5 Epic Extras to add to your new Caravan

There’s no better feeling than picking up your new caravan and decking it out with all your favourite extras and accessories to make it a home. A new doona cover, a little wall hanger and cute baskets for the kid’s bunks… I’m getting excited just writing about it!

We’ve had a few vans in our time and there are some ‘no-brainer’ extras and accessories we like to add from the get-go, here’s our top 5 –

1. Upgrade to a Smart TV

We chose a 32″ Englaon Smart TV and it’s a huge hit

As the years go on and technology evolves it’s almost a given that a Smart TV is the way to go, especially if you have kids. We chose a 32” Smart TV from Englaon and have not looked back. The picture and sound quality is next level and it has access to all the apps to watch shows on Netflix and YouTube etc. We love that it uses less power which is well needed during those rainy day movie marathons you sometimes have to do when travelling in a caravan.

Set-up is super easy as it comes with all the popular apps pre-installed. It also has a built in Chromecast and Bluetooth so you can stream anything from your phone as well as talk to it through the remote!!
Yup, it’s pretty cool, allowing us endless entertainment when it’s time to relax after a big day of adventures. They have a huge TV range as well as loads of accessories you can checkout here: Engloan.com.au

2. Install a water filter

We always install a water filter into the kitchen sink

Water quality is super important when travelling around in your caravan. Especially as you are constantly filling up from different water sources. We found this out the hard way when the kids got super sick with a tummy bug while travelling in Tasmania. We now double filter any water we drink from the van.

So when we picked up our new van the first thing Rob did was head into Bunnings and grab a water filter to install in our kitchen sink. We also use a B.E.S.T in line Water Filter on our hose when filling up the van.

3. Add shelves in the bunk beds

A storage shelf in the kid’s bunks have been super handy and they love them

Making the kids bunks into a functional space is a must when you live in your caravan for long and short trips. We chose to add in a little shelf for each of the kids which works great. There are loads of ways you can do this but found these Kmart ones work great. Rob simply gave them a quick lacquer and rounded off any sharp corners before hanging. We also give the kids a toy bucket or tub that they fill up which sits nicely under the shelf.

4. Add in hooks, hooks and more hooks

We mainly use the 3M removable hooks throughout the caravan to hang our ‘do-dads’

The one thing with living in a small space is that you need to be smart in how you store things. We love adding hooks to our caravan and usually go with the 3M branded hooks. They work great, are light weight and can be easily removed without leaving a mark. We use them to hang all sorts of things like our towels, sunglasses, Akubra hats, car keys and the list goes on.

Can you believe Rob also let me add in two little palm tree hooks near the main door. These are actually screwed into the wall so are more sturdy and not easily removed.

5. Install an outdoor drop-down table

This little table is super handy and in some cases can be included when you order your van

Having an outdoor drop-down table is a must! (Sometimes also called a caravan ‘picnic table’). This was an added extra we could have ordered with the new van but for some reason we didn’t get it and we definitely missed having it. After checking a few measurements we ordered it online and Rob fitted it himself no problem. It’s super handy to pop all your bits and bobs on and works wonders to hold our telly for our outdoor movie nights.

Well team, these are our top 5 extras that certainly helped to make our home on wheels more ‘homely’. What have you added in, we’d love you to add in the comments below?