General Advice
SPOT Connect turns your smartphone into a satellite communicator
If your preferred pitched tend to be off the beaten track, but you get a bit twitchy when there’s no mobile phone signal, the...
Advice
General Advice
Find a free BT Broadband hotspot with free iPad app
BT Broadband subscribers get free and unlimited roaming Wi-Fi access via its commercial Openzone and residential FON hotspots, and while it’s relatively easy to...
General Advice
Rest in peace at your final pitch
If your only opinion on the Airstream Trailer is “I wouldn’t be seen dead in one”, then you’d better hope a misguided next of...
General Advice
1974 VW Beetle hitch gave a new twist to towing
YouTube is chock full of clips showing old caravans and here’s one interesting snippet that shows how towing technology might have developed in 1974. The...
General Advice
SBP TV brings more free channels for web TV watchers
BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 4OD, ITV Player, TV Catchup and Zattoo are five great – and free – ways to catch your favourite ...
General Advice
Google Places helps you pick the best spots to eat and drink
Another week, another new Google app for smartphone owners. Google Places is a free app for iPhone and Android that uses your location to...
Towing
Insurance: a guide to policy types and coverage areas
THIS PAGE HIGHLIGHTS the different types of insurance you can buy, and what each of them covers.Car insurance■ Covers car for third-party damage, but...
Towing
How to get the right insurance cover
DO YOUR VARIOUS insurance policies fit neatly together, or are you paying twice for the same thing? Our in-depth feature takes the uncertainty out...
Fixtures & Fittings
How to… Fit air-conditioning – unit details
If you are installing air-conditioning to your caravan, make sure you select a suitable unit and fit it properly – here is reader Tony...
Fixtures & Fittings
A step-by-step guide to fitting air conditioning
ONCE YOU'VE WORKED out which air-conditioning unit you're going to use and where to site it (click here for reader Tony Brown's advice on...
Electrics
How to… Retrofit air-conditioning to your caravan
Fitting air-conditioning into your caravan can be a tricky and complex process – Practical Caravan reader Tony Brown shares his advice
Towing
How payload is calculated using the revised formula
CARAVAN MANUFACTURERS in EU countries must calculate the weight of personal effects that may be carried in a tourer using this formula:10L+10N+30kgL stands for...
Towing
Payload calculation changes – be aware
WHEN YOU shop around for a new caravan you may compare features, comfort and even weight. But from this year onwards, you should also...
Fixtures & Fittings
Step-by-step: adding a digital heater controller
WAKING UP ON a cold morning, many caravanners must, like me, jump out of bed, turn on the heating then jump back in while...
General Advice
Free Google smartphone app solves Sudoku puzzles in seconds
THERE'S LITTLE DOUBT that the smartphone is going to be the one gadget that we’ll all be carrying in our pockets before too long...
General Advice
Say hello to the world’s smallest solar-powered cinema
IF YOUR IDEA of a fun night out is a quiet night spent in the caravan, then the Sol Cinema might just be right...
General Advice
Two free online tools for travellers to France
HERE ARE A COUPLE of useful mobile apps for anyone planning on a trip to France in the near future.
General Advice
Dyson Digital Slim DC35 puts a new spin on the cordless vacuum cleaner
Battery-powered portable vacuum cleaners usually suck — and not in a good way. The problem is usually that the power source is insufficient to...
Fixtures & Fittings
Step-by-step: fitting an Al-Ko Mammut caravan mover
HERE ARE THE 18 steps involved in fitting an Al-Ko Mammut caravan mover, plus Doug's verdict on the product and the installation process. STEP...
Fixtures & Fittings
Fitting an Al-Ko Kober Mammut caravan mover
SOME MONTHS AGO I had the chance to try out Al-Ko Kober’s new caravan mover, the Mammut, and was very impressed with it –...
Habitation Matters
Should I have a gas hose as standard?
My wife and I started caravanning 10 months ago with a used Avondale Argente. We were complete novices. To connect the gas we just...
