| Item | Typical Weight |
|---|---|
| Fresh water (1L = 1kg) | 80–240kg (full tanks) |
| Grey water (if stored) | up to 75kg |
| 2 × 9kg gas bottles (full) | ~40kg |
| Bedding, pillows, doonas | 15–25kg |
| Annexe + walls + pegs | 20–40kg |
| Generator (if you carry one) | 20–30kg |
Running total: easily 200–300kg before you've packed a single shirt.
| Item | Typical Weight |
|---|---|
| Clothing — 2 adults, 2 weeks | 30–50kg |
| Clothing — 2 kids, 2 weeks | 15–25kg |
| Food in fridge + pantry | 20–40kg |
| Cooking gear, pots, utensils | 10–20kg |
| Camp chairs (4) | 10–15kg |
| Outdoor table | 5–10kg |
| Tools, recovery gear, spares | 20–40kg |
| Toys, books, electronics, chargers | 10–20kg |
| Toiletries, towels, first aid | 10–15kg |
| BBQ + gas hose | 10–15kg |
Add another 140–250kg for a couple-plus-kids trip.
If your van has a 500kg payload allowance and you load:
That's 360kg before any clothing, food or family gear. You've got 140kg left for everything else.
This is why couples with a couples van usually have plenty of headroom and families with a family van often struggle.
Water is the easiest weight to manage. You don't need 240L on board between caravan parks — fill up when you arrive at the next powered site. Carry only what you need for the next leg.
Rule of thumb: 20L per person per day for basic use, 40L per person per day for showers and dishes.
If you're heading somewhere with easy gas refills along the way, run with one full + one empty (or one full + spare with 2kg in it) rather than two full bottles. Saves ~20kg.
The single biggest source of weight creep is "just in case" gear. Tools you've never used. The third frypan. The fishing rod that didn't come out last trip. Lay everything you're packing on a tarp before it goes in — anything you didn't use last trip, leave behind.
If your tow vehicle has spare payload, put the heavy occasional-use items in the boot or canopy rather than the van — recovery gear, tools, spare wheels, generators. The vehicle is usually rated to carry more weight than you think.
Camp chairs, tables and BBQs all come in lightweight versions. The difference between a 2.5kg chair and a 6kg chair × 4 people = 14kg saved without thinking about it.
People consistently underestimate how heavy their gear is. If you've never weighed your packed van, do it (see How to Weigh Your Loaded Caravan). Bathroom scales work surprisingly well for spot-checking individual items — pop them on, pick up the box, check the difference.
If you've trimmed everything sensible and you're still over, the conversation worth having is whether you're in the right van. A 300kg payload van for a family of four on a 6-month lap isn't realistic. A 500kg payload van might be. Talk to us — we'd rather match you to a model that suits than have you constantly fighting weight limits.
Related: How to Weigh Your Loaded Caravan· Ball Weight: How Packing Changes Everything · Weights 101