What do I need? (1 Viewer)

fletch_lives

Free Member
Feb 15, 2014
8
3
France
Funster No
30,109
MH
Don't own yet
Exp
I am a newbie
Just moved into my motor home and I am trying to figure out what are some of the essential and non-essential items I will need to be a full timer. It is just my dog Harley and I traveling through the UK for a bit then on to the continent where we hope to spend most of our time exploring.

A friend told me that there were a few threads here with suggestions. If someone would please point me in the right direction I would appreciate it so much.
Thanks,
Bill
 

themogs

Free Member
Oct 23, 2012
880
915
Wales
Funster No
23,398
MH
C Class
Exp
Not Long Enough.
Just moved into my motor home and I am trying to figure out what are some of the essential and non-essential items I will need to be a full timer. It is just my dog Harley and I traveling through the UK for a bit then on to the continent where we hope to spend most of our time exploring.

A friend told me that there were a few threads here with suggestions. [HI]If someone would please point me in the right direction I would appreciate it so much.[/HI]Thanks,
Bill


A......Bottle Opener
B......Corkscrew
C......Another of the above; in case one fails or breaks:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Upvote 0
Jul 23, 2013
381
221
Scotland
Funster No
27,080
MH
knaus van ti 600mg
Exp
Getting There since 2013
Fire Extinguisher
Fire Blanket
First Aid kit
Duck Tape
WD40
Small Tool Kit
Tow Rope
Spare Fues Kit
Spare Builb Kit
12v Tyre Inflator
Small Drinking Water Can
 
Upvote 0

Wildman

Free Member
May 30, 2008
0
8,470
Ilfracombe, Devon
Funster No
2,913
MH
Amazon Ambassador
Exp
since 1967
Hi and welcome I suggest you first update your profile, unless you are living in someone elses van, hee hee. Maybe you should wait and see what you actually need and get it as you go along. for me the essentials would be a massive battery bank and as many solar panels as I could fit on my roof within my acceptable payload so you are not tied to sites.
A portable twintub for washing and a generator to run it/provide backup power. a decent fridge/freezer, bottle openers, safety equipment, breakdown cover, lots of money etc. Security door locks, refillable gas tank, either gaslow or fixed underslung tank, unlocked mifi, wifi booster antenna, watering can, a few different lengths of water hose (including a short one to fill a watering can from a basin tap) and hose adapters, 25/50mtr hookup cable, lots of air freshner, Eberspatcher or other diesel heater with a seperate tank, outside storage space for wet things. Personal protection (a bigger dog, hee hee) pushbike for shopping trips. depending on space available maybe a spare WC cassette:thumb:
Remember to fill and empty at every opportunity so you don't get caught out.
Enjoy.:Smile:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

ukbill

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 3, 2011
5,501
5,274
Pinoso
Funster No
18,740
MH
4 berth low profile
Exp
starting on saturday 10/3/2012
wine
wine glass (or the bottle will do in a emergency)
cork screw
ice (if needed)
beers any will do
and get some vodka in case any women turn up
job done :Smile:
 
Upvote 0

maz

Jan 26, 2011
4,445
7,666
Bizeljsko, Slovenia
Funster No
15,094
MH
N+B Arto
Exp
Since March 2011
for me the essentials would be a massive battery bank and as many solar panels as I could fit on my roof within my acceptable payload so you are not tied to sites.
A portable twintub for washing and a generator to run it/provide backup power. a decent fridge/freezer, bottle openers, safety equipment, breakdown cover, lots of money etc. Security door locks, refillable gas tank, either gaslow or fixed underslung tank, unlocked mifi, wifi booster antenna, watering can, a few different lengths of water hose (including a short one to fill a watering can from a basin tap) and hose adapters, 25/50mtr hookup cable, lots of air freshner, Eberspatcher or other diesel heater with a seperate tank, outside storage space for wet things. Personal protection (a bigger dog, hee hee) pushbike for shopping trips. depending on space available maybe a spare WC cassette:thumb:
Remember to fill and empty at every opportunity so you don't get caught out.
Enjoy.:Smile:

Hi Bill and welcome to the world of fulltiming. :welcome:

A lot of what Roger says above is useful. However I would leave out the portable twintub - had one of those for a while only, used it about 4 times in a year, sold it. A decent-capacity one will take up a lot of useful space, use up a fair bit of water and involve a lot of faffing about. I prefer to spend the odd night on a site with a laundry and do a couple of loads of washing in a commercial-sized machine while I'm there. I certainly wouldn't buy a generator just to be able to run a portable twintub! :RollEyes: But a generator is very useful for charging your batteries when the solar is unable to keep up.

