Caravanning Now

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The things to do when you get to your first site:

Reversing [John White]

This can be very difficult at first but it soon becomes second nature.
If you have a motor mover and the battery is up to it, then you can ignore this next bit.
I am not going to give you a load of instructions here it would take to long, so try to site the van where you can drive in, unhitch and then drive off with out manoeuvring. If you really can't do that for what ever reason, I suggest you apply the handbrake on the van, unhitch, borrow some hefty friends and manhandle it. Both of the major caravan clubs run courses where you can learn how to reverse safely.

Manhandling [John White]

If you have a motor mover, you can ignore this section.
Never manhandle the van on your own except on the flattest of sites.
The van is heavy and will roll down hill very quickly. Try to have a person responsible for the brake. This person doesn't push or pull the van at all, their only responsibility is the hand brake on the van.
When moving the van, if anyone shouts brake or stop then the brake man pulls the brake on and every thing stops.
It is very important NEVER to push using anything apart from the handles or the corners of the van. If you push in the centre of the front or rear panel of the van it may bend and you could have a busted window or bent panels.

Don't be too adventurous[Kevin Clayton]

Go somewhere near to home the first time out, so that you can go home for that essential luxury you've forgotten.

I learnt to do without the TV remote the second time out!

Don't be frightened of the van, towing, pitching, putting the awning up etc. [Kevin Clayton]

Take your time and try it all. I've seen experienced caravanners' take more tries than me to reverse the van onto the pitch, so try it, it is easier than pushing.

The bigger clubs run courses to teach you how to reverse.

If people laugh, then laugh with them as it's all part of the fun. If you can't manage it, then get out and push.
The same with everything, try it and make up your own mind. Got in a mess putting up the awning, then take it down and try again, and relax in the fact that many have done so before and will do after you. Just do everything at your own pace and let others do the worrying about what your doing.
For information on how to get the rights size awning, see the FAQ page on measuring your caravan for an awning.

Unhitching and final leveling [John White & Richard Cole]

Once you have the van where you want it and your happy that it is level side to side, apply the caravan hand brake and unhitch it from the car (remember to remove the breakaway cable from the car and to unplug the car electrics, etc) then adjust the jockey wheel to get the van level fore and aft. Then drop the jacks down until they touch the ground on all four corners and apply the same number of extra turns to each. make sure that van is still level and that the van doesn't rock when you walk in it, slacken and tighten the corner jacks to get it level and stable.
Once sited you should leave the caravan hand brake off (you are advised to chock the wheels) this prevents the handbrake from seizing up, especially if you intend leaving it sited for some time.
See this guide on how to level your van on a pitch.

Final steps on arrival [Richard Cole].

Final stages now.
Connect up your electric cable (if you are using one), turn on the gas, set the fridge to work on mains or gas and put the kettle on.
If you've got a TV then look around for other peoples aerials and see which way they are pointing. If you can't see any aerials, then ask, it might be there is no TV reception. See this item on Aerial types.
If there is reception then connect up and auto seek the channels.
Put up your awning as the neighbours won't have had a good laugh since they saw your reversing.

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