New caravan, novice caravanners - now what?

If you have bought it from a dealer they may well give you a starter kit to get you going ,,it costs nothing to ask 

A decent leisure battery, hook up cable, toilet fluids, wine rack. Enjoy your new adventures and try to make good use of the cl sites. 

It may not come with a battery, the type and size you require will depend on the compartment size and how you intend to use the caravan, mainly connected to a 240 volt electricity supply or off grid. You usually get an orange electric cable, if not you will require a 25 metre one. Also essential is a length of waste tubing to direct the waste into your container, a metre or so should do. If you intend to use a TV, many CAMC site have an aerial socket on the bollard where signal strength is poor. You can either make up your own 25 metre lead, or they are often available to buy from the warden. 
For your gas bottles you will require the appropriate pigtail to connect to the bulkhead regulator. If buying from a dealer, they usually supply and ask wether you require a propane or butane type.

If you have no experience the most important thing you will need is to know how to load it, check and prepare it before you use it, distribution of the load and nose weight are the most important things to be aware of, also how to tow its not just a case of hitching up and off you go you need to be aware of what to do in different different driving circumstances, read all you can about towing and go on a caravan towing course as soon as you can they are worth every penny, sorry if this sounds like a lecture but it will make all the difference to your future enjoyment, you won't look back enjoy.

Hi, Is it a “new” van or new to you? If new then assume from a dealer and should come with step & EHU cable but best to have the conversation before you pick up.

Most canners will have loads of stuff that seemed essential but now never used so stick to what you know you will need.
Our van is in storage so it’s ready to go, with all crockery, pots, pans, glassware etc etc,with no ferrying of stuff from the house other than clothes and food.

One tip we would strongly suggest is a couple of nights as close to the dealer, if that’s what you are doing, to sort any issues that arise or just to ask those inevitable questions.

If towing is new to you then practising manoeuvring is a good idea, so best to find a nice open space to do that.

Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know, so asking questions is all part of learning about new things.

Hope all goes well!

 

You should at least get a discount on the items you buy from them 

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I'm usually reluctant to use my caravan's mover but it got me off the drive the other day when I got my caravan "stuck" on my drive. That's where I confirmed that the far wouldn't pull the caravan while it was still engaged  🙄

One tip I would give you - which I regard as the most important when hitching up is - after the hitch has clicked into place on the towball - wind the jockey wheel down and make sure that it lifts the car without the hitch springing off.  It's very easy to assume that it's locked in place only to find that the van detaches itself a few yards down the road with disastrous consequences. I have had the odd occasion when, although I thought the hitch had locked on - winding it up in the way I've suggested resulted in the hitch springing off.

The dealer ought to point this out to you when you pick up the van - but not all are that conscientious.

I also know of a certain dealer who has damaged two caravans by not doing what I've suggested

When we bought our last van - new - and with no trade-in - we got aquaroll, wastemaster, battery etc etc thrown in as part of the deal although the market has changed since then but it's worth asking.  We also got a discount card which lasted for a year and saved us quite a bit on accessories in their shop.

Pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, kettle, utensils for cooking, bed linen, towels, toiletries, outdoor chairs and table.   Don't buy loads of stuff until you get the feel for how you do things in the van.  Anything else you can buy as you go along.  Depending on where it's been stored before you pick it up and for future use - caravan specific cleaning products.