Camping guides
5 hot tips for first-time campervanners
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First time campervanning? Filled with dread at the thought of being a rookie camper with no clue what to expect? Yep, I’ve been there. I still am, actually. I’m on the road in New Zealand and I've had things fly out of unexpected places, run out of water mid-shower and endured sleepless nights on a slant. These are easy-to-make newbie mistakes, but with a bit of inside knowledge, they could’ve all been avoided. Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me.
1. Lose the shoes
This may sound like an obvious tip, but it’s something I didn't even consider. The golden rule? Always take your shoes off before getting in the camper, otherwise everything from outside will end up inside. And that includes between your bed sheets.
Pro tip: Reserve some space by the side of your camper entrance for shoe storage. It’ll allow for quick and easy access to all slip-on shoes. Perfect solution.
2. Secure everything
And I mean everything – it’s as if items in campers have a mind of their own. Be sure to double check everything before you leave. Is the fridge locked? Bathroom door secure? Is anything heavy leaning against the cupboard doors? Otherwise, I can guarantee something will fly, whether it’s within minutes of leaving or further down the road when you hit a bump. I learned this the hard way, with the bathroom door swinging open and an overstuffed cupboard depositing its contents all over the floor. You’ll be happy to know that after a few failed attempts, the doors have all been tamed.
Pro tip: Check everything and place anti-slip mats in all the cupboards. If you accidentally take that roundabout a little too quickly, nothing will slide about.
3. Embrace the dump (and fill)
Dumping waste was the part I was least looking forward to and I’ve discovered it’s not so bad. That said, it really depends on the quality of the dump station. My advice? Always start by dumping your grey tank and refilling the fresh water. This way, you can avoid hanging around while you empty the black (poo) tank. Get in and get out!
Not sure when to change your water? Well, if it smells, it’s time. Especially if the smell floating around you resembles the smell from the pit toilet, making you question your choice of campervanning at all.
If you’d rather avoid the ‘smell test’, you can rely on a system monitor. This measures the level of fresh water remaining and amount of grey water collected. I’d recommend checking this level before parking up and getting comfortable, otherwise you could be mid-shampoo in the shower when the water abruptly stops.
Pro tip : Always have gloves to hand when emptying your black waste. You really, really don’t want to touch anything. And travel with an assortment of hose adapters. I’ve come across a few freshwater stations where the hose didn’t fit, and without one of my assorted hose adaptors, I wouldn’t have been able to refill.
4. Get on the apps
Camping apps, that is. After downloading too many of the apps recommended for campervanning, these are the ones I actually use on an (almost) daily basis. ****For cheap fuel: Gaspy Without this app, I would’ve overpaid for fuel countless times, especially since prices in the same town can fluctuate by up to 30 cents per litre. Gaspy tells you which gas station has the cheapest fuel, which is amazing, right? It's also user-driven, so you can see when the last person either confirmed or updated the fuel price. ****For campsites, facilities and activities: CamperMate and Rankers There are two free, community-driven apps that both provide a comprehensive list of campsites (free and paid), WiFi spots, dump stations, supermarkets and a whole lot more. Both apps work offline, have filtering and include user comments, meaning you can check the quality of wherever you’re visiting before getting there. This has proven especially useful for knowing whether the toilets on the campsite you’re driving to are an absolute mess or not.
I do recommend both apps, as it’s good to reference both as they don’t have exactly the same content; for example, I found an excellent freedom camping site listed on one app but not on the other.
Pro tip: Many apps allow you to download maps to be viewed offline. This is great for those times you have no signal and still want to be able to access helpful points of reference.
5. Elevate your sleep (using a spirit level)
Every campervanner’s dream is to be parked somewhere beautiful, quiet and, most importantly, flat. I never thought that a spirit level would become my favourite gadget, but here we are. After one disastrous sleep near Aoraki/Mount Cook, which I spent spooning the wall all night, I just had to bring the spirit level out. And I haven’t had a wonky sleep since.
Pro tip: Pair the spirit level with a wheel leveller to raise the camper in whichever direction you need to have a flat night sleep.
It's amazing how quickly you learn when you throw yourself into the deep end of campervanning. To be honest, that's actually half the fun. And I hope these words of advice make your first campervan experience that little bit easier.