The caravan itself is a 4 Berth Elldis model, that's about 16ft long, and is plenty big for the family. The idea is to turn it into a Covert Retreat, that is as self sufficient as possible.
Initially, I will be ripping out all the old lighting, and replacing the with low energy LED units. I'll also be adding a second (possibly third) leisure battery, at around the 110ah capacity each. There will also initially be a 40w solar panel on the roof to keep the battery bank topped up, and hopefully supply enough power for the LED lights. Eventually I hope to expand this by a further few hundred watts, however initially 140W of solar panels is my goal.
The cooking and heating is currently a mixture of gas and electric. The fitted appliances are gas powered (heater and hob/grill/oven) however there is also a microwave and small 3kw electric heater in the van just Incase I fall short of gas. The water heater is a dual gas/electric one, and can run on either.
Although I don't anticipate any food shortages in the near future (or even my lifetime) as a keen hunter and marksman I also have the necessary tools and skill set to Hunt with air rifles if required. There are an abundance of wild rabbits, pheasants and other small animals in Northumberland that will make hunting for food relatively easy.
I, also plan to have the caravan stocked with around 2 weeks of tinned/dry food to last the whole family. Other basics such as bedding and toiletries will also be constantly kept inside the van throughout the year.
I will keep you all up to date with my project as much as possible and if you have any questions or advice, please feel free to leave them below
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
NEPrepper