So you finally bit the bullet.
You went ahead and purchased a new Caravan or Camper Trailer. Good on you. Now you can get out and see Australia in a little bit of comfort. But wait.. Do you have everything you need??
If you purchased a brand new Ezytrail Stirling Camper Trailer, or an MDC Forbes 13, or may be an Austrack XT15 Caravan from a dealer.. you will probably be surprised that you STILL need to put your hand in your pocket and shell out a little more for the caravan accessories you are going to need on the road. If you purchased 2nd hand, you will probably find most of what you need is already in there.. but if not..
Here is a list of the most common camping accessories that you will need to buy, before you hit the open road in your Caravan, Hybrid or Camper Trailer.
Let’s try and do this in some kind of order..
You have found somewhere you want to camp.. now you have found a nice little site to set up on.. The first thing you are going to want to do is level out the caravan or camper so you don’t roll out of bed in the middle of the night….
1. Levelling Ramps.
A good quality set of caravan levelling ramps is going to help get your camper nice and level. Be sure to use your level to first get your East/West axis nice and level. Then you can adjust your North/South axis using your jockey wheel. You may need some raising blocks to get some extra height.
Now you have your caravan nice and level, you are going to want to lower the stabilizing legs on all 4 corners. I’m sure you already have the cross brace / wheel nut adjust bar that was supplied, but why not take the easy road.. and use your cordless drill… I assume you have one in your toolbox..
Search for Bargain Priced Levelling Ramps on Ebay Now..
2. Stabilizer Adjust Tool Adaptor
Easily adapting to any cordless drill, this handy little adaptor is worth its weight in gold. It will make winding your stabilizer legs up and down, a task of joy.. not the painstaking monotonous task it usually is.
This small but essential unit will enable you to use your cordless drill to wind up leadscrew-type corner stabilizers. It will save you time and make it easier on your back. The adaptor has 1/4-inch hex fitting that goes into the drill chuck. On the other end is a 19mm socket for the corner stabilizer. The unit comes with a 19mm to 13mm A/F adaptor socket for those smaller jacks.
This enables you to drive 13mm screw-in tent pegs and other 13mm drive accessories as well. Just attach to your cordless drill and wind up and down with ease.
3. Padlock Set
Having a set of good quality padlocks on your van is going to be imperative for securing your tool boxes and doors. Just make sure they are keyed alike. If you have 4 keys and 4 different padlocks, your will soon get frustrated.
4. Hose – Freshwater & Sullage
There are a few types of hose you will need on your camper. Gas Hoses Fresh Water Hoses & Sullage Hoses
5. Gas Bottles
Oh so many gas bottles on the market. But lets face it.. you in the Aussie Caravan market really only need to make 1 choice. Do you want to carry a 9kg bottle or a 4.5kg bottle. Most caravans and hybrid campers won’t come with one included, as a company needs a special license to sell pressurized gas bottles.
And in this day of Swap n’ Go all over the country, its so easy to refill gas on the road.
6. Gas Bottle Gauge
This simple and effective pocket-sized device, connects between the gas cylinder and regulator, and is designed to completely shut the gas supply off in the event of a major leak or regulator failure.
The easy to read glow gauge, also glow in the dark indicates when the gas level is getting low, saving unnecessary refills and helping you better plan your next Gas refill stop.
Be sure to get yourself a Gas Bottle Safety Gauge
7. 15A Power Cable
Yes. It does have to be 15Amp. Your ordinary household extension cable is NOT going to be good enough. Make sure you invest in a decent quality.. as you will be using it every time you are at a powered site.
Easily available at Bunnings
What about when I am parked at home?? How do I charge my van then?
Good question. When you are parked at home, and you want to plug your van into your garage, you will need to run through an RCD. This is a 15amp – 10amp converter.
This is an important piece of safety equipment. Get One Now off Ebay – Fast and Delivered Free
8. Security Locks – Wheel & Hitch
Your caravan or camper trailer security is going to be important. Aside from stopping grubby little thieves taking your property, your insurance company may insist you have 1 or 2 levels of security, or else your premiums may not be worth paying..
There are 2 types of security locks you will be wanting to look for…
Wheel Locks & Hitch Locks
First things first, start yourself with a simple Tow Ball Lock. Although this is more of a deterrent, it’s far better than nothing at all. I mean.. lets face it.. if someone wants to steal your trailer, you only need to connect a chain to the back of your car and drag it away.
Something a little more substantial is a caravan wheel lock. These are going to secure your camper or caravan or boat far better than a hitch lock. Most people add both a hitch lock and wheel lock to their camper or caravan. Your insurance company is going to love you for it!
9. Camping / Picnic Set
Rather than buy individual plates, buy a complete set. Like this durable 18pc Camping Tableware Set.
10. Kettle / Coffee Pot
Everyone needs tea or coffee.. especially when camping.
A camp kettle is probably the cheapest, yet most used piece of camping equipment. Used for a multitude of different things, you will require your camp kettle to boil water for tea and coffee every morning, heat water for washing up 2 – 3 times every day, heat a bucket of water to bath from.. cleaning, first aid reasons.. the list goes on.
Considering this is a cheap piece of camping equipment, don’t skimp on the cheap stuff. Pay the extra couple of bucks to get yourself a quality camp kettle.
11. Bluetooth Speaker
It’s going to be important to keep everyone entertained when you are out bush. In the rare cases.. there will be no phone or internet, so you will have to do your best to stop the riots.
Get yourself a good waterproof bluetooth camping speaker that everyone can listen to.
12. Toilet Chemicals
Se the whole range of toilet chemicals for your boat or caravan on Ebay
13. Tool Kit & Tyre Repair Kit
A Tyre Repair Kit is going to be an invaluable part of your outback tool kit.
This Easy to use 57-piece tyre repair kit has everything needed to repair most types of tyreenclosed in a hard plastic case and includes many spare parts.
A tyre repair kit is an essential item for any caravan traveller. It’s all too common getting a tyre puncture out ion the road or in the bush with no reception and inadequate gear. This simple little package will give you piece of mind knowing you have a quality repair kit for your tyres. Simple to use and store in your van toolbox, this is a must have in your van collection. Make sure you order yours today. FREE postage on this item
14. Waterproof Torch
Of course you are going to find yourself rifling through a dark bag in the back of the car, or walking over to the toilet block in the middle of the night.. You’re going to need some type of night illumination device.
You will find a good camping torch in any camping store, or quick and easy to find a torch on ebay.
Check out all the features on this Tac Torch
15. The Hema Navigator HX-2
The NEW Release Hema Navigator HX-2 has just been released. Head on over and read the review now..
“What if I told you we camped in a carpark?” my dad said, his voice rich with the exaggerated tone of somebody telling an old folktale.
I laughed and shook my head at him, “Dad come on.”
“It’s true! We found this place not too far from here that had some amazing views.”
He gestured to the lush green valley below us with all its rolling hills and meandering rivers. “We pitched our tent by one of the rivers so we could take advantage of fishing.” He grinned. “Can’t go wrong there!”
It was hard to believe good camping could be found anywhere but in the outback – like how it used to be.