With caravan season looming, many who are new to the hobby/lifestyle may find themselves asking “Which lead do I buy for my Caravan/camping Holiday – there’s so many!”

Well, there are a few things to consider when choosing a suitable caravan lead, but follow these tips and you should end up with reliable & long lasting caravan solutions from our range of UK-made Zexum caravan cables.

Planning – How many plugs required? What will you be plugging into?

What do you plan using the cable for? This will determine the outlets needed and also the rating of the cable and plug. Be sensible about this as most caravan parks will allow you to use a maximum of 16 amps. Some European sites allow only 5 or 10 amps.

How many watts are 16 amps?

This will depend on a number of factors but if you allow for the fact that 16 amps are approx 3400 watts

So if your boiling a kettle rated at 3kw don't expect to use too many other appliances. That said a lot of leisure manufacturers have recognized this and produced 1kw & 2kw kettles! Make sure to check the specifications of any & all appliances you take with you, and work out what appliance combos you can work together.

Price, Safety, and correct length

Price is key of course but not at the expense of your safety, we recommend using recognized brands. I would like to think that all caravan sites are fitted with an RCD breaker, but having your own rcd is ultimately the best option such as this inline RCD or a reel with a built-in one.

IP rating considerations

IP ratings are about protecting sockets from water penetration – or little fingers. IP44 is the minimum rating to consider.
Please see the following table, and plan accordingly. Obviously, if you can aim for a Higher IP rating than you are likely to need, and you should have no problems.

Installing and keeping safe

If your tent has a cable entry point great, feed you electric hook up lead through it rather than through the front door as this could lead to the cable getting worn or tripping someone or caught.

Water and electricity do not mix, although a good quality camping cable will usually be rated to withstand the rain etc, common sense should still prevail in that the location of outlet sockets should be kept out of the rain/wet. If in any doubt remove the power to the lead.