72 Caravanning Essentials for Your Van or RV!

Whistling Kettle

Unless you’re going to be plugged into power all the time, you’ll be boiling the kettle for a morning cuppa on a gas hotplate.

An integral investment for the caravan kitchen is a basic whistling kettle.

Corelle Dinnerware

If you’re new to the caravanning world, you may not have heard about Corelle crockery. It’s lightweight, virtually unbreakable and still gives you the pleasure of eating off real dinnerware, instead of plastic plates.

Corelle dinnerware is made from Vitrelle glass, making them chip- and break-resistant, providing the strength you need in a dinner set that’s going to be rattling around in a caravan overhead cupboard.

Undersink Water Filter

A very important item on the caravanning essentials list is an undersink water filter.

When you’re travelling, you will be drinking water from many different sources, which can sometimes cause an upset tummy.

It’s also a good idea to filter your water as it’s going into the water tank with an inline filter (see further down below).

Insulated Mugs & Tumblers

Definite caravanning essentials for every member of the travel tribe is an insulated mug or tumbler. There are a whole range available with the option of lids, straws and handles for both guys and girls.

Your drinks will stay hot/ cold for hours – perfect for cold mornings, hot days and happy hours around the camp fire.

Camp Eco Cleaning Products

Keeping our camping areas as pristine as we found them should always be the goal.

Camp Eco provide earth-friendly cleaning solutions that don’t pollute the waterways and surrounding environment.

• Dish Suds
• Body Suds
• Clothes Suds
• Dunny Spray
• All-purpose Spray

12 volt TV

If your style of caravanning is heading away for the weekend with friends, then you probably don’t need a TV in the van.

However if you’ve got kids or you plan on doing longer travelling stints, being able to curl up with a movie on a rainy day or cold night is a nice comfort.

While most 12 volt TVs will come with an inbuilt DVD player, a 12 volt smart TV is the way to go, so you’ve got more viewing options.

12 volt Fans

12 volt fans should absolutely make your caravanning essentials list in Australia. The Sirocco fans are fantastic, with three different speed settings and a timer, so that you don’t have to worry about the fans going all night.

To be honest though, they draw bugger all power. Any good solar set up won’t be drained by a few 12 volt fans.

Diesel Heater

Warming up a caravan when you’re plugged into power is easy with a split system air conditioner. But what about when you’re caravanning off-grid?

A diesel heater is by far the most popular way to go. You can pick them up for just a few hundred dollars on eBay and install them yourself if you’re handy with the tools.

Diesel heaters are worth their weight in gold on a cold winter’s night!

Australia Map Wall Sticker

The Adventure Awaits Australia map wall stickers are a really cool way to add some character to your caravan.

Plus, you can track your travels as you go and tick off different destinations from your bucket list.

Washing Machine

If you want to be able to keep on top of the laundry pile while travelling, then do yourself a favour and make sure you’ve got a washing machine.

While many modern-day vans have inbuilt machines, there are a range of great portable washing machines available as well.

If you’re worried about how to run the machine off-grid, check out the article below.

Bathroom Organisers

Keep everything in your bathroom organised and in place with the Tooletries collection. These guys are made of quality silicone and easily stick onto the wall, making them reusable and removable.

Will stick to any flat surface – wall, shower cubicle, mirror, glass etc.

12 volt Dustbuster

Having a 12 volt vacuum cleaner is a super handy caravanning essential. As you can imagine, the floors can get dirty in no time.

A quick zip around with the dustbuster and you won’t have to worry about taking the sand and dust into the bed with you.

Rubbish Bin

Having somewhere to store your rubbish is absolutely essential. Navigator do two different sized collapsible rubbish bins, which are lined for easy cleaning. You can choose between either a 40cm high bin or the larger 60cm high rubbish bin.

For more caravan rubbish bin ideas, check out the article below.

Awning Privacy Screens

Privacy screens for your awning are a great annex alternative. They fold up to a fairly small pile and still offer the privacy shelter that we sometimes need while caravanning.

We had one big screen across the front of the awning, as well a smaller one for the end. It was a perfect combination for blocking out a fair chunk of wind, sun and rain, while still being able to access the awning easily enough.

Good Riddance Insect Repellent

Good Riddance offer a range of natural, DEET-free (i.e. non-sticky) insect repellents. Made with essential oils, you’ll be able to keep the mozzies, midges and sandflies away, no worries.

