How to load a caravan for towing
A practical guide from Caravan Information Services
There’s much to understand about caravan load, especially when new to caravanning. However, one of the most important things to understand is the impact of load on your towing vehicle.
Our towing advice and noseweight articles cover some information. But here, we expand by offering specific guidance on caravan loading.
Laden weight (the weight of your caravan when it’s full of gear) matters as the extra load significantly impacts your towing vehicle’s handling, drivability, braking, and safety.
Moreover, you could land in trouble with the police if you tow an overloaded caravan.
Feeling like you need to take everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink on holiday is commonplace on those early trips. As time passes, you adapt with experience, especially when you feel the difference between the unladen caravan you first towed and the fully laden and potentially overloaded one you took on your first holiday.
But before we explain the loading tips and tricks, here’s a refresher on the technical terms and supporting information:
Understanding MIRO and MTPLM
MIRO and MTPLM are abbreviations of terms used to describe caravan weight and load.
MIRO (Mass In Running Order) is the unladen weight of your caravan when it leaves the factory. The figure includes an allowance for a gas cylinder and fluids but excludes the weight of a leisure battery.
MTPLM (Maximum Permissible Laden Mass) represents the maximum safe weight when fully loaded, as defined by your caravan’s manufacturer.
Ideally, treat the numbers as minimum and maximum and aim for a fully loaded weight somewhere between the two numbers.
Here is an example table based on actual caravan data:
Determine your vehicle’s towing capacity
Every vehicle has a maximum towing capacity recorded in the owner’s handbook or on the V5 document. If the towing capacity matches the MIRO figure, your caravan will be too heavy to tow when fully laden.
Experts recommend that a car not tow over 85% of its kerb weight. You can find the kerb weight in the handbook or the chassis plate. Legally, you can tow more weight if the caravan does not exceed its MTPLM, but only as an experienced caravanner.
How to check your caravan’s laden weight
Before you start loading, it’s a good idea to determine how much weight you can add to your caravan before it exceeds the Maximum Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM). The weight is also known as the payload and is the difference between your caravan’s MIRO and MTPLM figures.
For example, 1300kg minus 968kg in the case of a typical 5.2m 2-berth caravan leaves you with 332kg.
However, remember that ideally, you should only tow up to 85% of your vehicle’s kerb weight. So, you may have less than 332kg to play with.
There are two ways to check your payload:
First, you can weigh every item. Or, second, you can tow your laden caravan to a public weighbridge:
1. Weighing everything manually
Weighing every item you intend to load on your caravan might seem like a big task, but once you’ve done it once, you’ll have a record to guide you on every trip.
This can be useful on trips when you load more gear than others. For example, you’ll pack more for a two-week holiday than a weekend. If you go off the grid, you may pack extra clothes, water, gas, and a second leisure battery.
2. Check your caravan at a weighbridge
When you need extra peace of mind, double-check your laden weight using a weighbridge — the GOV.UK website has a handy postcode checker to help you find your nearest weighbridge.
On arrival, drive forward so the car wheels clear the platform, leaving the caravan wheels on the weighing plate and the jockey wheel above it. Now, apply the handbrakes in the car and caravan.
Lower the jockey wheel to un-hitch your caravan. Finally, record the laden weight.
It’s a good idea to double-check your laden weight again if you subsequently make DIY upgrades such as fitting extra appliances, solar panels, or stowing an awning.
Tips to lighten the load
Here’s a table showing how the typical weight of items that can soon add up:
To help lighten the load, list everything that’s essential versus nice to have. Then, look at ways to cut the travelling weight down, including:
Water supply
Empty the water tanks and refill your water supply on-site. This could save up to 150kg.
Food shopping
Carry the basics, but do the main food shopping closer to your destination.
Plates, cups and cutlery
Consider plastic plates and cutlery, or take the minimum needed. For example, if there are two of you staying in the caravan, you should only need a partial set of everything.
Cooking utensils
Two cooking knives and two pans are much lighter than an entire set. Consider using aluminium pans rather than iron pots or steel.
Gas
A self-fill gas bottle can be refilled at Autogas outlets. This means you may not need to take a spare cylinder. You can also buy lightweight composite gas bottles.
Battery
Consider replacing your heavy lead-acid domestic batteries with high-performance Lithium versions. If you change two conventional batteries for a single Lithium unit, you could save up to 40kg.
Clothes and shoes
Clothing adds up surprisingly, especially shoes and winter coats. Do you need to take three or four pairs of shoes for each person? And do you need two weeks’ worth of clothes for an extended stay when you could take a quick trip to the launderette?
Loading your caravan
Once you’ve considered how to save weight, it’s time to load. Here’s how to position your items in the caravan:
Load the heavier items on the floor over the axle. Heavy items might include the awning, mains cables, and furniture. Never stow heavy items beneath the rear bed, as this can create a pendulum effect and lead to the caravan snaking.
Also, load the heaviest item in the centre of the caravan and then move out along the axle, ensuring the weight is spread evenly.
Moderately heavy items should also be stowed low-down as close to the axles as possible. Light things like summer clothing are fine in the roof lockers.
Beware of loading too much weight at the rear of the caravan. In addition to the pendulum effect, this can cause the back of your towing vehicle to lift, creating an unnerving driving experience.
Finally, it’s better to have slightly more weight on the nose when fully loaded to help the caravan’s stability. Experts recommend that 5-7% of the total laden weight be on the nose.
We recommend setting your caravan’s noseweight before every journey.
That’s it. You have the information to manage your laden weight and load your caravan correctly. Now it’s time to hit the road, safe in the knowledge that the car and caravan will handle perfectly — and you won’t be breaking the law.
Happy caravanning!