Our Essentials Accessories List

Setting Up a Caravan 

You associate a caravan with long, fun-filled camping holidays. But what you have at hand is a threadbare room on wheels, most likely featuring only a bed, cupboard, counter, and hoses for drinking water and sanitation. Suddenly, you are faced with the (daunting) task of turning this trailer into a welcoming motor home, and if you’re new to the camping scene, you might be wondering where and how to begin. The following checklist covers all common caravan accessories that you will need to purchase before you can use your new motor home.

Appliances: A basic set of appliances including air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, will serve as the groundwork for turning your new caravan into a functioning home away from home. To this repertoire you can add various kitchen appliances such as a microwave or a coffee maker.

Water Storage and Plumbing: Extra lengths of hoses, and large capacity camper trailer water tanks, will eliminate a great deal of inconvenience, such as frequent trips to acquire drinking water, and being forced to park right above the sewage dumping site whenever you need to empty your trailer’s black tank.

Personal Safety Essentials: Invest in a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and smoke detectors, to prevent misadventures from marring your camping experience.

Electrical Accessories: Carry surge protectors, extra fuses and power adaptors for all your devices. Also invest in a backup electrical power system such as a portable generator or a solar panel kit for essential appliances.

Utensils: Purchase space saving, durable utensils. Opt for cast iron if you’d also like to cook at a campfire, and steel if you’re purchasing an induction cooktop for your trailer’s kitchen.

Portable furniture: this would include the likes of folding chairs and tables, or an outdoor tent to sleep in during pleasant nights.

Cleaning and Maintenance: A basic wet and dry vacuum cleaner, a broom and dustpan, disinfectants and wipes, and a supply of garbage bags, will help you keep your trailer clean. Also keep a basic set of tools handy for the odd repair job that you might have to see to.

Weight distribution hitches: A fully furnished and loaded trailer can weigh a few tons. Lugging this weight without a proper towing hitch can damage your vehicle, and make driving rather difficult. Invest in a good quality weight distribution hitch that is rated for your trailer’s weight.

Protective Gear: Caravans need to be protected, both when parked and when in use. Caravan covers make for a simple and relatively inexpensive way to shield parked motor homes from the elements. You can browse through caravan & camper trailer covers with various attributes including water resistance, UV protection, breath ability and accessibility. Caravan hitch locks come in handy while you’re out camping, keeping your trailer hitch inaccessible to other towing vehicles.

There are several other camper trailer accessories that can simplify life on the road. With the items in the above checklist in place, you can move on to awnings, mats, furnishings, storage solutions and a variety of sophisticated entertainment equipment. But acquiring the essential camper trailer parts first is a good idea, especially if you’re on a tight budget. 

6 Towing Accessories Your Caravan Needs Right Away

Purchasing your very own caravan sounds like great fun. It immediately invokes the holiday mood, through promises of fun-filled road trips and camping adventures, all on your own terms. Just so you can hold on to this mood, make sure that you get the more boring technicalities out of the way. And the first of these is your towing setup. In order to be ready for your upcoming getaway, your caravan and towing vehicle will need to be outfitted with the following towing accessories:

1.         Towing hitch

A towing hitch or tow bar attaches to the chassis of your vehicle, allowing your caravan to be attached to it. Purchasing a good quality towing hitch is integral to safe and easy towing. As an additional safety measure, consider using quick release couplings at the hitching junction. These allow for quick hitching and removal of your caravan, gearing it for a smooth ride as well as for any emergency situations.

2.         Weight distribution hitch

A weight distribution hitch serves the critical function of distributing your caravan’s weight along both the front and rear axles of your towing vehicle. This in turn keeps the vehicle horizontal, protects the chassis, and makes driving easier and safer. Weight distribution hitches are rated for the caravan weight range that they can handle. Weigh your caravan before you finalise your purchase.

3.         Caravan towing mirrors

Whether you’re new to the caravanning scene, or have been taking your motor home out every summer for the past several years, a clear view of your caravan or trailer is absolutely essential while driving. Caravan towing mirrors are a vital addition to your trailer setup, and can be purchased either as separate add-ons to your car’s existing rear view mirrors, or as permanent fixtures that replace the rear view mirrors entirely.

4.         Safety chains

Safety chains are important towing accessories for your caravan, keeping it attached to your towing vehicle in the event of a coupling failure. While purchasing safety chains, ensure that the shackle (required for attaching the chains to the towing vehicle) is duly rated for the load capacity of your caravan.

5.         Braking system

Your towing vehicle’s brakes won’t always be enough to decelerate your caravan. Besides, in the event of a hitch failure, where the caravan detaches from the towing vehicle, it would need to be able to slow down on its own. All caravans, and the heavier ones in particular (weighing 2 tons or more), need to be outfitted with independent braking systems.

6.         Sway control

Caravans are susceptible to lateral movement, due to many factors such as crosswinds and sharp turns. A sway control mechanism helps keep this lateral movement in check. Many weight distribution hitches come with inbuilt friction sway controls, but you can also install one separately.

Reliable towing accessories play a crucial role in deciding how your camping road trips pan out. From durable and accurately rated weight distribution hitches, to high quality caravan towing mirrors, you can find all the requisite accessories at any caravan parts and supplies store or website. 

