Bare essentials for staying at a campsite

[scottk]

For your first time, keep it simple. Something to make coffee, gas for your burner unless it will come with a canister, duvet and pillows. If you aren’t cooking maybe some breakfast items. Many campsites have communal fridges. Cups, crockery and cutlery. Most of this you can take from home until you see what works for you.
I use a 25m cable and need it in quite a few places.
Best of luck and enjoy it. Its a continual learning process and there are always loads of new gadgets coming out.

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

Please don’t buy a thermoelectric 12v fridge they are junk and whilst cheap you will end up buying a portable compressor fridge.
If you don’t want to splash out now stick with a cool box / bag.
For me having an ice cold drink is one of the pleasures of a campervan.

I have a domestic/waeco tcx 21 cool box, piezo cooler, 12v and 240v powered, the lid matches the beach floor, had it since 2017 and works perfectly even in 40 degrees heat in Gibraltar. But you don't need this for your first weekends away

 

[Barbara]

I have a Halford's cool box and a mains power connector for it. I plug it in at home before my trip then run on 12v during travel and when the van is connected to electric at a site switch back to power off 240v. It is noisy but at the rear of the van not noticeable. it also fits between the driver and passenger seat so accessible on route. It will hold a bottle of white wine!

When I brought my van it came with a VW cook box which was big and fitted in a track, it never worked well but was a good foot stool.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/travel-accessories/coolboxes/halfords-12.5l-electric-coolbox--748107.html?stockInventory=undefined&_gl=1*1tpa2s4*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTYyMDg4MDI3MS4xNzUwMzI4NTQy*_ga_VK44BRER97*czE3NTAzMjg1NDEkbzEkZzAkdDE3NTAzMjg1NDEkajYwJGwwJGgw

 

[Kayleigh]

I have a Halford's cool box and a mains power connector for it. I plug it in at home before my trip then run on 12v during travel and when the van is connected to electric at a site switch back to power off 240v. It is noisy but at the rear of the van not noticeable. it also fits between the driver and passenger seat so accessible on route. It will hold a bottle of white wine!

When I brought my van it came with a VW cook box which was big and fitted in a track, it never worked well but was a good foot stool.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/travel-accessories/coolboxes/halfords-12.5l-electric-coolbox--748107.html?stockInventory=undefined&_gl=1*1tpa2s4*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTYyMDg4MDI3MS4xNzUwMzI4NTQy*_ga_VK44BRER97*czE3NTAzMjg1NDEkbzEkZzAkdDE3NTAzMjg1NDEkajYwJGwwJGgw

Interesting. I opted for an Indel B TB15 compressor fridge that sits between the front seats. It’s powered by a 230ah LiFePO4 battery that sits under the drivers seat along with a Victron mains charger. It powers the fridge for more than 2 weeks between charges. It can also be topped up when driving via my Delta2 battery while that is in turn charged by the alternator charger. Best thing for me is that it’s all totally removable if/when I sell the van and can be easily installed in another van..

 

[Perfectos]

The problem with cooler boxes (I used to have one for tent camping) is that they are very power hungry, particularly when used with 12v, they need to run 24/7 and will only cool up to 18°c below the temperature in the van !
So in real terms if the ambient temp is 31 degrees c the cooler box will struggle to hold a constant 13c , higher temp in the Van means higher temp in the cooler box ! Temps easily reach 40c in a van on a sunny day !
No good whatsoever for storing food for more than a very short period of time, I.e same day purchase and use. Ice blocks help a little for a short period of time, but it'll only be effective for day or so, depending on ambient temps.
Can't beat a compressor fridge / freezer IMO

Edit: DYOR there are some products marketed as Fridge / freezer , but they will only work on 240v , when on 12v they are merely a cool box and are limited as noted above. (I.e. No good for camping in a van, unless permanently on hook up)

 

[Clutterbugs]

Hi,

I've just bought my first ever campervan, a 2021 California Beach. I haven't got the vehicle yet, it's going to be delivered soon.

I'm trying to work out the essentials that I need for my first night away at a campsite. I've watched some youtube videos and searched by through the threads on here.

My first night or two away will be at a campsite, I don't think I'll be doing any cooking, I'll either be eating out at a local pub or eating prepared food from the cool box. They'll just be two of us.

I haven't done any kind of camping since I was a kid with my parents. The campsites we used to stay in 30 years ago were quite basic and seemed to be on farm land, I was too young to remember much about how they work.

