Hi - complete newbie to caravanning here !!

[JimD1]

Hi Everyone,

Joined the forum a week or so ago & either didn't notice the new members section or the goat hadn't regurgitated it .....

Bought our 1st caravan at the end of September - a 2007 Swift Charisma 230 - but didn't have a vehcle which could tow it !!! That's now sorted & now we need to buy the seemingly endless list of other bitz & pieces we need before we can get started. Really looking forward to getting away for the 1st time.

Jim

 

[thursdays child]

HELLO JIM welcome to this great site.No the goat is safe and well at a CC site but his mum,Val, is nowhere to be seen.You are going to have lots of stories to tell when you get on the road with your new van.I am looking forward to getting away again in Feb.You can DO IT all year now and be nice and cosy too!!ENJOYxx

Thursdays Child

 

[RayS]

Hello Jim and welcome aboard even if the ship is a bit old and user unfriendly at times. The company is always good.

Could I just offer a word of caution about the bits and pieces. My garage loft and I dare say those of many other bears witness that quite a lot of "essentials" are not essential at all and some not even nice to have.

Awnings are fairly typical - seem like a good idea at the time but depending on your circumstances a porch awning can be almost as useful and will have the advantage of being able to be transferred to your next caravan. You have only to read the adverts to see the turnover when people change 'vans.

Suggest you stay "minimal" until you have made a few trips; see how they go and talk to others about their kit.

But above all - enjoy.

 

[JimD1]

Many thanks for the welcomes. I understand what you mean about trying to stay minimal with what we buy - so far we have bought a waste master & an aquaroll - they're in addition to the hitch lock & the wheel clamp the insurance company insisted on.

As I see it, before our 1st trip we are looking at:

leisure battery, levelling ramps (& chocks), mains cable, porch awning, ground sheet, number plate, drain hoses, extension mirrors, gas bottle. Oh yes, & I need to replace the tow-ball, as the one the garage fitted to the bracket isn't compatable with the Al-ko hitch.

At some time we will probably need:

2nd gas bottle, torque wrench, trolley jack ....

Just a few bits & pieces .......

Cheers,

Jim

 

[RayS]

Glitch on the website (so what else is new). Jim your shopping list for future bothers me slightly. If you need extension mirrors which most of us do you need them now - may even be illegal not to use them depending on width of car and caravan. Look at other threads on the forum to see what people thing about various makes.

Second, the torque wrench. You can manage without this if you have a good wheel brace and are fit, but suggest you send a detailed note to Father Christmas, particularly if you have alloy wheels on the van. Makers, service agents, insurance companies all recommend you torque the wheel nuts before setting off and then again after some miles - say 50 or 100. and certainly after each service during which the wheels were removed. See threads elsewhere about wheels coming off caravans.

Levelling boards are easily home made from 1" thick plans of a width to suit your wheels. Just make sure the screw points are downwards.

All these will be ok for any future van too.

 

[JimD1]

Hi Ray,

Sorry for not replying earlier - had some work problems here...

Thanks for the comments about the mirrors & the torque wrench - we haven't actually towed the caravan yet!!. We hadn't planned on buying a caravan until early 2010, but we saw an offer we just couldn't pass on & bought it knowing that we didn't have a car suitable for towing. A friend towed it direct to a storage compound for us, & we've only just bought a vehicle to tow it with. We plan on taking it for a practise tow between Christmas & New Year (keen to try reversing in work's car park ), so we'll get the mirrors & the torque wrench before then.

Will definitely take up the tip about home made leveling boards - can't miss the chance of a bit of simple DIY to save a few