Most important accessories (1 Viewer)

[stevec]

As we hope to shortly take delivery of our first motorhome we were wondering what should be the first accessories we will need. What would be peoples top three? Levelling chocs? Something to put down outside the door (those slot together foam mats)? Windbreak? We have mains hookup cable and water hose but thats about all.

 

[movan]

lightweight comfy chairs to sit outside

 

[BillyS]

A kettle and a corkscrew. Not necessarily in that order

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[Coolbeanz]

Corkscrew

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Take your pick, alladins cave here >>>www.johnscross.co.uk

Peter

 

[sean n maggie]

Bottle opener,,,,,and a glass.....:thumb::thumb:

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[Movinon]

An "each to their own" question. For us it's a Satnav, outside chairs and leveling blocks. But what is an accessory? Our motorhome did not come with a hookup lead as this was considered a discretionary accessory. Really? One person's accessory is another's necessity.

 

[phase3begins]

Toilet rolls

 

[Flyingscotsman2]

,

A good wife

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[Cyclewalkbob]

Th OH says a Cadac Safari Chef gas barbaque/ cooking system.

This allows ME to do the cooking when we go away!

 

[Bellini]

Sat nav has to be the first. No question there.

Two and three are a little harder.

Looking back, I became mildly obsessed with buying good, comfortable outside chairs. My search ended with Isabella.

My third is a Grunwerg stainless steel, double walled cafetiere. Good coffee is essential, in my view.

And good crockery, but that's No. 4.

Yes, yes, a corkscrew is vital, but many wine bottles have screw tops these days. A good bottle of Bombay Sapphire is openable by hand, as is Schweppes tonic. And so is Caol Isla single malt.

 

[WynandJean]

I would not be too keen to rush into buying accessories. Most of us have done it and realised that most are not as necessary as we thought. Maybe best to see what's needed as you go along. It's not usually too difficult to nip out and get that vital item, even abroad.

Wyn

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[stevec]

We're getting an AutoCruise which has a little cupboard for two wine bottles and four glasses. Not sure if theres space for a bottle opener. We've found that screw tops aren't as common abroad for some reason. We've bought so many openers when we've been abroad (cos we forgot one) we could open a shop.

 

[CandC]

I'm new to the joys of owning a motorhome myself, but after our trial run outside my parents' house last night have decided to get a notebook and pencil first! I'm going to list the essentials such as pots and pans, plates etc pretty much the same essentials that I would take on a tent camping trip. With that covered, I know we'll survive and can take it from there I guess!

 

[camocam1]

Best thing we bought was duvaly's memory mattress with built in duvet but would depend on you van layout
As others have said don't rush into it, take things from the house first and see how you get on
Far too easy to go to an Aladdin's cave and buy things (sorry Peter)

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[Ed Excel]

Have a look at any classified ads in motorhome mags. The items you see most of you don't need :thumb:

 

[cruiser]

a very large bank balance. then go to johns shop and get him to do some work.helping you spend it.:thumb:

 

[RS_rob]

The 1st thing we bought was a 15tog 3 in 1 Goose down Duvet :thumb:
oh & Taylor Made screen 2nd hand from eBay

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[DP+JAY]

Not including bottle open/corkscrew, plates, satnav etc. which are normal "everyday"items, The first "dedicated" motorhome items were solar panels, alugas bottle & LED's.
Oh, & the Aires book.

 

[ShiftZZ]

Eternal Optimism, Sense of humour and Gaffa Tape.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Reversing Camera

If you have carpets, take them up and use doormat inside the van.

Just take stuff from home before you buy anything just for the MH:thumb:

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[scotjimland]

I suggest you buy nothing.... take what you need to wash, cook and sleep, a map and perhaps a good novel or travel book.

So many fill their vans up with stuff that never gets used.. buy as you need.. you will find nearly everything you forget or want in supermarkets access Europe..

Another tip...
Leave the world behind.. you don't need a TV, laptop, tablet, wifi access, or even a phone.. escape from the everyday life by leaving it at home.. and I promise you will have a much better time.. you will find things to do, talk to each other more and generally get out and about..

It will feel strange at first, but after a few days you will relax.. and that is what it's all about.. escape.. if you take all the trappings of home with you... why go in the first place.

