We need your 'Top Touring Tips'

[spardoe]

Hello all,

Do you have a great idea or tip you'd like to share with us?

We need to stock up on our 'Top Tips' for the coming year so thought I'd ask you all as I know there are plenty of you on here that are bursting with great ideas and advice.

So don't be shy! We pay £10 for all 'Top Tips' published in the mag so get your thinking caps on and earn an easy tenner.

If you do have a tip you'd like to share then please email them to me at stacie@practicalcaravan.com and please if possible also include a photo.

Look forward to hearing your ideas.

Thanks, Stacie

 

[RayS]

Hello Stacie, here's a few to be going on with:
Ice tray dividers. Ice trays tend to nest into one andother and freeze together. Get some food quality choppong sheets (plastic0 from Lakeland etc. and cut them a lttle arger than the tray. Place one on top of tray before standing second tray on top of it. Comes out easily even if freezer compartment is a bit iced-up.

Tables in awnings. The traditional caravan table with folding legs is often used in awning where the ground is not levl and or may be wet. Screw a rubber doorstop under each end of each leg which will raise the square section bar off the ground and give ground contact in only four points instead of along the length of the feet. Drill small hole and use suitable sized SS self tap secre. This will also give slightly more knee room when table is used in caravan.

Toilet fluid dispensers. Using the manufacturers bottles to dispense tolit fluid and rinse aid on site often results in drops getting blown about in the wind with subsequent staining. Take empty plastic bottles which have containted hand wash gell etc. 'Calibrate' by adding successive shots of 120 cc of water and draw a line round the outside of the bottle with black indelible felt tip. (If very fussy, put cap on and invert bottle before drawing lines, as this will allow for head space when in use).
Fill bottle with blue or pink. To use just flip back the cap, put the nozzle down into the pipe of the cassette and squeeze gently until level falls to next line.
End of the 'blue thumb' symdrome.

Zip pullers. Screw a reasonable size cup hook into the end of a length of dowel rod - say about a foot. Use this to hook into the sip pulls on the awning. Make two or three and levee them in place on the zips used most often. (Believe thise are available commercially but easy and chepa to make and you will be surprised how much easier the job becomes, particularly for the high zips.) Do check the end of the cup hook actually fits into the hole on the zip - these may be smaller than you think.

Awning rafters for Caravanstore and similar awnings. The supplied rafters are fine and well made but rely on you having enough grip to lock one part of the tube into the other by turning - not to easy if your wrists are not what they used to be.
Alternative rafters can be made easily from washing line poles from most street markets - pair £1.99 each for mine.
Saw off the nylon hook at one end leaving a snice square end. Drill down into this a pilot hole about 3 mm diameter. Instert and push home a glavanised nail. Get a good contact - say at least an inch, then cut off the head leaving about one inch protruding. File the cut edge to avoid burrs and snagging. On the other end either just wrap round with insulating tape to increase the diameter of the pole to fit the sockets built into the Caravanstore just under the awning rail, or fit a rubber foot meanst for awning poles from W4 and others.
Then you can fit the rafter rail into the holes already provided , tension it a little and tighten the nylon thumbscrew originally desigend to control the hieght of washing line from ground.
Since the washing props are a bit smaller in diameter than the 'proper' poles, fit a langth of 15mm copper pipe insulation to each - decorate to taste !

Hope you like 'em - all tried and tested over several seasons.

 

[Steve L]

Hi Stacie.
Here's my top tips that have kept me fulltime caravaning for the last three and a half years.

1/ Keep a sense of humor, don't get annoyed at problems. Instead, think about how you can stop it reoccurring.

2/ Battery drill and a 19mm socket extention for winding down steady legs.

3/ Four 10 inch X 2 inch thick X 18 inches long floor joist off cuts. Put these under your steady pads and the van will stay stable for weeks at a time. No more joggling inside the van when the kids jump around.

4/ Corkscrew doggy lead tie downs I got 5 at £1 each, to use for awning storm straps and I put 1 at each the awning pole uprights. Then using £1 ratchet straps at the roof line of the upright poles, I connected the strap to that and the cork screw. Screwing them into soil or gravel is much easier than hammering pegs, and taking them out is easier still.

5/ At each end of your storm strap twist it round 6 times like winding a rubber band aeroplane. Then shake it to spread the twists along between the end and the ridge of the awning. Now connect to the ground peg. This stops wind vibration on the awning strap making a buzzing noise.

6/ I use a 18 inch long handle paint roller handle frame minus the roller to stretch to undo and do up the awning zips. The rod is thin enough to go through the zip tag. It also doubles as an extended hand to pick up poles off the floor. great tool if you've got a bad back. And only a pound again!

7/ For winter caravanning. Use a puffa jacket or ski jacket bought for a fiver via charity shops. Put it around your aquaroll and feed the water pump through the sleeve for insulation from frost. It's worked down to -10c for me.

There's a few to go on with. There are loads more that I could put down, but I'll give our fellow caravanners a chance to share their tips too.

ATB Steve L.

 

[spardoe]

Hi Steve,
Thank-you very much for these, I knew you lot would be the people to ask! I particularly like the puffa jacket idea around the aquaroll, genius!
I know they are not things you would generally take a photo of but would you happen to have any images of your tips? If not would it be possible to take a couple when next on your travels. If you then email them to me stacie@practicalcaravan.com I will keep them on file and drop you a line as and when they're used so we can arrange payment.

