Been binging all your videos mate over the past year or so. We FINALLY think we have found our ideal second hand caravan that we are going to renovate. Can’t wait to get it all freshened up and taking the family to visit places around Australia. Stay safe and healthy. Keep up the awesome videos. They are super informative and well made. Cheers mate.
Your videos are great We are pretty new to caravan holidays but love them i have watched a lot of your videos and they have all been of great help keep up the good work guys :)
Packed pretty much the same as us, apart from the TV travels in the boot. Thanks for the tip about the torque wrench, never thought to return it back to zero. Another good video :-)
Morning, many thanks for your comment. Yes the packing is pretty much standard i suppose - Todays trip is slightly different - we have a lot of bottles of drink, so i think i might check the nose weight just to be sure. Thanks again, Dan & Angela.
I'm new to caravaning and seen loads of it vids and have to say it really good at teaching and explaing in detail.........I've subscribed so looking forward to more.....keep it coming 😘
Hi Eden, Thank you, thats really kind. and I too hope your dad buys a caravan again. How long ago did he last have one ? I know someone who hasn't had one for about 20 years - and they are amazed how different they are these days. Take Care. Dan & Angela.
Its great to see you have a crack at the youtube thing. I wanted my family to do it but everyone else wasn't so supportive. Especially the wife. So i decided to go it alone and I love it. Now I am starting to do ok. I love the editing side of things. I will subscribe and i am looking forward to see how you get on. Great vid and enjoy your holiday
Thanks for the kind comments - yeah I love the filming / editing. its a real art form, one which I'm still not that good at - but practice makes perfect eh !. Thanks for subscribing, Take Care - Dan.
we have been rallying for the past 20 years so been through a lot of self repairs but you are covering most of what we have been through. even loading up we couldn't get in the van and now we have cupboards empty
Excellent - i hope our videos offer some sort of guidance, to those who are either new, or have no idea "how to..." any suggestions or topics on videos would be really welcome.
Morning, yes on this particular trip we did. We took our bikes along with all the helmets, water bottles etc. Its all light weight stuff - but takes up a large amount of space. Thanks for watching Dan & Angela
Since Christmas, I've fount your channel and it's came in handy so much. I really appreciate you putting the effort into making these videos! Thanks so much Dan!
We put bread on the roof of next doors caravan so that we can’t hear the birds feet on the roof of our caravan in the morning it’s super loud so the birds go to theirs because of the bread 🍞
We store Van & bring food/clothes in car & load on site arrival increasing towing/travel weight I would have thought ? torque setting the wheels not that important loose wheel nuts checking is, we've being caravanning a long time .
Thank you. We have more planned and a couple in the middle of being edited down. If there is a subject you want covering or think it would be worthwhile covering - just let us know. Thanks Dan & Angela.
I didn`t see or hear you mention the waste water and aqua roll so i presume you put them in the toilet compartment, the amount of vans i`ve seen with damage in the shower/toilet room from these rolling and bashing about, i don`t use an awning so mine go over the axle with an old memory foam pillow either side, no damage internally, i do enjoy your vids on the whole though.
I need advice about getting a Fan for the Van as I am being advised to get 12V but don't quite understand this as I would have thought the TV is more than 12V. We only go to Sites with Electric Points. Jon
Hi Dan & Angela, We bought a 'van a couple of months ago and your blogs have been invaluable (keep up the good work, it's very much appreciated!). Re: torque wrenches, I take it that reference to half or three eighths refers to the square bit that fits in the socket? Confused of Chippenham Cheers, Ali
Great videos. I have only just found your videos. They are fab. You mention about the packing of the caravan but I notice you don't check the nose weight. We have a nose weight gauge that we check the van if we are packing it differently (when we changed the awning, or if we are caravanning in winter (different clothes)). We also keep our van in storage. We find our van is quite nose heavy, and we have to be very careful packing. (our car nose weight limit is 100kg, less than your X5 I guess.).
