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New to caravanning, please could i ask your advice on loading the van. I have checked the nose weight and correct for car,(not overloaded front locker) from reading posts i have ensured any heavier items are over the the wheels in the centre and on the floor. fixed bed t back only got light bedding on it. Nothing heavy stored in top lockers,only taking what we need an no extra's, is there anything else i should do/consider?

Hi Rob2011, this link should help from the site Features/Tips, Click on link, you can print it off for future use.

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=202

hope it helps.

Take the microwave plate out and place it in the sink. If the microwave opens in transit you will have a smashed plate on the floor!

Try taking outside stuff in the car and inside stuff in the van. That makes setting up on site easier.

Weigh everything to make sure that you are not overloading. Better still load up and then stick the van on a public weighbridge just to make sure you have not exceeded your MTPLM. Don't foget to include the weight of any motor mover, full gas cylindars and battery in your personal payload.

Don't travel with water in the tanks/cistern.

Use a noseweight guage and toeque your wheel nuts to correct level before setting off.

Relax...maybe not on your first journey but once everything becomes second nature you will...

Phil

Beware of items falling from high lockers.  Don't trust your lockers/cupboards to stay closed.  Kitchen worktops are not like domestic ones and won't cope with jars/tins/bottles falling on them.  Better still, don't leave anything in upper lockers.

We put our microwave glass plate in the rack designed for crockery and I am careful to store items like cooking oil where it cannot fall over.

Always check that all the cupboards, drawers, window catches, doors, rooflights are secure before moving off - every time!  Its easy to forget that a Status TV aerial is still raised too!

As a newbie, it would be advisable to pull over after your first hundred metres or so and re-check that all is secure and well inside and outside  before getting properly underway.  We often do this and we're not new to it any more.

As a newbie, it would be advisable to pull over after your first hundred metres or so and re-check that all is secure and well inside and outside before getting properly underway. We often do this and we're not new to it any more.

Good point...and make sure your gas is turned off at the cylindar.....