We were quite fortunate – the mess was easy to clean and the van was undamaged . The point is that this was not our first rodeo . It wasn ’ t our first caravan holiday and we had a routine that we thought was bulletproof . It just shows that even the most experienced caravanner can make silly mistakes .
Now we use a checklist – well , three in fact . One for inside the caravan , one for outside the van , and one for when the rig is connected and we are about to leave our site . Seven years later we are still using those checklists .
No matter how long you have been caravanning or how experienced you think you are , it only takes one missed item and you could have a repair bill on your hands . Make a checklist and use it .
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
Kylie has always said that I ’ m a bit too miserly for my own good ( she didn ’ t use those exact words but you get the drift ). And she would be correct . In the past , I always tried to save a bit of money by going with the cheaper option and , nine times out of ten , it would bite me on the bum . Whether it be batteries , car tyres or accessories , very rarely did it work out to my benefit to go for the cheap option .
Case in point : we did a big trip to the Kimberley a few years ago in a camper trailer . Rather than fit name brand tyres to the car , I went with a cheap , no-name option , mistakenly believing they would be good enough for the job . How wrong I was . On the Gibb River Road , we had three punctures and I only carried two spares . We limped into Kununurra with one of the tyres plugged to within an inch of its life . We had to stop to pump it up every 20 minutes .
What made it worse was the cheap air pump I had could hardly keep up with the task in the heat of the day . It was a lesson learnt the hard way .
That trip changed my attitude and I now spend that little extra to ensure I get good quality gear . I still do a lot of research and talk to many people before making a decision but , as a general rule , I now believe that if the deal seems too good to be true , it probably is . I haven ’ t been disappointed since .
Just because you have heaps of available storage in your caravan , doesn ’ t mean you have to fill it all with stuff . If you don ’ t use it , get rid of it
16 \