Fresh Water Carrier Cover
Your water carrier lives outside the van when in use. When towing however, the carrier needs to live inside the caravan, unless you can fit it in the car. So to avoid trailing the dirt into your caravan, invest in a cover to make packing up just that bit easier!
We Bought: FL Hitchman ‘Aquaroll Protective Storage Bag’
Update: Due to the ‘tight fit’ we replaced the bag with a one made by ‘Bags4Everything’ – much more room making storing much easier.Waste Water Carrier Cover
For exactly the same reasons as above, a cover to store your waste water carrier in keeps things clean and tidy.
We Bought: FL Hitchman ‘Wastemaster Protective Storage Bag’
Update: Due to the ‘tight fit’ we replaced the bag with a one made by ‘Bags4Everything’ – much more room making storing much easier.Battery Charger
In order to keep your leisure battery in tip-top condition, you’ll need to keep it charged at all times. If you’re leaving your caravan unused for any length of time, the leisure battery can quickly discharge to a level which can damage the battery. The battery needs to be removed and charged with a suitable charger. If your caravan has an alarm, then you may also require a second leisure battery which you can use in rotation whilst the other one is being charged, in order to keep the alarm functional in your caravan. The best type of charger to purchase is a multi-stage charger, which can intelligently work out the condition of your battery and charge it accordingly. Then once the battery is fully charged, it will will supply a trickle charge to keep it topped up at all times. This type of charger makes charging the battery easy, simple connect, switch on and forget! Many brands are available, but CTEK is a name which seems to get a lot of respect.
We Bought: CTEK MXS7000
Corner Steady Feet
To stop the corner steadies of the caravan from sinking into soft ground, it is advisable to purchase some ‘feet’ for them. These plastic plates simply attach to each corner steady by way of a plastic locking pin. They can stay attached to the caravan at all times.
We Bought: Fiamma Pro Plates
Corner Steady Supports
To extend the reach of the corner steadies, bits of wood are often used. But a lighter and easier option is to purchase some jack pads. These pads simply stack together under the corner steady providing a good extension to the overall reach.
We Bought: Pyramid Stackapads
Caravan Leveller
A lot of caravan sites have level pitches, but not all. And if you’re going to a rally you will definitely need a caravan leveller of some sort. The most common type is a plastic wedge, which you put the caravan onto at a height which levels the caravan. Other types include DIY wood sections, simply stack the wood to the desired height ensuring the longest bits go on the bottom to create a ramp effect and again put the caravan on. Some levellers clamp to the wheel and allow you to jack the caravan to the desired height. One new system is based on the stack of wood approach, but is made from plastic to reduce the weight. It offers a clever combination whereby you can set it at one of three heights and then simply put the van on by way of the integrated ramp. Compact in storage and it can also be used as a grip mat!
We Bought: Uniko 6-in-1 Universal Level System
Wheel Chocks
Simple plastic wheel chocks. Useful when the caravan is not exactly on the level!
We Bought: Pyramid Wheel Chocks
Caravan Jack
If you plan on changing your own wheel if you have the unfortunate luck of getting a flat tyre, then you’ll need to invest in a jack. Your standard car jack is not suitable for lifting your caravan safely, so either go for the chassis specific jack or a hydraulic bottle/scissor jack. Both will do the job, some prefer the hydraulic jack because of the ease of use whilst others prefer the more compact and maintenance free chassis jack. In both cases brackets need to be attached to the chassis to establish the correct jacking points. The jack can also be used to allow the rotation of the wheel when fitting an AL-KO secure wheel lock.
We Bought: AL-KO Side Life Jack
Interlocking Foam Tiles
Without an awning there is always the problem of what to do with your wet/dirty shoes. Well our simple solution is to invest in a set of these interlocking foam tiles. Simply assemble by the caravan step and you have a convenient place to change shoes, whether it be on grass or gravel.
We Bought: Kampa Easy Locking Floor Tiles