Hi Darren, we do check periodically our nose weight, and it was filmed when we visited Buxton - but it never made it into the final edit. I try to have a nose weight for between 80kg and 87kg. at that weight I know it will feel nice when towing. heavier (up to 100kg) it tends to lean into the car more give quite a snatchy ride. Nose weight and how to correct them is a video that is on my ever expanding videos to do - so watch this space. Angela has some great tips on how to load the van the same overtime etc. Thanks for watching our videos, we are glad they help and are informative. Take care Dan, Angela, Tom & Chloe.
Dan, Thanks again for the comments. We have now, taken photos of the set up inside. It means we can easily look at our phone to remind ourself how it looks. I agree about the nose weight. Ours is around 85-90kg. Too heavy is hard work on our little CRV. One last question. What camera do you use. I like the short depth of field you have on your later videos. I have mirrorless camera. As well as an old compact. But the quality of your videos are great..well done Daren
Daren King Yes - thats exactly whet we do - photos of everything and some of these videos too weirdly. Current camera is a Canon 80d, with either a 10 - 18mm or 50mm prime or 18-135mm lens - Most headshot are about 30mm focal length at around f5.0 Most of the footage you are seeing is on a Canon G7X, which is my absolute favourite camera. it just has a lower dynamic range in bright sunlight. but a great camera nonetheless. All footage is 1080p at 60fps. Hope that helps.
Morning, this video isn’t really a “how to” nor a follow these steps etc, it’s more of a video of us loading up before heading off. However, I do have a more comprehensive video discussing weights here : ruclips.net/video/aRONnIXuSt4/видео.html Hope that helps. 👍
Hi Dan. Another good video. Being super critical, possibly you could have gone into the importance of getting the nose weight correct, and giving some guidance on how you would achieve this. Maybe something for another time?
Hi Steve, Thats a really valid point. I have it on my list of videos to do "nose weight and how to measure / correct etc." - So it will be coming soon. It is such a important subject, it really does deserve a video all of its own. Thank you Steve, and i hope our videos are of some help / interest. Speak soon Dan.
+The Trudgians Hi Dan. I've viewed a few of your videos and I do find them interesting. We've been caravanning for over 25 years now but it is still interesting to see how other people do things. It's never too late to learn something new. We also seem to like similar campsites to you. We've been to Sandy Balls and the Buxton site. The Buxton site is one of our favourite CC sites. If you ever consider going to the Malvern Hills, try the Malvern Hills CC site. It's a nice site in a great area. Cheers Steve
Oh i love that part of the world, that may need to go on the calendar for next year. I personally really enjoy the quiet sites - but having children its not really fair. Have you visited Exebridge Lakeside in Devon ? (Have a look at our Devon vlogs) That is a beautiful little site, and i highly recommend the serviced pitches - just for the view. it is stunning there !! Take care Dan
+The Trudgians Our friends went to the other CC site at Dulverton earlier in the year so it got me interested in the area. Personally I preferred the look of the Lakeside site and also felt that it would be easier to get to. It's on my "to do" list, possibly for next year. I understand your need to sometimes use sites that have entertainment on them. Sandy Balls is an excellent choice for this. When our children were younger and came caravanning with us we had the same need. We were lucky because we found a brilliant family owned site in Dorset (Sandford Park) which was a class site with plenty going on. Sadly it's now been taken over by one of the large groups. I find that many of the sites in Britain that include entertainment are too Butlins like for us. We did try some of the Best in Britain sites and a couple of the Hoburne sites and they had a good balance of entertainment v good quality camping.
