If your campervan will be stored over winter on a driveway, storage site or in a garage, use the period after the final trip to prepare it properly: drain the water system in line with the manual, clean the toilet and fridge, remove moisture from the interior, and plan how the batteries and tyres will be looked after. Those are the four areas worth dealing with before frost arrives. This guide explains them in plain language, including for first-time campervan owners.
This applies when you do not intend to use the campervan in winter. If you plan ski trips or winter camping, do not drain the system just in case. You need a different preparation routine, based on your vehicle's equipment and the manuals for its heating, water and gas systems.
Where to start after the final trip
It is easier not to leave every task until the last hour before you put the vehicle away. After returning, unload food, wet gear and rubbish, clean what has been used, then give the interior time to dry. Only once the campervan is empty, clean and dry should you deal with water and technical systems. That way, you are not trying to visit a disposal point, pack bedding and find a valve under the bed at the same time.
Save the location of the drain valves, pump fuse, heating valve and battery isolators in your phone or owner’s manual. A drain valve is the component through which water leaves a tank or appliance. Their layout varies between campervans, low-profile motorhomes and overcab motorhomes, and also between model years. The vehicle and appliance manuals always take priority over a general guide.
Preparing your campervan for autumn when you are still travelling
Autumn does not have to mean the end of the season. If you still have trips planned, do not drain the water simply because summer holidays are over. Instead of fully winterising after every trip, remove wet shoes and textiles, dry the bathroom, check around windows and rooflights, and clear leaves from external ventilation grilles.
Before a colder trip, check the manual for how your model should be used with its heating and water systems. Not every campervan is equally prepared for temperatures close to freezing. If you use the fridge in cold weather, its grilles and exhaust flue must remain unobstructed. Dometic advises checking that snow or leaves are not blocking them, and states that the use of a winter cover depends on the fridge model and operating mode. See Dometic's cold-weather guidance for RM8 refrigerators.
It gets dark earlier in autumn and wet gear enters the vehicle more often. Before travelling, check the lights, tyre condition and your habitation-battery charging plan. Set tyre pressures to the values specified for your own vehicle, not to generic advice online. Ford's vehicle-storage manual notes the recommended tyre pressure and checking the 12 V battery; for a campervan, however, the chassis manufacturer's manual remains decisive.
If you are unsure whether this will be your final trip before frost, prepare the campervan for the next journey but set aside a day for fully draining the system. That is more sensible than an evening when the forecast suddenly predicts sub-zero temperatures.
How to prepare a campervan for winter: water, toilet and drains
Fully preparing a vehicle for a long period of storage is known as winterising a campervan. It applies when you do not intend to use it during freezing conditions. Do not start the process after a single autumn weekend if you will be travelling again soon, but do not leave it until the first frosty night either.
Water is the most important consideration before frost. You may need to drain not only the fresh-water tank, but also the grey-water tank, which collects water from the sink and shower, plus the appliances and pipework specified in the manual. Water can remain in taps, the shower and the water heater, often called a boiler, even when a tank appears empty. As water freezes it expands, which can damage system components. Truma recommends draining the water heater when the vehicle will not be used in freezing conditions, and describes opening the outlets and drain valve in accordance with the appliance manual. See Truma's guidance for heating and water-heating systems.
In practice, begin by establishing which system your campervan has. Some vehicles use FrostControl, a valve that protects the water heater from frost; others have a separate drain valve, while some systems require additional steps specified by the conversion manufacturer. Do not pour an unknown liquid into the system or use compressed air simply because it worked in another campervan. Truma explicitly refers users to the vehicle manufacturer's manual for bypass arrangements and winterising. Do not switch on an empty water heater after draining. Check the appliance manufacturer's guidance.
Once the system is drained, deal with the drains. Remove debris from the sink and shower-tray strainers, wash the surfaces, then dry them with a soft cloth. This simple step makes the return after winter easier, because you do not begin the season with a drain smell. If you already know this problem, read what to do when a campervan drain smells.
