Whats it all going to cost?

[cat695]

Hello to the guys/gals I haven't met yet (I'm a newbie and you can find my Intro in the newbie section)

I just thought I would pick all your brains on how much I should budget for accessories, as a newbie to vanning I will probably be buying my van from a dealer for piece of mine but as with car dealers all the accessories will either be stripped off or not sold as part of the van.

So what basics would you need to enjoy a short weekend away (to break ourselves in) I'm not talking cups etc I'm talking more about kit for the van such as water carrier/gas bottle etc

Any help would be much appreciated

 

[RickStevens]

Blimey, that for me is a bit of a how longs a piece of string question. It really depends on you really. We are now reaching our 1st anniversary of buying our first caravan, and we're still finding things to buy.

It really depends on the type of break your looking at. Are you going to be out and about all of the time, or will you be spending most of your time at the van?

I would say at a minimum you will need:
Fresh Water carrier
Waste water holder and waste water pipes
Gas bottle
Electric hookup cable
Battery for the caravan
Some chairs to sit outside the van.
Toilet chemicals
Bottle of wine
Hitchlock
Wheelclamp
Kettle

Bear in mind this is just my personal opinion, how much you buy depends on how you intend to spend your time in the van. I sometimes wonder how we manage to fit everything in.

We decided quite early on to buy things that we would normally use, to leave permanently at the caravan, that way we werent loading and unloading all of the time (makes for a quicker getaway). Now all we take to the van when we go away is fresh food, clothes and either the porch awning if its a short break, or our full awning if we're going away for a bit longer.

Rick

Rick

 

[Ancientcaravanner]

Rick's list is about right. If you have youngsters then I would add an awning - plus of course several more bottles of wine and don't forget the corkscrew!

 

[forestgump]

have a look on e bay or your local pappers some people sell up and sell the lot for a price.

 

[John_374564913]

I think that this falls into two catagories
MUST HAVE and WISH LIST

lets start with the must have
1. Electric hook up cable
2. Fresh Water supply bottle with all necessary connections (including tap filler) Preferably with wheels
3 Waste water bottle with all necessary waste pipes (Preferably with wheels)
4. Gas Bottle with correct fittings
5. 12v Battery
6. Gas kettle for coffee (plus other utensils)
7. Fluids for Chemical Toilet
8. Bedding (linen)
9. Hitch lock
10. Wheel Lock
11. Smoke alarm
WISH LIST
1. Awning
2 Flooring for awning
3 Chairs & Tables
4. Cooking Equipment ( BBQ or Similar)
5 Lighting for the awning
6 Electric Extension cables
7. Mains water connection
8. Mains drainage connection
9. Electric drill for stabilizers
10. Television
11. Sat dish for sattelite
12 Alarm For caravan (theft)
13. Caravan Levellers
14. fold up Bike
15 Caravan Cover
The list is endless for the MUST HAVE I would imagine the cost would be around £500 plus mark if you go for the wish list you are running into the thousands and if we are realistic not much change from 4 or 5.
therefore the wish list is something many people build up over the years.
However whatever it cost's if caravanning is for you then its worth every penny as the enjoyment is priceless

John

 

[cat695]

Guys thank you very much for the replys

Its good to see a MUST HAVE list (thank you Rick and John) as I would kick myself if I pitched up somewhere only to find I had forgotten something pretty Important (and then have to pay a premium for it last minute).

As you said Forrest gump I have been looking on ebay/adtrader etc to see if I can get some deals.

And John being a man who loves gadgets I think my WISH LIST is growing bigger than Ben Hur....I must control the urges!

 

[John_374564913]

Sounds as if you are a man after my own heart Gadgets are my weak point and the internet shopping is dangerous for people like us so air caution.

I purchase something then later go back for the bag to store it in that's how bad its getting

Regards

John

 

[TD42]

Guys thank you very much for the replys

Its good to see a MUST HAVE list (thank you Rick and John) as I would kick myself if I pitched up somewhere only to find I had forgotten something pretty Important (and then have to pay a premium for it last minute).

As you said Forrest gump I have been looking on ebay/adtrader etc to see if I can get some deals.
And John being a man who loves gadgets I think my WISH LIST is growing bigger than Ben Hur....I must control the urges!

Trouble with wish list buying is you often end up with more weight than you caravan can legally carryTake note of the weight of stuff you are putting into the caravan inc gas bottles & battery be sure you do not exceed the MTPLM (very easy to do so)

 

[cat695]

Just thought I would let you guys know that today I bought a van (woohoo) and got all the basics thrown in for free with the van....after much haggling but saved myself about 400 quid.

 

[John_374564913]

Good one thanks for letting us know, by the way from my list of must have I forgot to add towing mirrors this is a legal requirment so should be on the must have list

john

 

[cat695]

John
Yes got them thrown in to (though would be a little daft if a dealer didn't throw these in seeing as its law)

So again I thank you guys for the help