General Advice
iPhone alarm clock bug gives users yet another unexpected lie-in
iPhone alarm clock bug leaves users of the UK has yet to return to work after the Xmas break, which is just as...
Fixtures & Fittings
Suspected gas blockage? Here’s what you do…
IS YOUR REGULATOR definitely blocked or have you run out of gas? Ensure your cylinder is not empty.Are you using butane and has the...
Fixtures & Fittings
Gas regulator change has resulted in blame game
CARAVANNERS HAVE reported the failure of their LPG regulators since the industry changed from fitting regulators directly to gas cylinders to fitting them to...
Water Systems
Advice clinic: fitting a gauge to your on-board water tank
READER FRANK LEIGHTON from Bristol has written in with a query about the on-board water tank on his Swift Challenger. He would like to fit...
General Advice
ForeverMap 2.0 improves low-cost sat-nav for iPhone users
iPhone and iPad users looking for a low-cost sat-nav app to see them through the Xmas period would do well to check out new...
General Advice
Google Maps 5 for Android adds offline mode and 3D city views
Google has updated its Maps application for Android smartphones to add two major new features. Google Maps 5.0 not only brings offline access to...
General Advice
Word Lens iPhone app brings instant language translation a step closer
WE'RE STILL SOME way off from the kind of ‘universal translator’ that kept episodes of Star Trek free from subtitles, but the technology to...
Electrics
Laugh at the cold – how to use your caravan’s heater controls
MYSTIFIED BY your heater's controls and what they do? Follow our handy tips on how to crank up the heat and keep the cold...
Water Systems
Advice clinic: do I need a pump to connect two Aquarolls?
CARAVANNER R J GRANT from Stevenage would like to know if it's possible to daisy-chain two Aquaroll containers so that he won't run out...
General Advice
Australian caravanners embracing ‘super sites’
IT'S A LITTLE FAR to go if you fancy a break from the winter weather, but Australia does look like great caravan country for...
Electrics
How to… Cheat the winter cold with your caravan heater
Top tips and advice from Practical Caravan's expert team to keep you warm and cosy when out on tour across the chilly winter months
General Advice
Google invents an indestructible laptop – sort of
AS ANYONE who’s had a laptop stolen or damaged will know, as frustrating as the material loss is, it’s the data that goes with...
General Advice
Win £240 of Bluetooth gear with CoPilot Live
Smartphone sat-nav software maker ALK is offering the chance to win £240 worth of Bluetooth audio accessories this Xmas.
General Advice
Would a speed camera lottery improve road safety?
Speed cameras have long been criticised as being little more than a way for regional police forces to raise revenue, while doing little to...
General Advice
Shop with your smartphone at Halfords
Timed perfectly to coincide with the Xmas shopping spree, Halfords has rolled out a new mobile version of its web site for shopping on...
General Advice
Options for monitoring caravan electricity use
A few weeks ago, someone in the Practical Caravan forums asked about ways to measure electricity use in a caravan. The consensus was that...
General Advice
How to get the best from your YouTube uploads
AS EVERYONE WILL have noticed by now, Christmas is just around the corner. If that means you’ll soon be reaching for a digital video...
Habitation Matters
Simple fixes for scratched windows
I have a 2010 Swift Challenger 570 and unfortunately the windows have been scratched by a wash leather that was probably contaminated with volcanic...
General Advice
Forget fingerless gloves for smartphone use – here’s a better option
FOR ANYONE who’s unwisely wintering in a caravan, the weather has taken a turn for the worst just lately. And when it’s well below...
General Advice
Review: Scosche MotorMouth II in-car wireless music connection kit
IF YOUR CAR dashboard is draped in cables that connect various devices to the stereo, then the Scosche MotorMouth II is a little gadget...
General Advice
Satellite dish set-ups on site made simple
SETTING UP A satellite dish is straightforward enough if you’re only doing it once, but doing it for a portable set-up every time you...