Expert Agrees That The Right Gear Makes Off-Grid Travel Easy For Caravanning Families

Who doesn't love traveling? But sometimes even caravan travel can start to feel stale when you go to the same old destinations as everyone else, see the same sights, and take the same pictures. That's where off-grid travel comes into play. 

With the right gear in your caravan, you can go off-grid and off-road to destinations not many others can reach and see. It can also be a great way for families to come together and spend quality time with each other, getting off their smart devices and actually conversing with each other. 

Tammy James from CARAC reminds travelers that it's high-quality upgrades and gear that's going to ensure you have a great time caravanning with the family. It's time for you to start zooming around the country with ease and efficiency. 

Upgrade Your Solar Power System

Reliable electricity is one of the biggest considerations when traveling away from campground hookups. You never want to be in the middle of nowhere without a proper electricity connection, Tammy James warns. It can be the difference between a vacation from hell and one that the entire family enjoys and talks about for years.

Solar panels can help replenish your caravan's batteries during daylight hours, providing caravan power for lights, electronics, refrigeration, and other essential equipment. The right system depends on your:

• Energy consumption
• Available roof space
• Battery capacity
• Typical travel conditions

An energy audit can help determine how much electricity you actually use before investing in additional panels or batteries.

Improve Your Battery Storage

Solar generation is only part of an off-grid power system, Tammy James from CARAC reminds travelers. "You are not always going to be in a situation where you will have access to sunshine to power your solar batteries. What if it's raining or cloudy? What if you are in a situation where you need more power than your solar batteries can give you, for example, for larger families with a bigger power need?"

A larger or more efficient battery bank can provide additional energy storage for periods when sunlight is limited. Lithium-based batteries are increasingly popular in recreational vehicles because of their energy density and other performance characteristics, although the appropriate battery type depends on your caravan and electrical system.

It is important to make sure charging equipment, wiring, battery capacity, and other components are compatible and appropriately installed. If you don't know how to do this installation yourself, make sure to get professionals involved. 

Increase Your Water Capacity

"Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink. You might be camping right next to a lake or river, but if you don't have the right containers to capture the water or the right way to purify it, all of that water is useless to you," Tammy James from CARAC iterates to caravanners. 

Water becomes particularly important when you are traveling away from established campgrounds.

Increasing fresh-water storage can extend the amount of time you can comfortably remain off-grid. However, additional water also adds significant weight, so capacity should be considered alongside the caravan's payload and towing limits.

Water-saving trailer hardware, efficient showering habits, and careful planning can also help extend your supply without requiring excessive additional touring accessories and storage.

Add Better Water Filtration

Having sufficient water is useful, but water quality matters too.

A suitable filtration system can provide an additional layer of protection when filling tanks from different sources. Depending on where you travel, filtration requirements can vary considerably, so choose equipment appropriate for the types of water sources you expect to encounter.

Keeping hoses, tanks, and filtration equipment clean is also an important part of responsible water management. Add all of these to-do items to your monthly schedule while caravanning so you never end up missing them. 

Strengthen Your Caravan's Storage

Off-grid trips often require more equipment than conventional campground vacations. The following crucial items can quickly consume available storage:

• Recovery equipment
• Tools
• Outdoor cooking supplies
• Spare parts
• Water containers
• Food
• Clothing
• Emergency gear

Adding practical storage solutions can help keep equipment organized without unnecessarily reducing living space. Roof-mounted or exterior storage should be approached carefully because additional weight can affect vehicle and caravan handling.

"When you are traveling with children or pets, you will want to have even more storage options, since all of their items will quickly start overwhelming the limited space in your caravan. People can start getting cranky very quickly if there is a lot of clutter and mess in your caravan," expert Tammy James iterates. 

Protect The Underbody

Remote travel can expose the underside of a caravan to rocks, debris, mud, and uneven terrain. "That's the whole point of going off the grid and off-road. You are not going to be driving on nicely paved roads, but you get to see the beauty of untouched and undisturbed nature," Tammy James implores.

Appropriate underbody protection can help shield vulnerable components from impacts and environmental exposure. Regular inspections are equally important, particularly after traveling on rough roads.

Every time you go caravanning, you should come back and do an inspection of your underbody or get it checked out by a professional if you aren't sure what you should be looking for. Do this before you go on your next adventures, so your underbody is prepared for the next barrage of rocks and debris. 

Checking connections, pipes, wiring, suspension components, and other exposed equipment can help identify damage before it becomes a larger problem.

Off-Grid Travel Isn't For The Faint of Heart

It isn't easy going off-grid travel, especially if you have a family and you are used to staying in cabins or other nicer campsites. Once you experience going off-road and off-grid, though, you are never going to do it any other way, Tammy James warns travelers. It is addictive, in a way, to see parts of this world that are away from the main path. 

Are you ready for your adventure to begin? Get the right gear from the right people. CARAC has been around since 1967, so our team has the right knowledge and expertise in our product range. We only stock products that are actively used by our staff, who are avid caravanners and campers. 

Keep reading through related articles on our website for more interesting content. 

This article was prepared by an independent contributor which helps us continue delivering quality content to our audiences.