8 tips for packing your caravan

21 August, 2017

If you’re going on holiday with your caravan, you’ll want to take full advantage of the permitted load capacity. If you drive with an overloaded caravan, it’s not safe, and you risk getting a fine. An additional advantage of travelling light is that you’ll save fuel. So, here are eight useful tips to save weight when packing your caravan…

Every little helps

Not all the tips we’ve compiled for you give the same amount of weight saving. Leaving with your water tank half-empty will make a difference of tens of kilos, while packing lighter dishes will only save you a few kilos. However, even if you choose tips that will only save a little weight, you’ll notice a difference. Not just in weight, but also in space.

1. Spare tyre

If you’ve got enough space in your boot, we recommend transporting your caravan’s spare tyre in it. This will make your car heavier, which will improve the balance between your car and your caravan. For those of you who are more technically inclined, it is also an option to leave your spare tyre at home, and bring a comprehensive repair kit with you instead. At your own risk, of course.

2. Water

Many campers fill the water tank and the cistern completely before they leave home, but do you really need all that water on your way to the campsite? You can get clean and fresh water at virtually all campsites these days. By filling the tank a little less before you set off, you can save yourself a lot of weight while on the road.

3. Gas

Experienced campers often know more or less how much gas they use. Leaving one bottle at home, or bringing an empty bottle to fill once you’re at your campsite will make a difference in both weight and space. In addition, if you’re going to a warm place, you probably won’t use the gas heater much at all. One option is to dismantle the heater and store it at home. However, this isn’t an easy task, so let a garage do it for you if you’re not sure how.

4. Food and drinks

Campers with a caravan often go on holiday as if they were driving a supermarket on wheels in disguise. All sorts of familiar foods are packed at home and brought along. But with the wide selection available in shops abroad these days, it’s really no longer necessary to bring everything with you from home. Buying food and drink at your holiday destination is also fun, and you might discover some new favourite foods. If you think that some of your favourite foods probably won’t be available overseas, you can always bring those with you. In addition, having a small emergency stock of food on board is handy.

5. Pans

A current trend in the camping world in the area of cooking is the handy “folding” pan, made from silicone. These pans, quite often very colourful, are much lighter than traditional pans, and also take up much less space.

6. Toiletries

If you’re going away for a weekend or a midweek break, you probably won’t need toiletries in their full-size packaging. Shampoo, gel and other products in travel size are often associated with air travel, but they’re just as handy for campers. These bottles and pots are very small, weigh almost nothing, and still contain enough product for a shorter holiday.

7. Pegs and awnings

If you’re bringing an extra tent or awning, you’ll need pegs. Choose lightweight pegs, for example made from aluminium. These are at least as strong as traditional steel variants, but much lighter. You might also want to ask yourself if you’re really likely to use your awning or not. If not, then just leave it at home.

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8. Bikes

Nothing rides as well as your trusty metal steed. But, you will save yourself about 15 kilos if you leave your bike at home. These days you’ll often find bikes, mountain bikes, and even electric bikes for hire at campsites and in busy resorts, often at a reasonable price.

Your ideal camping checklist

You learn the hard way. That’s also true for camping. If you take a critical look at everything you packed when you get home, and make a mental list of everything you actually used, that’ll be really handy for your next holiday. Download our handy camping checklist here!

Do you have any tips to share? If so, please write a comment below.

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