Tags
Caravan, Caravanning, Caravans, Organising, Packing, Touring
One thing we are asked from time to time, especially by people new to caravanning is how we pack. If you put everything in the caravan that you wanted to take for a trip, it would make life so much easier… but will probably go over the caravan’s weight limit.
It will take a while to find your own routine for packing but here’s how we do it to make life simple and easy, or so we think.
Like a lot of people we keep out caravan in storage, so the chance to ‘pre load’ with everything we need for a trip one or two days before setting off is a bit limited. Sue has a couple of large bags.. I think they are laundry bags bought from a store for a couple of pounds, that she packs all the clothes in, so when we go to pick up the caravan, it’s a simple matter of unloading the two bags into relevant cupboards and anything for the wardrobe is hung up before it gets chance to crease up and it doesn’t take that long to do.
As we do like to cook in the caravan, one of the heaviest ‘group’ of things is food and trying to store this in the caravan before a trip would take time so we have a different solution.
Our basic food stock
We came up with a list of essential items that we take, mostly things that we need when cooking and core ingredients. All these are stored in plastic boxes at home ready to go. Storing them at home means we can keep an eye on expiration dates and restock from a list when required. The boxes are from The Really Useful Box Co so they stack neatly and fit in the back of the Land Rover Freelander easily. They also contain things that we can use to make a few hot meals if we get delayed en-route (I’ve never had to make a meal while held up in a traffic jam for hours on the motorway… not yet anyway!)
The ‘comestibles’ boxes as we call them stack in the Freelander along with the Cadac BBQ and stay there until we reach the campsite, where we transfer them to the under bed locker. No need to unpack the boxes as we know whats in there and can simply access them either by lifting the bed or from the outside locker door. If we are moving sites or packing up to come home, it’s just a simple matter of transferring the boxes back to the Freelander.
We have a cool box that we load all the items for the fridge and freezer into along with a couple of ice packs so all we have to do is transfer these into the fridge. So far we haven’t had any issues with not ‘pre-cooling’ the fridge. Once the cool box is empty, we just load it with the wine/beer and an ice pack and it stays in the back of the Freelander until we arrive on site.
Collecting the caravan from storage usually takes about 20 minutes, while Sue unpack’s the clothes I load the fridge and re-load the cool box and prep the van for towing. Arriving on site it takes only 20 to 30 minutes to set up and there isn’t much backwards and forward between the car and caravan. Handy when it’s raining!
We recently obtained a Dometic Waeco S16 DC Thermoelectric Lightweight 12V Cooler from Leisure Shop Direct which intend to use to keep the all important sammiches and water cool while we are travelling. As we like to buy local produce wherever we stay its going to be handy to keep anything we buy cool until we get back to the caravan. In a couple of outings so far it’s proved extremely efficient and we think it is a good addition to our kit. We will be doing a full review of it soon.
The box system works for us and we have extended it now to include a box that has all our cycling equipment – helmets, lights, locks, straps, gloves etc. so if we take the bikes, It’s easy to just load the box with everything in it. I also have one that we keep the towing kit in – steady drill, jockey wheel handle, gloves, gas cylinder spanner, towing mirrors and 13 pin to 12N/12S adaptor lead (just in case the caravan has to be towed by a vehicle only fitted with 12N/12S electrics) and when we hitch up the AL-KO hitch lock and wheel lock is stored in there while travelling.
For us the boxes just keep things organised, both for storage at home and while away. It gives me the chance to check everything a day or so before we go and so far it’s worked well. It might not be right for you, but at least it’s given you some ideas I hope.
Caravan Chronicles 
What size boxes do you use Simon?
Hi John
The main ‘comestibles’ boxes are: 18 litre (Ext L x W x H 480 x 390 x 200) These fit through the side hatch of the caravan.
The box in the photos for water is the 12 litre box (Ext L x W x H 465 x 270 x 150) Again these fit through the side hatch easily.
We also use a 9 litre box (Ext L x W x H 395 x 255 x 155) that hold all the ‘set up’ kit – Makita Drill, spare Makita battery, gloves, steady adaptor for the drill etc and while we are towing it holds the All-Ko wheel lock and Al-Ko hitch lock. This usually stays in the vehicle when we are away with the caravan. I also use one of this size in the front side locker that has tent pegs, hammer, spare guy lines, ties for the Fiamma awning, gas bottle spanner, work gloves, Cadac spanner, Cadac gas hose, Fiamma tie down plates and an adaptor for the Makita for screw pegs.
Another box we have is for all the bike gear – bags, cable locks, straps for the bike rack, bike helmets, lights, cycling gloves, spare inner tubes etc. this is the 24 litre (Ext L x W x H 465 x 270 x 290)
The ‘set up’ box and ‘bike’ box are simply unloaded form the vehicle at the end of each trip on to a shelf in the garage, no need to unpack them. The ‘comestibles’ boxes and water box are again unloaded onto a shelf and checked for dated products and refilled for the next trip.
A list of all the box sizes can be found on the Really Useful web site: http://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/uk/html/boxdetails.php
Hope that helps
Simon
Thanks Simon,
Just trying to get organised, take a bit a weight out of the caravan, for a two month trip down to Southwest France and we tend to take the kitchen sink with us!
We have a couple of Brompton’s which also go in the back of the car along with the Cadac, porch awning, aquaria etc etc.
We have a Conqueror 480 and a BMW 320D Touring and we don’t really want to use the roof box so organisation is the key.
We use your drain system on super pitches.
Regards
John
Interesting Simon, our current issue is that we have one beardie in his fabric crate on the folded rear seat and the new pup in another crate in the boot. Hence no room for boxes, or much at all in the car. I’ve been trying to source a sensibly priced double crate that will fit in the boot which would leave the back seat free for stuff.
The other issue is we don’t really have anywhere to put boxes in the van. The two rear single dinette seats have nice square empty bases but access is via the top which is slatted. Pushing the slats aside leaves an entry space probably a bit less than half the size of the space beneath, so too small for decent size boxes and whenever you want something it’s always at the back which involves getting everything else out first.
Up front the offside bench locker has boiler up front followed by water pipes spread out over the floor so you can’t put stuff on top. Then there’s the mover box of wires flat on the floor under what would be a decent space. All I get in there is the CADAC. Finally at the rear of the locker are the PSU, rear of battery box and fuseboard. So basically you can write off the offside for storage.
By contrast the nearside bench locker is a wonderful clear space with no external access, the only intrusion being the rear of the wet locker. That wonderful space is just right for two Duvalays folded in half plus our pillows.
So boxes just ain’t in it.
SDA.
Hi Andy
I didn’t say it would work for everyone… :o)
S
Excellent advice, but we went one better. We purchased one of those collapsible trolleys that fold flat. We fill that up with all the goodies prior to going away and being on wheels makes it easier to pull to the truck. I have to admit that on some occasions I have had to remove the bathroom sink that OH has included before lifting it into the back of the Jeep. LOL!
Hi Ian
Ha Ha… I know exactly what you mean! Sue now has one of these boxes for her hair dryer, hair straighteners and all the hair products.. which substantially reduces the risk of the odd kitchen sink being included.
We are fortunate that I can pull the Freelander right up to the workshop at home where we store everything for loading.. but I do have one of those collapsable trollies… just in case Sue decides She needs to buy something extreme heavy that She simply can’t do without from the shop that is the furthest from the car.
S