Portable exercise equipment for your caravan

With all that fresh air and (hopefully) sunshine, your caravanning holiday is likely to feature plenty of time outdoors – some of it more active than other times. Whether you are hiking, mountain biking, or simply walking to explore, you’ll feel the benefit of that exercise.

To keep yourself fully in trim, though, you might also want to maintain the physical fitness regime you do when at home – if only you had the exercise equipment that could be easily stowed in your touring caravan.

The good news is that several UK suppliers offer just that opportunity.

The keys to travel exercise equipment

The website Vagrants of the World suggests just five keys to finding suitably portable exercise equipment. It must be:

  • lightweight;
  • compact;
  • easy to assemble and use;
  • suitable for your level of fitness; and
  • likely actually to be used.

So, let’s look at some of the portable kit that is available:

Resistance bands

  • elastic resistance loops and bands always offer a handy way of limbering up before exercise – and they have the great advantage of being light, extremely compact and suitable for all levels of fitness and agility;

Dumbbells

  • for any kind of weight training, you’re likely to need a dumbbell – but just think of the size and weight it might take up in your caravan;
  • a space- and weight-saving solution is to buy a heavy-duty dry dumbbell bag that travels empty, but which you can fill with sand or water to give it that essential weight once you’ve arrived at your destination;

Yoga mats

  • a yoga aficionado, but worried about the itchy feel of the grass or scared of getting ants in your pants? Then a roll-up yoga mat provides the perfect answer;
  • you can buy super-thin yoga mats to take up even less of your precious storage space while still getting the comfort you need when practicing yoga;

Skipping

  • a simple skipping rope is perhaps one of the most common pieces of kit taken on any holiday – especially if there are children in the family;
  • you can choose either a traditional skipping rope or an ankle skip ball – this tethers the rope to an ankle while a rubber ball keeps it circling as you skip over it;

Running shoes

  • you can run in them, of course, but also walk in them, stroll in them and even relax in them;
  • choosing a comfortable and serviceable pair of running shoes is a highly personal matter of choice, but if you go for something fairly multi-purpose, they will take up no more space than any other type of holiday footwear;

Folding bikes

  • more than just a piece of exercise equipment, a folding bike can actually take you places too – the usual problem is finding the space to stow one inside your caravan;
  • luckily, there are plenty of lightweight folding bikes to choose from, that can be neatly stored away when not in use.

Ankle and wrist weights

  • these add resistance to upper and lower body exercises, enhancing your workout without needing larger equipment;

Mini stepper

  • some steppers are designed to be compact and portable, letting you do cardio without taking up much space in your caravan.

You already know that caravanning is a fun way to enjoy the outdoors and stay healthy – these days, there is plenty of portable exercise equipment to take with you and continue whatever fitness regime you have become accustomed to at home.