Very useful, thanks. Two points: councils, particularly in remote areas, use vandal proof taps to stop people filling there caravan tanks etc. when water is limited. Instead of using the tap handle adapter at will, please check with locals. This is becoming a major problem in some areas. Many remote towns now have a specific water supply (at a very reasonable cost) to prevent overuse by travellers. If you are advising people to purchase a snatch strap, please encourage them to get some training on their use. They can be one of the most dangerous pieces of recovery equipment. Whilst they have their place (and I carry one), it is probably the least desirable recovery method and often misused.
Thanks for the info. Always useful. For the grey water hose, before packing it away, I use a mixture of white vinegar and water dispersible tea tree oil and put it down the sink in kitchen followed by a couple of litres of waters. This will flush it out and stop the stinkiness. Also useful to use the mixture once the grey water tank has been emptied, to help with lingering odours.
Awesome straight to the point introduction, caravaner for 40+ years no negative input but where's the FIRE EXTINGUISHER & FIRE BLANKET & BROKEN WINDSCREEN /WINDOW COVER you never never know when you go go go. Another MUST I think is rolls of duct tape, Stanley knife & clear or black plastic, we don't do trips without them to help ourselves or others. We helped a traveller they lost their shower roof vent, so they all came in handy.
Hey mate, appreciate the comment. Absolutely no disrespect or negative feelings from me re. Your comments, but I will go through and answer. We do have a fire extinguisher in the van (came standard and pretty sure it's a safety requirement so I diddnt cover it same as I diddnt cover our fire alarm). I also carry a fire extinguisher in the car canopy which I keep by the BBQ as a just in case. The rest of the items I would call tools, I diddnt go through our tools but we do also carry several different tapes, and clear plastic and Stanley knife for exactly the reasons you mentioned as well as to seal up vents on dusty roads. Only thing we don't have is a break glass tool, hopefully that's not something I will come to regret one day. Thanks for watching and commenting 😀
@@SvedosTrippin So happy to hear you didn't take any offence hubby said you would have all of your safety gear but I just wanted to make sure, I'm a worry wart lol, its amazing how many travellers don't carry safety gear, anyway I loved your video especially when its straight to the point. wishing you and your family very happy safe travelling for many many more years.Oh & I'm a subbed now
Thanks heaps for your straight forward and very informative video's that you make. I've watched a few others but yours are the best for newbies. Thanks
We are from South Africa, My pension started on the 3 January 2024, we will be doing "Lank staan kampers this is Afrikaans" translated we will be camping for a month or more at one place, this is the cheapest way to camp and we have pensioner discounts which is massive. we have a 4x4 bush trailer for Africa (ruff and tuff) and a Octo Gravelor for South Africa. Love your video and you are never to old to learn - pick up a lot of tips thanks.
We have the thermocell mossie repeller same as you, discovered it via another UA-cam channel wildtouring. Found that the little gas refills were expensive and the mod/hack wasn’t that successful. So we now have 2of the backpacker versions of the thermocell and they screw onto the small butane bottles that last forever and I get the little pads off eBay. ARS mats. They contain the same chemical as the original ones but you can get ones that last up to 14hrs.
Wow some very important things to think about there. I was thinking I had it under control until I watched your video! Particularly regards the water setup. All good thanks.
@@SvedosTrippin I think if your drill has a clutch you can get by with just the drill. The other thing I will end up getting is the 7.5 kg composite gas bottles. Saves around 6 kg per bottle.
Informative vid, thanks. We are in pack-up mode ready to leave for the big lap with no end date and I found your vid while looking for last minute refinement of accessories and packing ideas. Your vid is appreciated. Everyone has their genius idea they like to share and I'm no different. Our Stinky Slinky is cut into 3mt lengths and we add segments as needed. When packing up, I hang the segments from the ute's roof racks to drain and dry. No smells so far, plus the short lengths are easy to roll up into the bag. Cheers, now I'm off to get a Ryobi chain saw. Paul
Good to see. All looks so familiar. We cut our stinky slinky so we had a small section about 2m long, just for when you don’t want the water splashing on to he dirt when off grid camping. Else we use the remaining long section at occasional van parks.
