First-Time Campervan Trip: The Checklist That Matters
The short answer: pack soft bags not suitcases, plan your first night within two hours of pick-up, fill water before you leave town, and learn where the gas shut-off is at the handover. Everything else is detail.
What to bring (that isn’t included)
Our campers come with the kitchen kit, gas, bedding (if added) and chairs. You bring:
- Soft duffel bags — rigid suitcases have nowhere to live in a van.
- Layers, not outfits. Two warm, one waterproof beats seven nice.
- Head torches (one each) — interior lights are great until you’re outside.
- A proper playlist downloaded offline. Signal dies where the views start.
- Levelling app on your phone — a wonky van means a wonky night’s sleep.
The five first-timer mistakes
- Driving too far on day one. You’ll be slower than Google says and you want daylight for your first set-up. Two hours max.
- Ignoring the height. Memorise it (it’s on a sticker by the wheel and in your booking). Car parks, petrol-station canopies and overhanging trees are the classic damage claims.
- Skipping the handover. Ten minutes learning the heating, water pump and leisure-battery readout saves a cold, dark argument later.
- Underfilling water, overfilling everything else. Water weighs a kilo a litre — but running out at 9pm is worse. Fill before leaving town, dump grey water responsibly.
- Treating the fridge like a house fridge. It’s a compressor fridge on a battery: pre-chill food, open it briefly, and it’ll repay you.
The night-one routine
Park level → handbrake → gas on → heating on if needed → water pump on → kettle. In that order, every time, and the van feels like home in four minutes.