THE RIGHT WAY TO...LOAD A CARAVAN FOR STABLE TOWING

Touring allows you to carry plenty of gear, but it needs to be carefully stowed for the road, says David Motton

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The phrase 'It's not what you do, it's how you do it' applies very well to caravan loading.

Most caravanners know of the 85% guidance for car and van matching, but there's a lot more to safe and stable towing than following this advice.

The weight of what you load in your caravan is important. Where you put this weight is just as vital.

Follow these tips to make sure both your car and your caravan are sensibly loaded and safe on tour.

Don't overload

It's important to make sure you don't put too much in the caravan. In the first instance, 'too much' means staying within the caravan's MTPLM, or the Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass. This is the most that the caravan should weigh when loaded.

The MTPLM is the higher of the two weights that you are likely to find in caravan brochures and websites. The other is the Mass in Running Order, or MiRO. This is the weight of the caravan in its standard specification.

The difference between these two figures is the caravan's payload - the weight of food, clothes and sundry camping equipment that you can load in the caravan.

Although the exact payload varies from model to model, around 100-150kg is typical. That might sound like a lot, but it's very easy to exceed the payload if you're not careful.

It's a tedious task, but you can check that you will remain within the payload by weighing everything you plan to pack in the caravan beforehand.

Weigh each bag and container on bathroom scales, either on its own or by standing on the scales holding the bag, then subtracting your weight.

Add up the total and then take out any non-essential items until you are within the payload weight.