Spare parts 101: What our experts say you must take with you on every trip

Between packing clothes, food, games, fishing kits, surfboards, bikes and the rest, it’s easy to forget to pack spare parts.

However, as our experts remind travellers, these are an essential for any trip you’re undertaking and will stand you in good stead whatever the weather or road conditions.

To make things simpler, gather together your spare parts a week ahead of a trip and make a small inventory of what you have and what you’re missing. That way you have plenty of time to sort anything out ahead of the trip – and can easily highlight anything you need to replace if it gets used on your trip.

Here’s our inventory to cover you for parts both inside and outside of the van to get you started.

Spare tyres, tubes, wheel bearings and a tyre repair kit

You should always carry a spare tyre for both your caravan and car, but it is also worth packing spare tyre tubes, tyre sealant and a repair kit too.

Spare fuses

Blowing a fuse in the middle of nowhere and subsequently having no power could be a real nightmare, but having spare fuses on hand will save the headache as they’re easy to replace yourself.

Headlight, taillight and indicator globes

Having spare globes for all your electricals could save you a lot of time and fuss if you do have a blow out, especially if you are a while away from an auto shop.

Toolkit

You never know when you might need a tool, so we recommend carrying a dedicated toolkit in your caravan with all the basics like a hammer, spanners in different sizes, screwdrivers, a tape measure and cordless drill. Don’t forget to include duct tape, cable ties, super glue and scissors – you never know when they’ll come in handy!

Batteries and chargers for all electronics, torches, cameras and any lights

This is a no brainer, always ensure you have spare chargers for phones, iPads and cameras, as well as batteries for anything that might need them.

Sink plug

It may seem like a strange spare part but there is nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere unable to do dishes because you can’t plug your sink!