Hi Lynne, By and large our overhead cupboards are empty when we travel. Everything is on the floor or in the car. The big cupboard where odds and ends are stored is usually left alone until we arrive. Then its emptied, and the bits and bobs that live in the oven, on the sides or in the toilet area are taken out and put in their "on site home" I will cover this off in a future "tips on packing" video as we have learnt loads of little tips that can really help. Take care Dan
hi dan just a wee message to say hi and that i love the videos. they are so helpful. my husband and i bought a caravan 2 years ago but sadly never got round to it due to commitments. we are planning our first trip away next month . our tow car is a nissan navara and i notice that you have the x5. what speed to you tow on the motorways for best mpg etc etc??
Joanne Burns hi Joanne I’m not Dan obviously lol. But by law on a normal road it’s 50 and dual carriageway and motorway is 60. Bit late probably but hope that helps
Hi cracking info as always question I have if you could cover it is the tyre pressure of your caravan with conflicting info wonder if you have the answers for us Ty again avid viewer Mark and family
Hi, Not really we are quite careful with our cover, so we don't place it on the floor and we always clean it. between trips we vacuum the cover and make sure its in good condition. Being really careful with it or any cover is the secret to no scratches. I hope that helps Dan
Hi Julie, Yes car tyres should be checked in line with the vehicle specifications. Some cars recommend that the pressure is slightly higher when towing or fully laden, this information can be found in the car handbook, door pilar or on line. Along with tyre condition, tyre pressures, , its also recommend that car fluids are checked, topped up where possible and the vehicle in general is in good running order. If you do have a specific question about tyre pressures for either car or caravan, have a look at www.tyresafe.org - its an excellent resource of information. I hope that helps. Dan
and who the f... uses a torque wrench on their wheel nuts ? caravan wheels are no different to car wheels and nuts. nobody bothers with torque wrenches . esp[ecially for alloy wheel s that actually will tighten the nuts/bolts a bit more anyway...... do you use the torque wrench on the spark plugs. on every single bolt on the car. on all the door hinges in the caravan ? NO ofcourse you dont, you just do the nuts up tight..
i would highly recommend you challenge the DVSA and the NTTA on how many caravan wheel detachments actually occur each year - you will be quite surprised! . Once you understand the problem and how prevalent it is, maybe you will understand why its good practice to check the wheel is attached to the caravan at the correct torque.
Been binging all your videos mate over the past year or so. We FINALLY think we have found our ideal second hand caravan that we are going to renovate.
Can’t wait to get it all freshened up and taking the family to visit places around Australia.
Stay safe and healthy. Keep up the awesome videos. They are super informative and well made.
Cheers mate.
Reminds to never get a Caravan. Stick to the Motor homes. Reminds me of trying to balance my old airplane. Very good info for those who have.
Your videos are great We are pretty new to caravan holidays but love them i have watched a lot of your videos and they have all been of great help keep up the good work guys :)
Hi Austin, Thank you - thats very kind of you.
Yes we hope to be carrying on our video uploads for the foreseeable future.
Take care
Dan & Angela
Packed pretty much the same as us, apart from the TV travels in the boot. Thanks for the tip about the torque wrench, never thought to return it back to zero. Another good video :-)
Morning, many thanks for your comment. Yes the packing is pretty much standard i suppose - Todays trip is slightly different - we have a lot of bottles of drink, so i think i might check the nose weight just to be sure. Thanks again, Dan & Angela.
I really do like your videos ,you have sorted all my issues out ,and the toilet was spot on I bought a new reed will be watching Dave
Thank you David,
Really glad our content is helping you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Take care
Dan
keep up the great work. love all the vlogs.
Thank you Andrew, Glad you are enjoying them
Take care
Dan
I'm new to caravaning and seen loads of it vids and have to say it really good at teaching and explaing in detail.........I've subscribed so looking forward to more.....keep it coming 😘
Your videos are really great and hopefully this video is enough to convince my dad to buy a caravan again 😄
Hi Eden, Thank you, thats really kind. and I too hope your dad buys a caravan again. How long ago did he last have one ? I know someone who hasn't had one for about 20 years - and they are amazed how different they are these days.
