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If it helps, with all our caravan's we have had, we have put most of the lighter stuff where it will be for the holiday - bedding on beds (if fixed) or under if not, clothes hanging or in over head cupboards ( the lighter bits). Aqua roll and waste master in the shower in bags. Then we have always had our kitchen area in the middle almost over the axel so tins and heavier food and pots and pans go in the bottom cupboard (floor level and lighter melamine cups and acrylic glasses etc in the top cupboards.

The heavier stuff in baskets as close to axel as poss. – e.g. any books, fire extinguisher TV , awning etc.

The other thing found to reduce weight, we have is light weight cargo trousers that roll up or zip off so they can double up as shorts and are light weight and very easy to dry if they get wet.

We take tea, coffee, sugar etc enough for the trip in small plastic containers, and try to just have enough food for first few meals and then shop locally were ever we go, to help keep weight down, and makes it easier to set up.

Also we keep some light weight travel games or a pack of cards on board, there is a novelty then about them only being in the caravan.

Occasionally the stuff on hangers decides to fall off but we have got round this with Lakeland coat hangers that clip on to the rail – I’m not sure if they still do them, or the thin metal coat hangers with the tops bent round. We also find most stuff is fine in the top cupboards, occasionally we have the glasses fall out but that’s a silly design for part of one of the cupboards on our caravan –it has a shelf half way up and we should really remember to put the glasses up there! We have had no other problems unless we forget to push the travel catches securely.

Personally I think its trail and error finding what suits you and what works in your caravan but keeps the weight evenly distributed.

Here's what we do........

Inside stuff in the van and outside stuff in the car. That way you are on your own whilst Hubby is outside doing his jobs. Watched a couple this last week setting up. She was in and out of the van passing outside stuff to him and whilst he set up she then moved inside stuff from car to van. Up and down steps for ages.

Clothes on coat hangers on the bed. They fall off in the wardrobe but stay on the bed when travelling. Just lift them into wardrobe when on site. Undies/socks (light stuff) in lockers whilst travelling so they don't need any attention once on site.

Bed already made up before we go

Why carry food? They have food where you are going. Go to the Supermarket together then he carries the bags into the van and helps to put them away.

Bathroom stuff in a folding crate and that travels in the bathroom so you only move the crate once it is emptied. Other stuff in folding crate in middle of van floor. We only carry two crates of stuff for the two of us so she has very little to do and I am beavering away outside. Gives her time to put kettle on and do a few crossword puzzles whilst waiting for the kettle to boil.

Fire extinguisher is fixed in van as is the fire blanket so they don't need to be attended to once on site. (Remember to include their weight in your personal payload).

Pots and pans stay in the van in the bottom of the cooker. We use a kettle on the hob rather than electric (reduce risk of overloading amps) and it has a folding handle so it fits in the cooker for travelling.

Melamine plates dishes etc travel in the front cabinet drawers. No risk of flying about. Just move to upper lockers once on site.

Weigh everything that you leave in the van permanently so you know just how much more weight you can carry. Then you only need pack the variables. Pack just enough clothes for the break - reduces weight and less to pack away. I appreciate that that may be a difficult concept for ladies to grasp but you have to get your mind round it

Happy camping

Phil

We keep everything in the caravan in the place where it goes - all clothes in before we start - static bed already made up.  The only thing we keep in the car is the awning and groundsheet.  The main reason being that sometimes we take the full awning and large groundsheet and sometimes the lightweight porch and small groundsheet.  As we have to put it in the car to take it to the caravan, it seems silly to then put it in the caravan only to take out again as soon as we get there.  The chairs and table, and cadac are already stored underneath the static double bed, so we fetch these out once the awning is up.

When we pack away, everything goes in the van first, and then we take down the awning, fold up the groundsheet.  If the awning is wet, it is already in the car ready to dry out in the conservatory when we get home.

P.S. I never weigh individual items, but take the whole thing to a weighbridge before we go for a long break (i.e. when the van is at it's fullest).  I always feel that weighing every item is not only time consuming, but can also compound inaccuracies.  If your scales are slightly out then every single item you weigh will be slightly out, which could mean quite a large variable, one way or the other.  If you take it to a weighbridge at least you have a ticket that tells you the total weight which you can show to plod, if any questions are asked.

