Startup kit recommendations for rookies

Welcome to this great hobby! We only recently ended our years of touring this way and it's certainly a great way of life.

Hopefully your dealer will sort you out with most of the absolutely essential stuff.

I think a good plan is not to buy too much special kit in advance. Plan your first break fairly near home so that you can pop back if you discover anything vital that you're missing. Then accumulate extras as you go along. When we finally stopped it was amazing the amount of "stuff" we'd bought over the years and hardly ever used!  

PS - corkscrew/bottle opener and sense of humour need to be high on your list! 

Ditto to what moulesy says.  Hope your dealer will throw in an aquaroll and electric hook up cable. 

Stay close to home for your first trip.  When you go on site, have a look at how fellow caravanners are set up and don't be afraid to chat and ask questions.  Try to manage with bare essentials and/or things from home until you decide exactly how you're going to use your van. 

I'd consider a couple of decent chairs which you can use both for dining and/or relaxing, plus a fold away table to be pretty high on my list of things to consider buying.  Try not to buy 'caravan specific' items as they're usually more expensive, i.e. ordinary toilet tolls and bedding will do just fine.

One thing you do not need is the, very expensive, special toilet paper.

Supermarket ordinary is fine.

Consider toilet sachets for the cassette tank rather than liquid, less weight and much easier.  Pink for the flush tank is not essential.

You will need a means of levelling, we use decking off-cuts.  Shape the ends at an angle.    Decking is also useful for under the van feet.

Chocks.....we have some but have never used them.

Noseweight gauge is useful,  but you can use the bathroom scales and a piece of wood instead.

Security devices will be whatever your insurer requires, but generally the more the better.

A van normally comes with an EHU cable, a water pump and sometimes a step,  check they are all there.

Also a gas pigtail for whatever gas you will use is normally provided, but do check.

I would get van specific kitchen stuff, but not necessarily from a dealer.  IKEA or similar have decent pots, cutlery etc etc, or take old stuff from home and treat the house to new stuff.

A low wattage kettle, and / or one to use on the hob.   Also, if you want, a toaster and some type of BBQ.

If the fridge is small, possibly an electric coolbox ( 230v/12v) for drinks.

I you are buying your van from a dealer they may well offer you a discount at their shop on the equipment you need 

Thank you all for your helpful advice.

We have noticed there are lots of sizes for levelling ramps. Is there a 'best fit'? Our caravan is a 2016 Elddis Affinity 554.

Also, as we are total beginners, can you describe a gas pigtail and EHU?

We have now purchased the all important comfy chairs and bottle opener. (as well as battery and security bits)

First site is booked 4 miles from collection point and 15 from storage site.

Any recommendations for kettles, toilet chemicals (We like the idea of sachets very much)

A trip to Ikea for new crockery for the house is imminent too  with the old stuff going into the caravan. (fab idea!)

Should we get camping style pots and pans? (We have heard that normal ones take ages to heat as have heavier bases)

thanks again all!

Kettle - I just bought an ordinary low wattage one; similarly a toaster - from Sainsbury's. Look at Quest brand.

EHU - electric hook up - cable required but dealer should supply.

Toilet chemicals - we only use Aquakem blue for holding tank and just clear water for flush.  Sachets are clean and easy to use but more expensive.  Many reports of black streaks from using the 'pink' in flush tank so we stopped using it.

Pans - we use ordinary pans and stainless steel dishes/cooking pots so nothing breakable.  We also have a small selection of microwaveproof dishes.

Crockery - I still have and am happy with my aged Melamine crockery but my one concession on carrying glass is that I have china beakers and proper drinking glasses. 

No, get decent pots and pans, the lightweight camping ones make it too easy to burn food.   We have 2 decent Tefal non stick frying pans and 2 small and one larger pot , non stick, from IKEA 's mid range, all are of a decent weight, but not the heaviest.

Keep the plates etc lightweight, and wrap/secure them well for travel.  Ww use the white lightweight glass ones from IKEA, plus a few old melamine ones.   We have a pyrex dish for microwave use, plus a nesting set of plastic ones with lids that can also go in the MW.

As there are only the 2 of us, we have a smallish travel kettle, 750watts, boils enough water for 4 cups of tea, and a small teapot.   We also have a lightweight camping kettle to use on the gas hob when necessary.

The gas pigtail goes from the bulkhead regulator to the gas bottle.  There may well be one there already, there are different ones for butane and propane.

For the toilet, Aquachem or Elsan sachets, or you could try the Lidl/Aldi  bio laundry pods.   There is info on those somewhere on here.

EHU = electric hook up. That is, EHU bollard, EHU cable, EHU socket etc.

Exciting times! Where is that first trip taking you? A club site or a CL, might even be a private site.

Wherever it is, have fun, don't be afraid to ask for help - we all had to start somewhere and you'll find your fellow members more than willing to help if you let them know you're new. (In fact you might find it hard to get rid of some of them once they start handing out advice - LOL! )