If you are new to caravanning, you may already have come across a vast array of acronyms and caravan related jargon that litter spec sheets and caravan chat. This can be a tad confusing for even the most seasoned of caravanners, so we’ve put together a glossary of caravan terminology to help shed some light on the murky world of the caravan acronym!
Have we missed anything? Please feel free to add your own caravan slang/ terminology in the comments section below.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
ALW Actual Laden Weight – the total weight of the caravan and its contents when being towed.
B
Berth The number people a caravan can sleep (note: not the commonly misspelt birth!)
Blown Air A modern caravan heating system in which warm air is distributed throughout the cabin by a fan through ducting.
C
CC The Caravan Club – a national members club providing caravan related services to its members.
CC&C The Camping & Caravanning Club aka the Friendly Club – a national members club providing caravan and camping related services to its members.
CDP Chemical Disposal Point – the waste water and chemical drainage area.
CL Certified Location – sites limited to 5 caravans or motorhomes or less for exclusive use of CC members.
CRiS The Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme
CS Certificated Site – smaller campsites for the exclusive use of the Friendly Club’s members.
D
Disco The Land Rover Discovery, a popular towcar amongst caravanners.
E
EHU Electric Hook Up.
F
Farside The side of the caravan opposite the entrance door, also known as the offside.
G
Grey Nomad Caravanners of an advanced age who tour for long periods at a time ~ of Australian provenance.
Grey Water Waste water from the sinks and showers.
GRP Glass Reinforced Plastic – a material commonly used on the outershell of caravans.
H
Hitch Or caravan coupling head; the devise used to attach a caravan to the towball of a car.
J
Jockey Wheel The small wheel attached to the caravan ‘A-Frame’ used to stabilise the caravan once it has been unhitched from the towcar, before the corner steadies have been put down.
K
Kerb Weight The total weight of the towcar as it stands, without luggage or passengers.
L
Layout Or floorplan; the configuration of fittings and furniture inside the cabin.
M
MAM Maximum Authorised Mass – the maximum towing weight for a caravan when fully laden.
MTPLM Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass – the heaviest total weight the caravan can operate at, as specified by the manufacturer.
MiRO Mass in Running Order – caravan mass as equipped to the manufacturer’s standard specification.
N
Nearside The entrance door side of the caravan
NCC National Caravan Council – the official trade association for dealers, suppliers and manufacturers.
Noseweight The weight exerted on a car’s towball by the caravan’s hitch.
O
Outfit Term used to describe the caravan and towcar match.
P
PDI Pre Delivery Inspection – the check each caravan goes through before it leaves the factory floor to be sold.
Pop Top Caravan or campervan with an elevating roof section.
Pup Tent A tent or awning pitched outside the caravan, used as an extra bedroom for the kids.
R
Rangie Range Rover – a popular choice of Towcar.
Snaking Unstable caravan motion when it is being towed, caused by high winds, vehicles overtaking, erratic driving.
S
Slide-out Section of the caravan that slides out to increase the living space.
T
Tug Towcar
Twin Axle A caravan with two sets of wheels positioned closely together to enable steadier towing – usually found on longer, heavier caravans.
Tyron Bands Flat tyre protection for cars – a band fitted to the wheel well to prevent a deflated tyre from dropping into the recess, so the wheel can still be steered in event of a blow-out.
U
User Payload The total weight of accessories; optional equipment, food, clothing, etc. carried by the caravan in transit.
Unit A generic term used by many parks and sites that covers caravans, motorhomes, campervans and tents.
Unladen Weight The weight of the caravan as it stands, straight out of the factory.
W
Wastemaster Otherwise known as a waste carrier – a wheeled container which holds waste water from your caravan.
Y
Yaw The side-to-side, or snaking movement, which can occur when towing a caravan.
