Before leaving for a holiday in France, we came up with this idea for hiding items like credit cards, cash and passports. Cut
a piece of chipboard which will sit behind the lip of one of your van's shelves. Place your valuables on the shelf and under the chipboard, so that the lip hides everything from view. The board has
a screw in the centre to lift it with.
Pete Wilson
Bromsgrove, near Birmingham
l Thanks for sending us your excellent tip, Pete. You win
a seven-night break for yourself and your family at one
of the 24 Haven and British Holidays parks.
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Foam pipe insulation can be used for all sorts of jobs as it's soft, cheap and lightweight. Run a blade down the part-cut groove and use it to protect anything tubular while it's being transported in the van: bunk ladders, brooms, Aquaroll handles, and so on. Push the item into the slit and the foam closes round it.
Darryl Goodier
Pendlebury, Salford
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Stick plastic adhesive hooks on your caravan wall and hang your kitchen utensils from them with key rings. They are now permanently in place, even in transit.
Mrs B Jones
Caernarvon
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Before you get stuck in the mud when it rains, find yourself two old bread delivery trays and cut away the sides. Place the bases under the drive wheels of your car. They will allow your wheels to grip properly.
Glyn Aston
Ashchurch, Gloucester
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To make your awning slide more easily in its channel, rub the beading along its length with a candle.
June Humphries
Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire
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My wife and I have succeeded in arranging secure stowage while
on the move by using a collapsible plastic washing basket. It measures 480mm long x 350mm wide x 240mm high and opens easily with one hand. It was very cheaply acquired from hardware stores such as Wilkinsons. Several can
be accommodated in a van and fit snugly between bed lockers, for example. Each can swallow an enormous amount, and there are
no worries about articles sliding about inside cupboards, as load placement is far more precise.
They weigh virtually nothing and fold flat to 50mm. An added
bonus is that being slatted and
very robust, one would fit quite comfortably in the washroom and double up as a duckboard as the bottom has drain holes.
GB Clay
Fleckney, Leicestershire
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After repeatedly struggling with my caravan's wheel lock, I noticed one day that some of its yellow paint had come off on my wheel trims. I removed the trim and it went on in a quarter of the time. Once off, it also makes it a lot
easier to check your wheel nuts.
Shane Redfearn
Penistone, near Sheffield
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Having read about the Drivesafe Glove (What's New, August 2003) for keeping on the right side
of the road when in Europe, I was
prompted to write about my own method to ensure I don't make the mistake myself.
When I arrive on the Continent,
I immediately set my watch to European time and put it on my right wrist, instead of my left.
John Glassey
Via email
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We got fed up repeatedly leaving our washing-up liquid in the
dishwashing area on caravan sites. We now put just a little in a cup or glass when we go to wash up – no washing-up liquid bottles left behind any more.
Ken and Rennie Scott
Swinton, South Yorks
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Do your drawers open when on the move? If so, fit childproof safety catches to the inside of the drawers and they will only open an inch or so, should your normal catches fail. They are cheap and easily obtained from DIY stores.
Phillip Leeder
Reepham, Norfolk
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