Here's what I think I'm going to need so far from the research that I've done:

- 25m EHU cable, I haven't bought this yet. This one looks good https://toughleads.co.uk/products/16a-230v-premium-vw-california-compatible-hook-up-cable Do I really need 25m? It seems so long.
- Bedding or sleeping bags.
- Dustpan and brush
- Headtorch
- Prepared food and drink in the cool box
- Wet wipes and paper towels
- Bin bags
- Towel and crocs for the shower
- Clothes and toiletries
- Phone charging lead

Am I likely to need level ramps? Do they usually have toilet paper at campsites? Is there anything else I'm missing?

Congrats on your Beach! I have had my Beach just over a year and absolutely love it! Love the extra room it gives you but because of this obviously there is a lack of storage so the absolutely best thing I have purchased are the Van Essa Window Bags, one each side, expensive I know but play important part every time I go away!
You just learn each time you camp what is needed and what is not. The main thing I found is to try and be organised and create a home for everything so you not constantly remembering where you put things! Bit like riding a bike bit wobbly to start with and after a while it’s a breeze! Have Fun!!

 

[Quiddle]

Thanks.

Are you supposed to / allowed to link cables up? Various places online say that you shouldn't because of water getting in.

I can't seem to find a set of cables that are designed to be linked up with a waterproof connection. That would be ideal.

The breaker on the Beach is rated at 13A. Instead of a 16A cable I use a standard 13A cable reel with fly lead adaptors.

Fly Lead Socket Convertor

Manufactured from 250mm arctic blue cable. 16 amp lead to 13 amp socket. Manufactured to BS 60309.

www.toolstation.com

https://www.screwfix.com/p/defender-13-16a-2p-e-fly-lead-converter-230v/520xx

Less storage space and the possibility to hook up from a 13A domestic socket if required.
I regularly connect 2 X 20m 16A cables to connect a boat to shore power and have never had a problem with water ingress.

 

[The Fockers]

My 2p......
I used my levelling ramps for the first time last week. Not all campsites are level.
Your Duvet needs to be a higher Tog than you use at home because you haven't got a warm house around you. Pillows.
10m EHU cable should do.
I have a 5l water bottle for drinking/drinks water.
Cuttlery, plates, Mugs, Tea & Coffee. Cartons of UHT Milk.
Washing up bowl and Fairy liquid. Decant some into a smaller bottle.
Bacon, Sausages, Eggs, small tins of beans. Got to have breakfast.
I don't know what a Beach comes with but seats and a table?

 

[Blanco]

A Brandrup collapsible water carrier comes highly recommended. Monumentally expensive for what is a 10 litre plastic bag with a valve and filler pipe, but hangs off the awning rail and makes filling the tank a doddle.
We also carry a short length of plastic pipe (200mm offcut of cold water overflow pipe in our case) which fits perfectly into the water filler cap and allows a water purification tablet to be blown straight into the tank past the pesky lip in the filler neck.
Hopefully not needed on-site although in my opinion utterly essential is a telescopic wheel brace with a quality 19mm socket, as well as a folding wheel chock. If you get a flat and unless you're Popeye the brace in the toolkit isn't long enough to loosen a fully tightened wheel bolt, whereas when extended one of these is. And, not least, will also tighten said bolts to the specified 180 Nm, more if you lean on it extra hard. Screwfix sell them, as do Halfords.

 

[Anthony1]

Hey congrats on the purchase!

If you plan to do mainly campsites, hookup is a good idea, but as said above 10-15m is fine. Your list looks fine. Stuff you would normally take if camping. Add in some mosquito spray just in case, and sun cream.
Levelling ramps are one of those things I bought and never used. If slightly sloping just keep your head uphill. Probably more useful if both beds are occupied.

Just don’t overbuy new gadgets. Take items you have at home to start with and then you will get a feel for what you will/wont use over time.

Take kettle and tea/coffee making kit. You can then join the Cali Coffee thread that’s doing the rounds LoL.

We use our levelling ramps quite often. More important if the slope is sideways, as opposed to front to back.

 

[Celia Vanchez]

Hi,

I've just bought my first ever campervan, a 2021 California Beach. I haven't got the vehicle yet, it's going to be delivered soon.

I'm trying to work out the essentials that I need for my first night away at a campsite. I've watched some youtube videos and searched by through the threads on here.

My first night or two away will be at a campsite, I don't think I'll be doing any cooking, I'll either be eating out at a local pub or eating prepared food from the cool box. They'll just be two of us.

I haven't done any kind of camping since I was a kid with my parents. The campsites we used to stay in 30 years ago were quite basic and seemed to be on farm land, I was too young to remember much about how they work.

