Questions

If the vehicle’s real operating weight stays at or below 3,500 kg and it carries no more than 8 passengers, an ordinary category B licence is normally enough. Above that you need a heavier category.

It depends on the state and on the combined weight. Most states allow ordinary car towing up to a state limit, and require an endorsement above roughly 5 to 6 tonnes of gross combination weight. Confirm with your state DMV.

A category B holder drawing a braked trailer where the car and the trailer each weigh up to 3.5 tonnes and the combined weight is up to 4.25 tonnes, subject to conditions and a short theoretical course.

No. The hitch rating, the towing vehicle's kerb and tongue weight, and the caravan's brakes limit you before the licence does.

GVWR minus the real kerb weight. It is the mass of everything you add: people, luggage, water, battery and gas.

Typically 5 to 15 percent of the caravan's total weight, and it must stay within both the hitch rating and the vehicle's tongue-weight limit.

Usually because it arrived without the battery, the water and the accessories, and you loaded them in afterwards. Weigh the loaded combination.

Yes. A single visit to a public weighbridge sorts out kerb weight, tongue weight and axle loads in about ten minutes and costs very little.

Roughly: daily watt-hours consumed divided by an hour figure for good sunshine, increased for the days you want off-grid and by about 20 percent for system losses.

Lithium iron phosphate for anything beyond occasional use: usable capacity, faster charging and deeper discharge. AGM is fine for a small, cheap system that is kept near full.

Usually a 220 to 240 volt domestic socket at around 16 amps, so plan for less total load than a North American 30 or 50 amp pitch.

It converts the 12-volt battery supply into 120 or 230 volts AC for appliances that need mains power.

Eighty to a hundred and fifty litres a day for two people who shower daily, and far less if you use the facilities ashore.

No. Only use a potable-grade antifreeze in a fresh-water system, and only at the concentration the label specifies. Never leave plain antifreeze standing in a tank you drink from.

A dry P-trap, a blocked or perished tank vent, or a tank that is not draining fully. Check the vent first, then the trap.

Not for a hard freeze. Drain the system, blow the lines out with air, and treat anything that cannot be drained down.

A gas fired heater is cheapest to buy and simplest to run if you have a gas supply; a diesel heater is cheapest to run if you already drive diesel and have it professionally installed.

Only from a generator or from a large lithium bank with an inverter, and in practice most people rely on a mains supply when parked.

Only with a properly installed unit with correct combustion air and flue, plus a working carbon monoxide alarm. The quality of the installation is the whole question.

Roughly one to two kilos of gas an hour in a well-insulated campervan at freezing outside, so carry a spare bottle on any winter trip.

Often 2.6 to 3.0 metres, and the barrier is sometimes lower than the signed limit on the road into the town it sits in.

A naturally aspirated diesel loses roughly ten percent per thousand metres; a turbocharged engine loses less, but it still loses power.

Yes, usually substantially, because the caravan adds mass and, if it is tall and boxy, aerodynamic drag as well.

Compare the route's lowest height restriction and narrowest width with your measured dimensions, then book pitches whose published dimensions you trust.

Typically once a year or every ten to twelve thousand kilometres for a towed axle, following the bearing manufacturer's own schedule.

Most trade bodies and manufacturers advise replacing serviceable tyres once they are around six to ten years old, regardless of how much tread is left.

Cold, before you set off. Pressures taken after a long run read high and will hide an under-inflated tyre.

A failed seal at a roof penetration: a vent, a skylight or an air conditioning unit. Look for it on a dry roof in daylight.

Electricity, fresh water and waste discharge connected at the pitch, as against an electric pitch that adds only power and a dry pitch that has none of them.

It varies by country and region: tolerated in some places, banned and fined in others. Always check the local rule before spending a night parked off-site.

No, but in Europe a membership card nearly always saves real money and handles reservations for a large share of sites.

The height limit, the maximum length, the service level and whether the site is open on your dates. These four answers decide the whole trip.

A working smoke alarm, a carbon monoxide alarm, a fire extinguisher, wheel chocks, a spirit level, a water hose with a regulator and a spare wheel.

Bringing heavy, bulky items you never use, which both uses up the payload and eats the storage you intended to need.

Yes, in most places. Mains pressure can exceed what the plumbing is rated for, and the regulator is a cheap way of preventing joint failures.

A caravan if you move less than once a week and already own a suitable towing vehicle; a motorhome if you move daily or you do not want a second vehicle.

The roof, the slide-out seals and the sealants in the wet areas, all checked with every system switched on.

Work out your daily consumption between fills, multiply by the days you plan between fills, and compare it with the tank size.

Insurance, camping fees, fuel, storage or a season fee, servicing and a sinking fund for tyres and batteries. Add a little for the unexpected.

Pick the smallest category that covers how many people travel and how often you move. A couple travelling at the weekend do well in a compact towable; a family that moves daily needs a self-propelled rig.

If the real operating weight stays at or below 3,500 kg and there are no more than 8 passengers, an ordinary category B licence is normally sufficient. Above that you need a heavier category.

Usually a 220 to 240 volt domestic socket at around 16 amps, so the total load is smaller than the same rating would suggest in North America.

Eighty to a hundred and fifty litres a day for two people who shower daily, and much less if you use the facilities ashore between stops.

Most trade bodies advise replacing serviceable caravan and motorhome tyres at around six to ten years, regardless of tread depth, because the rubber ages from heat and load.

Drain the tanks and the low-point drains, blow the lines out with low-pressure air, then antifreeze or remove anything that cannot be fully drained, including the external hose.

European bridges, town gates and campsite barriers are often signed at 2.6 to 3.0 metres, and roof equipment adds height above the roofline itself.

It depends entirely on the country and the region: tolerated in some places, banned with fines in Spain, Portugal and parts of Switzerland, and largely prohibited inside most United States national parks.

It certifies that your vehicle carries a chemical toilet, grey water containment and a means of waste disposal, and it is what allows you to freedom camp in a designated area.

A recreational vehicle: a self-propelled motorhome, or a caravan or a trailer you draw behind a car, used for camping and travel.

Gross vehicle weight rating: the maximum operating weight of the unit itself, as specified by the manufacturer, and excluding anything you draw behind you.

Divide your daily consumption in watt-hours by the hours of useful sunshine, add about 20 percent for losses, and increase it for the days you plan to stay without a pitch supply.