Setting up camp should take you 15 to 20 minutes, not an hour of wandering around wondering what to do next. Same goes for pack down. The difference between a smooth routine and a chaotic one comes down to having a set order, doing the same jobs in the same sequence every single time, and splitting the work if you’re travelling as a couple or family.
After a few weeks on the road you’ll have your own rhythm. But if you’re just starting the big lap, here’s the routine we recommend, refined from thousands of setups across every kind of site from powered van parks to free camps in the middle of nowhere.
Before You Arrive
Good setups start before you pull in. If you know roughly where you’re staying, work out your arrival time so you’re not reversing onto a site in the dark. Aim to arrive by 3pm. That gives you daylight to level up, sort power and water, and settle in before dinner.
Ring ahead or check your site number if you’ve booked. Knowing whether you’re on a drive-through or a reverse-in site changes how you approach it. Drive-through sites are gold: you pull in, unhitch, and you’re facing the right way to leave.
Empty your grey water and top up fresh water on the way in if the park has a fill point near the entrance. It’s easier than dragging hoses across a crowded site later.
Choosing And Positioning On Your Spot
If you’ve got a choice of where to sit the van, don’t just take the flattest patch and stop thinking. Consider four things: the sun, the slope, the services, and the neighbours.
Point your fridge vents and awning away from the hottest afternoon sun where you can. In summer, shade on the western side keeps your van 5 to 10 degrees cooler inside. Position the door side toward your outdoor living space, and check where the power post, water tap and drain are so your hoses and leads reach without stretching.
Slope matters more than most people think. Front-to-back slope is easy to fix with your jockey wheel. Side-to-side slope needs levelling ramps under one set of wheels, and you want to sort this before you unhitch, not after.
Always level side-to-side while the van is still hitched to the tow vehicle. Trying to drive up levelling ramps with the van unhitched is how vans roll off jacks and cause serious damage.
The Setup Routine, Step By Step
Do these in order every time. The sequence matters because some jobs depend on others being done first.
1. Position and level side-to-side
Reverse or drive onto the spot. Check your level side-to-side using a spirit level or app. If you need ramps, place them, drive up, and check again. Chock the wheels once you’re happy.
2. Handbrake and unhitch
Apply the van handbrake. Wind down the jockey wheel to take weight off the tow ball, disconnect the safety chains, electrical plug and breakaway cable, then release the coupling and wind up until the van lifts off the ball. Drive the tow vehicle clear.
3. Level front-to-back
Use the jockey wheel to get the van level nose-to-tail. Check your spirit level again.
4. Wind down the corner stabilisers
Drop all four stabiliser legs until they’re firm on the ground. These stop the van rocking, they don’t lift or level it. Snug is enough; cranking them hard can bend the legs.
5. Connect power
Plug in your 15 amp lead if you’re on a powered site. Check the power post is switched on and your van’s showing power inside before you go further.
6. Connect water
Attach your drinking water hose to the tap and van inlet. If you’re running a water pressure regulator, and you should be, connect that at the tap end to protect your plumbing.
7. Set up grey water
Run your grey water hose to the drain point or a portable grey tank. Some parks require this by law, so don’t skip it.
8. Awning and outdoor living
Wind out the awning last. Peg it down properly if there’s any wind about. Then set up your mat, chairs, table and anything else that makes the site home.
Keep a “setup box” in an easy-to-reach hatch with your levelling ramps, chocks, water hose, regulator, power lead and a hammer for pegs. One box, everything you need, no digging through the boot.
Splitting The Jobs
If you’re travelling as a couple or family, divide and conquer. The fastest setups happen when everyone knows their job without being asked.
A typical split: one person handles the “van” jobs (levelling, unhitching, stabilisers, power) while the other handles the “living” jobs (water, grey water, awning, chairs). Kids old enough can take the mat, chocks or pegging duties. Assign roles once and stick to them. The consistency is what makes it quick.
The Pack Down Routine
Pack down is essentially setup in reverse, and it’s where most gear gets left behind or damaged. Work through it methodically. Rushing pack down is how you drive off with your grey water hose still connected or your antenna up.
1. Inside first
Secure everything inside the van before you touch anything outside. Latch cupboards, stow loose items, lower the TV antenna, close roof vents, turn off the fridge to 12V or gas, and empty and secure anything on benches.
2. Awning and outdoor gear
Pack chairs, table and mat. Wind in the awning. Give the awning a shake to knock off leaves and let it dry if it’s wet; packing a wet awning grows mould fast.
3. Disconnect water and grey water
Drain and coil your water hose, disconnect the regulator, and pack your grey water hose separately so it never touches your drinking water gear.
4. Disconnect power
Switch off the power post first, then unplug and coil the lead.
5. Wind up stabilisers
Raise all four corner legs fully. This one gets forgotten more than any other. A stabiliser left down will get torn off the first driveway you cross.
6. Hitch up
Line up the tow vehicle, lower the coupling onto the ball, lock it, reconnect the safety chains, electrical plug and breakaway cable. Wind the jockey wheel fully up and swing it clear.
7. Chocks and ramps
Remove wheel chocks and levelling ramps. Do this last so the van can’t move while you’re still hitching.
Never remove your wheel chocks until the van is fully hitched and the tow vehicle handbrake is on. A van on a slight slope can roll the moment the chocks come out.
The Final Lap Check
Before you drive off, walk a full lap around the van and tow vehicle. Every time, no exceptions. You’re looking for: coupling locked and safety chains connected, electrical plug in, jockey wheel up and locked, all stabilisers up, antenna down, step retracted, hatches and doors latched, and nothing left on the ground.
Check your indicators and brake lights work with someone standing behind, or use a reflection. Then do a final scan of the site for pegs, chocks, hoses or that one thong that’s always hiding under the van.
Laminate a short pack-down checklist and stick it near the door. Even after a year on the road, the day you’re tired or distracted is the day the checklist saves you.
- Level side-to-side while still hitched, then unhitch, then level front-to-back.
- Follow the same order every time so nothing gets forgotten.
- Stabiliser legs stop rocking, they don’t level the van.
- Split jobs between travellers and stick to fixed roles for speed.
- Pack down is setup in reverse: inside first, chocks last.
- Always do a full walk-around lap check before driving off.
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