If you have a fixed bed, don’t go for “special bedding” dunelm or other places just as good.
Wastemaster, Aquaroll, robust step, try and get free or heavily discounted from dealer, know what they are going for online, and if dealer doesn’t deliver, buy them elsewhere cheaper. Don’t be fooled by Club Shop as well, it’s just another supplier wearing a cloak. Price of some items are vastly inflated. Any nice melamine dinner plates, mugs will do, others swear by Corelle but that’s up to you. Kettles can be a dilemma, if you plan to use CLs, (Certificated Location Sites) a Lower wattage one might be useful, or even consider a gas top kettle. TV? You can get expensive ones, but a cheap small TV/DVD combo from Tesco etc..... might be all you need.
Entirely your choice what you choose, but most vanners end up with a lot of stuff that looked a good idea, but ends up seldom getting used.😁
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If you use the shop at the dealership remember to show your CAMC membership card as there are usually discounts with the card or at least ask for a discount as a new customer.
Make sure you have the manuals to hand, you won't remember all the things you are told on handover.
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I would forget the noseweight gauge. A short length of 75mm square timber and your bathroom scales will work just as well. After a few times of loading and knowing where to put stuff, you will be able to get your desired weight almost blindfold. You have your bathroom scales just as a check before you leave home.
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Club Shop Aquaroll, £54 with discount
Aldi Aquaroll £40
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I've just had a smile as I have a little notebook where I've listed places we've stayed at over the years. At the beginning is a list of purchases I thought we'd need, it's quite ambitious and some of it has now gone by the board! But basically it's deciding how many people you want to cater for in the van, just two of you or maybe more and building up a kit that mimics home on a small scale. By catering I don't mean slaving over the cooker I mean general things like how much cutlery, how many plates. Essentials like bottle and tin openers, torches, fresh water container, brush and dust pan. The list can expand or not depending on your own needs but a list will be needed according to your own plans for using the van. High end luxury or fairly basic and remember the weight of everything, it all adds up!
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I have an inventory in my caravan folder Brue. It has been amended quite a lot over the years as things have been taken off or added to the van. As you say, there's only two of us now so we only carry two place settings/bedding/table linen/towels etc., for the two of us.
The television very rarely comes now but we always have games, books,magazines, knitting (not hubby).
We found a nifty little low wattage electric griddle which is big enough for a full English breakfast or two steaks and mushrooms/tomatoes etc.
We very rarely bother with the awning these days either as it's one more thing to carry and another job to do.
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Thank you everyone for your advice. Take it slow and think carefully before we buy seems to be the general consensus. As we will be staying with family we can use their kit if need be.
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Go to camp at your family's farm, make notes every day on what would improve your quality of life, but don't hurry to buy it as it may not be necessary in the end.
Camping is all about having fun rather than all out luxury. You merely need to find your own median point between the two.
Good luck and enjoy your new hobby.
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I’m envious HD! You’ll just love it. I remember my ‘first time’ and going to Mundesly Norfolk, with the kids. It was quite an adventure. Reading the thread you’ve had some good advice. I would certainly say that I prefer a 50lt + waterhog to a 40 litre one. Less time spent fetching water unless you are heading for serviced pitches ? I am almost afraid to say it but gas cylinders have come a long way in the last 10yrs. Calor Cylinders were and are the ‘default’ option for most vanners but look at refillables like Safefill or Gaslow. If you plan to hook up all the time, you’ll probably only need Calor cylinders as you won’t use all that much gas but if you intend to do some ‘offgrid’ camping, you’ll find the refillables massively cheaper for gas. You have to buy the cylinders of course but I leave it with you. A stainless steel gas tail with hand wheel too- 20 yr life as compared to 5 with a rubber one and you won’t need a spanner! Have some great times- it sounds like you will.
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