New caravan, novice caravanners - now what?
Hello, we've just bought our first caravan at the weekend and pick it up on June 11th. Now what? It doesn't come with anything, so we have already sourced some gas bottles, car mirrors and extra number plate. On my list I have water barrel and waste water carrier. What else is essential to get before our first trip? Thanks for any help, tips and advice for novice caravanners.
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A decent leisure battery, hook up cable, toilet fluids, wine rack. Enjoy your new adventures and try to make good use of the cl sites.
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It may not come with a battery, the type and size you require will depend on the compartment size and how you intend to use the caravan, mainly connected to a 240 volt electricity supply or off grid. You usually get an orange electric cable, if not you will require a 25 metre one. Also essential is a length of waste tubing to direct the waste into your container, a metre or so should do. If you intend to use a TV, many CAMC site have an aerial socket on the bollard where signal strength is poor. You can either make up your own 25 metre lead, or they are often available to buy from the warden.
For your gas bottles you will require the appropriate pigtail to connect to the bulkhead regulator. If buying from a dealer, they usually supply and ask wether you require a propane or butane type.0 -
If you have no experience the most important thing you will need is to know how to load it, check and prepare it before you use it, distribution of the load and nose weight are the most important things to be aware of, also how to tow its not just a case of hitching up and off you go you need to be aware of what to do in different different driving circumstances, read all you can about towing and go on a caravan towing course as soon as you can they are worth every penny, sorry if this sounds like a lecture but it will make all the difference to your future enjoyment, you won't look back enjoy.
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Hi, Is it a “new” van or new to you? If new then assume from a dealer and should come with step & EHU cable but best to have the conversation before you pick up.
Most canners will have loads of stuff that seemed essential but now never used so stick to what you know you will need.
Our van is in storage so it’s ready to go, with all crockery, pots, pans, glassware etc etc,with no ferrying of stuff from the house other than clothes and food.One tip we would strongly suggest is a couple of nights as close to the dealer, if that’s what you are doing, to sort any issues that arise or just to ask those inevitable questions.
If towing is new to you then practising manoeuvring is a good idea, so best to find a nice open space to do that.
Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know, so asking questions is all part of learning about new things.
Hope all goes well!
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One tip I would give you - which I regard as the most important when hitching up is - after the hitch has clicked into place on the towball - wind the jockey wheel down and make sure that it lifts the car without the hitch springing off. It's very easy to assume that it's locked in place only to find that the van detaches itself a few yards down the road with disastrous consequences. I have had the odd occasion when, although I thought the hitch had locked on - winding it up in the way I've suggested resulted in the hitch springing off.
The dealer ought to point this out to you when you pick up the van - but not all are that conscientious.
I also know of a certain dealer who has damaged two caravans by not doing what I've suggested
When we bought our last van - new - and with no trade-in - we got aquaroll, wastemaster, battery etc etc thrown in as part of the deal although the market has changed since then but it's worth asking. We also got a discount card which lasted for a year and saved us quite a bit on accessories in their shop.
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Pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, kettle, utensils for cooking, bed linen, towels, toiletries, outdoor chairs and table. Don't buy loads of stuff until you get the feel for how you do things in the van. Anything else you can buy as you go along. Depending on where it's been stored before you pick it up and for future use - caravan specific cleaning products.
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Apart from the likes of pots and pans, leads hoses etc, the following will help you to learn without stress:
- Remember, we all had to learn.
- A good sense of humour will help.
- The confidence and humility to ask other campers if you need help or advice. Wardens/site managers are usually helpful and knowledgeable, too.
- Pick a site near home so you can fetch what you forgot to load.
- A list of dealers/accessory suppliers near to your chosen site.
- A basic tool kit so that you can re fix the bits that fall off or come loose - and they will!
- Unbreakable crockery etc. (eg melamine or similar).
- Remember that if an item looks like a must have essential it probably isn’t!😀
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Hi Steve & Rach... welcome to Club Together. Just take things slowly.... don't buy too much stuff yet... (as Jill said in her post)..... also, probably worth checking your 'user payload' on the caravan, to see how much extra weight your caravan can take. Overloading the van can result in problems that may void your warranty if you subsequently have a problem caused by overloading.
We carry so much stuff in the car these days, mainly to avoid overloading, but also because we have a large car and prefer to carry all outside stuff in the car...
If you are after weight and space saving products, it may be worth checking out the products sold by Colapz....
Before buying an aquaroll or wastemaster, work out how you want to use the caravan. These days we use mainly serviced pitches with water hook-up and waste water on the pitch. We've only used our aquaroll and wastemaster once in the last 12 months (and we go out in the caravan at least once or twice a month, plus an extended summer break). If you intend using water hook up, Colapz do a unit called a Fresh Mini and Flexi Waste pipes - check their website. Colapz also intend bringing out an Aquaroll and Wastemaster equivalent sometime this year - this will essentially consist of 2 x 20 litre containers which will fold flat (to save on space) and weight, so may just be worthwhile holding back on the aquaroll and wastemaster until you've checked these out.... (P.S. I've no specific connection with Colapz, by the way... I just like their products)
Just take things slowly... and look at all the options...
David
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Good, point Tinwheeler makes..... choose a site close to home for your first outing so you can pop home for anything you have forgotten and need.