• Australian owned and made
• DEET-free
• Plant-based
• Paraben-free
• Phthalate-free
• Planet friendly

Caravan Step

A fold-up caravan step is always handy to have. Sometimes, when you park on uneven ground, stepping up into the caravan can just be that stretch too far.

Camping Chairs

Okay, so this seems obvious, but honestly a good quality camping chair for each person is essential caravanning equipment.

There are some really fancy ones on the market these days, but be careful not to buy something that is just too bulky to store in the back of your car or in the caravan storage boot.

BBQ

Every caravanner needs a BBQ to cook on. Most vans these days come with some form of indoor cooking, with some hot plates and possibly an oven/ grill.

Even still, a BBQ is essential caravanning equipment!

The two most popular BBQs are the Weber and the Ziggy. We travelled with the Weber Q2000 and it was the perfect size for a family, whether it came to baking, roasting or grilling.

Weber BBQ Accessories

If you end up with a Weber, make sure you get the basic BBQ accessories to get the most of your grill.

The convection trays and trivet allow you to use the Weber as an oven, rather than a grill.

The fry pans with detachable handles are great for cooking anything that’s too messy or fiddly for the grill (bakes, veggies, saucy foods, roasts etc.).

Reusable BBQ Mats

These reusable teflon BBQ mats are great for non-stick cooking without having to dirty the grill. The mats are super easy to rinse off in soapy water, ready to go for next time.

I like to use these mats on public BBQs, just to be sure I’m cooking on a clean and hygienic surface, without having to worry about the cleaning afterwards.

BBQARM

The BBQARM is a modern day caravanning essential, which eliminates the need for an additional BBQ table or bulky slide-out.

The no-drill mount easily attaches to any draw bar or rear bar. Next, slot in the arm and tighten the clamp, then slide in the table. Easy as that!

Smartsense Gas Bottle Monitor

Keep on top of the levels in your gas bottle via a smartphone app.

Download the Smartsense app, synchronise the sensor, then attach it to the bottom of your gas cylinder. Set the alarm threshold and information display and you’re good to go.

Perfect for caravanners who are running hot water, cooking and heaters on gas.

Outdoor Flooring

While it’s nice to think that we’ll be stepping out of the caravan onto lush green grass every time, the reality couldn’t be further from the truth!

To create a nice area underneath your awning, a good floor mat is essential.

Great for:

• Reducing dust inside & outside the van
• Allows sand and dirt to fall through
• Covers bindies and rocks
• Gives the kids a play space
• Creates a boundary for your camp

MUK MAT

Muk Mats are the best camping grass mats around. They are brilliant at collecting all of the dust, dirt, sand and prickles when you wipe your feet, keeping your van floors much cleaner.

They come in a variety of sizes, including a small size for the entry step inside the caravan door, plus an XL one for outside. Muk Mats feel really lovely underneath your feet.

Awning Clothesline

To this day, my favourite caravanning essential is the humble awning clothesline. It was a simple DIY project that took all of an hour and about $30 worth of materials from Bunnings (full instructions below).

Not having to carry around a bulky clothesline on the road relieves so much pressure when it comes to doing laundry.

As long as your awning is out, you have access to a full washing line whenever you need.

Pegless Clothesline

In addition to the awning clothesline, I recommend carrying some additional line for those wash days where one line just isn’t going to cut it.

The pegless clothesline is a great, compact little invention. You can buy multiple lines and attach them together or detach them to make smaller lines.

Bungee cord is included for attaching to trees, poles, the car bull bar or roof racks etc.

Levelling Ramps & Wheel Chocks

Unless you plan on only staying in dead flat caravan parks (which is not always the case), you’re going to need a set of levelling ramps and wheel chocks.

As the name suggests, you put them behind the caravan wheels, then reverse up onto them to help level out the caravan.

Make sure you get the two-piece ramps for dual axle caravans or the single-piece ramps for single axle vans.

Caravan Jack Pads

You’ll need to put something underneath each stabiliser leg to stop them from sinking into the ground in most places.

You can just carry around chocks of wood (which are heavy and bulky) or you can grab a set of lightweight caravan jack pads.

Spirit Level

To help with the levelling of your caravan, you can get a little spirt level and attach it to your draw bar.

