Newbie caravanner

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Squishey said:

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Or at least a white socket to power the van fridge, battery, etc.

What you have there is next to useless for a caravan. Just the towbar and rear lights.

Definitely 13 pin:

[rix]

Captain Answer said:

That's a nice van, looks big for a single axle!

You are all mad/brave IMO being out this early - I ain't going till the CH heating is no longer needed at home

Off down to storage tomorrow hopefully to fit the new front window, currently its a ply board blank as it got damaged last year

Yeah really happy with it, I had 2x Adrias in my previous dose of vanning about 10 years ago so it was a natural choice and the layout is great for us - dedicated bedroom with separate shower and toilet then a decent lounge up front. I think the Adrias are a bit more IKEA, a bit less floral and doilies which suits. It's 8.3m overall but that includes a big ol' A frame. Its a little bit longer overall than the twin axel we are parked next to in storage! I never realised that a fair few sites seem to ban twin axels and even our dealer charges more for a service on a twin than a single, so hopefully it's got some benefits. Tows nicely on the motorway etc but does have a bit more of a pendulum effect on bumpy roads, to be expected.

Got the leccy heating going, so nothing too chilly about this experience so far, but will probably avoid forecast heavy rain, or worse - snow!

[Captain Answer]

rix said:

Captain Answer said:

That's a nice van, looks big for a single axle!

You are all mad/brave IMO being out this early - I ain't going till the CH heating is no longer needed at home

Off down to storage tomorrow hopefully to fit the new front window, currently its a ply board blank as it got damaged last year

Yeah really happy with it, I had 2x Adrias in my previous dose of vanning about 10 years ago so it was a natural choice and the layout is great for us - dedicated bedroom with separate shower and toilet then a decent lounge up front. I think the Adrias are a bit more IKEA, a bit less floral and doilies which suits. It's 8.3m overall but that includes a big ol' A frame. Its a little bit longer overall than the twin axel we are parked next to in storage! I never realised that a fair few sites seem to ban twin axels and even our dealer charges more for a service on a twin than a single, so hopefully it's got some benefits. Tows nicely on the motorway etc but does have a bit more of a pendulum effect on bumpy roads, to be expected.

Got the leccy heating going, so nothing too chilly about this experience so far, but will probably avoid forecast heavy rain, or worse - snow!

You are a touch longer than my twin Geist, same layout as me by the sound of it - my dog likes to sleep in the shower room next to our bed

New middle front window is in but one of the seals in its neighbour has gone at the top and run down to the bottom and made a damp bit inside to sort out now - cleaned and patched the existing seal for now and will go investigate what I need to do there next, other little window to the left wasn't far behind so I patched that up for now.

Luckily the front on mine is fibreglass so its not affected the structure, some fun to come working out how to clear out and rebond whatever the sandwich behind there is made of but thats a job for when its a bit warmer, then need to decorate/paint the front panel inside to make it look right

[PurpleTurtle]

Squishey said:

Re. servicing. We tend to be the types to get things serviced on the button - cars, caravans, boilers, etc. I'll speak to the dealer when we get it and see if they offer a mobile service. I know the storage place have an area that mobile mechanics can use for repairs/servicing on site which is handy.

Useful to have. Our old storage place, despite being built from the ground up as a dedicated caravan storage facility with a decent washing area for two vans (very handy) had a strict 'no maintenance on site' policy. That was a tad inconvenient for us, we would have liked a mobile engineer to have just gone and done it when they could fit it in. Worthwhile remembering that places have different policies on this, if/when you should be shopping around for storage places in future.

[Dunclane]

Squishey said:

Tow bar fitted today:



No bar:



I have already sanded the paint off the ball and given it a clean with solvent.

My list of stuff to acquire has gradually gotten shorter and shorter, I've just got my list of stuff to buy from the caravan shop to go.

My pre-departure list is at hand. My anchor cap is ready and waiting. Drawstring jeans are very comfy!

We take delivery on Tuesday next week and our first weekend out is booked for a couple of weeks after. I really can't wait.

Where did you get your towbar fitted? Which one did you go for?

[Squishey]

Dunclane said:

Where did you get your towbar fitted? Which one did you go for?

I had it fitted by a local on-the-drive guy.

It's a Tow Trust vertical detachable tow bar with vehicle specific 13 pin wiring. Cost me £702 inc. VAT.

