I would like to get a wooden pole windbreak (blue diamond) to go with our set up but am concerned about overloading the car. There are 5 (2 adults and 3 kids - 9, 5, 2) of us in a Xsara Picasso plus roofbox. We'll be taking 1 Cabanon Estoril tent, 1 Quechua Base seconds tent, 1 hypercamp tarp, 2 camping chairs, 3 camping stools, 2 camping tables, 2 airbeds, 5 sleeping bags, 1 kitchen stand, 1 groundsheet, 1 breathable groundsheet, plates, pans etc, 1 tent carpet, small single burner stove, cobb, minimal clothes/shoes/toys/toiletries, 1 full Igloo Maxcold. how do we know if we're overloaded?
Hi how are you? We were worried about the same thing last year. I combed through our car's manual after the others on UKCS told me to look for the car's maximum load capacity. Ours was about 500 kg if I remember rightly. Although we are only allowed to put 50 kg in the roof box.
If you really want to check you can drive the car empty, then fully loaded with everyone in it, on the weigh stations that the lorries use. But we just judged it by how low the back of the car was sitting. Mind you it was looking as though the wheel arches would touch the back wheels at any time!
We had a lot of driving to do so we ended up leaving all the comfy extras behind unfortunately!
If your concerned about the car find a local weigh bridge once the stuff is in the car.
Also, as a quick look, if the rear wheel arches are below the top of the tyre its overloaded, or see if their is suspension travel left by leaning on the rear corners.
Bet you will also take more stuff than the list in your original post too!
------------- Too many tents, Vango Diablo 900XP, Large canopy and Vango windbreak. Outwell Nevada M and Outwell canopy, Vango tempest 200.
I remember our first camping trip to the Dordogne, we went in a Vauxhall Corsa full to the brim with a roof box and also we had our bikes on the back! it was definately over loaded and we would never dream of doing it again, although we have seen some seriously overloaded cars on our way down there in recent years!
Please don't forget that you can be prosecuted just the same as a HGV for overloading,not just on gross weight but on maximum permitted axle weights as well.
------------- If the moon reflects the suns light,why does it not reflect the suns heat?
I don't have a trailer as there's just me and a little dog and a very modrst set of gear, but if I had a family camp I think I'd save up for a trailer. They are just so practical and save the car's suspension.
If you were involved in an incident / accident your insurance may well be invalidated if your car was overloaded.
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A colleague worried about me overloading my car, until I reminded him that I do not carry any passenger, just the dog, and that the issue I have is with volume and not with weight.
DK
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Thanks for all the advice. I think we'll be OK but I will check the wheel arches and if in doubt go to a weigh station. The car can take 500 kg and the combined adult weight will be less than 140kg, the kids probably less than 80 combined, the big tent and tarp about 65. The rest of it is bulky but not heavy. Safety point well taken though.
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Topic: Overloading car?