A great list ... thanks. As a caravan newbie, I appreciate your list as my starting point. A couple of relatively minor and inexpensive but what I consider, key caravan accessories (upgrades) include swapping out/retrofit of sand fly (midgey) proof screens (Cyclone brand - available in rolls from Bunnings) on ALL of the existing screens on the caravan. Also, installation of a Topargee Water Flow Meter (Bluetooth) in the water tank storage system of the van (fitted to the water line hose and not in the tank) to monitor water usage and tank capacity - for offgrid camping. One other thing specifically in relation to using Weber Qs, to legally use it when connected to the caravan gas system (i.e. via the caravan bayonet fitting), you need to have a flameout safety valve fitted. I'm told that Weber will have these safety valves available later this year for the Weber Q although they can still be used in a caravan/camping setting if connecting directly to the gas bottle. I believe that some other BBQ brands have the valves fitted as standard. Apparently, there have been some serious caravan gas explosion incidents in the past hence the current legislated requirement. Just subscribed to your channel 👍
Thanks for subscribing and for the detailed comment, hopefully it will help others that watch the video as well. I will look into the water monitor, our guages don't work very accurately and you have just handed us a solution, thanks so much.
@@SvedosTrippin No worries Matt. The Topargee unit is dead easy to DIY install but you will need to purchase the required hose connectors with the unit depending on the type and size of your water hoses and I highly recommend purchasing the hose cutting tool too since you need to achieve a nice clean and square cut especially when using the 'John Guest' connectors to avoid leaks. I also highly recommend getting the caravan battery connector adapter (rather than utilising AA batteries) to power the unit. I recall using discount code 'Wild' (thanks to Cam from Wild Touring) for a 10% discount when I recently purchased my unit.
i put a pvc tube with caps on both ends and mounted it under my van i just slide the hoses into the pvc tube and lock one with a clip and job done , no smell and no mess hold 3hoses more than enough so far
Great video! You put so much effort into your videos, thank you! This video would be so useful to newbies, but we also got a few tips. We're not on the road full time, but find your videos very interesting. You provide lots of info on places and van stops. Have just subscribed. Take care, Lyn & Corrie 🙂
Great video mate and very good for beginners to living on the road like me 🙂 I have Starlink and as you say it is a game changer.....but I have not been able to find a suitable collapsible pole for it, I see that you have yours on a pole so if you don't mind can you post what type it is and where you purchased it, thanks.
The mast and mount are from www.telecoantenas.com but also please keep in mind its not rated for star links weight. We bought it to go with our 4G antenna and I won't put it up to full height with the starlink on it. The Mount for the starlink pole came from starlink themselves, and is called a pipe adaptor. Good luck.
I was imaging the weight of all this stuff if it was added up🤦🏼♀️ I’m a single axle van so limited payload. We’ve really paired down a lot of this equipment but we’re not living on the road. 😊
Thanks for following. We've been told many times about not using the rattle gun on the legs. But we've been doing it for nearly 3 years now and haven't had an issue. I'm just careful to do it slowly and not over crank them. Not saying your advise isn't sound, our legs will probably break eventually.
Sorry mate, no link, we picked em up from BCF a year or so ago but I've seen the same design out there many times over. Try searching for hiking chairs.
Hey Brett, great video! Thanks for pulling this together it’s really helpful for new entrants into the caravanning world 😊 just a quick question on your chainsaw…is that an 8inch (20cm) I’m just trying to locate online at Bunnings…keep up the great videos you’re really good at it 👍 Cheers Corrie
Hi Corrie, thanks for watching and the kind comment. The saw is a 10inch, it was the smallest of the options when we shopped and it's been plenty big enough for our needs.
The other alternative is reciprocating saw, slightly slower but more compact especially with blade removed and no oil. Brushless is best. Also 18v tire inflator if you don't already have compressor onboard. More suitable to UK vans + SUV that aren't regularly deflating tires for offroad.