[Steve Kimberley]

Squishey said:

Dunclane said:

Where did you get your towbar fitted? Which one did you go for?

I had it fitted by a local on-the-drive guy.

It's a Tow Trust vertical detachable tow bar with vehicle specific 13 pin wiring. Cost me £702 inc. VAT.

Good kit. I had the same on my old Toyota. I have a spare detachable ball, free, if you want to pick it up sometime. You never know when you might mislay yours!

[Anastie]

Loads of helpful info already given.

We have been caravaning for 5 years and still learning. I towed for two years but now keep it on a store and stay site.

The YouTube videos that helped me are by Dan Trudgian.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrudgians/videos

I would watch the ones on hitching and unhitching so you are confident when you do it the first time.

We always use an air awning and have two different ones. A small porch awning for colder months and a larger one for the summer. Its just a little easier to manage the smaller one.

Its already been mentioned that you get into a setup routine with your partner and once that's established it makes a huge difference.

We always start the fridge on gas for a few hours as it cools quicker then switch over to electric.

We had an external socket fitted to plug-in from the awning and use a coolbox for the wine and beers as it saves filling the fridge with alcohol where food can go and no I won't take less alcohol

We find the blown air heating in ours noisy at night so we use an electric radiator on low overnight which helps.

I need a good wifi connection when away for many reasons and found using the mobile as a hotspot didn't work well for us. So I use a 4G router with data sim and we can watch all sorts via firestick.

[Captain Answer]

Anastie said:

I need a good wifi connection when away for many reasons and found using the mobile as a hotspot didn't work well for us. So I use a 4G router with data sim and we can watch all sorts via firestick.

What sim do you use? I've got a 4g router I use to use for doing work demos to create a local lan (didn't need a sim to do that as was all local), would be nice to use it in the caravan tho

[stevemcs]

Captain Answer said:

Anastie said:

I need a good wifi connection when away for many reasons and found using the mobile as a hotspot didn't work well for us. So I use a 4G router with data sim and we can watch all sorts via firestick.

What sim do you use? I've got a 4g router I use to use for doing work demos to create a local lan (didn't need a sim to do that as was all local), would be nice to use it in the caravan tho

We use a Three sim, reasonable coverage and cheap to top up.

[geeks]

stevemcs said:

Captain Answer said:

Anastie said:

I need a good wifi connection when away for many reasons and found using the mobile as a hotspot didn't work well for us. So I use a 4G router with data sim and we can watch all sorts via firestick.

What sim do you use? I've got a 4g router I use to use for doing work demos to create a local lan (didn't need a sim to do that as was all local), would be nice to use it in the caravan tho

We use a Three sim, reasonable coverage and cheap to top up.

I carry two sims one EE and one 3 and then use whichever has the better speed

[Captain Answer]

geeks said:

stevemcs said:

Captain Answer said:

Anastie said:

I need a good wifi connection when away for many reasons and found using the mobile as a hotspot didn't work well for us. So I use a 4G router with data sim and we can watch all sorts via firestick.

What sim do you use? I've got a 4g router I use to use for doing work demos to create a local lan (didn't need a sim to do that as was all local), would be nice to use it in the caravan tho

We use a Three sim, reasonable coverage and cheap to top up.

I carry two sims one EE and one 3 and then use whichever has the better speed

Thanks both... I've ordered a 3 and a giffgaff payg so will see how it goes

[chopper602]

md. said:

currently on our second outing to Whitewater in Stockton on Tees but with my parents who have been doing it for 10plus years

I can see that site from my office window - It's never appealed to me, maybe it's just too close to home

[Anastie]

Captain Answer said:

What sim do you use? I've got a 4g router I use to use for doing work demos to create a local lan (didn't need a sim to do that as was all local), would be nice to use it in the caravan tho

I have a Giff Gaff sim as it runs on o2 that gives a better signal on site. IK tried a 3 Sim before but poor signal. I've just bought an external Omnidirectional antenna so keen to try that out in a couple of weeks.

[md.]

chopper602 said:

I can see that site from my office window - It's never appealed to me, maybe it's just too close to home

It's an hours drive (towing) from the storage in Consett so was ideal for our first 2 trips to make sure all was well. Can't fault the site facilities and games room is a bonus!
Need a change for next trip though so it's Old Hartley end of March.

[TarquinMX5]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

You could do your own nose weight gauge. Presumably you have a bathroom scales? Short length of stick, from level van to the ground or just shorter. Load van, stick in ball cup, and on scales.