Thanks again, Stacie

 

[Surfer]

Good idea, but hopefully it will not be like a list of Top tips that was published a few years ago as some of the tips were plain ludricious and caused great mirth on this forum.

 

[Parksy]

Hi SurferThat's what I like about you, always positive and optimistic, full of sunshine in your soul and always ready to offer an encouraging word

Stacie asked for tips not criticism so if you have any caravanning tips let's have them

 

[TonyG]

Hi Surfer
That's what I like about you, always positive and optimistic, full of sunshine in your soul and always ready to offer an encouraging word

Stacie asked for tips not criticism so if you have any caravanning tips let's have them

LOL

 

[Steve L]

Hi Stacie & Parkesy & Tony.
Broad shoulders and all that

.

I got some of my tips to survival in adversity many years ago when I was trained as a sabre soldier. nower days I fight the rat race and not the jungle

We're in the middle of moving into a bungalow at present, but as soon as we're settled I'll post those photo's to you Stacie. The van is all set for winter now so all I've got to do is my David Bailey bit.

See! Tip number one, always works

 

[Surfer]

Considering it was this forum that mocked previous top tips in depth I was just advising to avoid a repeat of stupid and ridiculous ones.
A TOP tip is to completely unwind the electric cable on your electric reel when it is connected up on a bollard. This applies to any electrical reel of cable that is hooked up to any appliance in use, i.e. lawnmower etc. Recently two deaths were reported because a cable reel was not unwound off the reel.

 

[emmerson]

All good stuff on this thread, but here's a little one we've used for years; put a large key ring on all your zip tags. This makes it much easier for athritic fingers to pull them, and easier to use some of the ingenious awning pullers too.

 

[Shirker]

Considering it was this forum that mocked previous top tips in depth I was just advising to avoid a repeat of stupid and ridiculous ones.
A TOP tip is to completely unwind the electric cable on your electric reel when it is connected up on a bollard. This applies to any electrical reel of cable that is hooked up to any appliance in use, i.e. lawnmower etc. Recently two deaths were reported because a cable reel was not unwound off the reel.

How - what killed them? Cables overheat and can short or even catch fire if used coiled up with a lot of juice being pulled through them - was it that? Do you have a reference for that - its something I often see at work so a reference would be useful. For our caravan I have a cable with built-in thermostatic cut-out and RCD so it can be used coiled and if it starts to overheat it cuts the power but we have several people at work who are always using standard cables still coiled up.
Great puffa-jacket tip - that one is genius 🙂

 

[spardoe]

Tip number one is a must!

Good luck with the move Steve, and I look forward to seeing shots of your aquaroll in action shots when you get the chance.

Thanks
Stacie

 

[Surfer]

Considering it was this forum that mocked previous top tips in depth I was just advising to avoid a repeat of stupid and ridiculous ones.
A TOP tip is to completely unwind the electric cable on your electric reel when it is connected up on a bollard. This applies to any electrical reel of cable that is hooked up to any appliance in use, i.e. lawnmower etc. Recently two deaths were reported because a cable reel was not unwound off the reel.

How - what killed them? Cables overheat and can short or even catch fire if used coiled up with a lot of juice being pulled through them - was it that? Do you have a reference for that - its something I often see at work so a reference would be useful. For our caravan I have a cable with built-in thermostatic cut-out and RCD so it can be used coiled and if it starts to overheat it cuts the power but we have several people at work who are always using standard cables still coiled up.
Great puffa-jacket tip - that one is genius 🙂

That is what the coroner established after investigation. They were actually overcome by fumes as the smoke alarm had the battery removed (Another good tip). The reel was coiled up in the awning and the heat generated by the coil which then actually becomes an induction coil caused the fire. Any electrician would know this. The coil cannot dissapate heat and gets hotter as time goes by especially if there is a fan heater on in the caravan.
See here for more info. This is the report from the inquest.

 

[Shirker]

Cheers Surfer - that's my argument at work of "get cables with thermo-cut out or uncoil them fully" sorted. 🙂 I've printed it as PDF and sent it off to all and sundry.

 

[Dustydog]

Steve in Leo
You're slipping in age and with your bad back.

Two most important things here.
1, If there is a fire. GET OUT!!
2. Carry a decent fire extinguisher. Life comes before the caravan.

 

[Surfer]

Would a trolly for your loo cassette be considered a top tip especially if you are elderly or have a disability?
Or a small step ladder if you have a large awning?
To save on gas buy a George Foreman grill. Also saves you putting on weight!
Instead of spending £20 plus on a melamine set, buy seperate plates from a supermarket as they are only about £1 each. How often have you used the side plates or mugs you got with the melamine set?
Always carry some pieces of wood with you that you can use under the steadies or under a disposable BBQ
One of those spiky green mats from Lidl's to clean the mud off your shoes before entering the caravan
Perhaps a couple pieces of planks to make up a leveller

 

[Willi-Wonti]

Steve in Leo
You're slipping in age and with your bad back.

Two most important things here.
1, If there is a fire. GET OUT!!
2. Carry a decent fire extinguisher. Life comes before the caravan.

We have had this conversation on here before
Most people faced with a fire would have an adrenalin rush & not think clearly
We recommend GET OUT, STAY OUT, GET THE BRIGADE OUT.
If you have time remove the gas cylinders & disconnect the mains electricity.
As for using a dry powder extinguisher, you want to see the mess that is left after using one. You will NEVER get rid of the mess
I cant answer for every one but my van is insured & can be replaced. Life can not