Must have's and unnecessary purchases for new caravanners!!

[eatonl]

Hi, we have just ordered a new Bailey Pegasus GT65 Ancona which will be delivered in about 4 weeks. We are complete novices to caravanning and there seems a never ending list of possible things to buy. We have sorted storage, insurance and a Towbar but has anyone got any advice and words of wisdom for us about sorting out what we REALLY need and generally anything that will help us in the early days of our new adventure...............

Thanks in advance
Lisa

 

[Mel]

You can get lots of what you want in terms of plates, cups, pans etc from places like Wilkinson. The same stuff in "Caravan Accessory" shops is much more expensive.
You will need Toilet chemicals, Aquaroll, wastemaster, leisure battery, hitchlock, wheelclamp (if van doesn't come with one) levelling blocks. An awning is useful and then you will need a mallet/hammer, pegs and a groundsheet.
However the most crucial piece of kit is of course the corkscrew.
Have fun
mel

 

[Gagakev]

You really need to make sure you have the other half with you

Us men get landed with all the mineal chores, emptying the cassette, fetching the water, and paying for the drinks in the bar

On a serious note take with you various sizes of bits of wood to put under the steadies when on uneven pitches.
EHU cable
Various lengths of waste pipe with a joiner(s)

Edit; sorry Mels already mentioned leveling blocks.

 

[Sproket]

A good quality nose weight gauge.
Have a read of this
As it's very informative, more so if you are new to the hobby

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Not all of us caravanners do this relating to weight you carry ,we use melamine plates and dishes but as was mentioned go look in wilkinsons where the word Caravan doesnt get mentioned. I would also tackle your dealer if this is your first time caravan and get him to throw in Battery, hook up cable ,steps. and an awning. This should be satandard practice from a dealer.Oh and an aquarol, as I have said a good dealer will give you these anyway ,
Good Luck and welcome to the wonderful world of caravanning any problems ask away.
Sir Roger FFS

 

[Parksy]

It's usually possible to persuade a dealer to reduce the selling price of a caravan and / or include some accessories as part of the deal, especially when there is no part exchange to trade with but it looks as though the deal has already been struck by Lisa, so it might be a bit late to haggle now. No harm in trying though

Must Haves:
There should be an ehu ( electric hook up) cable with the caravan when you collect it Lisa, as well as a step (of sorts) and a waste water container. Ask about these during the handover.
You will definitely need a leisure battery, if you are planning to fit a motor mover (helpful if you have trouble reversing the caravan) then choose a 110 amp/ hour battery which will cost between £80 - £120 depending on which one you buy.
If you can persuade the dealer to give you a battery ( unlikely) so much the better.
Some caravanners use melamine lightweight crockery, some like us prefer normal crockery but we don't carry a 6 setting dinner servive, just a couple of everything plus knives and forks from Wilkinsons or Argos.
You are always in with a chance of persuading the dealer to part with an awning, if you don't ask you won't get.
If you use an awning you will need at least a breathable ground sheet, I should imagine that you will be familiar with these from your tenting days. A camping table and lightweight chairs would be handy for your awning too.
A wind up LED torch comes in useful for walking back from the pub in the dark, and a led lantern is good if you enjoy sitting outdoors when the light has faded, although the caravan will have an awning light anyway.
We use plastic boxes from the pound shop if we take tins, bottles etc with us, we put them on the floor over the axle in transit which minimises the risk of heavier items falling out of your overhead lockers and ruining your worktops as you begin to set up after a journey.
As Sir Roger mentioned, always look for your caravan stuff in supermarkets (especially crockery towels and bedding), Wilinsons, Argos (flat screen tv with freeview) before buying from dealers accessory shops because anything with the word 'caravan' written on it attracts a huge mark up for the retailer. Aldi and Lidl often sell caravan related goods at affordable prices too.
Save a list of things that you need to pack on your computer and print a copy whenever you go away. It won't prevent you from forgetting things but you can have fun compiling it and blaming your other half for forgetting to remind you to check the list.

 

[johnandrew70]

You all forgot the most important things, the telly and beer/wine

 

[chrisbee1]

Forget the telly, that comes under the "unnecessary" heading. Get a scrabble set and when you're tired of that you can relearn the art of conversation.