Great video, given me some ideas l never thought about, especially the water tap spanner, thanks for the tip. Curious to know the weight of your van, l have 17ft 6inch van myself, and looking to upgrade my vechile, from a 4x2 to a 4x4. Could not see what your tow vechile is but gives me an idea of a vechile to purchase. You have a good setup, van and car hope you continue to travel safely.? Cheers John
Thanks. I'm glad we could help. We're towing with a BT50 with a GVM upgrade. The van loaded is about 2700kg. I should think you will at least need a 6ton GCM vehicle, though being full time and / or having kids makes a difference if you aren't either you might get away with less. Good luck, happy travels, catch you on the road.
Hi Svedos, in mentioning that you have BT-50 l am curious to know from you are they a Diesel guzzler? Il was looking at one myself till l was told that. With you touring around in one and towing, are they efficient on diesel or do you think they are an expense to run. Would appreciate your thoughts, so l could narrow down my choices. Regards John
@Kerry Sleeman you should no the pole isn't rated to the weight of star link. We don't use the 3rd extension and we don't extend it very far out on the second extension.
@RVingwithG yes, I've heard that you van break them using a rattle drill to drop them down too. Though I have been doing it for 3.5 years with out issue, I'm just careful to slow down and stop when the feet reach the ground.
If none of that stuff works or you ran out for some strange reason or could not get to a shop don't panic you can use sunscreen as long as it's 15 + it will even keep midges away as I know firsthand when I work for a transport company people with laughing at me but when I showed them and they tried it I had the last laugh. And yes it works very well
Very useful, thanks. Two points: councils, particularly in remote areas, use vandal proof taps to stop people filling there caravan tanks etc. when water is limited. Instead of using the tap handle adapter at will, please check with locals. This is becoming a major problem in some areas. Many remote towns now have a specific water supply (at a very reasonable cost) to prevent overuse by travellers.
If you are advising people to purchase a snatch strap, please encourage them to get some training on their use. They can be one of the most dangerous pieces of recovery equipment. Whilst they have their place (and I carry one), it is probably the least desirable recovery method and often misused.
Thanks for the info. Always useful. For the grey water hose, before packing it away, I use a mixture of white vinegar and water dispersible tea tree oil and put it down the sink in kitchen followed by a couple of litres of waters. This will flush it out and stop the stinkiness. Also useful to use the mixture once the grey water tank has been emptied, to help with lingering odours.
Great tip! We struggle with grey water odors at times so we will.for sure try this out.
The other part of our arsenal is carb soda. Vinegar, carb soda and boiling water can unblock drains. @@SvedosTrippin
Just found you guys, really appreciate your hints, tips and mistakes. Very helpful, safe travels 😊
Thanks.
Awesome straight to the point introduction, caravaner for 40+ years no negative input but where's the FIRE EXTINGUISHER & FIRE BLANKET & BROKEN WINDSCREEN /WINDOW COVER you never never know when you go go go. Another MUST I think is rolls of duct tape, Stanley knife & clear or black plastic, we don't do trips without them to help ourselves or others. We helped a traveller they lost their shower roof vent, so they all came in handy.
Hey mate, appreciate the comment.
Absolutely no disrespect or negative feelings from me re. Your comments, but I will go through and answer.
We do have a fire extinguisher in the van (came standard and pretty sure it's a safety requirement so I diddnt cover it same as I diddnt cover our fire alarm). I also carry a fire extinguisher in the car canopy which I keep by the BBQ as a just in case.
The rest of the items I would call tools, I diddnt go through our tools but we do also carry several different tapes, and clear plastic and Stanley knife for exactly the reasons you mentioned as well as to seal up vents on dusty roads.
Only thing we don't have is a break glass tool, hopefully that's not something I will come to regret one day.
Thanks for watching and commenting 😀
@@SvedosTrippin So happy to hear you didn't take any offence hubby said you would have all of your safety gear but I just wanted to make sure, I'm a worry wart lol, its amazing how many travellers don't carry safety gear, anyway I loved your video especially when its straight to the point. wishing you and your family very happy safe travelling for many many more years.Oh & I'm a subbed now
Love it! Exactly what I needed as a noob to van life. Planning underway for our van delivery in the next few months. Thanks for the list 😊
Your most welcome. Thanks for commenting, and good luck on your preparations.
great vid, THE LEVELING RAMP "LOCK THING" .. its a choc and it goes on the other side of the wheel when in use
Thanks heaps for your straight forward and very informative video's that you make. I've watched a few others but yours are the best for newbies. Thanks
really handy video we have just bought our first caravan so this is really useful thank you👍
Your welcome, thanks for commenting and letting me know.