 

[Terry]

We always "filled" the van with what my wife insisted on were essentials-2 tins of beans,toms,green beans,stewed steak,peas, you get the drift As we used one of these we nearly always went to a supermarket to replace what we had used and in most cases there was still one of it left oh:--Now I still take the odd tin of beans/soup but more importantly my wallet--Shopping around local shops passes the hour and makes visiting places more interesting You find things that you wished you bought more of and things you regret buying
Don't rush to go out and buy the things you think you need,wait and see what you need
Every yr I cleared out the cupboards in the van and threw most of the essentials because they had gone out of date and the ones that were not got put back in oh: Now I carry a few bits and buy most things as I need them but always have stuff for the odd snack and drink -We once broke down and waited around 4 hrs for recovery -being new then we had emptied all the water etc,not even a bit to flush the loo I ended up walking about a mile and knocking on someones door asking to fill a gallon water bottle Never done it again /lesson learned -we did not die or anything but of course it was all my fault even though Ann was the one who insisted dropping everything
terry

 

[magicsurfbus]

You don't need a windbreak - your MH is your windbreak. If it's too windy sit behind it or inside it, or go somewhere less windy.

As well as levelling chocks it's handy to have one of those little two-way spirit level things that you put on the floor to tell you when you're level, and the yellow plastic sand mats for the tyres can be useful if you're parked on soft or soggy ground.

The single most useful extra is a solar panel and charge controller, and if you can stretch to a refillable gas cylinder you can be a lot more independent when travelling.

Like others have said, a SatNav helps no end, but make sure you download useful POI files for it like supermarkets, gas stockists (or Autogas outlets for the refillable), campsites, aires, MH friendly parking spots, low bridges, narrow roads and so on - they're all out there for free.

A basic toolkit including a few drill bits and a charged power screwdriver/drill for any on the spot repairs - it's a house on wheels, would you try to live with no toolkit in your house? Duck tape and cable ties always have their uses. A tube of MH/caravan sealant and a sealant gun are essential.

As many 12v cables as you can get for any gadgets you take along - that way you don't have to hook up to an EHU.

A black plastic jerrycan and a clear plastic one. The former for grey water, the latter for clean water. You may not always be able to get close to the service point, or you might want to sneak round the queue.

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[Rob and Val]

We bought our 'van from a couple who were giving up motorhoming and we were just beginning, so we got everything with the 'van. Among the things that we have never used - in 4 years - are an awning, silver screens and levelling blocks. That's not strictly true, we did try to use the levelling blocks once and the 'van slipped off the back of them and the front of one of the blocks became embedded in the wheel arch. We had to dig a hole underneath to release it. Now we just make sure that we park on a reasonably level pitch. We also had a rooftop box that opened on the opposite side to our ladder, so it would have meant climbing on the roof to access it. The box couldn't be turned around because it was aerodynamically shaped - so we sold it.

We have bought a Garmin Sat Nav and find that it has saved many arguments. However, we also bought a Trucker's atlas for planning UK journeys. The Sat Nav occasionally wants to take us places we don't want to go so, using the atlas, we can program it to go a different route.

 

[irnbru]

A mobile phone with data for emergencies, a first aid kit and waterproofs for all the rain Scotland chucks at us.

 

[Camper634]

I like to get "away from it all"so my only real essentials are

Mobile phone x 2
IPad
Notebook PC
Sat nav x 2
USB hard drive
Chargers various
mifi
iboost

And a couple of bottles of red!

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[suavecarve]

1) Solar panel with Gaslow then motorhoming costs nothing (in the summer in France)

2) Lightweight comfy storeable chairs

3) As previously mentioned the Cadac Safari Chef but fork out extra for the paella dish so you can then use the lid as a lid and you have a little oven.

Satnav nearly makes it but I ve only just bought one after getting lost (See numerous well informed threads on the Chinese Lorry Satnav) Aire book is a priority but it is possible to get round that. Cant believe ppl are suggesting corkscrews, why arent they buying in bulk and using a funnel to put into the used Super U iced tea bottles ???

 

[peterc10]

Eternal Optimism, Sense of humour and Gaffa Tape.

Ahh... gaffa tape, one of the two essential items for any mechanical engineer. If it doesn't move and it should - WD40. If it does move and it shouldn't - gaffa tape.

 

[Mastercamper]

Gaffa tape,
WD40,
Breakdown membership card.
Credit & bank cards,

Robust sense of the ridiculous.

That should cover it.

Above all leave your worry gland and take your fun gland.

go for it .

DON`T WASTE TIME THINKING ABOUT IT.:thumb: