Your first shake-down trip

Stay close first

The first night should be near home, not three ferry crossings away. You want a snag list, not a stranded holiday.

What to test on purpose

• Charging: engine run, solar if you have it, shore power if you have it
• Water: fill, pump, drain, and a deliberate look for drips
• Heating: a proper heat cycle, then cool down
• Cooking: one real meal
• Sleep: the actual bed, in the dark, with the ventilation you will use
• Driving: rattles, brake feel, and anything that shifted

Take a notebook. Phone memos vanish. Write what failed and what annoyed you.

Pack for fixing, not for Instagram

Basic tools, sealant, fuses, hose clamps, headtorch, spare bulbs, and the manuals for heater and charger. Leave the decorative cushions for trip two.

Come home and fix

A shake-down only works if you schedule the repair weekend afterwards. Tick the snags before you invite friends. The van will feel twice as finished when the little things stop nipping.

Commissioning is not a vibe. It is a checklist you run until the van is boringly reliable.

Figures in this guide are planning estimates. Confirm weights and prices against real products, and have gas and electrical habitation work signed off by a qualified person.