Keeping Busy During Covid Projects for Caravan and Camper Trailer Owners

For the good of the community we’re all staying home this Easter, self-isolating as far as practical to help flatten the curve & in-turn help our hard-working Doctors & Nurses deal with the Coronavirus pandemic.

While at home it’s important to keep busy, keeping our mind and body occupied. After all, this could be the status quo for some time & we probably won’t be able to hit the road again until Spring.

Well, what a great time for a few home-based RV Projects! An upgrade or 2, some repairs and maintenance to your Camper, Caravan or Motorhome.

Once you finally get going, it will make the first trip back even more enjoyable! The Team here at Camp Smart has jotted down the following list of ideas to help keep you busy during this testing period & add value to your RV.

Install an Anti-Flap Kit and Awning Rafters

Always something that adds value and protects your awning from windy weather. Installation is relatively easy and requires fixing brackets just under your awning against the caravan and then drilling a hole in the barrel of the awning to hold the spigot end of the rafter / anti flap kit. While mostly designed for Roll Out awnings, options, and adapter kits are available for the European Box Style Awnings such as the Fiamma F45S & Thule Omnistore range.

Add a Stone Guard or Pole Carrier

Protect your van with a great looking stone guard or add a pole carrier or 2.

Both of these are installed to the A-Frame a Caravan, Camper Trailer or Pop Top and normally come with the brackets and fittings required. Pole carriers are particularly useful for storing odd long items including anti flap kits, curved awning rafters, tent poles, and fishing rods. 

Bolt or Weld-on a Pull Out RV Step  

With a large number of off-road or semi off-road Caravans and Campers, often the height getting up into the van is overlooked by many of our manufacturers. Adding a single pull out or double pull out folding step can make access and egress much easier, especially for a late-night or early morning trip when it can be a little wet and slippery. From compact lightweight stylish aluminum steps with glowing corners to tough checker plated galvanized steel steps, there’s sure to be a step that suits you.

Add a Drinking or Grey Water Tank

Thinking of adding an extra water tank or even a grey water tank with the increasing restrictions on wastewater? Now could be a good time for this. Brackets to suit specific tanks are increasingly available and most fittings are readily available from places like Bunnings. This could chew up some time!

Time to Replace that Noisy Old Water Pump?

With the recent release of Seaflo’s RV Supreme, the timing couldn’t be better. This little beauty is the quietest RV Water Pump in Australia, comes with a 3-year warranty and includes fittings plus a strainer. It also features industry-standard mount pattern and the same connections as most other pumps including the Shurflo 4009. This makes the upgrade and easy task!

Install a new HWS Anode

Something easily overlooked, it’s a great time to replace your Hot Water System Anode. If you have one of the popular Suburban Hot Water Units (& chances are you do), then the good news is all models use the same thread and the anodes are readily available.

Cover Up & Lock Up

Done for now? Ticked all of the above and want to move onto something else? Time to grab an RV Cover if you don’t have one & lock it up. Covers come in various sizes and categories to suit Camper Trailers, Pop Tops or Full-Size Caravans. Many now also include zippered panels so you can easily access the Caravan or Pop Top without having to take the cover off. It’s also worth upgrading your security with a quality Hitch Lock and/or Wheel Clamp. The last thing we want is to have restrictions lifted but have nothing to go away in!