Thinking of useful extras for motorhome
Comments
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Would agree with you peedee.
If we were to go back to a MH, screens would be on my list of extras, use them both summer and winter. Along with a Sat dish, refillable gas, and solar panel. Wouldn't bother with an extra battery as we hardly ever stay off grid, so with a panel and refillable gas we can manage a few nights no problem. Would love to have self levelling but the cost and weight could restrict that.
EDIT just thought of another couple of things I would add is an external BBQ point and an external mains and 12v point, comes in really handy for cooking outside and plugging in the cool box.
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I share your view Peedee. It does make me wonder if the people who are so keen not to use them don't actually camp in winter in the UK? Ours rolls up, even wet, and we pop it in its bag and it goes in the shower. If its still wet when we get home we put it in the conservatory to dry. I have tried using a Karcher on the inside of the screen and got covered in water as its difficult to move round easily on my Peugeot screen. Perhaps in the summer, with less risk of condensation, we might not bother to take it as we do have pleated blinds but will certainly use it the rest of the year.
David
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David, i guess these are one of those marmite extras but, although they are very popular, they arent for us.
as i said, we only 'do' the UK when the weather is good so perhaps we wouldn't get the same benefit that some might.
also, i dont want to have to go outside and remove them on a cold/wet morning just so that we can see out of the van...
...and i don't really want a bag of wet kit (or anything else) in my shower as we might actually want to use it...we dont always use sites...nor do i want in the cab, either.
'outside' things live outside the habitation area..
our A class cab is a bit different to the normal Sevel model which, being wider and having much more space on the dashboard area, makes things much less cluttered at the front.
...so, we dont have a normal rear view mirror, i have a permanently-on reverse view camera which, along with the sat nav, lives in an area unaffected by the use/position of our vertical windscreen blind..
it is just pulled up from the bottom to give a bit of privacy or from the top to act as a large sun visor....
when fully closed it also provides sufficient insulation to keep the cab warm when its cool or keep the sun out when its hot without resorting to external screens.
however, i certainly agree that on a cold uk morning it wouldnt prevent some condensation but as 90% of our vanning is done in warm/hot weather those occasions dont warrant fitting/unfitting external screens daily.
...and theyre not cheap for A classes either...
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We were parked up in Montrieul-sur-Mer on our way back to the UK in October last year and ready for a fairly early start.
It had been raining overnight, it was cold and windy and as we were getting ready to move it was coming down in chats and chiens.
It took me about a minute to open the Remis blinds and remove the moisture from the inside of the windscreen and I stayed warm and dry.
The guy in the Motorhome nearby was also getting ready to move on.
It's the sort of the time when you wish the video had been running.
He was getting wet through, the exterior screen was flapping about sending water everywhere and the performance to get the screen in a bag was pure drama.
It took a few minutes as he gradually became saturated despite his coat and hat.
We watched the performance as he struggled to cope, his female companion not to be seen, and eventually he threw the screen and wet bag in his garage and a lip reader would have had a field day as he clambered into his Motorhome.
He must have needed to get changed from his wet clothes - but he probably didn't.
We set off, dry, warm and thanking our sense in getting a Karcher Vac.
Everyone to their own.
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If it was raining cats and dogs and I was in no hurry to move off, I would have settled down for another mug of coffee and waited for it to abate otherwise it is no hardship to put on the wet weather gear which would probably have been necessary if I wanted to dump black and grey waste.
peedee
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Boleroboy
l have an underslung gas tank which was filled to 75% when l weighed the MH 1/2 tank of fresh water which we always travel with, l had the bear necessities of food we always shop once a day when away. Clothes shoes, wifes ipad maps toilet fluid,toolbox, wife weighs 55 kilo just a slip of a girl, there was full tank of fuel, l weighed it day before we went away for a week, What l will be adding extra is, 2 half sets of golf clubs two push golf trolleys, the tow bar, Thule towbar XTC ebike carrier plus to e Bikes with Batteries 100 Kilo, Not weighed the golf clubs and trolleys yet but estimate 80 kilo for all, Will need to find out what a 100 watt solar panel weighs, think l saw 3.1/2 kilo for the road pro. l calculate about 120 kilo,s left for those both items. We will see, if we are over, we will have to see what we will have to remove, don't fancy increasing upto 3800 Kilo.