Take Care.
Dan & Angela.
We haven't had one for 4 years but my dads looking into buying one soon
What a amazing video you are doing the one I like is cleaning a caravan roof manny thanks CharlieT
Watching from the USA, thanks! Lots of good information
Its great to see you have a crack at the youtube thing. I wanted my family to do it but everyone else wasn't so supportive. Especially the wife. So i decided to go it alone and I love it. Now I am starting to do ok. I love the editing side of things. I will subscribe and i am looking forward to see how you get on. Great vid and enjoy your holiday
Thanks for the kind comments - yeah I love the filming / editing. its a real art form, one which I'm still not that good at - but practice makes perfect eh !. Thanks for subscribing, Take Care - Dan.
we have been rallying for the past 20 years so been through a lot of self repairs but you are covering most of what we have been through. even loading up we couldn't get in the van and now we have cupboards empty
Excellent - i hope our videos offer some sort of guidance, to those who are either new, or have no idea "how to..." any suggestions or topics on videos would be really welcome.
Still looking at these,brilliant 🍷🍷🍷
Nice video guys! Look like you have a lot to pack :) Enjoy your holiday !
Morning, yes on this particular trip we did. We took our bikes along with all the helmets, water bottles etc. Its all light weight stuff - but takes up a large amount of space. Thanks for watching Dan & Angela
Brill videos we are completley new to touring and theres so much too it!but hopefully after few attempts we get it like habit!🏕😌
Since Christmas, I've fount your channel and it's came in handy so much. I really appreciate you putting the effort into making these videos! Thanks so much Dan!
Thank you, that's great to hear.
Take care
Dan
Fantastic, thank you.
We are very newbie caravanners, so really enjoying the informative vlogs that you guys are making. Very much appreciated.
We put bread on the roof of next doors caravan so that we can’t hear the birds feet on the roof of our caravan in the morning it’s super loud so the birds go to theirs because of the bread 🍞
Great channel, subscribed👍🏴
Thank you, much appreciated. 👍
Lovely family
We store Van & bring food/clothes in car & load on site arrival increasing towing/travel weight I would have thought ? torque setting the wheels not that important loose wheel nuts checking is, we've being caravanning a long time .
keep up the good work I look forward to these video's
Thank you. We have more planned and a couple in the middle of being edited down. If there is a subject you want covering or think it would be worthwhile covering - just let us know. Thanks Dan & Angela.
I didn`t see or hear you mention the waste water and aqua roll so i presume you put them in the toilet compartment, the amount of vans i`ve seen with damage in the shower/toilet room from these rolling and bashing about, i don`t use an awning so mine go over the axle with an old memory foam pillow either side, no damage internally, i do enjoy your vids on the whole though.
I need advice about getting a Fan for the Van as I am being advised to get 12V but don't quite understand this as I would have thought the TV is more than 12V. We only go to Sites with Electric Points. Jon
Helpful thanks
Hi Dan & Angela,
We bought a 'van a couple of months ago and your blogs have been invaluable (keep up the good work, it's very much appreciated!). Re: torque wrenches, I take it that reference to half or three eighths refers to the square bit that fits in the socket? Confused of Chippenham
Cheers, Ali
Hi Alison, you are spot on the square bit on the torque wrench that the sockets fit onto is the 3/8" bit.
Thank you for your kind words.
Take care
Dan
Hi, love your videos, complete newcomer here. Do you already have crockery, cutlery etc packed in the cupboards?
Great videos. I have only just found your videos. They are fab. You mention about the packing of the caravan but I notice you don't check the nose weight. We have a nose weight gauge that we check the van if we are packing it differently (when we changed the awning, or if we are caravanning in winter (different clothes)). We also keep our van in storage. We find our van is quite nose heavy, and we have to be very careful packing. (our car nose weight limit is 100kg, less than your X5 I guess.).
