When the schools break up, scout troops, guides and youth groups across the area head off to camp, and the leaders organising it all often look at van hire in Warrington to shift the mountain of kit involved. Van hire for a summer camp turns what would be a fleet of overloaded family cars into one organised vehicle, and from our depot at Tilley Street beside Asda at the Cockhedge centre we keep more than seventy vans ready through the busy summer season. Tents, dining shelters, cooking gear, activity equipment and personal bags add up quickly, and a single well-chosen van carries the lot to the campsite and back in one calm, manageable trip.
Why One Van Beats a Convoy of Cars
Group camps generate a remarkable volume of equipment, and trying to spread it across volunteers’ cars usually means several trips, mismatched arrival times and bootloads of muddy gear afterwards. A hire van keeps everything together, arrives in one go, and means the leaders are not relying on whoever happens to have the biggest estate car. Our fleet stays within 3.5 tonnes and drives on a standard category B car licence, so any named driver on the booking with an ordinary licence can take the wheel. That matters for groups, because it lets you share the driving among the leadership team rather than leaning on one person. One van, a couple of named drivers and a sensible loading plan is far less stressful than coordinating a convoy, and it leaves the leadership team free to concentrate on the young people and the programme rather than counting cars in and out of the campsite.
A tail lift for the heavy gear
Camp kit includes some genuinely heavy and awkward items, from patrol boxes and water containers to folded marquees, and our Luton van with tail lift makes loading them a far gentler job. The tail lift raises heavy boxes to floor height mechanically, which spares the volunteers’ backs and is a real help when you are loading at the end of a long, tiring camp. The large box body swallows tents, shelters and bags with room to spare, and the flat floor makes it easy to stack the load tidily so nothing shifts on the drive. For any group moving a full camp’s worth of equipment, the tail lift is the feature worth asking about.
Knowing what to bring on the day
Because group bookings usually involve volunteers who do not hire vans often, it helps to know what collection involves before you arrive. Our guide on what to bring when you collect your hire van sets out exactly what each named driver needs, which avoids any hold-up on a busy departure morning. Every driver brings their photocard licence and a DVLA check code rather than a credit card, and getting that sorted in advance means the van is on the road promptly. A quick briefing for whoever is driving, so they are comfortable with a larger vehicle than they usually handle, sets the whole trip off on the right footing.
Loading kit so it travels well
A camp load is a mix of heavy boxes, soft bags and long poles, so a little thought makes it travel safely. Put the heaviest patrol boxes and water carriers low and towards the front, lay tents and shelters flat where you can, and wedge softer bags around everything to stop it shifting. Keep anything you will need first at the campsite within easy reach of the doors, and strap the main stacks so a sudden stop cannot send a heavy box forward. On the return journey the gear will often be damp and muddy, so loading it sensibly and keeping it away from anything that must stay dry saves a lot of sorting out back at the hut, and a few old groundsheets laid down first keep the worst of the mud off the load floor for an easier return.
Close to Croft and the lanes north of town
Plenty of local groups are based in the villages around the edge of Warrington, and leaders near Croft van hire and the northern lanes are only a short run from our depot. Starting close to home is a help when you are coordinating excited young people and a fully loaded van, because it keeps the local leg of the journey short and predictable. Plan your departure for a time that avoids the worst of the traffic, agree where the van will load at the hut so the gear is to hand, and make sure your drivers know the route to the campsite. With the logistics handled, the leaders can concentrate on the camp itself.
Booking your camp van
Booking ahead is the surest way to secure the right van for your camp dates, and on selected vehicles a reservation made at least two weeks in advance qualifies for the advance discount shown on our van hire special offers page. We open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm and close on Sundays, there is no deposit on most vehicles, and each named driver brings a photocard licence and a DVLA check code at collection rather than a credit card. Leave volunteers’ cars in our free secure parking while the van is out, and choose short or long term hire to cover the whole camp. To arrange a van for your group’s summer camp, call our Warrington team on 01925 396 222.
