Caravan Contents weight - frightening

[Glenn_5132962]

In preparation for getting the new van I emptied everything out of the old one. With all this stuff stored in my garage I borrowed a 0-30kg calibrated platform scale & weighed everything. The results are frightening to say the least. My old van has a max payload of 190kg & I must have been well over this on some of my trips (I don't take the bikes or awning on every trip). That said it did tow really well & I never had any scary moments.

As you can see at times I have been carrying around 198kg & this EXCLUDES the stuff we pack in on a Friday night before we set off (clothes / bedding / food / drink) for 4 people. I intend to weigh this on the next trip but I estimate its about 50kg worth on a typical weekend. Its amazing how lots of little things add up so I'm gonna make some serious cutbacks before we set out in the new van (which has a max payload of 225kg).

Standard Carry items

Front Locker

Gas Bottle lite propane (actual 8.2 but half empty) 11.0

Electric Lead 3.6

Fresh Water Mains Hoses 3.4

Levelling Ramp 1.9

Waste hoses 1.7

Peg Box 1.4

Levelling Woods 1.4

TV Aerial Lead 1.3

Gas Hose 1.0

Winding Handle 0.9

Aqua Roll Handle 0.9

TV Aerial Poles 0.8

Mallet 0.7

Hitch Cover 0.5

Side Locker

Battery 85AH 17.5

General Equipment Always Carried

Kids Games 10.8

TV/DVD/Freeview 10.0

Hoover 6.3

Waste Master 5.7

Toilet Fluids 5.2

Books & DVD's 5.1

Step 4.8

Plates & Cups 4.5

Aqua Roll Incl Valve 4.2

Wash Kits 2.8

Glasses 2.5

Cleaning Equipment & fluids 2.5

Power Leads / Extension / remotes / batteries 2.3

Knifes & Forks etc 2.2

Large Bin 2.0

Food Items left in van - tea/coffee/sugar/sauces/etc 2.0

Door mat 1.9

Fire Extingusher 1.5

Pots & Pans 1.2

Toaster 1.1

Torches 1.1

Kettle 0.9

Flask 0.5

Optional / Variable Carry items

Kids Bikes x 2 20.0

Compactalite 400 Awning 18.8

Table & 4 Camping Chairs 11.0

Satelite suitcase System 6.1

Groundsheet 4.9

Summer toys - Bats/balls/bodyboard/etc 4.0

Beach Shoes 1.0

Tools 1.0

TV Big Aerial 0.9

Air pump 0.5

Table Lamp 0.5

Adults Bedding / Pillows

Kids Bedding / Pillows

Food & Drink

Adults Clothes

Kids Clothes

Total Payload (Kg) 198

 

[David.R]

Glenn - I did the same exercise with the contents of our caravan as we are new to caravanning and wanted to be safe rather then sorry. Our caravan came fitted with a motor mover which weighs abour 40kg. Taking this into account we are always struggling to keep our payload at 190kg. Perhaps its time an allowance for motor movers is included in the MIRO figure as many caravans are fitted with them but if you don't have/need one then you have extra for personal effects!

David

 

[Guest]

The above is exactly why we don't have a motor mover. For some it may be a necessity for many we see thay are just a posy accesory. We also see more Brit caravans with movers than continental ones.

Glenn's list needs trimming.

Glass's ? The're are good quality LW plastics!

Hoover ?

Kettle ?

Toaster ?

Toilet Fluid ? Powder sachets!

Large Bin ? Use carrier bags and make kids job to run them to the waste bins!

We use the gas for hot water and toasting. Caravans just seem to get cluttered with gear you don't really need to haul.

Our caravanning clothing lives in the caravan and is quite simple and kept practical and basic.

Twenty evening outfits, curling tongs, hair dryer, hair product and slap that some women carry must also be a nightmare.

We and are caravannning circle couldn't hack all that crap.

Dragging all the same sort of mod con home entertainment and kitchen gear around in the caravan seems to defeat the objective of going caravanning.

 

[Lutz]

Years ago, when we went to Norway, knowing beforehand that food is expensive up there, my wife had alone 150kg(!) of tinned and packaged food in the caravan.

 

[Glenn_5132962]

I agree that the list needs paring down now - but the point is unless you do this or even better take your van to a weighbridge then you'd never know. Most people probably think they're well within the limits when in reality many are probably not - especially this time of year when setting off for a two week holiday, the temptation is probably to take everything & its dog!!

 

[Jennifer2]

Was your 190kg payload for everything? Did you not also have an "essential habitation" payload? That should cover your battery and gas at least.

And ehu lead normally comes with the van so is part of the MIRO.

Maybe it was not as bad as you think.

 

[AlanJ]

Hi Glenn

I was thinking exactly the same with regard to motor movers etc.

It is really time that manufacturers stopped scimping on payload and gave a realistic MIRO which included motor mover, battery, twin gas bottles, wheel lock, hitch lock, tv to name some of the todays essentials IMO.

I am currently in Poland on a 3 month European tour and know I am over the payload. But having seen what most of our Dutch, German & Polish caravanners carry they are well over the top on theirs. A young Polish couple turned up yesterday with a "small caravan" and he was having difficulty man handling it into place. I gave him a hand and could h

 

[AlanJ]

Hi Glenn

I was thinking exactly the same with regard to motor movers etc.

It is really time that manufacturers stopped scimping on payload and gave a realistic MIRO which included motor mover, battery, twin gas bottles, wheel lock, hitch lock, tv to name some of the todays essentials IMO.