To be honest, we used to just level it with our eye and sometimes would do the ‘glass of water on the bench’ trick, but a level on the draw bar would have been way easier!

Blue Drinking Water Hose

Add a drinking water hose to your caravanning essentials list. The blue hoses are generally ‘food grade,’ meaning that you are able to drink the water that passes through the hose.

You’ll need a decent length hose for hooking up to water in caravan parks and for refilling your water tanks from potable water taps along the way.

‘Stand At Ease’ Water Tank Filler

The ‘Stand At Ease’ water tank filler makes the job much quicker and easier.

• Helps prevent air locks
• Fills water tank quicker
• Holds hose in position
• Swivel connection
• Angled flexible pipe for seamless use
• Compatible with standard hoses

Inline Water Filter

You should always filter your water as it’s going into the caravan water tanks. Although the water quality in most towns around Australia is good, you just never know if you might pick something up along the way.

Even just drinking a wide variety of water from different sources can sometimes cause an upset stomach.

Spare Tap Fittings

Always carry multiple spare tap fittings for when you’re connecting up to water taps on the road.

Be sure to allow for driving off and forgetting to grab your fitting, plus rocking up to taps that don’t have the correct fitting for your hose.

Grey Water Sullage Hose

You will most definitely need a grey water (sullage) hose with your caravanning gear.

This connects to the water exit point from the caravan, directing all of the sink, shower and washing machine water away, onto the ground or into a drain (depending on the campground).

The caravan sullage hoses are generally black in colour.

Grey Water Bladder

Occasionally, you may find yourself in a campground that states you must be fully self-contained and collect your own grey water.

We’ve only come across this a few times and a bucket was sufficient, but sometimes that just won’t cut it.

A grey water bladder is the perfect way to collect your waste water if you don’t have a dedicated tank on-board. It will also fold up to be easily stored when not in use.

Hose Bags

To keep all of your hoses separated and organised, grab a few hose bags. They’re perfect for keeping hoses and leads rolled up, then stowed away in the caravan boot or storage hatch.

Fuel Jerry Can

It’s very important to be carrying a jerry can of spare fuel, especially when travelling through rural and outback regions where the fuel stations are further apart.

Make sure you use the correct colour for the liquid you’re carrying, which is a matter of safety.

• RED = Unleaded
• YELLOW/ BLACK = Diesel
• BLUE/ CLEAR = Water

Spare Water Container

Always make sure you travel with spare drinking water at all times throughout Australia.

No one ever plans to break down or have a water pipe burst in the middle of nowhere. Even a 20L container of potable water for everyone to drink will help towards keeping you out of trouble.

GoPro

If you want to get really gorgeous photos and video footage while caravanning, then grab yourself a GoPro.

They’re so simple to use (point and shoot), they’re durable and waterproof, plus they are tiny and lightweight.

My fave travel cam by far!

Drone

For all of those amazing aerial shots of the campground and beautiful landscapes as you’re travelling, you’ll need a drone.

Learning how to fly them can be fun and will require some patience, but why not give it a go and get some amazing photos and footage while you’re at it!

Quality Solar Set-up

If you really want to be able to successfully caravan off-grid for a good length of time (and not stress about power), do yourself a favour and invest in a good quality solar system.

Unless you’re well-versed in solar, don’t bother attempting to DIY this one – you’ll end up with cheap parts off eBay and an unreliable system.

Remember, the poor man pays twice.

Our solar set-up cost $7,000 and paid for itself within the first 6 months on the road by not having to stay in caravan parks or use laundromats.

Portable Solar Panels

If you don’t plan on doing long trips, a portable solar panel, which plugs into your basic solar system in the caravan will probably be sufficient.

Modern caravans come out with one battery and 1 – 2 solar panels on the roof as a standard feature. This will really only power lights, basic functions and charge devices.

Even with our additional solar set up, we still had a portable panel to get some extra charge into the batteries when we were stationary and wanting to use power-hungry things like the washing machine and laptop charger.

Inverter

Having an inverter is not essential for every caravan, but if you want to be able to plug in laptop chargers and washing machines off-grid, then you’re going to need an inverter.

Basically, anything that needs a 240 volt power plug, goes through the inverter. Anything that plugs into a USB power supply, can be run straight through the solar via a cigarette/ usb plug.

We ran the caravan washing machine through a 350-watt Redarc inverter. Items with a heavy draw, such as coffee machines will need a very large inverter to run.

