Caravan listings are full of shorthand. Here is what the common items on our feature tags actually are, what they do for you, and what to look at when you inspect a van.
Motor mover
A motor mover is a pair of small electric rollers that clamp onto the tyres and drive the caravan on its own, controlled from a handset while you walk alongside. The car stays unhitched.
If you have a narrow driveway, a gate, a sloping section, or you park the van beside the house, a mover turns a two person shoving job into a one person job. It runs off the caravan battery, so it needs a healthy battery to work well. On a twin axle van, movers are usually fitted to both axles.
Solar panels
Solar on the roof charges the caravan battery from daylight, which is what lets you stay somewhere with no power hook-up without the battery going flat.
Things worth knowing:
- A panel of a few hundred watts is plenty for lights, water pump, phone charging and a 12V fridge in summer. It is not enough to run a jug or a heater.
- Output drops a lot in winter and under cloud, which matters in the South Island.
- Solar only helps if the battery underneath it is in good shape. Ask how old the battery is.
There is more on this in the electrical topic.
Awning
An awning is the fabric roof that rolls or winds out from the side of the van, giving you a sheltered outdoor room. In practice it doubles your living space in good weather.
- Roll-out awnings wind out on an arm in a minute or two. Easy, and the most common on our vans.
- Full annexes zip on with walls and a floor. Much more shelter, much more work to put up.
Always wind an awning in before you leave the van, and before wind gets up. Wind damage is the number one way awnings die.
Roof vents and ventilation
The plastic hatches in the roof are not just for light. Caravans make a surprising amount of moisture (breathing, cooking, showering, wet gear), and if it cannot get out it turns into condensation and eventually mould.
Look for vents that open and close smoothly and seal properly, and check the seal around them from inside for stains. A powered roof vent that pulls air out is a genuinely good upgrade for New Zealand winters.
Fresh and grey water tanks
- The fresh water tank holds your drinking and washing water. A pump pushes it to the taps and the shower.
- The grey water tank catches the waste water from the sink and shower so it does not run onto the ground.
Two practical points. Water is heavy: one litre is one kilogram, so a full 100 litre tank uses 100 kg of your payload. And both tanks matter for self-containment, which has its own topic in this guide.
When you inspect a van, run the pump, fill a sink, and check under it for damp.
Gas systems
Gas bottles on the drawbar usually run the cooktop, often the hot water, and sometimes the fridge and the heating.
What to check:
- Bottles are in date. New Zealand LPG bottles need testing every 10 years, and the date is stamped on the collar.
- The gas locker drains to the outside and is sealed from the inside of the van.
- Hoses are not cracked or perished.
- Everything lights and stays lit.
Gas work should be done by a certified gas fitter. It is not a place for a do-it-yourself repair.
Other things you will see on our tags
- 240V: proper mains wiring so the van can plug into a powered site.
- Self-contained: certified to carry its own water and waste for a set period.
- Toilet and shower: covered in their own topic.
- Heating: diesel, gas or electric, also covered separately.
If a listing does not mention something you need, just ask. We would rather tell you a van is not right for you than sell you the wrong one.