Cassette toilet after the season
Empty the cassette only at a designated disposal point, clean it according to the manufacturer's manual and dry it. For Thetford toilets, the manufacturer recommends winter-storage maintenance, leaving the cassette blade open and loosening the cap on the pour-out spout so that the tank is ventilated. This guidance applies to Thetford cassettes, not as a universal procedure for every toilet. Read Thetford's storage guidance.
If you have another brand or a portable toilet, check its manual before leaving a valve open or using a seal-care product. It is useful to keep gloves and products for the first restart together in a clearly visible place. For more on cassette operation, hygiene and odour, see a portable toilet in a campervan.
Interior, textiles and fridge
Most problems after a long storage period do not come from a major fault, but from items left inside: a damp bathroom towel, crumbs beneath the seat, a closed fridge or bedding that did not have time to dry. Take out textiles, mats and bathroom items. Open cupboards, lockers and the space beneath the mattress to check that nothing is damp.
If the campervan smells musty, do not cover it with fragrance. Find and dry the cause first. Our guide on moisture in a campervan: where it comes from and how to reduce it will help. Pay particular attention to areas around windows, rooflights and seals, as well as the underside of the mattress, because these are the places where moisture most easily escapes routine cleaning.
Empty the fridge, wash it with a mild cleaner, rinse it and dry it thoroughly. Dometic recommends a soft cloth, lukewarm water with a mild detergent, then wiping the appliance dry. The manufacturer also notes that the condensate drain channel and ventilation grilles should be clean. See Dometic's refrigerator-cleaning guidance. Check the manual for your specific model for how its door should be left during storage.
Power, gas and the vehicle itself
A campervan usually has at least two separate electrical circuits. The starter battery starts the engine, while the habitation battery powers the living area, such as lighting, the pump or the control panel. Do not assume both need exactly the same treatment. Establish whether your campervan has a maintenance charger, solar panel, battery isolator or energy-management system. A solar panel can help with charging, but on its own it does not show whether a battery will remain safe throughout storage. If you are unsure how to prepare the power system, begin with the conversion manual and also read our guide to campervan power.
Vehicle manuals for long-term storage commonly repeat three straightforward principles: park in a dry, ventilated place; check and recharge the 12 V battery; and maintain the tyre pressure specified for the vehicle. Ford describes it this way in its storage manual, although the precise schedule and method for disconnecting a battery depend on the make, drivetrain and equipment. See Ford's source vehicle manual.
Before winter storage, inspect the tyres, seals, roof and external lockers too. Washing the bodywork is not merely cosmetic. Mud, salt and leaves retain moisture, and after several months it is harder to see where damage has appeared. Do not improvise with the gas cylinder, regulator or hoses. Follow the procedure in your campervan manual; if you see damage, smell gas or do not know the system's history, arrange a workshop inspection.
How the KAMPERup! editorial team closes the season
KAMPERup! editorial experience: after the final weekend, rushing is the easiest way to make a mistake. The campervan returns late, with damp towels inside, water left in the kettle and food in the fridge. If you store it like that “just for a few days”, the issue is usually not revisited until the weather turns cold.
That is why we split closing the season into two calm stages. The first happens immediately after the trip: empty the interior, remove textiles, clean the bathroom and fridge, and allow time for everything to dry. The second happens before proper storage: work through the water system according to the manual, empty the toilet, check the power system and inspect the vehicle from outside. This division does not shorten the task list, but it means that nothing important has to be done in a rush.
What to check during storage
A campervan stored for several months should not be completely forgotten. Set a regular date for a short check, adjusted to the storage location and the manufacturer's recommendations. Open the vehicle, check for smells and signs of moisture, inspect the roof and areas around windows, look at the tyres and check the power system in the way specified for your setup.
This is not the moment to turn on every appliance as a test. The aim is to spot changes before they become a larger problem. If the campervan is stored outside, carry out an additional inspection of the roof, rooflights and cover, if used, after strong winds, snow or prolonged rain.
A well-prepared campervan after the season does not guarantee that there will be no small jobs in spring. It does provide order, a clear plan and a much better chance that the first trip begins on the road rather than with a search for the cause of damp, a flat battery or water in the system. When it is time to travel again, use our separate guide to freshening up a campervan after winter before the first trip. It covers the stage that begins once winter storage has ended.