I would also dispute the need for 'lots of air freshener'. ::bigsmile:

If your van is already equipped with a diesel heater, fair enough. If it isn't I wouldn't rush out and buy one. I manage perfectly well with a gas/electric Truma combi boiler. :Smile:

As to other essentials/non-essentials, a lot depends on personal preferences. For me a smallish inverter (mainly to run a low-wattage hairdryer) is a favourite piece of equipment. Together with a multi-voltage multi-connector charger to charge up various bits of equipment from the cigarette lighter socket.
 
Upvote 0

BreweryDave

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 10, 2011
3,495
10,541
Alvor, Algarve
Funster No
17,694
MH
None now!
Exp
2011
Bill - whatever you take - it will be too much at first. You'll get rid of stuff along the way guaranteed. Then you'll gradually pick up the things you need for what you want to do and how you want to live.
You'll be surprised at how little you actually need!
Good luck - we've been at it over 2 years and love it - and are still getting rid of stuff we thought we wanted!!!

I do agree though that a bottle opener is mandatory ::bigsmile:
 
Upvote 0

Terry

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 27, 2007
11,904
8,969
Lincolnshire
Funster No
1,075
MH
A class
Exp
Can't remember ;)
Hi Bill you will need a lot less than you want ::bigsmile:don't be tempted to go out and buy things you want try things out that you have and then access if you need extras rather than want them :thumb:It all depends on how you use your van and only you can decide on that -- you can blow a lot of money on things you want rather than things you need ::bigsmile: lots of people have massive battery banks and lots of solar yet still use sites ::bigsmile:Sure they never ran out of power but then I only have the 1 LB NO SOLAR OR ANYTHING other than charging the battery from the engine and as yet I have never run out of power ::bigsmile: Then again I tend to move around in the van rather than sit around in one place :Smile:As said it all depends on YOUR USE
terry
 
Upvote 0

Movinon

Free Member
Feb 1, 2012
277
301
UK
Funster No
19,660
MH
C Class
Exp
Lots
It's a big question. What you need is dictated by where you are going, how you are camping and how much available storage and weight allowance you have. For instance, if I'm going to use aires and campsites then a long hookup lead as well as a short one would be useful. If I'm off to camp in the middle of nowhere on my own then a spare toilet cassette and a spade are good idea. An oversize bucket and a broom handle will do the laundry. We always carry a spare cartridge camping cooker, a 50L 12v portable compressor fridge, a watering can (very useful things watering cans), 40L of drinking water and a largish flowerpot. If things go wrong we can still cook, refrigerate, shower and heat the interior. The only thing I've never had to use is the spade.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

teddybard

Free Member
Aug 21, 2012
7,448
8,695
warwickshire
Funster No
22,500
MH
c
Exp
5 years
wine
wine glass (or the bottle will do in a emergency)
cork screw
ice (if needed)
beers any will do
and get some vodka in case any women turn up
job done :Smile:
AS above but

And remember money you have to eat out if you are too drunk to cook:ROFLMAO:
 
Upvote 0
Jul 24, 2010
535
4,142
Planet Earth (I think)
Funster No
12,812
MH
A Class
Exp
not long enough
My list looks something like this... binoculars, camera with a large capacity memory card (plus a spare) Kindle, mac book, iPod, blue tooth speaker for the laptop and iPod, and 12 V chargers for them all. Wifi booster, mi fi.
Surge protector to use when on EHU and a reverse polarity tester for use abroad.

Walking sandals, walking shoes and walking boots, waterproofs, walking poles, rucsac,

When over the channel these books are very useful Bord Atlas, ASCI book and card, All the Aires France, all the Aires Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, Rough guide / Lonely Planet guide to France / whichever country. The Caravan club Camping Europe book, the guide to municipal camping sites (that can be downloaded from this site, I think), International Camping Card.

A comfy chair and a table to use outside of the van. A couple of good torches and a head torch. Spare batteries for everything. Solar panels, two good leisure batteries and LED bulbs in all the lights in the van. Water containers of various sizes and adaptors for the water hose and electric hook up cable.

and, of course, very importantly, plenty of cushions and throws (because I'm a girl).

Lastly and most importantly, my butler, Twinge and Monty the Jack Russell along with all their paraphernalia...

These things are just a reflection of the life I live when in the van, everyones list will be different, You may soon discover, like many of us, that you actually don't need as much 'stuff' as you think. The adventure is just beginning. Good Luck and Happy Travels,

Lorraine x

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Oct 1, 2013
7,487
19,762
Lanzarote
Funster No
28,377
MH
Nil by mouth
Exp
Lots
If it's a relatively cheap item, leave it at home. If you need it abroad, you can buy it there.

I bet you don't buy much :roflmto:
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top