WOW! What a lot of stuff you need to go travelling in a van! Very informative & lots of helpful ideas & innovations too. Well done!
Thanks, there really is alot of stuff involved 🙄
Great tips!
I find turning the top section of the washing the other way around works best
We are from South Africa, My pension started on the 3 January 2024, we will be doing "Lank staan kampers this is Afrikaans" translated we will be camping for a month or more at one place, this is the cheapest way to camp and we have pensioner discounts which is massive. we have a 4x4 bush trailer for Africa (ruff and tuff) and a Octo Gravelor for South Africa. Love your video and you are never to old to learn - pick up a lot of tips thanks.
We have the thermocell mossie repeller same as you, discovered it via another UA-cam channel wildtouring. Found that the little gas refills were expensive and the mod/hack wasn’t that successful. So we now have 2of the backpacker versions of the thermocell and they screw onto the small butane bottles that last forever and I get the little pads off eBay. ARS mats. They contain the same chemical as the original ones but you can get ones that last up to 14hrs.
Excellent list for us who are just starting out - thanks.
Your welcome
Awesome video and definite watch. Thx heaps for the info and upload
@ttecsolar2846 your welcome, thanks for the kind comment.
Very informative, thanks
Some good useful tips, thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Wow some very important things to think about there. I was thinking I had it under control until I watched your video! Particularly regards the water setup.
All good thanks.
I'm very happy I could help. Thanks for watching, good luck getting on the road.
So helpful. Many thanks for sharing :)
Awesome vid mate, especially for those starting out or even just thinking about it
Really good video and some good ideas.
Thanks!
This will help us when I pickup the new VC and hope to find you on a trip and have a drink.
I'd like that, thanks for watching.
Very informative! We took our impact driver out of the van and used the clutch drill for everything. Saves a bit of weight.
Something we could consider our selves. But I do use my impact driver alot.
@@SvedosTrippin I think if your drill has a clutch you can get by with just the drill. The other thing I will end up getting is the 7.5 kg composite gas bottles. Saves around 6 kg per bottle.
Outstanding mate, thanks!
Your welcome.
you got a good vibe brother and good quick info, thank you and all the best on your adventures 🤙
Your welcome, thanks for commenting 🙂
Informative vid, thanks. We are in pack-up mode ready to leave for the big lap with no end date and I found your vid while looking for last minute refinement of accessories and packing ideas. Your vid is appreciated. Everyone has their genius idea they like to share and I'm no different. Our Stinky Slinky is cut into 3mt lengths and we add segments as needed. When packing up, I hang the segments from the ute's roof racks to drain and dry. No smells so far, plus the short lengths are easy to roll up into the bag. Cheers, now I'm off to get a Ryobi chain saw. Paul
How exciting, good luck on the first legs of your travels. Nice idea re. The stinky slinky.
Very useful, thank you guys
Always love this one ❤❤❤❤ you are bloody awesome
Thanks 😊
Good to see. All looks so familiar. We cut our stinky slinky so we had a small section about 2m long, just for when you don’t want the water splashing on to he dirt when off grid camping. Else we use the remaining long section at occasional van parks.
Solid idea. Thanks for watching and commenting.
A great list ... thanks. As a caravan newbie, I appreciate your list as my starting point.
A couple of relatively minor and inexpensive but what I consider, key caravan accessories (upgrades) include swapping out/retrofit of sand fly (midgey) proof screens (Cyclone brand - available in rolls from Bunnings) on ALL of the existing screens on the caravan. Also, installation of a Topargee Water Flow Meter (Bluetooth) in the water tank storage system of the van (fitted to the water line hose and not in the tank) to monitor water usage and tank capacity - for offgrid camping.
