Its finally coming!! Now what do I need to buy for it! (1 Viewer)

[Ziggy123]

Hi All

Well after 8 months of searching for a secondhand one...then deciding we would have to increase budget and go for a new one, another 14 months later had an email today to say our Adria Matrix is actually on its way...yayyyyyy!!! Beyond excited...now I have so much to do and think about, as I had not wanted to get my hopes up again that it would ever arrive!

Big question...what is the one thing..or maybe two lol..that you could not do without and so glad you got and what is something you feel was a waste of money and never use!! I have to think about what accessories we need to put on. We opted for a second leisure battery and a solar panel. We are hoping to go travelling for periods of time..we have a large dog and I will have to work a bit on the road.

Any tips welcome...omg I still cannot believe it, Christmas come early!!

 

[PP Bear]

Get a decent water grade hose and something to use to fill the fresh tank when away the supply. Personally I use a 20 litre black jerry can, but a bit heavy for some, who prefer a watering can.
Cork screw
Level ramps
Snuggle blankets, as they’re great for both relaxing, or blocking out the light being emitted and the cold from the cab when wild camping at places like Robin Hoods Bay like we are tonight.

If you can, camp for the weekend on the driveway and see what you need or don’t need, as it’s a great way to start the adventure.

Really pleased for you and I still have that excited feeling when I’m heading away in the jollybus.

 

[TheAleMan]

Solar panels and the best battery bank you can get away with. Other than that, our best purchase has been our Ninja smartlid air fryer.

Exciting times ahead..enjoy.

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[Figaro]

Waste of money - drive away awnings, for most anyway, it may depend how you intend to tour / travel

Essential - lots of old towels to dry the dog, lol

Seriously, a lot depends on how you use the van, I'd resist jumping in and buying lots of stuff you may never use.
Basically whatever you use in the house you need in the van is a good starting point. After that just see how you get on

 

[vkr15s]

Fill the fuel tank, fridge with beer and the worlds your oyster . Don’t forget the dog food, other than that help is never far away in the unlikely event should you need it.

Enjoy

 

[Phill D]

seat covers for the dog

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[dna]

Pen and notepad to list things you feel are missing as you start doing trips.
You mentioned having to do some work on the road. Will that need internet access?

Start local to home (night 1 on the drive) is a great idea to discover the which things from the handover were not clear and any essentials you need to go back to the house for.

A longer dog lead may be useful. If you search fun for “packing list” you will get lots of ideas to follow.

And finally, at least for the first few trips it’s worth having a pre departure check list as setting off with windows open, hook up lead still attached, cupboards not latched can quickly make a mess and get expensive (been there, done that)

 

[Stag man]

Most of the stuff you need is already in your house. Over time you get fed up lugging it around and end up with double.
Also, part of the fun is working out what extra bits you need and then finding them
Enjoy

 

[pappajohn]

Well, that's a first.....nobody said 'bottle opener'

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[Carpmart]

Work on the road you say, decent internet needed, I would suggest you need Starlink RV!

 

[Figaro]

Well, that's a first.....nobody said 'bottle opener'

Corkscrew ?

 

[BikerGraham]

As already mentioned the number one must have is

A corkscrew / bottle opener

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

Good news on your van

I will have a look as chances are I have everything you will need for sale.

All unused as I didn’t need it

 

[Ziggy123]

Get a decent water grade hose and something to use to fill the fresh tank when away the supply. Personally I use a 20 litre black jerry can, but a bit heavy for some, who prefer a watering can.
Cork screw
Level ramps
Snuggle blankets, as they’re great for both relaxing, or blocking out the light being emitted and the cold from the cab when wild camping at places like Robin Hoods Bay like we are tonight.

If you can, camp for the weekend on the driveway and see what you need or don’t need, as it’s a great way to start the adventure.

Really pleased for you and I still have that excited feeling when I’m heading away in the jollybus.

Thats a great idea to stay on the drive, thank you and I have passed on the info about the water hose to my hubby to sort, that will be his domain!

 

[Ziggy123]

Work on the road you say, decent internet needed, I would suggest you need Starlink RV!

That is great thank you, researching internet is near the top of my list! I will need to be able to Skype too. I only work part time, but I did pre-warn my new boss that we wanted to travel and she was happy for me to work on the road as they love travelling too, so I have to make sure it works now with good internet!

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[Ziggy123]

Solar panels and the best battery bank you can get away with. Other than that, our best purchase has been our Ninja smartlid air fryer.

Exciting times ahead..enjoy.