Heethers
Keep Safe
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We was at the castleton site first week in December the night before we left rained continuously until we left put the wet weather gear on opened drivers cab door unhooked folded on the screen then drivers side folded over pulled it off folded in half into the bag placed in the shower arrived home, into the bath stood it up dry next day granted it wasn't blowing force 9 but still windy and l needed help off the wife to hold it on the screen. Has l said we haven't got the cab blinds priced them up 600 quid, think l will stick with the silver screens mine has the front opening flap so we can see through the windscreen through the day My Brother has a B class 2018 Hymer with cab blinds and says he still suffers from condensation. Silver screens for his are nearly double the the price of mine, he uses the Karcher
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Hi, H....yes, looks like that will knock you back to 120kg or so, sounds a lot but is easily used up...
with most of this additional weight (golf clubs/trolleys and tow bar/bike rack/ebikes) being loaded behind the rear axle, this is where you might get a problem although you appear to have 340kg spare, so shouldt be an issue...
id be more concerned that youd use the 120kg before then...
as earlier, the only way to be sure about this is to sort the towbar, load the bikes and golf gear, OH and everything else and then reweigh.
the fuel tank should be full as on long trips we often 'fill up', water half full if this is your usual state and take it from there...
I think you'll be OK but always good to check...
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Only been MH ing a year, but another vote for the silver screen. We bought it before we even picked up the van, on advice of friends who have had a MH for years. We found it equally usefull in summer to stop the cab area getting too hot when shade is limited. We do have Reims blinds and have used those in summer if only stopping for a night. However, as soon as the weather cools down at night you get condensation behind them. In northern France last October, I took off the silver screen the night before leaving as rain was forcast, but wished I hadn't. It took me ages to clear the condensation. We have a garage, so if it's wet it just gets quickly rolled and thrown in. The actual time to remove it is only about 1 minute. True putting it away in the bag is a fiddle and takes longer but we only do that at the end of a tour and take it home to dry if wet.
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My top 5 are:
External gas barbecue point;
Cadac 2-Cook Pro Deluxe barbeque - small and versatile;
Truma Aventa Comfort Air- Conditioning system;
External 13 amp Plug socket to run Swiss Luxx low-wattage teppanyaki grill;
Pair of axles stands to use at the rear to getting rid of the bouncing and swaying (Box of 4 for £25 as opposed to £300 for a pair of after-market corner steadies.
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our Cadac has its own gas cartridges but i would have a gas point fitted if we moved to one that needed a hose connection....however, ours can be used anywhere not just tied to, and fairly close to, the van...
i also made my own 'trailing socket' for external 230v use, primarily for the Teppanyakki grill which is extremely useful...
so we have outside gas or electric cooking which matches our varied stops, with or without EHU.
spent many a month in Spain, in wintertime, and South of France at end of Summer but havent yet felt that 'air con' was a requirement...
I guess the need for 'steadies' depends on the size and layout of the van, the length of rear overhang and the occupants' weight
but our small van with short overhang (and slim occupants
) doesn't necessitate such measures.agree, all great additions to a van....
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Good thread this on what is considered pre--equisite extra's for each persons new motorhome, our first two extra's which were included in the deal were silverscreens and aire conditioner which we had fitted to help keep us cool in the summer.
Unfortunately we were due to pick it up in Madrid on the 16th march two days after the lockdown here so it is still in Madrid awaiting us, think we might give it a miss for the foreseeable future considering how bad things are there.
