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This will be our 2nd season in a van & we seriously need to smarten up re what we take, how we pack it & how we load.

We're fine with weights & where to distribute it etc... but the amount of time it takes us to set up is ridiculous!

In the van we have the awning, table, chairs, groundsheet, folding cupboards etc... all of which have to be dragged out (no matter what the weather) before we can get in.  In the car we have bag(s) packed with clothes etc... & carrier bags with groceries as we usualy go to Asda before we set off plus anything else that I thought of just before we set off.

I'd say it takes us about 2-3 hours to 'move in' including putting the awning up & arranging everything in it.  Others seem to pull up, wind the legs down, sling the awning up in no time & job done!

It's definately mostly my fault - I've never been good at travelling light whether it be with clothes or equipment so any advice on how to smarten my act up would be appreciated!

Hi Vanessa how are you doing?

As far as packing the van - or tt before that - is concerned I've always worked to the rule that if it hasn't been used on the last couple of times out then it's not needed or necessary. You'd be surprised how much you find you can leave at home by doing that. Bearing in mind that the bed in my van is permanently made up, so you may not be able to do this, I put some stuff under the bed and some stuff on it - the loo, folding chairs and a couple of other items are stored in the bathroom and a few other things in the wardrobe, this leaves all the floor space free. Also I have the 'last in first out rule' which means the awning goes in last and comes out first, so I can set that up first and take everything else out of the van without spreading it all over the pitch for the world and his wife to see. As for clothes, I don't take much for a weekend, usually packed into a small rucksack and put in the van just prior to setting off - the same with any food I take.

Mind you, it's easy enough for me to do as there's only me - though it was the same when there were two of us - but you have a family to think about! lol

We always travel wiith the awning and groundsheet in the boot of the car and the clothes packed in the van where they need to be.  Aquaroll and wastemaster on the floor of the van, sort of wedged in so they don't slide about.  The only other thing that goes in the car are bulky coats, which stay in the car anyway while we are away, as with 4 of us, these would fill the wardrobe space on their own!

Don't take any food (apart fro the basics, tea, coffee, milk etc.).  Why lump it with you when you can just buy it when you get there?   There's usually somewhere local to do a quick shop (I always check this out on the internet before we go).   I do pack a coolbox lunch for the journey though if we are travelling a decent distance ...won't pay silly motorway service prices.  After setting up the van, I don't usually feel like cooking a meal, so we then just pop out for a meal or order a takeaway. 

Chairs and table for the awning go under the bed (which is accessed from an outside locker in our van) and this keeps weight low down where it should be.

anythng that has a space in the van, ie clothes, food etc goes in the van, the aquarolls & wastehog go between the front seats, toward the axle rather than right at the front (they move forwards as gas gets used to keep up the nose weight.

Awning (alloy poes) in roof bag with awning table (if its taken)

Boot, everythng else, chairs, kids stuff etc etc.

I try not to have to take anything out to get to stuff that needs to be used first, so if its raining stuff doesnt get wet.

We have got the unpacking and setting up time down to between an hour and hour and a half when we have the awning.  There are three of us, me, OH and 3 year old daughter.   As soon as the van is levelled my wife takes our daughter off, normally to confirm the pitch number at reception and to check out the site and play area, which leaves me to sort out everything on the outside of the van.  The aquaroll, wastemaster and spare wheel always travel in the caravan, as they are all too large for the front locker.  The awning travels in either back seat or boot of the car.  Sad I know, but I always work in the same order, which is:-

1. plug in mains cable, and switch on fridge

2. connect up wastemaster

3. fill aquaroll and connect to pump, then fill water heater and switch on

4. Fill the toilet fresh water compartment. 

5. Connect tv ariel if booster avaialble on EHU point

6. Put up awning (I can do this by myself in under 20 minutes, it's a Sunncamp Ultima 260)

7. Table, chairs & bbq in awning.

Then once all of the above is complete, my wife organises the inside of the caravan, clothes, small amount of food etc.  If we go for a weekend we take the food with us, any longer and we will shop locally when we are there. I always look on the internet first for local supermarkets.

However, I don't know how some people manage to reverse the car on to the pitch first go, level the van with ease, wind the legs down, then fifteen minutes later they are sitting outside drinking tea!

Thanks everyone.

the-saint - you sound incredibly organised & as for getting your 260 awning up on your own in 20 min...  We had a 260 last year & it took an hour between 2 of us!  Granted, we did only do it twice (used the small scenic porch on weekends) & we were trying to figure out where everything goes.

I've just ordered a 390 as we've changed the van & with the 260 the awning warmer & electric socket would be on the outside so we now have an extra section to contend with too!

We're away for 2 nights next Friday so I'll take clothes, groceries etc... to the van Thurs afternoon, put them away & bring back all the extra chairs, tables etc... we won't be needing (can't see us sitting outside in Feb!).  The small porch can travel in the car.  Wastemaster & Aqua-roll travel in the bathroom anyway.  Ground spikes & long-ines for the dogs go just inside the boot so the boys can walk them as soon as we arrive then tether them while we set up.

Think we need to get as many shorter trips as poss in before we go to France in Aug so we can get our act together & figure out some sort of system.  Trouble is, we'll be taking a brand new full awning & annexe with us then so that'll take more space & figuring it out when we get there... well, it'll give the neighbours a good laugh!!

May seem a bit overly organised but I like to get the weights right and once a figured out how to achieve that I just kept the records and update from time to time. See below. Weights in column 2 and 5. Basically, we try to get what we need inside the van traveling in the van and what we need outside goes in the car with the exception of waste and water hog which go in the van as they will not fit in the car. Thus arrive on site and I do the outside setting up and the wife does inside. Very little fetching and carrying from the car. If we don't put the awning up straight away then it looks like we are organised so quickly when, actually, inside is a hive of activity. We have baskets for the stuff that goes in the upper cupboards so that they are packed on the floor.

As the boys in blue have been doing checks on caravans, then, if we get stopped, I just need to pull out the above to show that we are packed Ok, not overweight and that the nose weight is right. Packed like this the noseweight is always spot on at 65.

Enough packed in for a week. Weight of what goes in the car is largely irrelevant unless we need to pack an item in the Van then it helps to know what it weighs.

Once you work out where everything needs to go to get the Van balanced just right then everything goes in the same place next time.

Phil

We are pretty much the same as the saint, except we have 3 little ones and somewhere near the start the bikes come out of the van or off the roof of the car so that they can disappear. I will emphasise what others have said though, clothes go in the van, Food stays at the supermarket until we get there (except for basics), aquaroll and waste contaqiner in van. Microwave and telly in car along with coats. Awning split between car (poles) and van (canvass) which we use to balance the noseweight. (usually just means moving it either side of the axle)

Jon

We leave most everything in the van that is readily accomodated - clothes, towels, toiletries, canned foods/tea/coffee/beer/wine/condiments etc. notheing travels on or between seats. This only leaves perishables to go into the fridge before we set off.

The car takes awning, table, chairs, sat system and extra 3-way fridge.

Set-up and kettle on 10 minutes tops (without awning). 

Yes Alan its a bit anoraky but then the recent police checks revealed that so many caravanners were over weight and unbalanced (the van that is) so they know we are easy target!!!! You may like this spread sheet as well which I have laminated and keep under the sun visor just in case. Useful info that you may need along the way and need to get at easily