Essential Caravan Accessories

You’ve bought the caravan and now you are looking forward to your first caravan adventure. Hopefully, your dealer will have advised you on what additional caravanning accessories you will need but if they didn’t, we at Busy Outdoors.Com have put together the essential caravanning accessories guide for you. Not only that, we have also put in some top tips gained through experience along with our accessory recommendations.

Water and Waste

Unless you have an onboard water tank in the caravan you will need a means of transporting and storing water for cooking, drinking and washing. The favourite and most convenient way of doing this is with an Aqua Roll. These are cylindrical containers with an opening on the top and side and can be used upright or on their sides. The Aqua Roll comes with a two piece handle that clips on to the side of the roll and enables you (or the kids!) to pull the Aqua Roll on its runners when it is full of water. The containers also come with a short length of hose with a rubber push on connector for use at the site’s stand pipe. The caravan’s water pump can be lowered through the top opening and the Aqua Roll filled through the side cap when at the servicing point.

When you get a new Aqua Roll, place the correct quantity of a sterilising solution such as Milton in the container and allow to stand. Once the diluted solution has been in the Aqua Roll for the correct length of time, flush the solution through the caravan’s pipework by running the caravan’s taps. Once flushed through with clean water, hopefully you won’t get strange tasting coffee the next time you use the Aqua Roll!
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All the water that comes out of the Aqua Roll has to go somewhere! Some sites have superior pitches that allow “grey” waste to go straight into a drain otherwise you will need a receptacle for this waste water. The most popular way to do this is with a Waste Master. The Waste Master is a wheeled container that is thin enough to slide under the caravan when in use. There are two outlets, one for greater volume and one inlet. By using a “Y” piece, the two outlets from the caravan can be combined into one pipe and inserted into the Waste Master inlet. To empty the Waste Master, just wheel it to the service point, unscrew the outlet cap and secure it in the push to fit holder, tip the Waste Master and empty.

TIP: Use the Waste Master to carry your toilet cassette to the Chemical Emptying Point utilising the bungees supplied. Not a nice thought, but a full toilet cassette can be quite heavy and unwieldy.

Caravan Toilet additives

Not the most delicate of subjects but if you use a cassette toilet in the caravan you will need chemicals! One of the most common caravan cassette toilets is made by Thetford and unsurprisingly, Thetford produce the chemicals required for caravan toilets. There are three additives available – Aqua Rinse, Aqua Kem Blue and Aqua Kem Green. Aqua Rinse is a pink solution that is added to the caravan toilet flush tank and gives the flush water a pleasant aroma. Aqua Kem Blue is the additive that breaks down all the nasties and is added directly to the cassette and diluted as per the instructions. Aqua Kem Green does a similar job but is more environmentally friendly.

TIP: A large bucket with pouring spout will hold all the additive containers upright once opened and can be used to fill the flush tank amongst many other uses. Use the caravan cassette toilet outlet cap to measure out cassette additives before dilution.

Tools and Torch

There is no getting away from it, sooner or later something will break or need adjusting while you are away touring in the caravan. From tightening locker screws to securing gas bottles, having a few tools available is invaluable. As a bare minimum we suggest carrying these:

• Pliers
• Screwdrivers – flat and crosshead
• Adjustable spanner
• Gas bottle spanner
• Selection of sockets
• Knife
• Insulation tape
• Selection of fuses

TIP: Murphy’s Law states that when something goes wrong it will be in the dark! Get a torch now and put it somewhere in the caravan you can find it by feel!

Many of the big supermarkets sell cheap tool kits that are contained within a torch – ideal for the caravan.

Domestic Necessities

There are a few things that can make life easier and more comfortable when caravanning. Most of these items you can discover over time but why wait until you need them!

• Drying racks – with a family in the caravan there will be quite a few wet towels every morning! A drying rack that hangs from the caravan window is ideal and can be used with or without an awning.

• Waste bin– putting waste into supermarket bags soon loses its appeal in a hot caravan! A small flip lid bin is not very exciting but a handy purchase. Why not use the supermarket bags as bin liners – not quite recycling but at least a second use.

• Crockery – china plates etc. are not happy caravanning partners. A set of melamine crockery is a must have and modern designs can complement today’s caravans. When you have done the washing-up, a folding dish drainer is an ideal way to save valuable space.

• Cooking utensils – if you are going to cook in the caravan, you will need some basic cooking utensils. A steamer set will solve the saucepan requirement and is more compact than separate saucepans. A spatula can be used in the caravan and on the BBQ. A stove top kettle is more fun than an electric one and makes you feel like you are camping!

• Storage – plastic collapsible crates have hundreds of uses in a caravan – food storage, washing-up transport, clothes storage, toy boxes, the list is endless. A hanging shoe rack is great for keeping wardrobes tidy.

TIP: A dish mop that has a hollow handle that can be filled with washing up detergent (have a look in the supermarket) is great for taking to caravan site communal washing-up areas.

TIP: If you have fixed bunks in the caravan and toddlers, the ladder becomes an irresistible adventure for budding climbers. To prevent a serious fall, bungee a collapsed plastic crate over the bottom two steps to prevent further upwards progress and ensure piece of mind!

Security

It goes without saying that securing your caravan from thieves and potential theft is a must. Worth considering are:

• A hitch lock to disable the operation of the hitch is the first level of defence and a requirement of most caravan insurance policies.

• A wheel clamp that covers the wheel nuts. There are many different types, just make sure it has the “Sold-Secure” accreditation.

• A professionally fitted alarm.

• A tracking device and complementary tracing service.

• Store your caravan at an approved CaSSOA storage facility when not in use. If you store the caravan at home, everyone will know when you are away.

TIP: Statistics show that many stolen caravans are taken from motorway service stations. It takes two minutes to put on a wheel clamp before going for refreshments and could save you from a ruined holiday

Miscellaneous caravanning accessories (bits we couldn’t find a category for!)

Every so often one of the Busy Outdoors.Com team comes up with an addition to this list. Here’s where you will find these caravanning gems!

• Folding chairs, tables, foot rests… There is a whole industry involved in producing ever more foldable outdoor furniture. A trip to the local superstore during the summer will reveal some useful and cheap furniture for use in the awning.

• TV aerial extension lead. If you can’t do without the “box”, some caravan sites with poor reception have TV aerial points on the electrical hook-up bollards. You will need an extension cable to use this facility. Make one for the caravan before you go with a length of co-axial cable and two TV co-axial plugs.

• Caravan directional TV aerial. Why struggle to get a picture when you can use a directional aerial wherever you are to get the best reception. Some models are able to be raised from the caravan roof to ensure the best signal.
  
  • Steady winder. If you can’t be bothered winding the caravan steadies up and down by hand, purchase a steady adaptor for your electric drill.
  
  • Hard ground awning pegs. You can never have too many of these!
  
  • Caravan mover. Take the effort out of moving your caravan about with a remote caravan mover.
  
  
• When you come back off that trip away, the caravan will probably need a good clean before the next adventure or going back into storage. make it an easy job with some specific caravan cleaner particularly for those annoying black streaks.

TIP: When hanging clothing in the wardrobe, place one coat hanger over the rail in one direction and the next in the other direction, and so on. This stops the coat hangers jumping off the rail when the caravan is in transit. Believe me it works!