15amp Power Lead

Domestic households are wired with 10A power points, while caravans are actually set up for 15A, requiring a 15A power lead.

Caravan parks are all set up for 15A power leads, so if you do hit the road and pack your 10A lead, you’ll arrive to find that it won’t fit.

Keep in mind that it’s illegal to cut a 10A plug and rig it up with a 15A end – just grab yourself a dedicated 15amp power cord for the van.

If you want to plug your van into a 10A power point at home, you’ll need an Ampfibian power adapter (see below).

Ampfibian 15A to 10A Power Adapter

The Ampfibian power adapter is designed for connecting a 15A caravan lead to a domestic 10A power source.

Rest assured that it’s weather proof, so it doesn’t matter if it gets wet and has a built-in padlock attachment to keep it locked.

Included is a mini circuit breaker, limiting the power to 10A to protect your power point and wiring from overheating.

Certified to comply with Australian standards.

USB Cigarette Socket Adapter

If your caravan has the 12 volt cigarette socket points, then you’ll need a few of these USB adapters so that you can charge your devices.

They are cheap to buy and will make your charging life much easier on the road.

First Aid Kits

An absolute ‘must have’ caravanning essential is the humble First Aid Kit. In fact you should have multiple kits, strewn between your car, caravan and hiking pack.

As well as at least one comprehensive kit, it’s also highly recommended to have a Snake Bite Kit or some snake bite bandages as well in Australia.

Fire Extinguisher

Every caravan needs to have a fire extinguisher and you’ll find that most, if not all vans, will do.

Check to make sure that your extinguisher is still within date. To check the expiry date, you can find it stamped on the cylinder body or printed on the label.

Smoke Alarm

Make sure you’ve got a fully-functioning smoke alarm in your caravan.

Check to see that the batteries are not flat and that you have spare batteries in case they do go flat (you’ll hear an annoying beep that’ll be sure to let you know).

Fire Blanket

Caravans do not come standard with fire blankets, but it’s extremely handy to add one in.

If you have a small cooking fire start on the stovetop, you really don’t want to destroy the van with a fire extinguisher, when you could have just as easily put it out with a fire blanket.

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Another item for your caravanning essentials list is a carbon monoxide detector. This safety device often gets overlooked but is extremely important, especially with gas cooking.

This alarm will alert you to any detection of carbon monoxide, which is omitted from gas sources, like heating and cooking inside a caravan.

Various Tools

Just like at home, things can happen on the road and you never know when you’ll need that hammer, spanner or tape measure.

Make sure you pack a selection of basic tools to help you get out of a bind or do some repairs if need be.

Satellite Phone

If you plan on heading off-grid where there’s no phone reception, consider getting yourself a satellite phone for emergencies.

They can be expensive, but in the event of break-down, accident or health emergency, they are a priceless bit of gear.

Cruisemaster DO35 Hitch

For safety reasons, I would not travel without an articulation hitch. If you have an accident, the caravan is less likely to flip the tow vehicle if the hitch has the ability to maneuver.

In addition, there will be less strain on your tow bar and draw bar when pulling into off-road camps where rotational articulation is necessary.

The DO35 is known to be the best in business as a caravanning hitch, but the McHitch also gets a good rap.

Hitch Lock

Caravan security on the road is something you’ll need to think about as a caravanner.

Every time you unhitch your caravan, a trailer hitch lock needs to be used to prevent someone from hooking up your van and driving away with it.

There are many different hitch locks on the market, so make sure you get the correct one to fit your specific hitch.

The one pictured is to suit the DO35.

Wheel Clamp

Travelling with a wheel clamp is not a caravanning essential for everyone, but it’s certainly a great security addition.

Using a wheel clamp on your trailer when you’re away from camp means that no one is able to drive off with it, even if they do manage to get through the trailer lock.

*Note: Consider if you have the payload availability to be adding a heavy wheel clamp to your list.

Towing Mirrors

Having proper towing mirrors for the car is an absolute caravanning essential.

There are a few different styles to choose from and it really depends on how often you will be using them and how much you want to spend.

Extendable, clip-on or strap on. Have a look and decide for yourself.

UHF Radio

Having a UHF radio in the car is an absolute caravanning essential. You need to be able to communicate with truck drivers and other vehicles on the road, and vice-versa.

