Here's a tip that has kept me from holding up the traffic in the past. To save a lot of problems (and a long queue behind you), I keep a note of my caravan's height, width and weight stuck in the corner of the windscreen, in metric and imperial measures. This keeps you from having to guess whether you're light enough to cross a bridge legally and safely, or whether you'll fit under that low bridge.
John Wilkinson
Via email

If you use a solar panel while rallying, try using universal clear suckers (as found in DIY shops to stick to windows, hold towel hooks, and the like) secured on a piece of thin aluminium strip, which can be attached to the solar-panel fixing holes. The panel can then be stuck to the roof of the van – out of sight and out of the reach of thieves.
It won't damage the roof and the suckers prevent it from being blown off in high winds. You can place it on the roof through the Heki rooflight, which means it will gain maximum sunlight all day. If you attach a weather-proof 12V socket to the underside of the van, connected to the battery, you can simply plug the solar panel in on arrival and forget about it until you depart.
Do remember to remove it before driving off, though.
Jon Roberts
Kempston, Bedford

It's that time of year to change the water filter (mine's a Carver), and I could not get the old one out. I tried fingers, pliers and grips, but it felt like I was going to break the plastic tab off and leave myself with a real problem. In the end I took the jockey wheel and unwound it from the main housing. After cleaning the housing end, I found that the slot in the base was perfect to fit in the recess and evenly grip both top and bottom of the plastic tab. You also have a lot of space for your hands to grip, and it came undone easily. I think this is a great solution to the problem; after all, you're carrying the gear you need.
John Earnshaw
Poole, Dorset

Here's how not to forget the toothbrush – again! We used to go away in our caravan and would always forget something essential, until we made a laminated checklist which the children mark off with a whiteboard marking pen. We can re-use it each time we go away, and it saves spending valuable holiday time trekking off to buy supplementary tent pegs, toothbrushes or torches. It also gives our sons, Cameron and Benjamin, the feeling of having a very important job to do.
Mark P Brooks
Longlevens, Gloucester

For years I struggled when feeding my awning into the rail. Someone suggested using a special lubricant, but instead of shelling out more cash on that, I tried rubbing the beading with a candle instead. It worked a treat.
Philip Humphries
Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

To save time hitching up, always mark your towing mirrors so that you know which one was last used on the left and which on the right (I use a blob of red paint on the left one). This means that you won't have to waste time readjusting the mirrors for the perfect view; if you're careful when reattaching them, they'll already be in the right place.
Donald Brown,
Letchworth, Hertfordshire

I think drop-in carpets are a fantastic idea. I can't believe the caravan manufacturers didn't think of them sooner. I did, however. We have a 1996 Bailey Ranger, and to stop its carpets getting mucky when we holiday with the grandchildren, I drop in my own temporary carpets: off-cuts I buy cheaply from my local carpet store. Who cares if they get covered in welly prints? Joan Rogers
Milton Keynes

Our folding dish rack has earned its keep. There is no draining board in our Monza, and this little device catches the water and folds up like a book when not in use. It saves having to drive around with soggy tea towels that never quite dry out.
Richard Bunce
Via email