Hi from yet another newbie couple

[StephW]

Hi there everyone - I am looking forward to chatting with you...I think I will have lots of questions and I reckon there will be lots of very well-informed people on this forum.

Husband and I have just taken the plunge and bought our very first caravan...we towed it home from the dealer 2 days ago and it is now sitting safely on our drive...looking rather daunting...as we try to remember everything we were told at the hand over and while we try to test everything out - and buy a few necessary essentials (wine, beer...anything else?) - before we book our first trip away. It’s a Lunar Quasar, about 9/10 years old and seems to be in very good condition.

Meanwhile, any early pointers on any aspect of caravanning would be very much appreciated.

 

[Jcloughie]

Hi. and welcome.

 

[otherclive]

Hi there everyone - I am looking forward to chatting with you...I think I will have lots of questions and I reckon there will be lots of very well-informed people on this forum.

Husband and I have just taken the plunge and bought our very first caravan...we towed it home from the dealer 2 days ago and it is now sitting safely on our drive...looking rather daunting...as we try to remember everything we were told at the hand over and while we try to test everything out - and buy a few necessary essentials (wine, beer...anything else?) - before we book our first trip away. It’s a Lunar Quasar, about 9/10 years old and seems to be in very good condition.

Meanwhile, any early pointers on any aspect of caravanning would be very much appreciated.

Welcome. What car do you have for toeing
Make sure that you stay within the caravans weight limit. It is surprising how quickly payload can be used up. Calorlite Gas bottle 10 kg, battery 20-25kg, mover 30-35kg. Then the normal equipment required for daily life plus beers and wines. Seriously it’s a good idea to weigh everything load the van and take to a weighbridge. You can find their location on the U.K. GOV website. Measure noseweight when loaded. Book a caravan course from either of the Clubs. They also have lots of tech info on their websites too. Check caravan tyres if 5 years old or more change them as irrespective of tread wear they age differently car tyres.
Lots more but others will add.

 

[Hutch]

Welcome to the forum, don't think any question is too daft we have all been there. Don't buy everything you see in the caravan shop, its cheaper else where, enjoy your first trip away and remember almost everyone is ready to help you.

 

[Parksy]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
Congratulations on buying your Lunar and I hope that you have many happy times away with it.
Make a list of things you need, lightweight crockery, drinking glasses, cutlery and try to avoid buying them from caravan accessory shops where prices will be at a premum.
Large supermarkets or Wilkinson will probably stock similar items.
If there's anything you're not sure about please ask.

 

[Beachball]

Hi and welcome to the forum enjoy your Lunar i hope you have some fantastic breaks

 

[StephW]

Thank you all for your responses - we will take note of all points you have raised.

On the point concerning weight - husband did a lot of reading up on this and we went for a van that was within towing limits for our car...which is a Vauxhall Insignia...but we’ll watch how we load it and look at getting it weighed.

I have begun looking into crockery, etc and yes...I will be looking at cheaper prices than those in the caravan accessory shop.

We raised the issue of tyres with the dealer - the tread on ours looks pretty good and the guy who did hand-over with us said if there’d been any doubt they’d have put new ones on.

We had a motor mover added - someone mentioned that this was important...and so we found out when we were manouvering the van onto our drive...which took us ages! I think there is an “isolation” key for the motor mover...but we cannot recall much about it...and any info on that would be appreciated.

And again - huge thanks for your help!

 

[Gralay]

Hi welcome to the forum and touring, I would think the isolation switch for the motor mover would be be in the battery locker, my advise would be to buy the bare essentials and add as you need, but in my opinion every trip when starting to caravan is a learning curve and you will make mistakes as we all have. Enjoy 👍

 

[otherclive]

Check the age of your tyres as most caravanners don’t do sufficient mileage to noticeably wear the tread down. Do not think you can go down to 1.6 mm tread depth unless you do many miles. Caravan tyres spend lengthy periods static, subject to uv, and for modern vans high pressures around 55-60 psi. Age is the key criteria a visual inspection may show very fine cracks in the base of the tread.

 

[StephW]

Thanks again for the advice - we will have a closer look at the tyres.

Isolation point for motor mover is in the battery locker, thx.

I’m pretty sure we’ll make mistakes...just hope they do not lead to any serious disasters and that we learn from them quickly!

 

[otherclive]

Thanks again for the advice - we will have a closer look at the tyres.

Isolation point for motor mover is in the battery locker, thx.

I’m pretty sure we’ll make mistakes...just hope they do not lead to any serious disasters and that we learn from them quickly!

I’m sure that things will be absolutely fine. Just keep asking and reading. 👍

 

[Hutch]

The motor mover isolation key, I have mine tied to a fixed point in the battery box, it is not good to find that you cannot find the key when you need it most.

 

[Raywood]

Welcome too the forum. I would try to operate all the things that work and you might have forgotten the demonstration. If you get really stuck you can ask on here or if you look up the part manufacturers website you can often find the answer.
For hitching towing and the rest there are plenty of good demonstrations on you tube.
If you are stuck once on site just ask as most of us are friendly and happy to help.

 

[Mel]

Welcome to the forum. It is all a bit daunting at the start but just take your time with everything. This is a fun hobby not an Olympic sport. If you have bought a divorce in a bag ( awning) take your time with that as well and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. Fellow caravanners are often keen to assist.
Mel

 

[Keith B]

Welcome to the forum. It is all a bit daunting at the start but just take your time with everything. This is a fun hobby not an Olympic sport. If you have bought a divorce in a bag ( awning) take your time with that as well and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. Fellow caravanners are often keen to assist.
Mel

“Divorce in a bag” tickled me that did....

 

[Hutch]

“Divorce in a bag” tickled me that did....

Beware, it can be so true, Mrs Hutch, does the inside of the van, then gets the drinks ready just as I finish the awning on my own.

 

[Marsh Harrier]

Welcome to the forum....

If you didn't get the 'owners handbook' with the caravan, I'd google it. so very helpful to print off.

yep, it doesn't matter how well they hand over, it is a lot of information to adsorb, so again a visit to youtube, will refresh a lot that was said.

A tip I got from this forum, was taking a small lightweight 3 step, step ladder. Makes life a lot easier when sorting out the awing.

I would also say, that keep all receipts to any item you buy for the caravan, sadly I had my caravan stolen off my drive during lockdown, and they wanted receipts for items in the caravan, if not a price from the internet.. So time consuming....

And yes, often you will find other caravaners will help if you're struggling on site...

I've just come back from my last outing, unfortunately hubby collapsed as we were packing up, and lovely that somebody came to help me look after hubby as we waiting for the paramedics, when hubby needed to go to hospital the site owners were fantastic, don't worry about the caravan etc, anything you need give us a shout. Another caravaner who'd been helping said, just lock the car, caravan and I'll sort your awing and put it in mine for safe keeping, he even offered if needs be to ensure that my caravan was towed home etc.

So yep there is something about camping were if necessary all will pitch in

 

[junglejim]

I have begun looking into crockery, etc and yes...I will be looking at cheaper prices than those in the caravan accessory shop.

I have just updated some of our melamine crockery with the toughened glass pieces from Ikea ,a little heavier but seem nicer than plastic.

 

[otherclive]

I have just updated some of our melamine crockery with the toughened glass pieces from Ikea ,a little heavier but seem nicer than plastic.

We use Corel and the IKEA toughened glass crockery. Bit heavier than melamine but far lighter than traditional crockery. And boy does it bounce well.