Get Your New or First Caravan Road Ready
July 9th, 2020
Caravanning is considered a great British tradition and is seeing a resurgence of interest this year. It’s predicted United Kingdom families are choosing holidays closer to home and exploring the beautiful hotspots around the UK. To be honest, why wouldn’t you? Caravans allow you to bring all the comforts of home, its affordable and your pets can enjoy the adventure with you! It really is a secure, safe, and easy option for 2020!
Can you legally tow?
If you passed your driving test after 1997, you may need a ‘Trailer License’ to legally tow the weight of your caravan. This involves taking an additional category B+E driving test that allows you to tow heavier vehicles/trailers. For full details, you can check for a license at Gov.uk. You can also check the Caravan Club for approved trainers and test centres.
Checklist
We love a list here at Slime, it’s our go to option when we plan any trip to make sure we have everything we need. Do you have all your essentials?
- Slime Tyre Repair Kit
- Spare bottle of Slime Tyre Sealant or refill for your kit
- Car breakdown kit (warning triangle, jump leads, light, etc.)
- First aid kit
- Gas bottle and regulator
- Large waste container and toilet chemicals
- Water container
- Fire blanket or extinguisher
- Caravan battery
- Emergency light
- Towing mirrors to help with visibility
Don’t worry, if you forget something, you can pick it up at your local camping/outdoor shop, but it’s a good idea to be prepared and know where those shops are in the area you plan to visit.
Test Drive
Once you have loaded all your essentials and those little home away from home luxuries, it’s a good idea to have a quick test drive before you set off on a long journey. You can feel the weight changes of the caravan and if it is balanced correctly. How does it handle round corners, does it reverse well, can you see all angles, is it leaning to one side? All these pre-checks ensure you have a smooth journey and you get to your holiday destination safely.
Don’t Forget the Safety Checks
These are so easy to forget when you are excited to get going and enjoy your break. However, before any long journey, the RAC suggests you check:
- Enough fuel – sounds obvious, but more than 800,000 cars break down due to lack of fuel a year!
- Oil – is it at the right level and do you have some spare in your kit?
- Windscreen wipers – are the rubbers OK if you get a typical British summer downpour?
- Tyre tread depth – are they legal? (It advisable to have at least 3mm to help with traction)
- Number plate – is it showing properly on the back of the caravan?
- Coolant – it is advised to check this when the engine is cold
- Lights and electrics – do all your lights work? (We have all seen that one car with the headlight missing)
- Screen wash – nothing worse than a screen covered in summer squashed bugs!
So, you have done all your planning and checks and are ready to go! Don’t forget to plan your journey and to make it hassle free, remember to HAVE FUN!
We hope you will share your summer road trip plans with us. We can’t wait to see you what adventures you got up to!