Equipment needed for a caravan?

I am a relative newbie as well (only since December 2013).

You should get (if not buy) a basic "starter kit"....includes the sullage hose and the water hose as well as a short 15Amp power cord and probably a one litre of chemical for the dunny.

It's enough to get you going, the following is a list of what I have bought but the best advice (as I did) is go away for a week and see what you need.....some of these items I had from camping days.

Fold up Chairs
Fold up table for outside dining
Mat for under the awning (I had a C-Gear one that I also use un der my tent)
We bought a Baby Q (and cook outside all the time although not an essential)
Some wooden blocks (for underneath your levellers, a few of different sizes is good), these sources from home for me.

The following are "extra's" we have bought, none of which are essential but all worthwhile.

Trailer A Mate Jack and Jockey wheel (yes your van won't come with a jack....or at least I imagine it won't)...this is a great system, suggest you Google it to see.
A longer 15A power cord (yes sometimes you can't reach the power)
Hose bags (for rolling up the sullage and water hoses and keeping them tidy)
If you plan on travelling "outback", a water filter, you can buy an inline BEST Filter for about $100
Awning De-Flappers.....you can buy the cheapies (as I have) but Aussie Traveller make a complete awning system which is def the best.
If you are planning on doing any free camping and may want to leave your van whilst exploring some sort of security, there's plenty of different types, wheel clamps are probably the best.
If you plan on staying at friends places, or maybe showgrounds where they might not have 15Amp power an AMPFIBIAN (Google it) is worthwhile, I have one of these.
If planning on Free / Bush camping you need to consider power, I have solar and also a generator (which I plan on using rarely).

There's loads more people might suggest, these are what I have bought but also understand we are not just going from caravan park to caravan park so your needs may be totally different.

Good luck and be prepared, its all pretty expensive.

As you are buying new screw as much as possible out of the dealer/builder in the way of gear you mention.
We bought 12 month old Jayco from Halls and got the above and a step.
The rest,bedding,cutlery,shadescreens etc. another $2500

Have FUN.
John

G'day Ray & Jen

We have been caravanning for some time so I am going to jump in here and see if I can be some help.

We have a 20m roll of drinking water hose with brass click on fittings as we find these better than the plastic ones. We also have a BEST filter.

Sullage hose is subject to many opinions what we have is this: I bought a roll(20m) of 50mm grey water hose and I cut the following lengths from it, 6m & 5m. most of the time in cp's the 5m will do but now and then I need the 6m and occasionally both. I use 50mm so we do not get any surcharging of the basin when the sink plug is pulled.

We also have some levelling ramps to level the van side to side, we use the trail a mate to level fore and aft with the footplate on it.

It is essential if you have a 3 way fridge to get it level so it can work most efficiently.

We have a tie down strap for the roll out awning as a gust of wind can wreck them if not held down.

A pole carrier to store the awning anti flappers and a few extendable tent poles. Also the curved rafters for the awning.

Depending on where you intend travelling and how much you like your TV we have a VAST satellite system.

We also carry a 12v submersible pump and a couple of buckets(one green for good water and red for waste water) the pump allows us to use water from a dam or stream for washing and showering and so conserving our good quality drinking water.

That is all I can think of at the moment I am sure there are many other with much experience who will add to this list.

just watch the weight-may I suggest you ask the dealer to give you a weighbridge ticket for the empty van. It is the only way you will know how much the tare weight really is.

frank

Ray and Jen
All of the advice is good and the total price can be couple of grand or more my advise is make a list and hand out to the kids as you have Xmas 2 birthdays fathers and mothers day . They can then buy Mum and Dad a chair/table or what ever beats sock and jocks and the "your so hard to buy for" comment is gone for 12 months anyway.

We really like the Christmas/Father's Day etc present list idea. This has kept our lot happy and we have acquired really useful stuff!

There is no end to what you might think you need. We suggest start with the minimum and go for your first trip to somewhere near reasonable shops so you can get anything you find you really need as you realise it. The aim is generally to equip the van with basic stuff so you can go away at short notice without packing more than a few clothes.

You really will need some pegs and ropes for tying down your awning.

A suitable groundsheet for the area under the awning is a good idea.

Plastic baskets and Décor or similar containers for organising cupboards and fridge.

Don't forget a reasonable first aid kit.

Do without the smelly and expensive toilet chemicals and use No Brand (Coles or Woolies) Nappy Soaker. Works a treat and is environmentally friendly and cheap - you can get it anywhere. Just google it - it is always being discussed on Caravaners Forum.

Some sort of tray for carrying drinks and nibbles or BBQ stuff in and out is very useful.

Get real glass glasses for wine! Op shops often have great buys so it doesn't matter if they get lost or broken.

Enjoy your new van! Lynne

Are you getting a Dometic fridge? If so make sure it is one of the models with a flat front, these are all climate class T rated. The curve fronted fridges are all ST rated. T rated fridges work to full specification up to 42 deg ambient where as the ST will only work to full rating up to 37 deg.

Also all Dometic fridges come with a bullseye level. These are calibrated with an outer circle, if you keep the bubble within that circle the fridge will work to full specification (it's surprising how out of level the van can be and the fridge will work successfully, provided the fridge is installed properly.) A lot of agents throw them away as being necessary, they are necessary, they are the only way you can gauge whether the fridge is level enough. Let us know the fridge model you are getting and we can point you to a handbook in advance.

Looks like you are getting one of the better fridges. Download this PDF page. This will show you Dometic's preferred installation details. See id the manufacturer will install the fridge with option 2. This will give you the strongest airflow past the cooling fins.

You can get an advance copy of the user handbook from here.

Hi Ray and Jen

You shouldn't need anything much more than you had for your camper. Are you planning mainly caravan parks, or mainly independent camping? Yes, you need towing mirrors, plus a break controller for the caravan brakes. A basic Bunnings food grade hose for water is adequate as the water doesn't sit in it for long periods, and ten metres should be adequate for most sites. Very few caravan parks that we have been to have sullage pits, and a bucket tipped around on the grass or into the pit if there is one is easy. Our sullage hose which we sometimes use on longer stays in the one spot is ten metres. If you are going to powered sites you will need a 15 amp (both ends) power cord, without a flange on the female end. Probably best to get one twenty or thirty metres as sometimes power is not close or on the wrong site of the van. If you are short of anything else after off loading from camper to caravan, you can buy it as you go. Our packing list has very little difference to the one from our tenting days.

Motherhen