One of the joys of touring is the chance to get closer to nature – and no time is this more apparent than when you’re caravanning in winter, as the stillness in the air that lets you appreciate your surroundings all the more.
While some van owners will want to reach for the best caravan cover and put their tourer into storage, the colder months can provide beautiful settings and landscapes galore to take in as you embark on a relaxing winter stroll. It’s also a time when both campsites are quieter and pitches can be cheaper.
As serial off-grinders and all-year caravaners Rod and Kim Farrendon say: “It’s almost like being in a hide, and the wildlife is a little more brazen in its search for food. If we’re near the coast, we love to walk on a deserted beach – the dog running free, waves crashing on the shoreline – all the time knowing we have a snug home on wheels to return to.”
Rod adds: “I suppose to sum up, I’d say, winter touring is a more solitudinous time for us, but a time maybe when we are more aware of our surroundings and the natural environment.”
If you’re planning to embark on a winter caravanning adventure, I’m sharing 20 top tips to help you get the most from your tour. However, for those who will be hibernating their tourers, be sure to check out our guide to storing a caravan.
How to get the most out of caravanning in winter
1. Have propane gas cylinders
Ensure that you have cylinders of propane gas for caravanning in the winter and cold-weather touring. Propane functions down to -42°C (Siberia, anyone?), whereas butane will stop vaporising at -2°C, and therefore might not work, even in milder conditions.
2. Consider the Gaslow or Safefill gas system
If you are a big fan of winter caravanning, consider investing in a Gaslow or Safefill gas system. Unlike Calor, where you simply rent a cylinder and get it replaced when empty, you purchase the cylinders for these systems. When you’re running low, you refill them yourself on a petrol station forecourt that sells Autogas – in exactly the same way that you fuel an LPG car. Many Morrisons supermarket forecourts now sell Autogas.
Heavy gas users, such as frequent off-gridders, can save about £100 a year, as Autogas costs around 94p per litre, compared to pre-bottled Calor gas, which costs from £4 per litre (13kg Propane Patio Gas costs £52.50).
3. Think about whether it’s time for an upgrade
Modern UK caravans come fitted with Grade III certified insulation and heating, making them ideal for touring, even in the coldest weather. If you have an older tourer, perhaps it’s time to think about buying a new caravan so you can make the most of your investment?
4. What an awning can add to caravanning in the winter
Take an awning with you – a small porch awning is fine – to act as an ‘airlock’ when you are going in and out of the caravan. This will minimise the freezing winds blowing inside and will also provide somewhere to take off and store muddy boots and wet clothing.
The best caravan air awning offers quick and convenient set up, making it an ideal choice for shorter stays. Try to pick one with a steeply pitched roof, so water and snow will slide off more easily.
5. Take steps to avoid condensation
To avoid condensation build-up on the cold surfaces in your caravan (and with it, the risk of water ingress), try to maintain some airflow, by leaving a window or rooflight slightly ajar. If your vehicle’s bed base is a solid sheet of plywood, consider drilling holes in it to increase the airflow, and prevent moisture building up in the mattress while you are sleeping.
Moisture-absorbing crystals or the best caravan dehumidifier can also help to lessen condensation.
6. The important role of a leisure battery when winter caravanning
With shorter days (your lights are on for longer) and lower temperatures at this time of year, cold-weather touring could take a toll on even the best caravan leisure battery if it doesn’t have a high enough output. Prepare for this by investing in a high-output battery, such as a 100Ah or 115Ah example from Yuasa. These are also essential if you use a motor mover.
Likewise, solar panels will not be as effective on shorter winter days, when the sun is lower in the sky.
7. Remote controlling your caravan’s systems
Next time you upgrade your van, choose one with app compatibility, so you can remotely control the heating, lights and hot water through systems such as Swift Command or Truma iNet X. An app on your phone or digital device connects with your van via Bluetooth (at short range) or the internet (from anywhere with a signal), allowing you to control or check many of its functions.
So long as you can get a signal, even if you’re on the side of a mountain, you can turn on your caravan’s heating system and hot water, in preparation for your return.
8. Be aware of increased stopping distances
Stopping distances increase significantly in standing water, ice or snow. Extend the two-second rule to three or four seconds, to stay safer in the winter.
9. Adjust your steering and braking inputs to the conditions
When driving on wet, icy or snowy roads, steering and braking inputs should be made more gradually than in normal driving conditions.
While you’re at it, consider putting winter tyres on your tow car too. See what we have to say about towing a caravan in winter for more on adapting to these conditions.
10. Check the opening dates of where you’re staying
Remember that not all campsites will remain open all year round – for instance, four of the 10 to make it into our best caravan sites round-up are open all year. Check online when planning a trip.
11. Plug hook-up cables into your caravan first
Always plug hook-up cables into the caravan first, before attaching to the hook-up post. Otherwise, you’ll be holding a live cable, which is dangerous, especially in wet weather. Power leads should also be uncoiled to prevent the build-up of heat.
12. What to do if you need to link two hook-up cables together
If you need to link two hook-up cables together to reach your hook-up post, use a weatherproof plastic cover to protect the join. For example, you can get one for under £5 at uk.rs-online.com. Search ‘splashproof housing’.
13. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector
You’ll be spending a lot of time inside the van with the heating system on, so a carbon monoxide detector is essential. CO alarms are fitted as standard in modern vans.
14. Don’t let your Aquaroll freeze over
Small, 12V aquarium water heaters or heating pads can be bought cheaply online and immersed in, or fixed to, your Aquaroll to help prevent it from freezing.
15. Avoid sitting water in your external waste pipes
Ensure all your external waste pipes run straight and downwards, to avoid the risk of sitting water, which might freeze up.
16. Don’t let your water container freeze
In a Grade III insulated vehicle, your water and drain pipes should not freeze, but your water container and its pipe/pump might. You can prevent this with an insulated bag to cover the barrel and the pipes.
If the forecast is for severe cold, you might want to lift the barrel into the van’s shower cubicle overnight. Defrosting frozen pipes can be a pain!
17. Don’t cover gas drop-out vents
Gas drop-out vents in the caravan floor should never be covered in an effort to prevent draughts.
18. The benefits of a cordless drill
Consider adding a cordless drill to your caravan toolkit (if you don’t already use one for corner-steady winding). It can then be used with a 4mm masonry bit to drill tent peg guide holes in frozen ground.
19. Pack for the weather
Even with the heating on, you might want to think about taking thick socks, your warmest pyjamas and a sweater when you’re packing your caravan. A super-warm 12 tog duvet is a good idea, too.
20. Slow cook warming food
Take a slow cooker and prepare a warming casserole or stew that will be ready when you return to the tour in the evening.
Perhaps you’ll be winter caravanning over the festive period, in which case you may also be thinking about getting your Christmas shopping done for the caravanner in your life nice and early. If you’re after some ideas and inspiration, don’t miss our gifts for caravan owners guide to see our favourite picks and suggestions we’ve spotted.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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