Hi guys I have just bought a caravan and was wondering is there a list of essentials I need to buy b4 we head of on our first adventure cheers
Essentially equipment
- Thread starter Sjb220188
- Start date
Battery if it has not got one. Aquaroll, wastemaster, EHU lead, drain pipe for waste water. Of course crockery, cutlery, glasses, pots and pans.
Here’s one from the Caravan and Motorhome Club. If you Google search essential caravan checklist there’s quite a few out there. You can then decide what the essentials are fir your first trip out. And build on it from there on.
www.caravanclub.co.uk
Essential Camping Equipment Checklist
A full list of all the equipment you might need when heading on a camping holiday. View our checklist to make sure you're prepared!
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Before rushing out and buying new have a look on eBay or gumtree for used equipment, particularly caravan step, water and waste hog, hook up leads etc, you’ll save a fortune.
Examine equipment sold in caravan shops carefully, some of it is really poor quality and won’t last the distance.
Examine equipment sold in caravan shops carefully, some of it is really poor quality and won’t last the distance.
Also Caravan Club classifieds have some good gear for sale and you can search by region.
If you are going out to a dealer for the basics suggested by Buckman you might ask if they will give you a discount for the bulk buy.
If buying electrical equipment do be aware of the limitations of the power supply on some sites. Most are now 16 amps and will accept most things, but some care is needed. Sopme though may be only 10 amps and you can trip the fuse switch if you are not careful. On that basis avoid the very powerful versions of items, especially the kettle as they cam overload the system. More basic kettles with a lower wattage are the best bet. The other most likely problem item is a hair dryer, but you can use the lower power settings on these if other electrical items are running.
If buying electrical equipment do be aware of the limitations of the power supply on some sites. Most are now 16 amps and will accept most things, but some care is needed. Sopme though may be only 10 amps and you can trip the fuse switch if you are not careful. On that basis avoid the very powerful versions of items, especially the kettle as they cam overload the system. More basic kettles with a lower wattage are the best bet. The other most likely problem item is a hair dryer, but you can use the lower power settings on these if other electrical items are running.
Gas bottles and Gas bottle spanner...
A piece of kit I didn't realise one needed, well in my defence even though I'd been camping for many years, most of these was in a trailer tend, with a 2 burner and grill, so always used to Blue Colour gas... Didn't realise that you need to ensure that when you've connected the Red 6kg bottles, you need to tighten the connection with a spanner!
A piece of kit I didn't realise one needed, well in my defence even though I'd been camping for many years, most of these was in a trailer tend, with a 2 burner and grill, so always used to Blue Colour gas... Didn't realise that you need to ensure that when you've connected the Red 6kg bottles, you need to tighten the connection with a spanner!
If you use a shower in the caravan, then a second Aqua roll. , I dont bother with the low wattage kettles, ie, 600/900 watts always take a medium power one 1200watts, just make sure the boss doesnt dry her hair at the same time.
Don't buy light weight plates from Caravan shops , go to Dunelm.
Caravan shops meens £xxxx
Don't buy light weight plates from Caravan shops , go to Dunelm.
Caravan shops meens £xxxx
Even better buy Corelle plates. Best on the market and last forever. We have never used a torque wrench. For waste water we use one of these water connectors. No faffing around. We have a low wattage kettle which takes forever to boil, but you are on holiday so what is the rush?
We have a low wattage kettle which takes forever to boil, but you are on holiday so what is the rush?
You've never seen Mrs Gozza waiting for her cuppa
We take a full whack fast domestic kettle. Happy to switch the heat/water off for a few seconds while it boils,same with our dolce gusto coffee machine. Cant be doing with low wattage ones and we've never tripped the box yet. Just work out mentally what you are using v the site amps provided.watts/volts
IKEA do similar plates, bowls etc to Corelle but much cheaper although only in white. But as said above they are tough as nails and lightweight. So much better than melamine.Even better buy Corelle plates. Best on the market and last forever. We have never used a torque wrench. For waste water we use one of these water connectors. No faffing around. We have a low wattage kettle which takes forever to boil, but you are on holiday so what is the rush?
We have both a low wattage kettle and a normal one. We have been on sites mainly in France where we got only six amps and needed a lot of care not to blow the fuse. I have tended to use this on 10 amp sites over here, although are getting pretty rare now.
We have used things from Ikea in the caravan as well and have had no problems. It tends to be lightweight and works although most of our crockery came from Asda.
We have used things from Ikea in the caravan as well and have had no problems. It tends to be lightweight and works although most of our crockery came from Asda.
If you need a gas bottle, do yourself a favour and get a Safefill bottle rather than Calor gas. I got a 'Starter Kit' with my new caravan in 2018 which included all the basics (hadn't needed most stuff before with my old van) and a single 6KG Calor propane bottle - I use very little gas so am still on that original bottle. If I had a Safefill I could top it up for £6. But now I am gambling on running out or wasting a good amount of gas on a £25 refill. Its also much lighter, so will help your payload.
Our old 19p Ikea plates have rattled around in the plate-rack for ~3 years with no issues. Good to have proper plates rather than melamine; they can also be used in the microwave. Also have a normal kettle - an ASDA basic plastic kettle c£5.
I would add that I only tripped the site bollard once: the Fridge was running, Truma heating was on full on electric, all the lights were on and the microwave was running. I then turned on the Kettle and it tripped. Oops.
Our old 19p Ikea plates have rattled around in the plate-rack for ~3 years with no issues. Good to have proper plates rather than melamine; they can also be used in the microwave. Also have a normal kettle - an ASDA basic plastic kettle c£5.
I would add that I only tripped the site bollard once: the Fridge was running, Truma heating was on full on electric, all the lights were on and the microwave was running. I then turned on the Kettle and it tripped. Oops.
My van has a handwheel for attaching the gas bottle. No spanner needed. I guess you can fit these if/when replacing the gas pipe (by a qualified gas fitter).
Definitely. 100%. Don't care what anyone says about it being unnecessary. I check the Torque before each tow. I also check my car's wheel bolts too. I've been removing the wheels to improve the appearance of my corroded diamond-cut alloys so need to check them after refitting; and of course for checking after tyres are replaced.
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