Chris & Diane
Hi all,
We're a newly retired couple and have just bought our first motorhome. We've hired motorhomes or stayed on fixed caravan sites in the past, for the odd holiday. Wanted to do this for a few years. Can't wait for lockdown to be lifted. Plan to tour the UK and when we're happy we've got the knack, visit Europe. We found the staff at CAMC sites were really friendly and helpful, so joining up was one of the first things we have done. We're slowly starting to stock up on what we think are the essentials. Other than having enough beer/wine, do you have any tips for us newbies? Diane is particularly interested in storage solutions.
Thanks
Comments
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Welcome to the Dark Side of this 'ere Fun Factory, Fass !
Just a couple of comments from me like :--
Did you buy from a dealer or previous owner then :--
did you get a load of goodies when you bought the 'van cos any decent dealer would have provided a few basic Must Haves like a 25 metre mains lead for electric hook-ups, something to get fresh water from the taps into the van -- like a few metres of FOOD GRADE CLEAR HOSE with tap connectors possibly with a watering can as well { I use the w/can mainly }
Others will follow this thread and make suggestions BUT DO NOT BUY THINGS as they arrive in your mind -- most of us vanners have spare rooms/sheds/garages stuffed with "must haves" that nobody least of all ourselves ever use.
ONE THING you must never travel without ~~~ your sense of humour x 2 if you are together, of course. I apologise for the capitals, it's considered to be Shouting but some things do need to be stressed
Take care to have fun !!5 -
Thanks ABM. The seller did provide us the above and a few more bits. Didn't think about the watering can, so that's a good tip. We learnt the sense of humour bit by driving up the wrong roads in Scotland in the past! Good to be reminded though.
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As for storage, small plastic crates or baskets are invaluable for holding your bits & bobs and tins of beans in the cupboards.
Lining shelves with rubber non-slip matting or cheap car mats from the likes of Lidl helps stop stuff shifting around and deadens rattles.
Fitting extra shelves in cupboards can help you fit in twice as many essential choices of clothes🙂
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Get yourself a refillable gas bottle. Over the years it will save you a fortune on the ripoff prices Calor charge for exchange bottles.
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Welcome to CT! I'd suggest being flexible where you store things, use your washroom when moving and the area behind the swivel seats when static. We bought a secondhand Fiamma box last year, this is fixed to the rear of the van and is useful for extra storage. Our best addition has been the solar panel on the roof, gives us flexibility without EHU.
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Welcome to CT. My suggest would be to join a forum dedicated to motorhome users in addition to CT. One of the liveliest is >Motorhomefun<. it will be £15 well spent but if you don't want to post save your money and just opt for read only membership. Plenty of information there and on similar forums.
peedee
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Hello and welcome😁 Top tip is try not to carry too much clutter. A long trip overseas (eventually) might necessitate taking a bit more stuff, but the less you can comfortably manage with will mean that you keep your overall touring weight down, make set up and pack up quicker, and make general living easier. But it’s what suits you of course👍
You find space for things in unlikely places, behind and underneath cab seats are good for items not required daily, but if using underneath, use a shallow storage basket so things can’t roll. A lot of folks fit in extra shelves to cupboards, fixed or temporary. Keep the upper cupboards for lightweight stuff. Your MH looks a generous size, ours is only small, like brue, we too bought a Fiamma box which fits on our rear bike rack for Winter. We tour all year, worst bit is drying out wet coats and boots, but coats go in bathroom with heating on for quick drying. If you intend touring in Winter, you might find a small oil filled radiator good for in cab area, this will dry out boots as well, out of way when on Site. Ours tucks behind cab seat when on the move.
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Welcome to Club Together. As you say, once we're out of lockdown, I hope you gets lots of enjoyment from your new purchase.
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We have certainly found the solar panels we had fitted to our MH invaluable. Firstly because, as our van is in a storage compound, they have kept both cab and leisure battery charged throughout the lockdowns. Secondly for the occasional foray off grid. In this country we mainly use sites with EHU. However, when we took it to France we found the network of Aires very useful in getting close to what you want to visit. Some have limited EHU but many do not. As we don’t do a lot of off grid we just have the one leisure battery and don’t bother with an inverter. We found it adequate for keeping the batteries charged for a few days. Whilst using the 12 volt for TV, lights / 12volt systems and charging devices. Refillable gas, as CY mentions , will help keep costs down when off grid.
I would also advise taking it to a weigh-bridge to establish what scope you have for “other things” whilst staying within the overall weight and axle limits
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Welcome to motorhoming. Lots of things have been highlighted that you might need although before spending lots of money I think I would get a few trips under your belt as these will highlight where the needs are. With regard to storage it might be worth having a look at the Really Useful Boxes website. We use these in our van and have found them well made and there is a massive selection of sizes. Our motorhome didn't have shelves in lots of the overhead cupboards so we find these stact easily on the shelves. Whilst you are unlikely to find the entire range on sale in shops I have found some of the popular sizes in the likes of Morrisons and the DIY sheds.
David
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Welcome to the ever expanding it seems world of LVs
1 when in the Uk you may find with the big increase in Staycations ,sites not just either of the clubs will be getting busier especially at peak times so if possible book.as early as you can
2 Before thinking of buying any add goodies for your LV try and get it weighed , to ensure that what you consider essential? does not compromise your load capacity ,
We all have a room/space full of at the time "essential?"buys
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Welcome to Club Together Chris and Diane. Look forward to reading how you get on with it all.
On the subject of storeage solutions, I tend to agree with the post further up - don't take too much stuff with you. I remember the stuff we used to take, especially when the kids were with us - we even used to take an 'awning fridge', which I certainly wouldn't do these days (even if I were going to warmer places in Europe.
It might be worth looking at some of the stuff produced by Colapz. Although a lot of the stuff may be more useful for the caravanner, its certainly worth a look....
David
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