If you’ve never caravanned before, you may be surprised to learn that loading your van isn’t as simple as throwing everything in and hitting the road. If you want to tow safely, you’ll need to balance your caravan properly – failure to do so can result in swerving and other serious issues. We’ve listed our tips for professional packing, from generators to cutlery.
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Heavy Items
Big ticket items like the barbeque, batteries, and back-up generators need to be carefully placed into the van to ensure the weight is distributed evenly. We recommend placing them as low down as possible, near the centre of the van and over the axle. -
Fragile Items
Items like your TV and microwave table need to be properly cared for to ensure they don’t move around – it’s a good idea to put them in your bed, that way they will always be padded. Overhead cabinets, even those that lock properly, should only be used to store light things, in case they do fall out while you’re on the road. Put rubber matting on the bottom of all your cabinetry will ensure things can’t move around. -
Exterior Storage
When it comes to the exterior of your van, you need to ensure everything is properly balanced. You don’t want to have too much weight at the front or the back – instead, balance your items like bikes and tool boxes evenly around your caravan. Whenever you leave for a trip, fill up your water tank. Not only will you be prepared for any adventure, you’ll also help keep the weight (and the centre of gravity) of the trailer down low to the ground. -
Before You Go
Before you leave for your holiday or turn around and head home, you need to do a thorough check of your entire van. Check doors, windows, cabinets and everything that can open, making sure they are properly closed and latched! Shut your gas bottles, remove your chucks, and you’re ready to go!
Loading the Caravan Correctly
We recommend writing yourself a checklist, and running through it each and every time you hit the road. This will ensure you’re taking the steps to safe travel, and your belongings will stay in place throughout your trip. If you travel enough, it will even become second nature!