• Bradcott awning with light weight poles & its groundsheet (I couldn't believe how light the pole bag is
• aquaroll & wastemaster
• 2 basic folding chairs, caravan step
• melamine plates etc for 4 & couple of china mugs & cutlery for 4
• wine, corkscrew (!!) & couple of glasses
• 2 sleeping bags, pillows, rugs, towels, t-towels
• TV (Unless I get my way & it stays home!)
• Kettle, saucepan, frypan
• clothes/shoes/toiletries
• hitchlock, torch
• games/cards/paper/pens
• bucket, brush/dustpan, window clothes rack, bin of some sort
• Battery, gas, mains cable
• Food basics.

this has been a really useful thread for us, got everything ready for when we bring the van home tommorrow and scales at the ready. Plan is as things go in will weigh and record on sheet I will laminate and keep for future trips. Many thanks for tips on where to put things

Phil you make a really valid point about inside stuff inside van and outside stuff in car- makes so much sense and can see how much easier it will make setting up. Going to copy your bathroom stuff in folding crate plan, I have just the right size shopping basket style crate for that job. Where do you put your aquaroll and wastemaster? How much can we/should we put in the gas locker? I was thinking 1 9kg gas bottle, pegs, mallet, levellers, chocks, waste pipe, ehu lead and kneeling mat (stops OH getting dirty knees when setting up!) Where should we store the wheel clamp (12kgs) and alko hitchlock? (not sure on the weight of that)

DSB, we plan to put our two Dukdalf lightweight chairs, a table and the Cadac under the bed too! Its only the lighter safari Chef so should be fine.

The neighbours are going to bemused tommorrow evening I'm sure. Have invited the inlaws for tea and cake at 4pm in the van

Quote: Originally posted by savanne1 on 17/5/2011

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The neighbours are going to bemused tommorrow evening I'm sure. Have invited the inlaws for tea and cake at 4pm in the van

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Well - today's the day Savanne.  Hope everything works out according to plan - enjy.  If I were a bit closer, I'd come for tea and cake.  Incidentally, we get our aquaroll under the bed too - wastemaster in the front comparment with the gas bottles.  I'll be looking for your post telling us about the van.

Those folding crates are a brilliant piece of equipment, once on site we use them in the awning for shoes. After forgetting towls once too often, I've now gone down to asda and bought new one's for each of us (each a diff. colour to stop arguments), as soon as they are washed it's straight into an Ikea bag to be taken back to the caravan, same goes for tea-towels.

You'll soon have a packing routine that suits you.

Good luck,

Nicky

I have a printed out check list I made at home and a different one in the van. The one at home has things like coats camera mobile phone, food from fridge and freezer, pj's underwear spare van keys books (kindle!) etc etc. I then just tick off as things go in the car ready to take to van in storage. I have a list in the van that I go through when we pack up to take everything out and also checking stocks of tea, coffee, cereal etc. We have a full set of bedding,  towels and tea towels that 'belong' to the van, these get brought home washed and put straight into 'the caravan bag'

We hang stuff straight in the wardrobe, (I have never had anything fall off yet probably cos its too squished lol) Undies and pjs go straight into top lockers over the bed. I especially look out for small sized condiments (Morrisons seem to be great for these) and leave these in the van all season.Cereal goes into the plastic cereal containers and just get topped up when necessary. We have a hanging toilet bag each for use in the shower block and the contents of these are on my check list as well.

We pretty well follow the outside stuff in car and inside stuff in van rule.  When we get to site Carl is off doing all the outside jobs and I am getting any stuff we have brought with us away and getting the kettle going. We have a lot of the 'bag for life type bags from M & S or Morrisons and these are brilliant for moving stuff, very strong and good handles, cost about 40p each I think, then they fold down flat ready for packing up coming home. If we have any washing to do on site they get used for this and if I make Carl go and wash up dishes (especially if using griddle pan) we have one to put these in as well. I have a small shower gel bottle which I have washed and filled with washing up liquid and saves taking big bottle.

Really enjoying this thread and seeing how other people do things its always good to get tips!