A beginner's guide to caravanning... Part one

So you’ve decided to look for your first touring caravan. Perhaps you’ve tent-camped or trailer-tented and you’re now looking for something that enables you to enjoy the campsite lifestyle the year round.

Perhaps you’re totally new to the whole concept of taking your holiday accommodation with you on wheels…

If you’re venturing into touring caravanning for the first time, Caravan is here to help. On these pages you’ll find an at-a-glance guide to the things you need to know.

What weight can I tow?

It’s in the area of weights that you’ll find caravanning’s only two confusing jargon phrases: The Mass In Running Order (MIRO) is the manufacturer’s stated unladen weight of a caravan. The Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM) is the unladen weight of the caravan plus the maximum allowable payload.

It is this second figure that is significant when matching a caravan to a suitable car. The MTPLM of the caravan must not exceed the car’s kerbweight. That’s the golden rule. In very rare cases a car’s maximum tow weight (as stated by its manufacturer) is lower than its kerbweight; watch out for this.

The accepted guideline for inexperienced towers is that the caravan’s MTPLM should be no more than 85% of the car’s kerbweight. Remember, though, that this figure is a guideline, not a rule. With experience, a heavy towcar and especially with the added stability of twin-axles, you can safely approach 100% of the car’s kerbweight.

What layout do I need?

When you select your first tourer, choosing the right layout for your needs can be difficult and confusing. Once you’ve established the maximum weight you can tow, the first and most obvious decision is to establish how many berths you need.

But consider this: if you only need two beds, don’t dismiss four-berth layouts. They’re often more appealing, especially those with fixed beds.

Our advice: See as many caravans as you can before you decide what’s best for you, and keep reading caravan reviews. They're written by people who own touring caravans and have sound knowledge of what’s out there for you to choose.

What equipment do you expect in a caravan?

With one or two very rare exceptions, all have showers and chemical toilets. You’ll find gas hobs (usually three or four burners; a few continental caravans have only two), space and water heaters (with only a few older, or continental, exceptions these are both gas and electric powered).

New or used?

New caravans come with a guarantee of between three and five years, some even longer. Used caravans bought from a dealer may be guaranteed for three or six months. You can buy a new family-layout caravan for less than £10,000, for example. The same figure buys you a used caravan with higher specification. And so it goes on upwards. The choice is yours.

Search our online list of caravans for sale.

Twin-axles or single?

This one is easy. Twin-axles give you greater stability on the road. Single-axles give you greater manoeuvrability if you manually push your caravan onto its pitch or into its place in your garden. Twin-axle caravans are easier to reverse. That’s because the response to the car’s direction is slower and more precise.

How much - or how little – do you have to pay?

We spotted a four-berth caravan in superb condition for £2995 and another for £3995 last month; they are out there to be found. Be prepared to compromise on your taste in upholstery and you can bag a bargain. Obviously, the more you are prepared to spend, the newer the caravan you can buy. But age isn’t as important as picking a caravan in lovely condition that really appeals to you.

Towing courses:

Both the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan Club run towing courses. We strongly recommend you take one of these courses if you’ve never towed before. They’re run by experienced caravan towers who will give you sound advice and training – and the courses will give you confidence.



Read part 2 of our beginners' guide to caravanning on hitching up and towing by clicking here. New to caravanning?

• For more information, visit the Caravan homepage, or take a look at our Your First Caravan special edition.
• Read our extensive selection of caravan reviews.
• Take a look at our online buyer's guide.