We Took Our New Custom Caravan on Its First Trip — Here’s What We Learned
We just picked up our brand new custom-converted caravan from Urban, and this was its very first proper trip (if you missed it, here’s the day we picked it up). We’ve had a lot of questions about this van since it left our driveway looking nothing like its Instagram-perfect finished self — where do the kids sleep, how does the kitchen work, all of it.
So instead of a polished “everything is perfect” post, we wanted to walk you through what a real first trip actually looks like: the checks we did before we even left, what we found once we arrived, and the small things you only learn by taking a brand new van out on the road for real.
– For your caravan’s power and charging setup: BLUETTI AU
Weighing In Before We Left
Before we headed off to camp, we stopped at a friend’s weighbridge so we could weigh the van and the car properly. We made sure the van was fully loaded with everything — food, water, the lot — and the car was fully loaded too, so the numbers we got were as accurate as possible.
It’s one of those things that’s easy to skip when you’re excited to get on the road, but it’s the only way to actually know your real weights instead of guessing.
Arriving (And Setting Up) in the Dark
We got to camp just on dusk, and it turned into a bit of a mad rush — get some food into everyone, get them to bed, and tell ourselves “we’ll have a good look around in the morning.” First night setup was genuinely easy though, which was a relief given it was dark and we were still learning the van.
A First Look Inside the Conversion
The next morning was our first real look around. This van has been customised, and the question we get asked the most is where the kids sleep — we’ve gone with a proper wall-to-wall super king bed, so nobody’s falling out, plus little storage cubbies the kids have already claimed for their toys.
The kitchen is inside this time, which is a change from our last van (a hybrid with an outside kitchen). There are advantages to both — inside definitely helps, though we’ve already set the smoke alarm off twice in under a day, so that’s something we’ll get used to. There’s also a full bathroom, which we’ll walk through properly in an upcoming video.
Working out where everything goes is its own project — every new van starts with a bit of a Tetris exercise, putting something in a cupboard, realising it doesn’t work there, and moving it again. Short trips like this one are perfect for figuring out exactly what you don’t have yet and need to pick up.
The DC-DC Charging Check
One of the checks we wanted to do was confirm the power input from the car into the van was actually working properly. It’s charging at 30 amps from the car, which is right where it should be — the system lets you set how many amps come in, so if the car needs that power for other things, you can limit it and avoid overloading the alternator. Good to see it doing exactly what it’s meant to.
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The Turning Circle and A-Frame Clearance Check
Before heading home, we also checked the turning circle — making sure nothing would strike between the car and the A-frame. We found a clear area and put the van on full lock from left to right to be sure. These are the kind of things you only find out once you actually get a new van and start testing it properly.
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What’s Next
The other thing we’re keeping an eye on is fuel — towing this new van does look like it’s using a little more fuel than we’re used to. We’re going to do a proper fuel consumption test on our next trip and share the real numbers.
Our Thoughts
No new van is “Instagram perfect” on day one, and that’s okay. A real first trip is about learning your systems, finding out what you don’t have yet, and slowly working out where everything lives. We’re really happy with how the van performed on every check we ran, and we can’t wait to share the full walkthrough with all the specs soon.
👉Working out your own numbers before your big lap? Check out our budget planner here — it’s the same spreadsheet we used to work out ours.