Having the addition of a handheld UHF is good for communicating with someone outside of the car when reversing the caravan into a campsite.

Dirty Gear Bag

The easiest way to store your rubbish bags and recycling when you’re on the road is with a dirty gear bag. It’s basically a storage bag that straps to your spare wheel (on the car or caravan).

Dirty gear bags are also great for storing kids outdoor toys, straps, ropes, wheel chocks etc.

Reversing Camera

Let me tell you, having reversing cameras are absolute caravanning essentials these days.

Many people start with a reversing camera on the rear of the tow vehicle, but having a second one on the back of the caravan is a great addition to help with backing into sites in caravan parks.

Great for:

• Hitching up the caravan
• Checking on your hitch while driving
• Reversing into camping sites

Navigator Car Organisers

Keep the car organised with the Navigator car organisers. They’re especially perfect for the kids to store all of their travelling essentials in the back seat without the car looking like a bomb’s hit it!

• Seat organiser
• Visor organiser
• Utility organiser
• Dashboard organiser
• Kids storage pocket

Car Fridge/ Freezer

Is it essential to have a fridge/ freezer in the back of the car while caravanning? I’d say yes!

Either set it as a second fridge to store drinks and lunches for when you’re out and about during the day. Or, you can set it as a freezer to store extra meat, bread and frozen goods when travelling through the Outback.

Once you get away from major cities and towns, the big chain supermarkets become few and far between.

Car Fridge Slide

Once you’ve gotten yourself a car fridge, you’re going to need a fridge slide or drop-down unit to secure it to.

The fridge slides are generally cheaper and simpler than the drop-down units. However, if your car is particularly high, I’d recommend a drop-down so the shorties (like me!) can actually get into said fridge without having to climb up onto the tow bar.

4WD Recovery Tracks

If you plan on going off-road during your travels, you’ll want to have a set of MaxTrax (or similar) to help you out if you get bogged.

Even if you don’t plan on doing any off-roading, it’s always handy to have some MaxTrax just incase the campsite gets a bit boggy and you need that helping hand.

4WD Recovery Kit

Again, if you plan on doing any off-roading during your caravanning adventures, be sure to have a recovery kit in the back of the car.

You never know when you may need it for yourself or to give someone else a hand getting out of a bind.

Bog Out Kit

Another good piece of recovery equipment is the Bog Out Kit, especially for those who don’t have a winch.

The Bog Out effectively turns your wheels into winches, working in both forwards and reverse. Good for sand, mud and snow.

This kit is small enough to easily be thrown into the back of the car and will even fit into some glove boxes.

WikiCamps

When it comes to planning your campgrounds, WikiCamps is the way to go. For $7.99 you’ll have lifetime access to information on pretty well every campsite in Australia.

In addition, we used WikiCamps daily for finding potable water, dump points, Information Centres and lots more.

If you want the full guide to setting up WikiCamps to get the most out of it, see the article below.

The ULTIMATE Packing List

Don’t forget a thing with The ULTIMATE Caravan Packing Checklist! Available in both printable & digital formats to suit your needs.

• Pre-filled with 600+ items
• 17 categories
• EDIT & customise
• TICK as you pack
• ADD item weights (to organise payload)
• ADD extra items

Camping Food Checklist + Menu Planner

No more stacking food in and hoping for the best. With the Food Checklist + Menu Planner you can plan ahead of time and ditch the stress.

• 4 pages
• Both digital & printable versions provided
• Checklist pre-filled with 100+ food items
• Menu pre-filled with 38 meal, snack & dessert ideas

Log Book

Keep track of your caravan services, kilometres travelled and other important stats regarding your caravan with this handy Log Book.

• Kilometre tracker
• Fuel tracker
• Service tracker
• Accommodation tracker

Travel Expense Tracker

Log and track your on-road costs with the Expense Tracker spreadsheet. All monthly and year-to-date totals are automatically calculated as you add in each cost.

• 16 categories
• 150 subcategories
• Automatically calculates travel expenses
• Summary and pie chart visuals
• Monthly + Year-to-date totals

Caravan Maintenance & Service Log

An interactive planner detailing over 70 Apps for caravanning, camping & road tripping Australia.

• 7-page Digital & Printable Planner
• 40 pre-filled tasks to complete
• Caravan Service History Log
• TICK off checklists
• ADD in extra tasks