First caravan trip checklist: plan, practise, pack

A first trip goes best when it’s short, close to home and well rehearsed. This checklist covers the weeks before, the night before and your first arrival.

2–4 weeks before

• Read your caravan's handbook and note the tare, ATM, GTM and ball weight on its compliance plate
• Check your vehicle's towing capacity, maximum ball weight, GVM and GCM. RACV's beginners' guide explains why all of them matter
• Confirm the towbar and tow hitch ratings match the van
• Check rego, caravan insurance and roadside assistance cover towing (and renewal dates)
• Book somewhere easy for the first trip: a caravan park within a couple of hours' drive with a drive-through or powered site
• Do a practice session in an empty car park: hitching, reversing, tight turns and braking
• Get the van serviced if its history is unknown (bearings, brakes, gas and electrical compliance)
• Test every system at home: fridge on 240V and 12V/gas, water pump, hot water, lights, toilet

The week before

• Pack using our beginner's packing list, then weigh the loaded rig at a public weighbridge
• Fill gas bottles and check they're in date
• Pre-cool the fridge for 24 hours before loading food
• Download offline maps; plan fuel and rest stops
• Check weather and road closures for your route

Departure day

• Run through the pre-towing checklist
• Leave early so you arrive in daylight
• Stop after 10–15 minutes to re-check the coupling, chains and tyres
• Allow longer braking distances and take breaks to manage fatigue

Arrival and set-up

Walk the site before you reverse in, then work in the same order every time: chock, level, unhitch, stabilise and connect.

• Walk the site first: branches, slope, and where power and water are
• Chock the wheels before unhitching
• Connect water through a pressure-limiting valve if your van needs one

Pack-up

• Empty the grey water and toilet cassette at approved dump points only (see the CMCA dump point list)
• Stow everything, then run the pre-towing checks again

The Checklist Pack

Get the Pack · AUD 7 launch price AUD 9

Nine fillable, print-friendly checklists and logs for Australian caravanners: hitch-up, packing, set-up, pack-up, weights, renewals, campsite log and an emergency card.

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