How much will our stuff weigh???????????????

How long is a piece of string?
Seriously, how can we even make a wild guess if we don't know what you want to carry?

Toothbrush and 'jamas...not much (or you can leave oout the jamas) !!

Will you have 2 jumpers or 4, will you have 4 cups or 6. How do you really expect us to answer that question?
Karen

Make it 150Kgs and if I am wrong sorry. Thats a lot for food and a pair of underdaks though.

For your luggage surely you will know from the last time you flew at checking. For the food take a guess. What else was there/

Phil

Usually not much to play around with once you pick up the van. I also suggest you weigh it empty before you start so you know what weight you are dealing with (as opposed to that stamped on the plate). The thing that will surprise you most is how much all those little things weigh and they all add up to something that usually has you looking at all the stuff again. Leaving you scratching your head to leave stuff at home or overloading.

Kind regards

Really the weight becomes a non issue , the real trick is working out what you ''need" to take and what you "want"to take , if you only take whats needed you generally end up within the weight range of the van , its that "extra" pair of shoes ect that never come out of the cupboard that is the weight problem.

If you need to go to that extreme then a set of old bathrooms scales is always handy. I tend to get an approximate weight of items (or as close to exact as you can get with a set of bathroom scales) and then add them into an excel spread sheet. Don't forget to add water and fluids (fuel for the gennie etc).

Chuck all your kitchen utensils etc in a clothes basket or cardboard box and weigh them on the scales prior to packing the van. Same with food, bedding, grog etc. Using the spread sheet then gives you a record for future trips as well.

Works well for me with the Patrol on the desert trips when weight was a crucial factor.

Cheers Mick

I have found that if you take out everything you will think you need and lay it out on the lawn. Then cut the amount in half and then weigh what is left.

You will relise that you don't really need all that you think you do once you see how much stuff there is.

Cheers
Dave

Hi nighttrain, As a "rule of Thumb" a figure of 300 Kg is often used on top of the tare weight of the van. The 300 Kg includes such things as gas bottles, weight of water in your tanks, batteries, tools & your personal stuff such as food & clothing & of course a carton of your favourite grog.
As a number of people have already mentioned, avoid taking things that you "might" need & depending where you are headed avoid taking heaps of tinned food as it is heavy.

When we first started out I had a hard time convincing SWMBI that there were supermarkets & shops all along the way & that there was no need to pack a couple of months worth of tucker in the van before leaving home!

Hope that helps. Cheers & good luck

Buy a vehicle that is capable enough for the ATM of the van.

There are lots of things to consider re extra weight, as people have mentioned,
Just a few things that are taken for granted,
*Annex Walls
*Shademesh LeanTo
*Ropes and Pegs
*A few Tent Poles
*Caravan Jack, in our case a Sidewinder Jack
*Who carries an Outside Table when you sit under the Awning
*Even a Couple of Camp Chairs
*Long Handle Broom
*A reasonable Door Mat so you can wipe your feet
*Even an Annex Mesh Floor
*Potable Water Hose to connect from a Tap to the Van
*Sullage Hose
*Caravan Toilet Chemicals
*Everyone carries a couple of Plastic Buckets
as mentioned have your van weighed before an after, you will be amazed.

Cheers

Simple solution is...
After you get the van go for a shakedown cruise, somewhere local that you know and stay for at least one week..
Then Pack everything that you and your other half think you would need for a trip for say 2 weeks without shopping.
Then whilst away simply use what you need and mark each item with a texta and when you get back home unload and if it does not have a texta mark then you do not need it.
This excludes the 1st aid box and emergency gear.

If you let my good wife do the packing the first two items you will need are an overload permit and a more powerful tow vehicle.........lol

What the hell am I laughing at this is dead set


Seriously though we would need more info to even make a rational guess. Are you going off road, caravan park to caravan park type of van and vehicle etc etc


Cheers Pop

Hi. I am quite confused. When you talk about 'all your stuff', do you mean just water in the tank, gas in the bottles, food, clothes, kitchen contents etc. buckets brooms and so forth? [if so, say 150 to 200kg] or do you also mean microwave, awning, fan heater? [another 100kg] or do you also mean generator, bike rack with bikes, toolbox on drawbar or back bumper? say another 100kg].
As a rule of thumb, many vans hit the road at about 100 to 200kg above ATM, so it would certainly not be wise to work on anything less than ATM as the towing requirement (and some will say your tow vehicle MUST be rated to tow the ATM of your van, even if the van is not actually that heavy).
Don't forget you must not go above max drawbar down load for the tow vehicle, and you must not go above GCM as stated for that tow vehicle. But plenty of people drive around with a van that's way too heavy for the tow vehicle.
There'd be blokes on this site who have a rig that's 300kg above GCM, a van that's 200kg above the max for the tow vehicle, and a drawbar down load of 50kg above max. Them the crank up the rear of the vehicle with airbags and pretend that weight distribution hitches take weight off the back axle of the tow vehicle (which of course they cannot do).
It is likely that a street legal outfit for a 20ft van with the trimmings will have a Patrol, Disco Grand Cherokee or Land Cruiser doing the work. It is also likely that a Prado/Pajero will be close to or even above its limit, likewise the 2.5l CRD ute based vehicles. An 18ft van would be easier, unless you carry a boat, motor etc and a few of the other toys!!

We have an 18' (internal measurement) van, and licence shows TARE as 2.22 tonne. I try and travel as light as possible, but last year packed up for the big lap, we came in at 3 tonne whilst still ON the tow bar. I use plastic plates, light weight cutlery, and don't carry electric cooking stuff as it is heavy and bulky. We add water (320 kilos), 2 gas bottles, two spare tyres, more batteries than when van was manufactured, and a have genny box with Honda 2 and ULP on the a-frame. Clothes for all seasons (still not a lot), food and books. Most of the tools and spares were in the tow vehicle. A little bit of this and that sure adds up quick!

Motherhen