As others have said, anything heavy (awning for example) put in rhe centre of the van on the floor over the axle. Aquarolls we keep in the loo. Empty of course.

This: too many people have't a clue about noseweights, either why it's important or what theirs is. It's not rocket science and you don't need expensive kit.

Unfortunately, where I live we have numerous narrow lanes in an area where caravanners (and motorhomers) like to visit and some of them are a bl**dy nuisance because they seem to lose all common sense when on holiday; they drive down obviously inappropriate roads (no doubt following sat nav) and get stuck, can't reverse, tip their vans over on dual carriageways etc..

Therefore, I'd reiterate the advice about closely monitoring tyres, primarily sidewall condition (I wouldn't use 10-year old tyres), pressures etc (a twin-axle has a built-in safety margin), practise reversing the outfit somewhere, make sure the brake is 'off' before driving (I had a basic checklist, ie roof vents shut, tyres, wheelnuts, items secure internally, gas off, check lights etc etc), only takes 5-mins but might save hassle later.

If not already mentioned in the thread, a small spirit-level for levelling and a torch.

Enjoy your travels, and as you're on PH and have taken the trouble to ask, you'll clearly be a considerate and safe caravanner who won't annoy the 'locals'

[Squishey]

What a complete and utter faff this has turned out to be!

We paid for the 'van on Tuesday and had it delivered to the storage site. Great, job jobbed. However, after getting home my wife rang the insurance company to incept the policy where we found out that the underwriter had changed their mind and wouldn't insure it whilst at that storage site. Bugger! So my wife hastily rang a few local sites and, fortunately, found one which was previously fully booked. The underwriter likes this one so we took the slot. The added bonuses being it's much closer to home (a 10 minute drive rather than a 30) and the quote was £20 cheaper! Bingo!

This meant that the following morning I had to move the caravan. I'd never towed a caravan before. I'd never hitched a caravan before. With the snow falling I eventually, successfully, attached the caravan to the car and then embarked on the Krypton Factor-esque challenge of putting together and attaching the towing mirrors. After much (probably unnecessary) faffing and fumbling with frozen digits they were on. I couldn't see sod all through them but, as far as a glancing police officer would be concerned, legal(ish). Oh, number plate. That was propped up in the rear bathroom window as I didn't have any sticky pads.

Then I towed it to the new storage place. The towing bit was the easy bit! Dual carriageway practically all the way there. It was a bit windy but the car and caravan felt very stable. Fuel economy wasn't great at <20MPG but meh.

I arrived at the new storage place which is also a registered Caravan Club site and it's much more pleasant than the original place. It's on a farm. The guys that run it all are very personable and helpful, they gave me some good advice on what accessories and odds 'n sods to bother with and also about what to do when storing the 'van. Apparently, putting tumble dryer sheets in the storage compartments and under the beds, seats, etc. will keep mice away because "they fking hate 'em"! I had to reverse the thing on to the pitch. I'd never reversed a caravan before. It turns out that, on this occasion, I'm "a fking natural". I'm not confident that I will be next time.

Anyway, after much messing around and a bit of stress everything is good with the new caravan. We'll go up there at the weekend to give it a good clean and suss out how the bed works and to load it up with the bedding, towels and other paraphernalia. Roll on 24th March for our first night away.

Editted to add obligatory pictures. This is at the original storage site:

Steve Kimberley said:

Good kit. I had the same on my old Toyota. I have a spare detachable ball, free, if you want to pick it up sometime. You never know when you might mislay yours!

That's very generous, thanks very much. Where abouts are you?

Edited by Squishey on Thursday 9th March 19:04

[stevemcs]

Now the fun starts, you will learn and buy things all the time.

Wheres your first night ? Oh and you will need a bigger car .....

[LandieMark]

I'm lucky enough to have the space to keep mine on the mains hookup at home.

I only spent £4k or so on my van, but bought about £1k of extra kit.

[Squishey]

stevemcs said:

Now the fun starts, you will learn and buy things all the time.

Wheres your first night ? Oh and you will need a bigger car .....

First night is in Great Yarmouth, it's just over an hour up the road.

Why do I need a bigger car? It's rated braked capacity it 2000kgs and the 'van weighs 1500kgs. It has plenty of power.

Edited by Squishey on Thursday 9th March 20:06