Dan Cartwright has over 12 years of experience in the caravan and motorhome industry. He is a judge for a number of prestigious leisure vehicle awards and regularly heads off in his motorhome with his family. Every week, Dan shares his insights with the community. Here’s what he has to say this week.
Instead of retiring your leisure vehicle for the winter, continuing to use it during the colder months actually makes sense. If you’ve never done it before, but want to join the legion of caravan and motorhome fans who love winter touring, Dan shares his advice.
Reasons to use your leisure vehicle in winter
A lot of modern leisure vehicles are extremely well insulated, some even more so than people’s homes. They also have very good heating systems and are often quick to heat due to their relative size, making a trip away in winter more than feasible.
There’s a lot better site availability at this time of year, the attractions you’re likely to want to visit will be less crowded and there are plenty of deals to take advantage of. A crisp winter’s morning can be an amazing thing to enjoy during a few days away.
Leisure vehicles benefit from being used, as it allows you to see any issues that might be present and get air circulating around the interior. A lot of people do use their caravans and motorhomes 12 months a year, especially if they enjoy skiing, and if that’s you, then you’ve probably got systems in place that work for you. In which case, skip ahead to the next article, otherwise, read on.
Make sure your vehicle is road worthy
Conducting thorough checks to make sure your leisure vehicle is road worthy is crucial for winter trips. These checks should begin with your lights, as in the summer months it’s really easy not to notice if a bulb is out. Then move on to winter tyres, as it only costs about £10 to get your tyres swapped for more extreme conditions and you can keep them for use again next year.
If you haven’t used your leisure vehicle for a month or so, test the vehicle itself before you’re all loaded up and ready to set off. Finding problems on the road or on a cold pitch when it’s dark can make them harder to fix, so be sure everything’s in good working order before setting off.
Keep lots of back-up items on board
Be sure to fully charge your battery prior to any trip, but also pack a solar trickle charger or an OptiMate to help you out if you need it while you’re away. It’s the same with the gas, where you’ll need a level check device, as everyone thinks they can tell how much gas is left in a bottle, but they can’t. You don’t want to be caught short in winter without gas or lighting and not being able to top up for whatever reason.
Make sure you know where your spare tyre is and your towing eye. Hopefully you won’t need them, but it’s a good idea to be able to locate them quickly when required, as this can help minimise the stress of potentially difficult situations.
Plan in advance
Statistically, there are more accidents and delays on the roads in winter, so allow yourself plenty of time to get to your campsite. There’s often complications, like wind blowing over lorries, or an increase in traffic at this time of year. It can be unpleasant setting up in the dark, especially when it’s wet and windy, so try to plan carefully to arrive in the daylight.
Pack a changing robe
The almost floor-length changing robes, designed with waterproof material on the outside and a cosy inside, are great for trips to the toilet block in the middle of the night. You can put them on without having to add lots of layers underneath.
Leave the heating on low
It’s important to leave the heating running in your caravan or motorhome when you go out for the day during colder months, otherwise it can become a problem for your water system. It takes very little energy to heat your leisure vehicle to 12 or 13 degrees, but you need to make sure the interior doesn’t get down to four degrees, at which point onboard systems will dump all of their water out.
Consider your pitch
Most caravanners and motorhomers will think about the ground beneath their leisure vehicle, but for those with a smaller set-up, it can be easy to overlook the implications of a pitch in winter. If it’s cold and frozen over when you arrive, but gets warmer during your stay, it can be very difficult to get your leisure vehicle out.
Use a smaller, inflatable awning
I find an awning more important in winter than in summer, because you’re invariably coming back to your leisure vehicle with wet kit and even soggy dogs. Muddy boots, drenched coats and dirty dog leads can all be left in the awning, instead of bringing them into the motorhome. They’ll be protected from the weather and make your indoor experience a little bit nicer.
An inflatable awning won’t be damaged in the wind and will simply spring back up after whatever weather event winter throws at it. This makes it a more practical option than the traditional awnings used during the summer months. A blow up awning is also quicker to put up, so it’s a win-win from me.
Photo credit: Pexels/Thirdman
