Get Your Caravan Ready for the Season Ahead

That first trip of the year should feel like freedom, not like you’ve booked yourself a moving DIY project. Yet plenty of us roll the caravan out after winter storage and discover a flat leisure battery, a suspicious smell from the water system, or a tyre that looks fine until you notice the date code is older than your sat-nav.

Preparing your caravan for the new season is mostly about catching the boring stuff early - because the boring stuff is what ruins weekends.

Start with tyres, wheels and the things that keep you shiny-side up

Tyres are the big one because they can look perfectly “legal-ish” while quietly ageing. Check pressures before you tow anywhere (including the spare), and don’t ignore cracks in the sidewall or a tyre that’s gone a bit square from standing. If you’re unsure about age, read the DOT code on the tyre - it’s the quickest way to find out whether you’re dealing with a spring clean or a tyre replacement.

While you’re down there, have a look at the wheel bolts for corrosion and make sure the jockey wheel winds smoothly and actually holds the nose up without slipping. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the difference between a calm hitch-up and an impromptu wrestling match on the driveway.

Brakes, hitch and steadies: check for movement, noise and “oddness”

You’re not trying to become a brake engineer - you’re just looking for anything that suggests the caravan isn’t happy. With the caravan safely chocked, check that the handbrake feels firm and that the hitch head isn’t excessively worn. If you’ve got a stabiliser, look for clean, dry friction pads (no grease, no contamination) and make sure the action feels positive.

Steadies should wind down without graunching. A quick clean and a light lubrication on the threads can transform them, but keep grease away from places it shouldn’t be - especially anything involved in stabilising or braking. If something feels wrong, don’t tow “to see if it clears”. That is how small issues become expensive noises.

Battery and electrics: do the dull checks before you pack the kettle

After storage, batteries are often the first to sulk. Charge the leisure battery properly, then see if it holds charge rather than just accepting a green light on a charger. Inside, run through lights, the water pump, the fridge (on electric if you can), and anything you rely on at pitch-up.

On the tow car side, check all road lights with someone watching - indicators, brake lights, tail lights, and reverse. If you’re solo, use your mobile phone camera as a quick-and-dirty helper. If you find intermittent faults, it’s usually a plug, socket, or dodgy earth, not a conspiracy.

Gas: it’s about condition and ventilation, not panic

Gas makes people nervous because it feels high-stakes - and yes, it deserves respect. But the sensible approach is straightforward: check the hose condition and date, look over the regulator, make sure vents aren’t blocked, and do a proper leak check if you’ve disconnected anything.

If you smell Gas, stop and sort it. If you don’t, don’t invent problems to worry about. Book a professional service if it’s due, or if you’ve bought a used van and you’re not confident in its history.

Water system: refresh, flush, and don’t trust last year’s “it’ll be fine”

If your caravan’s been sitting, assume the water system needs a refresh. Flush the system through, clean the filter if you have one, and sanitise if it’s been a while or you’ve had any odd tastes or smells. Then check for leaks at the obvious points: under sinks, around the pump, and any joints you can see.

Toilet-wise, a clean cassette and a fresh seal lubricant makes a bigger difference than most accessories ever will. If you’re thinking about changing fluids this year, this review of Solbio Toilet Fluid in Caravans: Worth It? may help you decide without the usual “this will change your life” nonsense.

Damp and seals: look for patterns, not perfection

You’re not aiming for “a caravan with zero moisture anywhere”, because that isn’t how real objects in real British weather work. What you’re looking for is change: new staining, soft spots, a musty smell that wasn’t there before, or condensation where it doesn’t make sense.

Check around rooflights, windows, locker doors and the awning rail. Open every external hatch. If you have a damp meter, use it to confirm suspicions rather than to create them. One high reading in isolation might be a cold corner or surface moisture. Several readings forming a pattern is when you take action.

Hitching up and towing confidence: make your first tow the easy one

The first tow of the year is where nerves tend to spike - partly because you’ve forgotten your own routine. Give yourself time. Do your hitching methodically, then do a short test drive locally before you commit to a long motorway run.

If you want a calm, repeatable sequence, follow Hitching Up Your Caravan, Step by Step. And if the bigger issue is the head noise that turns every gust of wind into a crisis, Towing a Caravan: Confidence Tips That Work is built for exactly that.

The “first night” checks that save you from a sulk on site

A lot of seasonal prep is really about avoiding the classic first-night faff: arriving late, raining sideways, and discovering you packed everything except the one thing that makes the caravan function.

Before your first trip, do a dry run at home. Plug into mains if you can. Put water through the taps. Turn the heater on briefly. Open the awning bag and make sure it actually contains an awning, rather than last year’s good intentions.

If you like having a simple setup routine when you’re tired and hungry, keep Caravan Pitch Setup Checklist (No Fuss, UK) bookmarked.

If you want more of this calm, experience-led approach across towing, setup and ownership, that’s the whole point of CaravanVlogger - fewer myths, more confidence.

The goal isn’t to turn you into the world’s most obsessive checker. It’s to make sure your first trip of the season feels like a holiday again - and that starts with ten minutes of prevention when you’re still on your own drive.