One other thing specifically in relation to using Weber Qs, to legally use it when connected to the caravan gas system (i.e. via the caravan bayonet fitting), you need to have a flameout safety valve fitted. I'm told that Weber will have these safety valves available later this year for the Weber Q although they can still be used in a caravan/camping setting if connecting directly to the gas bottle. I believe that some other BBQ brands have the valves fitted as standard. Apparently, there have been some serious caravan gas explosion incidents in the past hence the current legislated requirement.
Just subscribed to your channel 👍
Thanks for subscribing and for the detailed comment, hopefully it will help others that watch the video as well.
I will look into the water monitor, our guages don't work very accurately and you have just handed us a solution, thanks so much.
@@SvedosTrippin No worries Matt. The Topargee unit is dead easy to DIY install but you will need to purchase the required hose connectors with the unit depending on the type and size of your water hoses and I highly recommend purchasing the hose cutting tool too since you need to achieve a nice clean and square cut especially when using the 'John Guest' connectors to avoid leaks. I also highly recommend getting the caravan battery connector adapter (rather than utilising AA batteries) to power the unit. I recall using discount code 'Wild' (thanks to Cam from Wild Touring) for a 10% discount when I recently purchased my unit.
Top video. Thank you
Great video, very informative well done
Thanks 😊
Thank you this was an awesome informative video especially for a newby caravan Dr like me
Your welcome, glad to of helped.
Great Video mate. I will copy your list over for the future.
glad I could help, thanks for leaving a kind comment.
❤Awesome, Great 👍 Tips
Very useful info! Thanks a lot for this. 🤙🏼
Your most welcome.
Thank you, that was incredibly helpful!!!!
Your most welcome, thanks for commenting and letting me know.
i put a pvc tube with caps on both ends and mounted it under my van i just slide the hoses into the pvc tube and lock one with a clip and job done , no smell and no mess hold 3hoses more than enough so far
that's a brilliant idea
Great video mate!
I've seen the portable jumper packs from Bunnings that have got plenty of power and very reasonably priced as well!
Thanks, we are looking to pick this up soon so I will scope put the bunnings ones.
Brilliant thank you for the list
No problem 👍
Thanks for sharing, great video :D
Thanks for watching!
Great video! You put so much effort into your videos, thank you!
This video would be so useful to newbies, but we also got a few tips.
We're not on the road full time, but find your videos very interesting. You provide lots of info on places and van stops.
Have just subscribed.
Take care, Lyn & Corrie 🙂
Thanks so much for leaving such a supportive comment and subscribing, it means alot. Cheers Brett.
Thanks
Your welcome.
Awesome thanks 👍🏻
Your very welcome, thanks for commenting 🙂.
Great video. Very informative. Can’t find your list though. Where is descriptions please
You should see the title below the video. And a few words, that's the description. Click more down there and you can find the list.
Great video mate and very good for beginners to living on the road like me 🙂
I have Starlink and as you say it is a game changer.....but I have not been able to find a suitable collapsible pole for it, I see that you have yours on a pole so if you don't mind can you post what type it is and where you purchased it, thanks.
The mast and mount are from www.telecoantenas.com but also please keep in mind its not rated for star links weight. We bought it to go with our 4G antenna and I won't put it up to full height with the starlink on it.
The Mount for the starlink pole came from starlink themselves, and is called a pipe adaptor.
Good luck.
I was imaging the weight of all this stuff if it was added up🤦🏼♀️
I’m a single axle van so limited payload. We’ve really paired down a lot of this equipment but we’re not living on the road. 😊
Yup, weights are not a fun thing to figure out. We have weighed and are legal. To be honest I'm only using 50-60% of my tunnel boot capacity.
Shouldnt use rattle gun on van legs, use drill instead. Like your vids, new follower.
Thanks for following. We've been told many times about not using the rattle gun on the legs. But we've been doing it for nearly 3 years now and haven't had an issue. I'm just careful to do it slowly and not over crank them. Not saying your advise isn't sound, our legs will probably break eventually.
How do you all that in your uterus without overloading ?