Here's what I think I'm going to need so far from the research that I've done:

- 25m EHU cable, I haven't bought this yet. This one looks good https://toughleads.co.uk/products/16a-230v-premium-vw-california-compatible-hook-up-cable Do I really need 25m? It seems so long.
- Bedding or sleeping bags.
- Dustpan and brush
- Headtorch
- Prepared food and drink in the cool box
- Wet wipes and paper towels
- Bin bags
- Towel and crocs for the shower
- Clothes and toiletries
- Phone charging lead

Am I likely to need level ramps? Do they usually have toilet paper at campsites? Is there anything else I'm missing?

After three years with our Coast I’m still trying to get me wife to take less clothes that way we can carry more camping essentials more easily

 

[Kayleigh]

A Brandrup collapsible water carrier comes highly recommended. Monumentally expensive for what is a 10 litre plastic bag with a valve and filler pipe, but hangs off the awning rail and makes filling the tank a doddle.
We also carry a short length of plastic pipe (200mm offcut of cold water overflow pipe in our case) which fits perfectly into the water filler cap and allows a water purification tablet to be blown straight into the tank past the pesky lip in the filler neck.
Hopefully not needed on-site although in my opinion utterly essential is a telescopic wheel brace with a quality 19mm socket, as well as a folding wheel chock. If you get a flat and unless you're Popeye the brace in the toolkit isn't long enough to loosen a fully tightened wheel bolt, whereas when extended one of these is. And, not least, will also tighten said bolts to the specified 180 Nm, more if you lean on it extra hard. Screwfix sell them, as do Halfords.

Agree regarding a wheel brace and good quality socket.
The OP has a Beach so no need for the water tank filler.. one less item to carry!!

 

[Dave Wickham]

Hi,

I've just bought my first ever campervan, a 2021 California Beach. I haven't got the vehicle yet, it's going to be delivered soon.

I'm trying to work out the essentials that I need for my first night away at a campsite. I've watched some youtube videos and searched by through the threads on here.

My first night or two away will be at a campsite, I don't think I'll be doing any cooking, I'll either be eating out at a local pub or eating prepared food from the cool box. They'll just be two of us.

I haven't done any kind of camping since I was a kid with my parents. The campsites we used to stay in 30 years ago were quite basic and seemed to be on farm land, I was too young to remember much about how they work.

Here's what I think I'm going to need so far from the research that I've done:

- 25m EHU cable, I haven't bought this yet. This one looks good https://toughleads.co.uk/products/16a-230v-premium-vw-california-compatible-hook-up-cable Do I really need 25m? It seems so long.
- Bedding or sleeping bags.
- Dustpan and brush
- Headtorch
- Prepared food and drink in the cool box
- Wet wipes and paper towels
- Bin bags
- Towel and crocs for the shower
- Clothes and toiletries
- Phone charging lead

Am I likely to need level ramps? Do they usually have toilet paper at campsites? Is there anything else I'm missing?

If you are camping in UK take a lot of money as campsites are stupidly expensive and sometimes downright basic for the price!!!. Not in France where they are cheap and have great facilities (usually a swimming pool, restaurant etc). In France you will need toilet paper though as some sites don't have it in the toilet blocks. Also suggest you take a short lead with live/neutral reverse as some sites (not many) have these poles cross wired.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

Thanks. I was looking into fridges. I don't know what size I will need and I'm not that keen on the idea of moving a large item around. I'll start with a 12v cool box, that should be fine for a day or two in the UK, when that's not enough I'll buy a fridge.

I'd get a 12v compressor fridge straight away. The best compressors seem to be LG from experience, and it will save you the cost of any coolbox. Just avoid chinese.

 

[Flower Power]

It seems that while in France I always need this simple tool to make a site safer. Only 6 euros here.

 

[KevH]

Pillow & duvet. (Dislike sleep bags, reminds me of camping in france as a small boy on school holiday transfer. Scarred me for life)
Toilet paper (this is for the van porti potti)
(Sensually have loo roll, but do you want to risk it for a biscuit if they didn’t ??)
+amazon+amazon+amazon+amazon+amazon+amazon body wipes
Ridge monkey
Bacon
Butter
Bread
Tom sauce (or brown if you that way inclined to induce heartburn)
Gas
Drinking water in a canister.
Pepsi max ( or beer)
Ear plugs & eye mask.
Wash bag.
Spare pants if away for more than 4 nights.
Defo crocs. Best thing ever.

“Spare pants if away for 4 nights”…aha, so that is what the smell is.