Driving a camper; useful tips!

Dimensions

You drive in almost all our campers with a driving license B. So they are cars, but large cars. The dimensions of the campers differ per type of camper. The lengths of our campers are between 5.99 cm and 8.60 cm. And the width is around 2.30 cm. The side mirrors ensure that you are considerably wider than a passenger car.

The height depends on the type of camper. A bus camper is less high than an alcove camper. In general, a camper is logically higher than your own car. So pay close attention to traffic signs on the road that indicate the heights and widths of passages on your route.

Avoid narrow roads, check the ride height at every bridge or viaduct and keep an eye on lampposts and hanging branches. If you drive calmly, anticipate and take your time, you can enjoy your ride to the fullest. After all, you're on holiday!

Turning and maneuvering

Is it difficult to make a certain turn or do you not have enough visibility when parking? Have someone outside the camper watch. This could be a fellow passenger, but also a person on the street or your neighbor at the campsite. You don't see everything in the reversing camera.

Make sure you have eye contact with each other and understand each other's signals. Naturally, you make extensive use of your mirrors. If necessary, get out and take a closer look at the situation. This way you drive safely and prevent damage.

In a bend, the rear of the camper swings out quite a bit. Use your mirrors to see around the bend.

Remember that you have a bicycle carrier on the back of the camper. And take into account a protruding rear end behind the rear axle. Thresholds, sloping ramps or ferry ramps can be a significant obstacle. So drive slowly and possibly drive diagonally over it. This way you can enjoy driving your camper.

The weight of a camper

Our campers weigh on average around 2900 kg ready to drive (this includes a 90% filled diesel tank, a 90% filled water tank and a driver). These campers can be loaded up to 3500 kg; the maximum permitted mass. So you have quite a few kilos left to furnish your camper.

Do you want to take bicycles with you? Our campers have a bicycle rack that can carry a maximum of 50 kg. Do you have an electric bicycle? Then we recommend that you remove the battery while driving.

A camper has a longer braking distance due to its weight: so keep enough distance, at least more than with a passenger car. You will also notice that your camper is heavier when going downhill. Try to brake on the gas and avoid constantly pressing the brake. The camper remains easy to steer while braking. Make sure your camper is tidy before you leave, so that things don't fly forward if you brake unexpectedly.

Is it your first time getting behind the wheel of a camper? You can drive a few laps around our industrial estate after you have picked up the camper and before you drive home to furnish the camper and prepare it for your camper holiday.

Navigate

You can use the navigation on your phone or iPad to follow your route. You can easily click this into the console on the dashboard of your camper.

With us you can too navigation when booking your camper rental. This navigation is set to the speed and dimensions of the campers. A notification will show you that you are approaching a viaduct or bridge on your route that is too low and an alternative route will be suggested.

Of course, you can also use other navigation tools, such as a paper road map, as long as you pay close attention to the road and traffic signs. Your co-driver can also help you with this. Driving together increases your holiday pleasure!

On the highway

On the highway, a camper actually drives just like a car. An advantage is that you sit high up and therefore have a good overview of what is happening in front of you on the road.

The wind can affect driving, you notice this on the highway. An alcove camper obviously catches more wind than a bus camper. Yet every camper is sensitive to crosswinds. Adjust your speed in strong winds, especially on bridges. If you overtake a truck in strong winds, you can feel the wind quite a bit after overtaking. Actively use your side mirrors and don't be surprised.

Are you at the front of the traffic jam? Keep to the right and let other road users pass as soon as possible. Try to avoid driving in front of a truck and keep sufficient distance from other road users, so that you have enough space in case of unexpected braking.

How fast can I drive a camper?

Every country in Europe has its own speed rules. In the Netherlands you can drive just as fast with a camper with a B driving license as with a normal car. Check what speed applies to your route. And experience what drives pleasantly with your camper. Typically, 100 km per hour is the ideal speed on the highway.

Consumption

We are often asked how much a camper consumes. There is no answer to that. It depends on your driving behavior, the weather, the road surface, your route, etc.

The campers run on Diesel and most campers have an AdBlue tank installed to reduce emissions. Environmental zones are in force in an increasing number of cities at home and abroad. We have placed environmental stickers for France and Germany on the windscreen of our campers. For more information about Environmental Zones in Europe, please refer to the ANWB website.

Enjoy instead of logging miles

One camper has a specific destination in mind, another has mapped out a beautiful route and another looks in the morning at what his destination is that day. Everyone literally follows his or her own path. We would like to give you the following tip from experience: do not plan too many kilometers per day and take your time. This way you experience more traveling pleasure and prevent damage.

For a distance of 500 km you can count on at least 7 hours. Your journey will take longer with a camper than with a car. It is a means of transport that you are usually not used to driving. Allowing plenty of time for your trip and wandering the European roads is the ideal way to travel, especially for campers. This way you can enjoy the surroundings and make time for other holiday fun outside of driving.

To prepare for a camper holiday, we refer you to the blog on our website with 10 golden tips, where you will also find the instructional video.

An image of the first day of vacation

On the day of departure you will pick up your camper in the afternoon. This is at a personally assigned time, which you will receive by email from us 10 days before departure. The release will last you about 1 hour. Then you drive home, power up the camper in front of the door or keep the refrigerator cold via the gas source. Part one of your vacation has begun!

Then you let the camper in, take a good look at everything and prepare yourself for departure. There is quite a bit of work involved in traveling with a camper, but you will find that messing around in and around the camper becomes an enjoyable part of your holiday.

We advise you to choose a destination on your first day that is a maximum of 1 hour's drive from your place of residence. This way you give yourself some time to get used to driving the camper. You install the camper for the first night at a camper place or campsite.

You can, but you don't have to, display everything in this place. You can immediately practice parking, leveling the camper, extending the awning and opening the gas bottle for hot water, the gas stove or the heater. You will also immediately experience whether you can find everything in the camper and whether you have stored your belongings in handy places.

By not driving too far on the first day, you can practice all the skills of a camper at your leisure and without haste.

Do you have any questions at that time? Take another look the instruction video. And you really can't figure it out? Please contact the Camperhuren.nl service number, which is on your camper checklist.

Completely satisfied? Open a drink and sit in front of your camper. Cheers! Your holiday has now really started!

February 2024