Wouldn’t have a link to your kids chairs would you? Can’t seem to find them and I think they would be great
Cheers mate 🤙
Sorry mate, no link, we picked em up from BCF a year or so ago but I've seen the same design out there many times over.
Try searching for hiking chairs.
Great info just drop the background music ... Pointless dose not help
Agreed, it competes with what you are saying and makes it difficult. Music is great paired with scenery shots, but not discussions!
Great information, how do you go with your weights with all your tools?
We've just done a video series on our weights, we were over but managed to get legal.
Might be worth a watch for you, last 2 videos on our channel.
Hey Brett, great video! Thanks for pulling this together it’s really helpful for new entrants into the caravanning world 😊 just a quick question on your chainsaw…is that an 8inch (20cm) I’m just trying to locate online at Bunnings…keep up the great videos you’re really good at it 👍
Cheers Corrie
Hi Corrie, thanks for watching and the kind comment. The saw is a 10inch, it was the smallest of the options when we shopped and it's been plenty big enough for our needs.
Ok great I’ll check it out…thanks for the prompt response much appreciated 😊
The other alternative is reciprocating saw, slightly slower but more compact especially with blade removed and no oil. Brushless is best.
Also 18v tire inflator if you don't already have compressor onboard. More suitable to UK vans + SUV that aren't regularly deflating tires for offroad.
Great video, given me some ideas l never thought about, especially the water tap spanner, thanks for the tip.
Curious to know the weight of your van, l have 17ft 6inch van myself, and looking to upgrade my vechile, from a 4x2 to a 4x4. Could not see what your tow vechile is but gives me an idea of a vechile to purchase.
You have a good setup, van and car hope you continue to travel safely.?
Cheers
John
Thanks. I'm glad we could help. We're towing with a BT50 with a GVM upgrade. The van loaded is about 2700kg. I should think you will at least need a 6ton GCM vehicle, though being full time and / or having kids makes a difference if you aren't either you might get away with less.
Good luck, happy travels, catch you on the road.
Hi Svedos, in mentioning that you have BT-50 l am curious to know from you are they a Diesel guzzler? Il was looking at one myself till l was told that.
With you touring around in one and towing, are they efficient on diesel or do you think they are an expense to run.
Would appreciate your thoughts, so l could narrow down my choices.
Regards John
@@johnodonnell1513 we get between 17l to 20l per 100km (towing). I think it's very good.
A great list, but I can't copy it😅
Great Video guys! Question, where did you get the Starlink extension pole? Thanks 🙏
The pole came from our overland exposure internet kit. We have just repurposed it with a star link pole mount.
@@SvedosTrippin thanks so much I found the actual pole on their website 😃
@Kerry Sleeman you should no the pole isn't rated to the weight of star link. We don't use the 3rd extension and we don't extend it very far out on the second extension.
@@SvedosTrippin I found a specific Starlink one on that website
You forgot the cute three legged stool!
🤣
😢😢12:53 you’re good made on another channel said not to use these rail guns to bring down your jacks stands stabilizers😮😮😊
@RVingwithG yes, I've heard that you van break them using a rattle drill to drop them down too. Though I have been doing it for 3.5 years with out issue, I'm just careful to slow down and stop when the feet reach the ground.
If none of that stuff works or you ran out for some strange reason or could not get to a shop don't panic you can use sunscreen as long as it's 15 + it will even keep midges away as I know firsthand when I work for a transport company people with laughing at me but when I showed them and they tried it I had the last laugh. And yes it works very well
Will have to keep that in mind, thanks for the tip.
Ditch the plastic hose fittings, they are known to pop and water goes everywhere. Spend the money on brass fittings.
Ask caravaners what they need and the reply is ”all of them”, judging from what I’ve seen.
You can't actually copy and paste that... can you add as a comment?
I was able to use the screenshot function on my phone to get the whole list on one picture. Good luck.
Good video but I need to tell you that here in Australia we spell TIRES as TYRES. TIRES is the American spelling.
I don't like the music
Thanks for the feedback, will improve for future vids
Great video - music sucks
Agree, have learned from this and taken the feed back on board for future vids.
The security keys for taps are mostly for NON drinking water... 🚱 steal at your own rick ☠️