Great tip, I had been thinking of buying an air fryer, that gives me more reason to get one. Will check good Friday deals tomorrow!

 

[PaulyP]

Well, that's a first.....nobody said 'bottle opener'

All screw tops now.

 

[Ziggy123]

Thank you so much some really great tips and ideas from you all. I think my husband will like the fill the fridge with beer one the most

Staying on the drive is a great idea and it will be good for the dog too, to get used to sleeping in it...albeit getting him in it will probably be the hardest challenge, he is a Golden retriever, they dont like change and he is not keen on the car! He is also a mud magnet so an outside shower hose is essential too...and yes plenty of old towels!

Need to check out TV's and internet now..oh and insurance which is going to be complicated!

Am also wondering whether to have a tow bar fitted in case we decide we need to tow a small car later on down the track, or maybe just wait and see how we get on. I dont want it to have to go back in once we finally have it here lol!

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[1967bowesj]

All screw tops now.

Makes corking the bottle easier,……..……………………………………………

lol who am I trying to kid, cork only goes back in when it goes to recycle

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

Gaslow system, the best thing we bought. Couldn't imagine swapping gas bottles

 

[Ziggy123]

Gaslow system, the best thing we bought. Couldn't imagine swapping gas bottles

Is that the ones you fill up? Do you have any issues finding places to fill up in the UK? A dealer told us that it is easy on the continent but not so good here...but then that was 18 months ago! We thought it seemed a much better idea, so that's good to hear.

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[bigtwin]

Gaslow system, the best thing we bought. Couldn't imagine swapping gas bottles

Second that, particularly if you intend going overseas.

Ian

 

[PP Bear]

I’d wait to fit a tow bar. Check out how much weight you are running, as these tow bars are pretty heavy things on a motorhome.

 

[bigtwin]

That is great thank you, researching internet is near the top of my list!

These guys are great, with fantastic aftersales service:

Motorhome WiFi

Ian

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[Phill D]

As has been said, get the basic essentials and a note pad and use it locally a few times, then spend your money carefully

 

[Zoobec]

A none spill dog bowl! We got this one Road Refresher Prestige Non Spill... Amazon product

 

[Bramidan]

We got our first Moho end of July.
Ours is on a Fiat Ducatto.
If you want the Fiat extended warranty, you must do this within 14 days of registration. Time is of the essence, miss 14 days and you won’t get it. I wanted it because Fiat Assist covers Turkey, including Asian side. We have a house in Southern Turkey and on previous journeys I had car recovery on the European side but was reliant on Mehmet’s tractor on the Asian side!

The mirrors on the vehicle are really,really wide. Good thing on the basis that if the mirrors go through so will you, however I have been forced really close to hedgerows etc and was worried I was going to crack the mirrors, replacements are not cheap! Thus I purchased mirror protectors, I think mine are MirrorGuard.

Nearly everybody on the Adria Owners Club ( have a look, not dear) recommended we got a windscreen cover, in fact using it for the first time today, a few weeks ago the condensation was horrendous but this is supposed to insulate in the cold and keep it cool in the summer.

If you haven’t got the self levellers ( I didn’t even know they existed until August this year) you will need levelling ramps, I was advised to get the 4 step ones, which I did. There are posts on here discussing their merits.

It goes without saying, your motorhome is an expensive piece of kit and scum bags would love to get their hands on it, a tracker is essential ( in fact your insurer might insist you have one.
Security devices, yes we know nothing is foolproof but you need to make it as difficult and time consuming for the would be thief as possible. Numerous threads on here as well.
Unlike me, naive idiot that I am, you have discovered motorhomefun.co.uk prior to your purchase, I’ve been playing catch-up ever since! I don’t understand half the posts, especially the electrics but got to start somewhere.

Any thing else for your own comfort you can always take from home and buy as you go along.
Stainless Steel French Press a must.

If you thought the Moho was expensive, prepare yourselves!

Welcome and enjoy.

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[Riverbankannie]

For the dog, we initially bought one of those zip up to the neck towelling bags, however wranglinging the dog into it made us wet!
We now find that keeping her dry to begin with is best and use equafleece summer and winter coats and a good microfibre towel like this, for the feet.
Amazon product

 

[Ziggy123]

These guys are great, with fantastic aftersales service:

Motorhome WiFi

Ian

That is great thank you!

 

[BillandHelen]

On the work front, I use the van regularly to work from, mainly email and zoom calls round the globe, get away with tethering my iPad Pro to my iPhone which has unlimited data. Haven’t found anywhere yet that it won’t work. So depends how data hungry work is and how remote you intend to camp I guess.

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