STORAGE TIPS

“How can I pack everything we need for the whole family into a campervan?” One lady who was new to campervans voiced one of the most frequently asked questions when she visited recently. The answer, of course, is not to use holdalls or suitcases, but rather to use the whole vehicle as an enormous packing case. In a side-kitchen layout campervan you will probably find some cupboards beneath the kitchen sink and hob, plus cubby holes under the rear seats. If you have a long wheelbase campervan there may be a bench seat or ottoman behind the cab seats, and that offers valuable extra storage space. The ‘wardrobe’ is usually a small cupboard in the rear of the campervan. There is also more storage space beneath the rock and roll bed, accessed from the rear doors of the campervan. If you have an under-slung refillable gas tank, there will be a cupboard right at the back of the camper, where other campervans would house the gas bottle. There should also be room on the back of the rock and roll bed for bedding or an awning. The rear-kitchen layout campervans generally offer a lot of storage cupboards within the kitchen. They are able to do this because the front cab seats generally swivel round to form the foot of the double bed. This frees up lots more space for the kitchen. Some small campervans, such as the NV200 CamperCar, have less storage space. The secret of making the most of the storage spaces in your campervan is to buy smaller items and travel light. When it comes to clothes, you need to wash and dry them as you travel, rather than taking separate outfits for each day that you will be on holiday. This way of travelling light works spectacularly well in hot countries. If you are planning to spend more than a weekend on a campsite, it’s well worth putting up a driveaway awning. This will then save your pitch when you go out for the day, and will give you somewhere to store extra camping gear, muddy boots, spare camping chairs, and so on. These items can easily travel in the large foot-well amidships in a side-kitchen camper, or within the kitchen if you have a rear-kitchen camper. The best type of driveaway awning to buy is an inflatable one - they’re so easy to put up compared to awnings with poles. Inflatable awnings are so easy and quick to use that they may even have saved a few marriages! Other tips our friends have include; packing cubes, investing in the best bedding and learning not to overpack.