Holidaying With The Family

How Caravanning Holidays Beat All Other Family Outings

The bulk of the fun associated with caravanning lies in its being a group activity. As far as vacationing with the family is concerned, caravanning is unmatched in its ability to provide every member of your group with their personalised form of relaxation or entertainment. If you’ve ever gone camping with the family and wished you could repackage the fun of the trip in a safer and more comfortable framework, then caravanning is the perfect activity for you. So get set, purchase those caravan parts you’ve been looking to replace, and prepare for a summer’s worth of fun. Here’s what you can expect. 

The perfect blend of safety and freedom

Safety for your kids, and freedom for you to relax. If you’ve ever gone camping with your kids, you’ll be familiar with the constant need to keep an eye on them. With everyone comfortably packed into your car, however, and your fully furnished caravan in tow, things actually begin to feel like a vacation. Plus, a locked caravan is way safer than a tent at night.

Air conditioned comfort

Modern caravans are sophisticated mobile homes with fully air conditioned interiors. Purchasing a few basic caravan parts can allow you and your family to sleep, eat and even watch TV in temperature controlled comfort. What’s more, appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators are also available in caravan friendly versions, ensuring that you and your family never get homesick.

Nature at your beck and call

One of the key advantages of caravanning is that nature is always right outside. You can choose a variety of outdoor activities to engage in with the family, from grilling and eating in your awning covered ‘patio’, to taking a biking excursion or nature trail. Only to return to the comfort of your fully furnished motorhome. It’s like camping with an extra dose of comfort. We won’t say no to that!

No first time jitters

You’ll have to muster a fair degree of courage to embark on your first family camping trip. There are too many logistics and safety issues to take care of. Caravanning, however, places no such pressures on you, even if it’s something you haven’t done before. All you need to do before you leave is to have all your furniture and appliances in place, purchase the right caravan parts and accessories, and stock up on adequate caravan spare parts. That’s all. No unpleasant surprises along the way. No worrying about finding a place to pitch your tent. You’re essentially travelling with the closest thing to your actual home. Not a bad way to vacation, right?

So will you be caravanning with the family this holiday season? We sure hope you do. May we remind you once again to travel with caravan spare parts and consumable supplies. You can now find most caravan parts online at discounted prices, and receive them at your doorstep. Order your parts and spares now, so you only have the fun aspects of the trip left in the run-up to your caravanning holiday.

Buying Parts For Your First Caravan?

Here’s Why You Should Choose Camec 

Welcome to the fun filled world of caravanning. Few experiences in the world can rival the feeling of taking your very own motorhome out into the countryside. And as far as finding the right parts and accessories for your motorhome go, few brands can rival the product range, build quality and customer service offered by Camec Australia. Sure, you’ve heard a lot about Camec caravan parts. But if the odd doubt or two is still plaguing you, we’d like to list the exact features that make each Camec product perfect for your new caravan.

Doors and Windows

Camec’s extensive range of caravan doors and windows is one of its chief USPs. From boot storage openings to main doors in a variety of materials and designs, Camec doors are a reliable addition to any caravan. Windows offered by Camec Australia similarly range from cross shafts to corner clamp styles in multiple sizes and colours. No matter what your budget, you can rest assured that Camec will have a suitable door or window for your caravan’s specific needs. The build quality of Camec’s doors and windows is of course unmatched by any other brand.

Towing

Towing is one of the most important functions that you would need to purchase caravan parts for. And getting a grip over all the specific components that make up a towing setup can difficult for a first-time buyer. Which is why it makes sense to choose Camec Australia for all your towing parts and accessories. You’ll find everything from towing mirrors all the way to high performance weight distribution hitches. In addition to this Camec also supplies all the hardware, couplings, tow balls and mounts, breakaway systems, tyre pressure monitors, sway controllers and hitch locks that you can use to assemble a safe and reliable towing setup.

Plumbing, Gas and Electricity

From setting up your caravan’s shower unit, to fixing up its electrical wiring and LPG gas connection, there’s a lot of work to be done before your new caravan can become a mobile home. Again, Camec caravan parts will make for a hassle free buying process, because they cover core components such as pipes, pressure relievers, wires and gas cylinders, as well as accessories including faucets, fuses, adapters and gas hoses. Product quality is of utmost significance while buying any of these parts, and Camec Australia has you covered in that department.

Sanitation

Camec’s sanitation parts and accessories include chemical cassette toilets as well as fixed variants. These can be duly supplemented with high quality hoses, hose adapters, chemical fillers and consumables.

Appliances and Gadgets 

The Camec world of caravan appliances and gadgets is a fascinating one. Through its vast inventory of portable washing machines, air conditioners, stoves, ovens, cooktops, refrigerators, televisions and audio systems, Camec makes shopping for your motorhome a fun exercise. And to cap it all, Camec’s warranty and customer service takes care of any aftersales issues as well.

Camec Australia helps new caravan & RV owners transition flawlessly into the world of pro caravanning. Camec caravan parts are readily available throughout Australia, at both brick-and-mortar stores and online shopping destinations.