taking off in the next couple of days for a try out of the old van
so a few things to ask as its been a long time since i used a van and , no im not off rounding but a few of the miles will be un made dirt
do clothes stay on the hangers when you travel ?or do the hangers bounce off the rails ( vague memory that everything ended up in a heap on the bottom of the wardrobe )
what sort of things do people do to protect crockery etc ? do most use plastic ? i know there lots of fancy gadgets to hold plates etc or should i just pack in boxes
overhead cupboards only have spring hinge and a magnet to hold them shut is that enough ? or will i need to add extra catches quite firm but just not sure if they will hold if stuff pushes against them
are you better off to pack liquids into containers so no spills ? ie bottles detergents ,sauces etc
have a strap around the microwave which is on top of the frig on shelf about inch clearance at the top and rails to hold the feet , but should i put it on the floor for weight distribution / risk of damage ?
how about dust is there anything that i can do to stop it ? the door has a large vent in the bottom of it and no way to shut it off , if on really dusty roads would i need to plastic and tape it ? does much dust get in around the pop top asking this as have been to a camp spot the last few years and end up spending good couple of hours just sweeping the dust out of the box trailer after ( its really fine dust )
do fluro bulbs survive in a caravan not to delicate to survive the bouncing about of the van ?
Clothes, I have a piece of stretch cord that puts a little pressure onto the top of the hangers, trousers I put a peg on, rarely have a problem.
Crockery I have a plastic coated dish drainer screwed to the shelf & stand the plates etc. as if they were drying, cannot bring myself to use plastic. Cups/glasses are inverted on non slip matting. You could put a piece of light cardboard between the plates if You wanted.
Cupboard doors should be okay, I have screwed my microwave in. Fluros should be okay if worried put them under the blankets on Your bed (remove before getting in there).
I have found that packing everything as tight as possible reduces breakages & marks etc. I have small trays to put things into in the fridge.
Dust ! gave up trying years ago.
LOWER Your tyre pressure. I work on 20 percent rule, get onto dirt reduce by 20 really rough another 20. reduce your speed accordingly. Your tyres are pneumatic and designed to absorb shock so having them as tight as a drum to try & save sixpence worth of fuel doesn't make sense to me.
Wardrobe? Hanging clothes?
We put shelves in our wardrobe and can now accomodate more items We don't take fancy clothes on trips (come to think of it, we don't own any!).
Crockery is melamine. Cups are on cup hooks and often fall off on rough going, but don't break. More importantly the wine glasses are suspended upside down as in a bar.
Cupboard doors. Mmm Are they hinged on side, bottom or top? That would make a differnce. While you are finding out whether you have a problem, I would suggest populating with lightweight inexpensive items.
Microwave: if you can't secure it to your satisfaction, I suggest you leave it at home as repositioning it at every stop will soon become tiresome.
Dust: If you solve this problem there will be a lot of us indebted to you.
Fluoros: We changed ours to LED strips, but didn't have any problems before that.
General: It is good that you have thought about potential problems in advance, but don't let these concerns affect your plans. Running modifications are possible. Get out there and enjoy.
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BJC
"A year from now you'll wish you had started today."