Stay safe
Phil
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The outside gas point is on the agenda has we have the large Cadac, will probably have it done this service due in July. That's a question l have been quoted, 185 for a service which is just an oil change, has to be done by them to keep the warranty or by vat registered garage, the habbitational is 200. Is this the norm my caravan habitational was only 130 what's the difference with a motorhome, can anyone explain. l am hoping to do a deal with them if they fit the solar panel, gas point and road pro, will want a significant reduction for all that work.
Heethers
Keep safe all
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The charge for the servicing, both cab and hab seems quite reasonable to me, I certainly pay a bit more than that, probably £500 for both. I expect it varies from region to region. Rather ironically the Bailey we purchased in March 2019 only needed the hab service this year. The cab service being every two years and in current circumstances it is quite possible that we might not done very much mileage this year!!!
David
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i agree that each person's touring style will influence the type of extras they go for...
those that park a MH on a site for ages might feel a proper awning will give more space, but if that long stay is in the sunshine then perhaps not, preferring to sit outside.
some might feel a drive away awning is great, allowing a long stay but easy use of the van as transport....however, those who only camp for a couple of days before moving on (rather than going out and back repeatedly) might not bother at all, prefering the ease (and speed) of a wind out canopy.
the presence or not of ehu everytime you camp will also be a big driver as to the extras fitted....
if you 'always' use sites with ehu then the van will be full of 230v appliances to play with, but if you venture away from mains power regularly (or even from time to time) then some thought will need to be given as to how the various appliances/devices will operate...
heating, hot water, kettles, fridges are easy....turn on the gas...but multiple days like this will use more gas and Calor bottles (especially the smaller ones) arent cheap to exchange....and if you're doing your off grid camping abroad then you wont be able to exchange them.....
so, this is when a refillable system might be considered...gas at the pump here is about 30% the price of a 6kg exchange and continental adaptors allow filling all over europe...
lights, water pump and heating fans all run from 12v, and phones and tablets are easily plugged into 12v sockets...but what about those few items that are mains only...?
some computers need a mains transformer, Sky boxes are mains only, ebike chargers are also....and dont forget the hairdryers..
luckily, generating 230v from your 12v leisure battery is easy....just fit an inverter.....but the size depends on whats being supported and lengthy use will use lots of battery power....so, an extra battery might prove useful...
but. how do these batteries get charged?.....well, while driving, of course, but folk may not drive every day but still wish to consume power.
one of the easiest ways of replenishing this is to fit a solar panel which can be set to charge your leisure batteries and also keep the vehicle battery topped up.
the larger the panel the better, along with a modern MPPT regulator will provide independence from hook up using free sunshine...
so, touring style can dictate/influence the type of extras we go for.
some are fairly cheap, some require a heftier investment but each needs to be weighed up against the benefit they provide.
good luck browsing the catalogs.....what else are we going to do?
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My motorhome came with both outside gas and 230v electric points but no external TV point which would have been useful on a few occasions. I have a Cadac Grillo and have modified the gas feed to be able to change tails to use either the motorhome's gas point or a 4.5Kgm bottle but my preference is to use a proper charcoal BBQ. I carry what the mood takes me. At home I always use a charcoal BBQ.
The fitting of a TV external socket is on my to do list. I have the socket it is just a bit further down my DIY list.
peedee
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Although supposedly optional extras, the U.K. Version of the Hymer we bought came with a lot of extras. More 240 volt plug sockets than I could ever reasonably use. Lots of 12 volt sockets and numerous USB's, which are very useful for charging pads / phones and means we don't have to take the chargers away. External BBQ point which we use a lot. Cab blinds and door flyscreen. Whip TV aerial, which works very well. We also added a wind out awning, solar panels and refillable gas. Also an outside TV point for use on club sites with loops and the sat dish if required. One thing I think that is essential is a spare wheel, ours fits on a bracket in the garage. Although I might not be to change it, the breakdown service can when they arrive.