Does the caravan have a motor mover? You may want to consider one...
Don't forget to check to make sure your car is OK/legal for towing the caravan...
Make lists of all equipment you take and analyse them later... i.e. when you get home, workout the stuff you didn't use/ unlikely to use, so you don't take it with you next time - then add things you forgot/need. We find it much easier to have specific caravan stuff rather than to take stuff from the kitchen/or elsewhere, and then have to bring it back later...
We've been caravanning for years (and tenting/ trailer tenting before that), and I still rely on copious lists.... 😀 however, I am a bit OCD about these things.... 🤣🤣
David
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being new to caravanning myself< i would advise getting a stabiliser BULLDOG is a very good make, this will greatly reduce any sway while towing the caravan. As loads of caravans dont have a spare wheel the instant tyre repair/inflate are handy, also a small caravan level (2 bubbles) for levelling the caravan so water runs away properly from sink etc. Fire extinguisher/blanket and first aid kit, A carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. make sure you have the correct connection for the type of gas you will use as propane is for all year and butane is more for spring/summer use and both have a different connection to the gas bottle . Toilet additives. Check it it come with the pump for pumping the water into the caravan from your container, they also sell one to connect straight to a hose pipe, Power lead and a hose pipe . a small pair of steps is also handy. 4 pads for lowering the caravan supports on to on soft ground (just plastic ones are good) I would also suggest checking all electrics, gas, fridge, heaters etc work before going away
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All good points.... but you may not need a seperate spring stabiliser. These days, many of the caravan have a built-in stabiliser at the hitch with friction pads which work on the towball. (Something like an Alko 3400 hitch).
For 'toilet chemicals', these days we tend to use AquaKem Sachets... a bit more expensive than the fluid, but no danger of spillage and lighter to carry.... just our preference - I know many prefer the 'fluid'...
David
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Oh wow, thank you so much for all your suggestions and advice. I've just come in from work and really didn't expect so many comments. My husband own a car transporting business so is used to towing a trailer, so he will be driving for the foreseeable. We tried to get a starter pack from the dealer, but he wouldn't bite, although got deals with other stuff. We're getting motor movers on one axle, ATC (?) and upgraded weight plate (?). I'm quite nervous about it all, but also really excited and looking forward to many weekends away. Fortunately both myself & hubby have no problem asking for help & we are blown away by the vanning community. I'm sure we will be on here a lot after we pick her up.
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What everyone else has said, and (apologies if someone has already mentioned) perhaps wheel chocks for extra security when pitched up. Spare batteries for the motor mover remote, as if they go you are literally stuck but you can use the ones from the smoke detector like we did
I assume you've checked your insurance and have any necessary items like a wheel clamp and hitch lock?
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A piece of pipe about a metre long with a piece of string? thread through the top. This will enable you to hook it over the water tap and put the other end into your aquaroll and you can stand and chat without the annoyance of a hose flirting off the tap. A simple but very useful item of equipment that ensures a job is done without fuss!!! (Hopefully someone might give a better technical desc ription)
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Hi SteveRachM
One of the most important things to get is some knowledge, particularly relating to safety both for yourself and others.
In particular I would suggest you find out about weights and loading. A badly loaded caravan can and does at times, cause serious accidents. Do you know what your car's kerb weight is and what the maximum tow ball loading is? Do you know the caravan's MRI and MTPLM weights are and, as importantly, do you understand them? Please don't fall into the trap of reading the car's specification or handbook that says it can tow, for example 2000kg. These figures are pretty meaningless.
As a guide, and especially for a novice, the weight of your loaded caravan should not be more than 85% of the kerb weight of the car and the nose weight of the caravan on the towball should be in the region of 7% of this figure. If the towball maximum weight is 90kg (a fairly common figure), you should balance the load in your caravan to achieve a figure of just short of the 90kg. Please don't try to achieve this by putting a lot of weight in the back of the caravan. It's a sure fire way of causing snaking which, apart from being very frightening for the driver and passengers, can result in the car / caravan overturning.
If you can, take your new caravan to a weighbridge as soon as you get it. You can then weigh everything that you put in so that you make sure you don't exceed the allowed payload which, in most cases, is quite low. Over the years anything that I add or remove from the caravan is weighed. An Excel spreadsheet is ideal for keeping a record of the weights. Heavy things such as an awning are best carried in the car.
I hope the above has not frightened you too much. It's a great hobby made far more relaxing if you know, understand and follow the safety basics.
Finally, don't hesitate to ask questions on this forum. We were all novices at one time but are only too happy to pass on the knowledge we have gained over the years. The only daft question is the one that you haven't asked.
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.......or get one of these....
https://colapz.co.uk/collections/all-products/products/trunk-kit
David
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We use a slider off an anorak hood on the string of our piece of pipe so we can tighten it up over the tap also we removed the filter off the end of our truma inlet water pipe and slide on some plastic conduit refitted the filter now the pipe stays at the bottom of the aquaroll
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Even easier…use the on site facilities building and fill the coffee pot at the nearest tap when you come back. We caravanned for 50 years without ever having an aquaroll, or the bit of pipe to fit into it, or the string.
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so we use the mover to run it on to the drive and for security the A frame facing away from the road 
