Pack your caravan like a pro (or at Least fake it really well)

When it comes to packing a caravan, there are no hard and fast rules. However we asked Reflections Ambassadors Paul and Wenda from Beyond the Grey Oz for their top tips...

If you’ve ever packed a caravan, you’ll know it’s not for the faint-hearted. It starts out feeling organised and wholesome: “We’ll just bring the essentials!”, and ends somewhere around, “Why do we have 14 tea towels but no toothpaste?”

After five years of full-time life on the road, we’ve mostly figured out a system that works. (Emphasis on mostly.)

Because no matter how many times you pack the van, there’s always one thing that doesn’t make the trip, and a few things you swear you packed that have since entered another dimension.

Accept that you’ll forget something

There’s always that one thing. Towels. Shoes. The bacon (we still don’t talk about that week). The good news? You can buy almost anything on the road. The bad news? You’ll probably buy it twice.

They say the fastest way to find something you’ve lost is to replace it. And they’re right. Two days after buying a new one, the original will magically reappear in the most obvious place imaginable.

The kitchen jungle

Our caravan kitchen is a mix between a Tetris tournament and a Jenga tower. One wrong move and you’ll be wearing your breakfast bowls.

Here’s what’s saved our sanity:

• Non-slip mats: unless you enjoy crockery playing pinball during travel days.
• Lightweight, stackable gear: melamine and bamboo for the win.
• Flat-pack silicone containers: space-saving champions of the road.
• The “first brew” basket: tea, coffee, and snacks by the door. Because priorities matter.

You can survive without the second frypan. You cannot survive without coffee within arm’s reach of arrival.

And a hot tip: heavy items low, light items high. Gravity’s not just a theory — it’s a caravaner’s enemy on bumpy roads.

Clothes, chaos, and cubes

If your caravan wardrobe looks like it exploded mid-drive, you’re not alone. Packing cubes are your best friend. Roll, don’t fold, unless you enjoy creases deep enough to call home.

We store extra blankets in vacuum-sealed bags under the bed. One day we’ll remember which bag they’re in before the temperature drops to “Arctic.” But hey, adventure builds character (and sometimes mild frostbite).

The bathroom ballet

Caravan bathrooms are an art form, part yoga, part problem-solving, and occasionally part panic.

Our go-to gear? Fusion-Lock accessories. Baskets in the shower, hooks on the walls, and yes, even the toilet roll holder. Oh and don’t forget to put a rubber band around the toilet roll or you may end up with an unravelled mess of paper on the floor.

Think of it less as a spa retreat and more as strategic survival. If you can get through your morning routine without elbowing the wall or knocking over the shampoo, that’s a five-star day.

The living room riddle

Our lounge is also our dining room, office, and, when it rains for three days straight, our laundry.

The trick? Keep it simple. Hooks, baskets, and hiding spots for everything. We label cables and chargers now, after spending two hours looking for something we’d “put somewhere safe.” Spoiler: it was very safe. Even from us.

The outdoor zone

The great outdoors deserves great organisation, mostly because the gear multiplies overnight when you’re not looking.

Chairs, BBQ, hoses, fishing rods all have their spot. We use a 75L storage tub in the tunnel boot for power leads, water hoses, and sullage. It keeps everything tidy and saves rummaging through a tangle of snakes when setting up.

We also carry an extra power lead and water hose because the one time you don’t, the tap will be just out of reach. There’s nothing worse than being a metre short of the hookup after a long drive. (Ask us how we know.)

And as for inflatable flamingos — fun, yes. Essential? Debatable.

The shake test & departure checklist

Before we hit the road, we always do what we call the “wobble test.” Give the van a gentle rock and listen. If it sounds like a band rehearsal inside, you’ve still got work to do.

Once things are quiet (or at least less noisy), we close up, make a cuppa, and breathe. That’s when it hits, the van’s packed, the road’s waiting, and another adventure is about to begin.

We also run through our departure checklist every single time:

• Gas off,
• Fridge latched,
• Lights working,
• Roof hatches closed, and
• Handbrake off (we once drove 20 kilometres with the caravan handbrake on. That little lesson earned a permanent double spot on the list.)

Final thought

Packing a caravan isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. Every trip teaches you something new: what you really need, what you can live without, and which cupboard the biscuits actually live in.

And remember:
👉 If it rattles, pad it.
👉 If it rolls, wedge it.
👉 If it leaks, panic (then fix it).
👉 And above all; laugh about it later. Because that’s caravanning.

Some great advice here

Thanks Paul and Wenda, a great reminder not to take packing too seriously, it is a holiday afterall!