Hi Darren, we do check periodically our nose weight, and it was filmed when we visited Buxton - but it never made it into the final edit.
I try to have a nose weight for between 80kg and 87kg. at that weight I know it will feel nice when towing. heavier (up to 100kg) it tends to lean into the car more give quite a snatchy ride.
Nose weight and how to correct them is a video that is on my ever expanding videos to do - so watch this space. Angela has some great tips on how to load the van the same overtime etc.
Thanks for watching our videos, we are glad they help and are informative.
Take care
Dan, Angela, Tom & Chloe.
Dan,
Thanks again for the comments. We have now, taken photos of the set up inside. It means we can easily look at our phone to remind ourself how it looks. I agree about the nose weight. Ours is around 85-90kg. Too heavy is hard work on our little CRV. One last question. What camera do you use. I like the short depth of field you have on your later videos. I have mirrorless camera. As well as an old compact. But the quality of your videos are great..well done
Daren
Daren King Yes - thats exactly whet we do - photos of everything and some of these videos too weirdly.
Current camera is a Canon 80d, with either a 10 - 18mm or 50mm prime or 18-135mm lens - Most headshot are about 30mm focal length at around f5.0 Most of the footage you are seeing is on a Canon G7X, which is my absolute favourite camera. it just has a lower dynamic range in bright sunlight. but a great camera nonetheless. All footage is 1080p at 60fps. Hope that helps.
Dan, thanks... I had Nikon Full Frame.. I then moved to Olympus EM1s.. The little canon gives great results. Thanks for the response.
you are doing a beltin job on your own
What about weight load for your caravan? No mention of working out how much you can carry.
Morning, this video isn’t really a “how to” nor a follow these steps etc, it’s more of a video of us loading up before heading off.
However, I do have a more comprehensive video discussing weights here :
ruclips.net/video/aRONnIXuSt4/видео.html
Hope that helps. 👍
Hi Dan. Another good video. Being super critical, possibly you could have gone into the importance of getting the nose weight correct, and giving some guidance on how you would achieve this. Maybe something for another time?
Hi Steve, Thats a really valid point. I have it on my list of videos to do "nose weight and how to measure / correct etc." - So it will be coming soon.
It is such a important subject, it really does deserve a video all of its own.
Thank you Steve, and i hope our videos are of some help / interest.
Speak soon
Dan.
+The Trudgians Hi Dan. I've viewed a few of your videos and I do find them interesting. We've been caravanning for over 25 years now but it is still interesting to see how other people do things. It's never too late to learn something new.
We also seem to like similar campsites to you. We've been to Sandy Balls and the Buxton site. The Buxton site is one of our favourite CC sites. If you ever consider going to the Malvern Hills, try the Malvern Hills CC site. It's a nice site in a great area.
Cheers
Steve
Oh i love that part of the world, that may need to go on the calendar for next year. I personally really enjoy the quiet sites - but having children its not really fair.
Have you visited Exebridge Lakeside in Devon ? (Have a look at our Devon vlogs) That is a beautiful little site, and i highly recommend the serviced pitches - just for the view. it is stunning there !!
Take care
Dan
+The Trudgians Our friends went to the other CC site at Dulverton earlier in the year so it got me interested in the area. Personally I preferred the look of the Lakeside site and also felt that it would be easier to get to. It's on my "to do" list, possibly for next year.
I understand your need to sometimes use sites that have entertainment on them. Sandy Balls is an excellent choice for this. When our children were younger and came caravanning with us we had the same need. We were lucky because we found a brilliant family owned site in Dorset (Sandford Park) which was a class site with plenty going on. Sadly it's now been taken over by one of the large groups. I find that many of the sites in Britain that include entertainment are too Butlins like for us. We did try some of the Best in Britain sites and a couple of the Hoburne sites and they had a good balance of entertainment v good quality camping.