I am currently in Poland on a 3 month European tour and know I am over the payload. But having seen what most of our Dutch, German & Polish caravanners carry they are well over the top on theirs. A young Polish couple turned up yesterday with a "small caravan" and he was having difficulty man handling it into place. I gave him a hand and could h

WiFi chopped me off in my prime!! Could hardly move the van with two of us. And then when he unloaded everything he must have had double his payload packed in there.

 

[Surfer]

About the same as ours but we do not carry the awning or groundsheets in the caravan. Our payload is a lot higher though sitting at about 300kg and we have a motor mover but then it is twin axle. We also have 2 x aquarolls, a microwave and a satellite dish along with two TVs.

We binned all our melamine rubbish including the plastic glasses and now use proper plates, mugs and proper glass glasses! Almost forgot, we have a small foldup BBQ plus grid, but no kids toys etc.

 

[Glenn_5132962]

Hi Jennifer,

The essential habitation weight is included in the payload weight, it is not an extra allowance. Good point about the power lead though. Total payload is everything the user adds over and above the MIRO weight which is basically the weight of the van supplied from the factory with no options.

 

[Jennifer2]

I see. A total payload of 190kg is not very generous.

We are fortunate that ours is 285kg. Then we have uprated it to 370kg to cover the mover and various other extras.

Looks like you need a ruthless clear-out!

Can recommend the toilet sachets, much lighter, and very easy to use.

 

[Jennifer2]

Would also add that quite a few of the items on your list we would carry in the car, e.g. awning, Aquaroll, table, chairs, sat dish.

I like to keep the van clear and ready to use

 

[Glenn_5132962]

I will have a good clear out & make some savings. The trouble is the dog travels in the car boot in her cage so there's not much room left for other items. I could put some heavy items in the rear footwells by the childrens feet but then i'd be worried about these flying about in the event of a serious accident.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The situation is not as simple as you might think.

The caravan manufactures are interested in selling caravans. When a customer is looking for a caravan, they should check the weight limits of both the car and the caravan. If it is a relatively new driver (post 1997 test) the customer is strictly limited to a caravan with and MTPLM not exceeding the kerb weight of tow car, and the combination of MTPLMs of both car and caravan must not exceed 3500Kg.

If the caravan manufacture starts to artificially add capacities for motor movers, batteries and gas etc, then that will affect the MTPLM's and begin to restrict which caravan can be used legally with many popular cars.

Coupled to the fact that the weights of these devises are different for each make and model, which should the manufacture choose?

I stand to be corrected here but I have not yet come across a caravan manufacture that supplies the EHU cable. These are usually supplied by the dealer.

The MIRO is sole concerned with the road regulations, so the EHU, batteries, gas, and motor movers play no part of the MIRO figure.

 

[Jennifer2]

The situation is not as simple as you might think.

The caravan manufactures are interested in selling caravans. When a customer is looking for a caravan, they should check the weight limits of both the car and the caravan. If it is a relatively new driver (post 1997 test) the customer is strictly limited to a caravan with and MTPLM not exceeding the kerb weight of tow car, and the combination of MTPLMs of both car and caravan must not exceed 3500Kg.

If the caravan manufacture starts to artificially add capacities for motor movers, batteries and gas etc, then that will affect the MTPLM's and begin to restrict which caravan can be used legally with many popular cars.

Coupled to the fact that the weights of these devises are different for each make and model, which should the manufacture choose?

I stand to be corrected here but I have not yet come across a caravan manufacture that supplies the EHU cable. These are usually supplied by the dealer.

The MIRO is sole concerned with the road regulations, so the EHU, batteries, gas, and motor movers play no part of the MIRO figure.

Both our last vans (Sterlings) came with EHU cables in sealed bags with the manufacturer's name on them (Swift), and the weight of the cable is part of the MIRO according to Swift.

Also included in our MIRO was a plastic step and a waste-water container.

 

[AlanJ]

I believe that the majority of caravans are probably running around over their payload (apart from those that weigh everything of course!) I tried that on a nice spread sheet and came to the conclusion that ignorance is bliss and joined the majority of the caravanning population.

I will take my chances with the possibility of being over my MTPLM but have yet to see anyone stopped by the powers that be.

 

[Rioja]

I noticed the Dept of Transport ( or whatever they call themselves ) were doing spot checks on caravans only on the A55 in North Wales last Easter.

As for weight, not easy if you have a saloon car and children but as a couple with an estate car we chuck everything possible in the car which increases the kerb weight of the towing vehicle and increases stability. I managed 37MPG Passat Est/Lunar Clubman on a 200 mile trip last week and we put loads of gear in the car including 30kg's of camera and computer equipment, 4 chairs, one awning and poles, pegging out bits, 2 groundsheets, one electric cool box, one wheel clamp, one electric cable,one aquaroll, one wastemaster, loads of bits of wood ( bit Heath Robinson but they work)one tool kit, one case of Stella, one case of Strongbow, two wine boxes ,oh and of course my other half ( she had to sit on the roof rack mind)!

I would never compromise home standards and drink or eat out of plastic to save a few ounces either!

To add to your possible weight don't forget the water in the hot water tank, the loo top tank and , if you forgot to empty it , the loo waste tank too.( I only ever empty the latter prior to travel.

Don't seem to recall a spare wheel or any security devices in Glenn's list either.

 

[Lutz]

Not only can the total payload be frightening if you take the trouble to weight everything, but also the MIRO can be in for surprises. Don't think that because the caravan manufacturer has published a MIRO for your caravan that it actually weighed that much when it left the factory. It can easily be 20 to 30kg heavier, even though nothing has been put inside it. MIRO is a variable which is specific to each vehicle. Any published data which doean't refer to your caravan in particular should be taken as a rough guideline only. Only MTPLM is an absolute value not to be exceeded.