We decided against a sat dish or dome on the roof. The dome on our caravan at circa £1200 was nothing but trouble being out of action half the 6 years we owned it. In this country freeview is generally very good. Abroad we made do with DVD's and got news via apps and online newspapers. Last year I did pack a freestanding dish in the garage, as our Avtex has a freesat tuner, but other than a test never used it.
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one thing i did get prior to our Spain trip was a spare tyre...ive never carried one before but decided on a change of policy....
dont have a wheel (yet) but felt the recovery network would be able to provide a tyre change...sourcing the correct tyre might be the tricky bit.
its stored in the garage at the moment....found a convenient location, but might get an underslung cradle made up when this all dies down.
i reckon we have just about everything we need....the van rides really well using correct tyre pressures, so cant see the justification for air suspension...
the relatively short wheelbase makes it easy to level and its short length makes finding the 'best' place on the pitch (where rules allow) straightforward, so hydraulic levelling isnt on the horizon...
inside we have pretty much everything we need....we dont have a microwave but have no need of one as 90% of our camping is in warm weather where salads and fresh food (usually eaten outside) is the order of the day...
with refillable gas, a solar panel, twin leisure batteries and an inverter, we're 'extra'd' up for camping anywhere and i cant really think what other items we might consider...
any suggestions, team?
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All good points , outside tv socket ? hope thats when you are wild camping and not annoying others on sites . Lovely quite night ,one person ruins it . I use earphones , so as not to ruin others peace and quite .Am i being miserable ?
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Outside TV socket
Not sure if your serious but you didn't put any smileys.
Perhaps external TV input would have been a better description. It's a socket on the outside of the van to plug the loop aerial on the EHU bollard (often found on CAMC sites) into. So that TV can be watched inside the MH in low signal strength areas. This avoids the need to try and squeeze it through an almost closed window. Never have and never will watch TV outside.
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My fault SteveL, should have said external TV aerial socket. Its not only some UK sites that provide TV on the bollard. Some Continental sites provide satellite TV on bollards especially the further south you go.
We don't have a microwave either BB, never flelt the need for one in an LV. Do you have a dash cam? That would be fairly high on my list these days. Some insurance companies are giving discounts if you have one.
peedee
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We don't have a microwave either, although there was one in our last caravan. We would find it useful but it would remove a storage cupboard and of course they are reasonably heavy. I can think of better uses for the weight. We have changed our style of living from that in the caravan and actually use few 240 volt items. This is mainly because we find it easier and have refillable gas rather than the Calor bottles in our caravan. There is a lot less work surface in our MH than our old caravan, so gone is the electric kettle, electric coffee maker and electric toaster, we now use the whistling kettle, gas grill and push coffee pot. It also makes moving on quicker. Although a continental make, our MH does have the same size cooker / oven as our caravan. It was one of the reasons we chose it.
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all good stuff above...
agreed, the microwave would take up kitchen space, id rather have the large upper cupboard storage....
uk branded MH Kitchens are generally so packed full of 'goodies' that they seem to forget about storage....often plenty of worktop, enhanced by fitting tiny, under counter fridges, leaving a dearth of decent drawer and refrigerated storage. storage, for us, every time.
we had a Thetford Duplex oven/grill installed as part of the 'fettling deal'.
not really considered a dash cam, Peedee, but might look at some point.
we have our own satellite system so (with a little attention to parking) we have tv everywhere and doent even have a site TV extender....but i might make one...for a trial...
ps...i have seen folk (on continental sites) watching tv outside...how, in that bright sunshine?....and even some upmarket MHs with this as an option....