 

[ww2nut]

Join the caravan club then join a local area centre like (south wales centre) its cheaper than commercial sites, your kids will be safer, you will make life long good freinds, you will get away more often becasue it costs less. and the centres are full pf very helpfull people who are only too happy to spend the day taking your fridge apart to service it lol or indeed replace a clutch on your car....ON THE RALLY FIELD! all true
much better than paying over £20 a night to put up with noisy neighbours and late night parties on most commercial sites
good luck

 

[eatonl]

Thanks everyone, some great advice again!! Yes the deal has already been done and we opted for a good discount rather than the dealers starter pack as it was worth more to us long term. One other thing we were wondering is it neccesary to buy a specific camping kettle and toaster or will household ones do? I want to buy the right thing but don't want to pay a rookie premium on everything!!

 

[Parksy]

You will need to buy a low wattage kettle Lisa, there's a selection Here
Supermarkets, Argos etc sell low wattage toasters and kettles although we use the grill of the cooker if we have toast. It's always worth buying a cheapo gas hob whistling kettle from the market in case the electric trips and you have to wait to get it re-set or in case you go on rallies off ehu.
Top Tip:
If you are using the kettle or electric heating it's usually best not to use the microwave oven at the same time.
Don't forget that your fridge, tv and water heater could also be drawing power at the same time and a microwave oven draws a considerable amount of power on startup which could trip the site ehu box.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

OH and get a Dog!!, if you dont have one borrow one for the first trip out, that way you will have a good excuse to walk round all the other vans and see what you haven't got yet!!! but don't forget the dog food!
only joking, Lisa!! it's been a long day

but seriously Parksy's idea of a list is a good one, but start it now before you get the van write down all things you require and must have while living at home, everything from duvet to tin opener, because when you go away in the van it is Home,
the essentials for the van are pretty much standard, if you think about it, all the things that make it work and useable so EHU, containers for water and waste, toilet fluids, step, battery, and gas bottle and thats pretty much it, all the rest is for personal use hence the list.
and one other thing dont assume that the other half has packed something double check every item, not like we did

first time out in the new van, definitly got everything yes!! got to site set up, made tea, had a nice walk, time for bed!! wheres the bedding ooops.
it was a very interesting first night in our new van,

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Lisa I have to say when we go away we tend to be a bit lazy,if we wake up early in the morning we tend to laze around like put the telly on , put the kettle on and if it is cold like it was at Easter put the heating on and oops there goes the trip at the post.
Parksy has quite rightly mentioned a low wattage kettle, good Idea but what we did was buy a kettle to put on the gas £6 from Aldi.Things like this you will come across but there is always an easy answer and of course we are here to help.Dont be afraid to post a question you feel is silly because that will be the one that is important. Good luck .
Sir Roger FFS

 

[mealsonwheels]

Lisa, make sure you take a spirit level to use when you arrive on site and before you unhook from the towcar. If the van is sloping, you can place a levelling ramp in front of whichever wheel and slowly pull the van on to it until you're level (you may have to put a chock in too) before unhitching. Milenco do some very good levelling ramps and chocks. Always keep them handy to reach - in the front locker, if you have room and by levelling the caravan, you will find that water from the sinks and shower will drain away readily.
Some wooden squares, to place under each corner steady as you wind them down, will be useful to stop the steady sinking into the ground. They do sell plastic ones (one manufacturer calls them 'Big Foot') that permanently attach to each corner steady, but to keep costs down, wooden squares that you make yourself are cheap and quite adequate and last a fair while if you treat them with preservative.
Do get yourselves a gas kettle. Especially to use early and late in the season when mornings and evenings are cold. It's amazing just how putting the kettle on helps warm the van up. An electric one is fine when the weather is hot and you're trying to keep the heat down in the van!
A little tip that you may find useful if you have an Omnivent. They either suck air out or blow air in and sometimes you stand under it and wonder if you've turned the switch the right way. To find out if it's sucking or blowing, just hold a sheet of kitchen paper over it and if it's sucking air out it will suck your piece of paper to it. Simples!

 

[RobKnapp2]

..Good quality towing mirrors. I bought a cheap set first time round and they were not ideal. Ask the dealer/shop if they will attach the ones you pick to your car and let you drive it before you buy to see how much they vibrate - I find that if it vibrates too much then it is next to useless!
Note though, without the van I belive that going on-road with extension mirrors is not permissable, (please dont take my word for it though, please check the legality) so car park would porobably be better! I find that I could tell just by pulling away with lower than usual revs or nearly labouring the engine...

 

[TD42]

& on the subject of levelling,under no circumstances try to level the van by using the steady legs, as they are only attached to the wooden floor.& could be forced up through it. Also never use the chassis of the van as a jacking point always under the axle or use a dedicated caravan jack with dedicated jacking points