G'day all. Karen and I are returning to Caravanning as grey Nomads (well, speaking for myself only of course). We were much younger when we bought our first van in the UK and camped in all weathers including snow on a few occasions, but are just as keen to camp all year around in Australia. Well....we would wouldn't we, after all it's much milder here. We pick up our New Age Manta Ray 19ft from Penrith (RV Group) this Monday, the car is booked in for it's electrics to be ripped apart and all the necessaries fitted and so the excitement is building! A question though for you all, as it is such a long time since we caravanned, I wondered if each could contribute their no 1 MUST HAVE piece of equipment which we should consider acquiring. This will help us consider what we need to buy on Monday before taking up RV Groups generous offer of a 2 night stay in a local park to iron out any wrinkles. Thanks in advance for helping us get set up and see you around the forums.
Karen and Barry
Dougwe said
03:21 PM Mar 17, 2015
Welcome to the gang Muddy, enjoy here and out in the playground.
#1 Item.......Webber Baby Q is a must have item for sure and should already be on top of your list.
ballast2 said
05:54 PM Mar 17, 2015
G'day and welcome Muddy
Item 2.... Good comfortable fold up seats. must be comfortable with back/hear support(for all those days of lounging around) but light enough to carry to (hopefully) the many happy hours you will be attending.
Cheers
Muddy said
09:19 AM Mar 18, 2015
Thanks Doug. Obviously a man who thinks with his stomach much the same as I. I have a cheaper Aldi Version (made by Coolabah) lined up (On sale this Saturday for $229) I have a coolabah smoker which has worked well for year so trust the brand. Comes with removable legs too. Looks OK. Thanks for the welcome and the tip Doug. Ballast 2 Thanks, already have our camping chairs from Camper trailer days but you are right. If we are planning to get some use out of them they have to be comfy enough to sleep in!! Thanks for the tip
Snail said
02:02 PM Mar 18, 2015
Hi Karen and Barry. Hope all goes well with the new van. We love our Diesel heater.
Snail
TechnoGypsy said
11:16 PM Mar 18, 2015
A reliable G.P.S. or a really good map book So you know how to get there !!
(Hema is the way to go. IMHO)
petengail said
10:57 AM Mar 19, 2015
Beer - lots of beer - any other spare space can be devoted to a bottle of sherry for the little lady.
robo24 said
11:34 AM Mar 19, 2015
Hi guys.May i suggest,if you have more than one water tank,try filling them dururing your 2 freebies.They can be a pain sometimes.If hws has an anode,carry a spare and check at least twice a year.If van has computerised 3 way fridge,check it runs as it should.No use finding beer warm miles from anywhere.Enjoy life on the road.
Muddy said
04:56 PM Mar 19, 2015
Great advice everyone (although it seems to center around drinking and keeping beer cold). In my next life I'm going to be a cop and breathalise caravanners leaving parks in the morning
Spare anodes are a great idea thanks, I need to build up a spares and toolkit for sure. We are also keen to get out there in winter and being ex winter caravanning poms aren't frightened of the cold so a diesel heater is on my list although I was thinking that a quiet genie might run the reverse cycle heating. My only concern is that the generators are pretty quiert during the day but feel sure they would sound like a building site at night. The Hema GPS is something I had thought often about. Is there an advantage of owning this as a caravanner (low bridge warnings, chemical disposal, bottlo top up points)
We won't now get the opportunity to have the two nights stay as the dealer has stuffed us around a bit and I will no w need to tow home directly. Luckily we have a New Age dealer closer to us where we now live (moved during negotiations so committed to buy Penrith) so we should be able to get thise guys to sort it under warranty perhaps....we'll see..
Happywanderer said
05:21 PM Mar 19, 2015
Welcome to the forum. My # 1 item would be 12 volt adaptors for everything you carry. I have this with all mine and never have to worry about any alternative power, with solar panels on the roof and batteries under the bed.
Baz421 said
06:11 PM Mar 19, 2015
Happywanderer wrote:
Welcome to the forum. My # 1 item would be 12 volt adaptors for everything you carry. I have this with all mine and never have to worry about any alternative power, with solar panels on the roof and batteries under the bed.
Well I took a women to give you the best advice so far!! Ha ha guys.
G'day all. Karen and I are returning to Caravanning as grey Nomads (well, speaking for myself only of course). We were much younger when we bought our first van in the UK and camped in all weathers including snow on a few occasions, but are just as keen to camp all year around in Australia. Well....we would wouldn't we, after all it's much milder here. We pick up our New Age Manta Ray 19ft from Penrith (RV Group) this Monday, the car is booked in for it's electrics to be ripped apart and all the necessaries fitted and so the excitement is building! A question though for you all, as it is such a long time since we caravanned, I wondered if each could contribute their no 1 MUST HAVE piece of equipment which we should consider acquiring. This will help us consider what we need to buy on Monday before taking up RV Groups generous offer of a 2 night stay in a local park to iron out any wrinkles. Thanks in advance for helping us get set up and see you around the forums.
Karen and Barry
#1 Item.......Webber Baby Q is a must have item for sure and should already be on top of your list.
Item 2.... Good comfortable fold up seats. must be comfortable with back/hear support(for all those days of lounging around) but light enough to carry to (hopefully) the many happy hours you will be attending.
Cheers
Thanks Doug. Obviously a man who thinks with his stomach much the same as I. I have a cheaper Aldi Version (made by Coolabah) lined up (On sale this Saturday for $229) I have a coolabah smoker which has worked well for year so trust the brand. Comes with removable legs too. Looks OK. Thanks for the welcome and the tip Doug. Ballast 2 Thanks, already have our camping chairs from Camper trailer days but you are right. If we are planning to get some use out of them they have to be comfy enough to sleep in!! Thanks for the tip
Hi Karen and Barry. Hope all goes well with the new van. We love our Diesel heater.
Snail
(Hema is the way to go. IMHO)
Hi guys.May i suggest,if you have more than one water tank,try filling them dururing your 2 freebies.They can be a pain sometimes.If hws has an anode,carry a spare and check at least twice a year.If van has computerised 3 way fridge,check it runs as it should.No use finding beer warm miles from anywhere.Enjoy life on the road.
Great advice everyone (although it seems to center around drinking and keeping beer cold). In my next life I'm going to be a cop and breathalise caravanners leaving parks in the morning
Spare anodes are a great idea thanks, I need to build up a spares and toolkit for sure. We are also keen to get out there in winter and being ex winter caravanning poms aren't frightened of the cold so a diesel heater is on my list although I was thinking that a quiet genie might run the reverse cycle heating. My only concern is that the generators are pretty quiert during the day but feel sure they would sound like a building site at night. The Hema GPS is something I had thought often about. Is there an advantage of owning this as a caravanner (low bridge warnings, chemical disposal, bottlo top up points)
We won't now get the opportunity to have the two nights stay as the dealer has stuffed us around a bit and I will no w need to tow home directly. Luckily we have a New Age dealer closer to us where we now live (moved during negotiations so committed to buy Penrith) so we should be able to get thise guys to sort it under warranty perhaps....we'll see..
Well I took a women to give you the best advice so far!! Ha ha guys.