Top tips for winter touring
1 Chances are, your van will be a little oasis of tropical heat in Britain’s icy winter, but be prepared, and take extra clothes: thick socks, your warmest pyjamas and a sweater. A winter-spec duvet (Tog 12) and a hot-water bottle are good ideas, too.
2 Special plastic covers can be obtained to partially cover external fridge vents in very cold weather.
3 Toilet chemicals can freeze, so store them inside the van. Alternatively, use sachet or tab chemicals.
4 Heat your washroom and – horror of horrors – leave the toilet seat up to minimise the risk of the toilet freezing.
5 Keep safe. Make sure you fit and maintain a carbon monoxide detector.
6 To avoid condensation creating mould in your mattress in winter, when you are leaving the caravan for the day, consider raising the sprung bed base, to allow warmer air to circulate all around the mattress.
7 Make sure your caravan is professionally serviced on an annual basis, ensuring in particular that the heating systems are all properly checked and maintained.
8 Be conservative when showering in the van, to avoid long delays while the water reservoir reheats.
9 Lag all of the caravan’s external waste pipes with split-foam lagging and gaffer tape it in place.
10 Using electric heating at night always feels safer than relying on gas.
11 Insulate your caravan’s fresh-water container to prevent freezing.
12 Consider packing a 12V water heater to hang inside your Aquaroll, to keep the temperatures above freezing.
13 Straighten external waste pipes to ensure they run downwards, avoiding sitting water that can freeze and cause blockages.
14 Carry a small toolkit, a torch and spare fuses for the caravan’s DC supply.
15 Always plug your cable into the caravan first, then the hook-up post. This way, you’re not carrying a live cable in potentially wet weather. When decamping, unplug from the post first.
16 Keep your electric cable dry. If you are forced to link two cables, invest in a weatherproof cover to protect the join and keep it off the ground.
17 Always carry a set of grip mats from a company such as Fiamma – they will help you drive off if you start to get stuck.