Hi from Cardiff

[Daby121]

Hello everyone,

We are Wayne & Ruth and are picking up our very first caravan 22nd this month. We are complete novices and look forward to many years of touring.

We have bought a Swift Challenger 524 SR 2012 and will be towing with an 09 Insignia 130bhp, an 87.5% towing ratio.

New to everything, insurance, sites to use, just about everything :lol: so look forward to learning as we go.

Going to spend the night out day we collect the van and build up to european trips next year

 

[Parksy]

Hi Wane and Ruth, welcome to the forum and congratulations on buying your caravan.
If there's anything at all you're not sure about no matter how trivial it may seem, just ask.

 

[Exsailor]

Hi Both.
Ex Cardiff boy myself, now living in west country, do miss Cardiff especially on match day.
All the best with your van hope you enjoy it.
Ex Sailor

 

[Daby121]

Thanks for the welcome

One of my burning questions is; is it worthwhile joining the caravan club or another Org, are there benefits in being a member?

 

[Parksy]

Both the Caravan & Motorhome Club and the Camping & Caravan Club offer caravan insurance, breakdown cover, networks of main sites and small 5 unit sites plus weekend rallies. Definitely worth considering opinion is divided on which is the 'best' club to join but no doubt forum members will give their views.

 

[Martin24]

Whatto and welcome :cheer: ,

We are with both clubs and have been for years. It widens the choice of sites to use, as Parksy says they both provide similar services. Personally at the moment we have caravan Insurance with Camping and caravan club and recovery service (Mayday, provided by green flag) with Caravan Club. Both have excellent site networks and mainly use the 5 van sites.

Anything you want to ask, however small, do so. There's always someone around to offer advice and answer questions. Above all enjoy your new lifestyle choice.

When you go and collect the van please take your time, ensure there is a recent damp report and that you are shown all the services working and understand everything before you leave.

 

[Raywood]

Welcome to the forum. We are club members and find their sites are always a good standard at a reasonable but not cheap price. The Mayday breakdown service is very good and competitively priced and gives better cover than most other ones including recovery of the caravan if that is the problem rather than the car. Most others will not cover that.
They have an advice and a legal helpline which are useful and plenty of other excellent services although their insurance is expensive but very good.

 

[Parksy]

Welcome to the forum. We are club members and find their sites are always a good standard at a reasonable but not cheap price. The Mayday breakdown service is very good and competitively priced and gives better cover than most other ones including recovery of the caravan if that is the problem rather than the car. Most others will not cover that.
They have an advice and a legal helpline which are useful and plenty of other excellent services although their insurance is expensive but very good.

The Camping and Caravanning club's RAC Arrival recovery service also covers the caravan, there are discounted pitch prices for over 55s and the caravan insurance premiums are competitively priced.
It's best to check out both clubs, or join both.

 

[Daby121]

Ok, so ive joined both clubs to see how they go....

Caravan insured

Apparently im at 91.5% tow capacity not 87 as I thought, though I did get discount on the insurance by having a hgv licence :cheer:

Silly question, a piece of hose to fill the water butt, is this standard hose pipe? Do I need a screw fitting or a hoselock type fitting?

Gas spanners, I've seen 25mm, 27mm, 30mm is there a standard or do I need to see what size will be on the van?

First night out booked for the day we pick the van up

 

[LizziePope]

Greetings Wayne and Ruth. Welcome to the Practical Caravan forum and thanks for posting.

 

[Anseo]

Silly question, a piece of hose to fill the water butt, is this standard hose pipe? Do I need a screw fitting or a hoselock type fitting?

Gas spanners, I've seen 25mm, 27mm, 30mm is there a standard or do I need to see what size will be on the van?

Always worth having one of these .

Most sites have threaded taps and you can connect a hose via a threaded (Hoselock type) tap connector fitted to a hose, my local Poundland has some at the moment. This sort of thing .

There are other types of water connectors for Aquarol, or you can eliminate the Aquarol altogether and you may want to look at options later, worth shopping around though, see items here for example .

For gas spanners, it it is lighter in weight to have a dedicated size, but an adjustable wrench can serve other purposes too, I guess (but check for yourself) that the 10" adjustable wrench on this page will do the job.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

There are other types of water connectors for Aquarol, or you can eliminate the Aquarol altogether and you may want to look at options later, worth shopping around though, see items here for example .

You will need the Aquaroll if you are fitting the mains water kit, as it fits into the side hole on the larger Aquarolls.

 

[Anseo]

There are other types of water connectors for Aquarol, or you can eliminate the Aquarol altogether and you may want to look at options later, worth shopping around though, see items here for example .

You will need the Aquaroll if you are fitting the mains water kit, as it fits into the side hole on the larger Aquarolls.

Sir WC ,

I should have made my post clearer, in obviating the need for an Aquaroll I was thinking of this kit shown lower in the page in my earlier link.

Assuming of course that the OP has a Whale system.

 

[Beachball]

Welcome to the forum Wayne and Ruth