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With our new motorhome we had a few more extra's going for the Alliance range rather than the more basic Advance range so don't have a long list of extras to add. I don't think I will bother with a satellite dish on this one as we have an aerial which seems to work quite well. For the number of times we have to use the external TV co-ax cable we do just thread it through the corner of a window. Its something we have done over the years without a problem. We have always found microwaves useful. When we go away we do tend to use ready meals, especially for short trips so that along with the oven prove very useful. Margaret also uses it for her porridge every morning. So I think for us the mods I will be thinking about adding is the fan I mentioned earlier. Might think about a chassis mounted bike rack but we are not sure on that point as we don't think we will be touring abroad and we find riding bikes in this country more difficult because a lack of proper paths. Finally I should mention that the first things we added to this new motorhome was a VanBitz alarm and a Battery Master (the latter suggested by Peedee many years ago)
David
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David, that would be a shame if you stop touring abroad, having read your blogs i can see that ypuve had plenty of good times.
any particualr reason....the virus, getting older, still plenty to see in the uk etc?
one of the great things for us when 'away' is (as you inferred) the wonderful, quiet, often dedicated cycle routes...general cycling here holds little interest....dedicated paths are around but you have to find them..
good luck.
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BoleroBoy We are lucky where we live we have quite a few cycle ways, all disused railways thanks to Dr Beecham, (for us that can remember him an ex Chairman of my old company good old ICI). We tend to look for sites that have cycleways,most sites carry maps of them, we are on the borders of the Derbyshire dales which have really good cycle tracks Tissington trail, Monsal Trail, Manifold trail Staffordshire, and outside our back door the Middlewood way, all a good 8 to ten miles long with no traffic, just shared with walkers and Horses. If you go online you nearly always can find one within a easy drivable distance, quite a lot you can ride too from most CMC sites. One we hope to do is the New Forest. With never been abroad l can't comment, you may be correct in what you say that cycling is more pleasant but believe me we have some of the best pleasant and quiet cycle routes in the UK has well. All keep safe it won't be long before we are back on the road
Heethers
c
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David our MH had a full service plus cam belt change before we bought it in July, Its milage was 18550, it's now done 20660, l am thinking of only doing an oil change we only do on average 5000 year and do a full service in 2021. Obviously it will need an MOT in July no idea how much it is for a Motorhome is it more than a car.
Heethers
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BB
Never say never but by the time this current situation is over we will both be in our mid seventies and having not been abroad since 2016. I suspect there is an element of confidence involved. We also have an issue with insurance cover although I am sure that could be overcome, even at a cost. We have been very fortunate that we first started to go abroad in 1987 and as you know we have toured quite extensively through Europe, probably more so than many others, almost at the expense of the UK. So in a way we quite look forward to exploring around the UK as there are many places we have not been to. The bike thing is a bit more complicated. The Cycle Pro carrier we had on the last motorhome was OK but it was quite a lift and looking at the Alliance it looks as if the same carrier would be even higher which makes it a no,no. Hence the reason for looking at the chassis mounted racks but they are quite expensive so we have to decide whether we would get the use out of it. An alternative that has been suggested to me is a tow bar used in conjunction with a Thule (?) detachable cycle rack. This would give us the option of towing a small car if I could persuade Margaret that it was a good idea!!!
David
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An alternative that has been suggested to me is a tow bar used in conjunction with a Thule (?) detachable cycle rack. This would give us the option of towing a small car if I could persuade Margaret that it was a good idea!!!
That is eactly my arrangement David, it works very well and gives a great deal of flexibility. You can carry other things on a tow ball carrier appart from bicyles. I have even carried a free standing awning on mine as well as a bike.(It is rated at 60Kgm)
peedee
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We have the thurle we took the bike rack off the motor home added a tow bar, l know a bit expensive £870, the reason being we have electric bikes and they were quite heavy lifting to height the rack was. We already had the Thurle when we had the Santa Fe.We had to calculate that we wouldn't contravene the 3500 kilo weight restriction. One thing l cant find for the Thurle is a bike cover ours is the XTC2, the one from halfords is bit naff. The other thing is we can now open the rear window fully
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