How to caravan without upper body strength

We only fill our water container once from the site tap that is on arrival,,,and also fill a watering can to top it up ,and then always top it up with the watering can , that we take, ,when visiting the service point dustbins or to empty waste

As for awnings we have a wind out Thule canopy fitted to our caravan the same as many motor caravans and PVCs

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We had an awning once. 

Agree David. It all comes with practice.

 

And don't forget CatBell, when you finish you can sit back and admire youR work having a glass of wine.

When using a drill for the corner steadies, make sure you have the torque set to around 15 - you then won't get a kickback when the steady reaches the ground.

Awnings - bin it and get a Fiamma canopy on the lines of motorhomes. I got to the stage of dreading the awning "put up" take down". The canopy rolls out, lower the built in legs, two pegs job done. It slots into the awning rail, and stays there permanently.

Waster water and aqua roll - use service pitches whenever available.

Its OK peeps on here decrying the use of service pitches, but they serve a purpose for people with bad backs, age creeping on etc. There is no need to wear a hair shirt when caravanning, unless you like making things difficult for yourself.

I was on the point  of giving it up, but the methods above have extended my caravanning by years.

Far more attractive to the other sex than Brut, well the other sex with similar interests possibly!🤣

You might consider buying some aluminium tube to temporarily extend levers such as your handbrake and that nemesis, the hitch stabiliser. Manual motor mover engagement is another daemon, Search on line for a metal supplier such as ‘metals4U’ then brace yourself for the delivery cost.

If using a drill to wind Corner steadies, set the screw driving torque adjustment to mid way, because full torque can be quite powerful. We are air awning fans, but they are a real no no if you can’t handle their weight. Self engaging motor movers beat manual for convenience and take zero muscle power. When the day comes that you’ve over extended the jockey wheel, so that it’s internal thread falls apart, support the van’s nose via a corner steady, while you rejoin the two parts. Please, nobody rush to post that the steady isn’t strong enough - it is.

Most of all, remember that brains beat brawn. Think how can I do this without straining my body.

As mentioned above, the biggest result would be bin the awning idea. A Caravanstore/bag awning is great, but a wind out an even better idea. Use a slide in front for sun protection or solid panel to keep the rain out. 

Auto motor mover instead of a wind on. 

We use a bucket for waste water. Yes you have to lift it but we think easier than a waste water container. 

If a serviced pitch is unavailable would an onboard tank be preferable to an aquaroll. As owners of a continental van this is all we have ever used.

 

Colin

An awning is a huge lump of dead weight whatever style it is, even with any removable panels taken out. Draging it up through the channel can be eased a bit by first piling it up on the ground beside the channel in reverse order, such that the cord for the channel will always be on top as it threads through. 

The real struggle-saver is to get it up off the ground as high as possible. Some caravans are built with an opening in the awning chanel at the top corner. If not, it is easy to open up about an inch and a half using push-bike tyre levers.  A stand-alone table then gets the bulk of the weight up off the ground, and even a chair on top of the table gets it even further. One is then only having to pull the awing along, not lift weight as well.

To make pulling along easier punch three neat holes into the last bit of the plastic tape that protrudes beyoud the canvas and thread about three feet of strong cord back and forward through the holes and knot it off. There is then something to get a grip on to pull along.

Catbell

           I am well into my Octogenarian years and the only thing I find heavy is the site costs, have you thought of Gym membership and weight training