Hi Dan,Can you tell me where you purchased the adjustable poles to keep luggage in the centre of the van over the axle ? help much appreciated. Tony
Could you please show how much you unpack into your cupboards for travelling and do you need to think about weight distribution in cupboards?
Hi Lynne,
By and large our overhead cupboards are empty when we travel. Everything is on the floor or in the car. The big cupboard where odds and ends are stored is usually left alone until we arrive. Then its emptied, and the bits and bobs that live in the oven, on the sides or in the toilet area are taken out and put in their "on site home"
I will cover this off in a future "tips on packing" video as we have learnt loads of little tips that can really help.
Take care
Dan
Looks so easy - Why does it take me 3 weeks of packing for a two week holiday? Lol
how much weight do you pack in your caravan when you travel? Have you ever had to say "no we are not taking that it's too heavy"?
An other good video .
👍
Your son reminds me of my son 🤣 doesn't give a fook lol
hi dan just a wee message to say hi and that i love the videos. they are so helpful.
my husband and i bought a caravan 2 years ago but sadly never got round to it due to commitments. we are planning our first trip away next month .
our tow car is a nissan navara and i notice that you have the x5. what speed to you tow on the motorways for best mpg etc etc??
Joanne Burns hi Joanne I’m not Dan obviously lol. But by law on a normal road it’s 50 and dual carriageway and motorway is 60. Bit late probably but hope that helps
Hi cracking info as always question I have if you could cover it is the tyre pressure of your caravan with conflicting info wonder if you have the answers for us
Ty again avid viewer
Mark and family
Hi guys, have a look for How to calculate caravan tyre pressures - I show the maths behind this, so you know how its calculated.
Hope that helps
Dan
Where do you put your waste water tank and clean water tank?
Hi there, this video is quite old now - but we had them near the door, 1st item out of the caravan when we arrive on site.
Do you see any wear on the front or window from the cover?
Hi,
Not really we are quite careful with our cover, so we don't place it on the floor and we always clean it. between trips we vacuum the cover and make sure its in good condition.
Being really careful with it or any cover is the secret to no scratches.
I hope that helps
Dan
do one on checking the nose weight. thanks
Your wish is my command.
ruclips.net/video/uJIo1Uuop5s/видео.html
Take care
Dan
I found your Chanel from the TV show carry on caravanning
What about car tyre pressures?
Hi Julie,
Yes car tyres should be checked in line with the vehicle specifications. Some cars recommend that the pressure is slightly higher when towing or fully laden, this information can be found in the car handbook, door pilar or on line.
Along with tyre condition, tyre pressures, , its also recommend that car fluids are checked, topped up where possible and the vehicle in general is in good running order.
If you do have a specific question about tyre pressures for either car or caravan, have a look at www.tyresafe.org - its an excellent resource of information.
I hope that helps.
Dan
Yes Dan, i know that you have to check tyre pressures, i was just pointing out that you had not mentioned it when readying yourselves for take off!!
Ahh i see - lost in translation !
Where did you buy your torque wrench from Dan? Cheapest I can find is £45
Keep your eye on Lidl and Aldi they occasionally have them for about £15
Do you guys enjoy any time away or just film constantly
can you not just tow your van round to your house and pack it there?
Sadly not, delivery vans (transits) struggle to get to our house. absolutely no where to park it.
and who the f... uses a torque wrench on their wheel nuts ? caravan wheels are no different to car wheels and nuts. nobody bothers with torque wrenches . esp[ecially for alloy wheel s that actually will tighten the nuts/bolts a bit more anyway...... do you use the torque wrench on the spark plugs. on every single bolt on the car. on all the door hinges in the caravan ? NO ofcourse you dont, you just do the nuts up tight..
i would highly recommend you challenge the DVSA and the NTTA on how many caravan wheel detachments actually occur each year - you will be quite surprised! . Once you understand the problem and how prevalent it is, maybe you will understand why its good practice to check the wheel is attached to the caravan at the correct torque.