Essential Motorhome Accessories

The equipment and accessories for your motorhome choices available to you when you purchase a brand-new or second-hand motorhome is huge as is the demand for retrofitted accessories is even greater.

Certain motorhome accessories can be included as an extra when you choose a new motorhome, and lucky buyers of second-hand motorhomes will benefit from the accessories and gadgets that come with the motorhome. You can also purchase many from a motorhome accessories store and either put them in yourself, or hire an experienced professional.

What Motorhome Equipment and Add-ons Do You Are You Looking For?

When you are deciding on the options and equipment in the process of purchasing a new motorhome or locating the ideal used motorhome think about the amount of weight each option will contribute on to your MRO (maximum running order) that is the weight of the vehicle at the time it leaves the factory.

The greater the MRO the smaller the payload you’ll have to your list of essential packing items of items you use every day. Get the manufacturer’s weight list before you decide on what’s important and what’s nice to keep.

Motorhome Equipment List

Automatic Food Fridge with Energy Choice

The majority of fridges are now equipped that have an option for AES. This means you don’t have to select manually the energy source to cool your refrigerator. The fridge will select electric if it is connected to gas, or electric if you’re not and 12v when you’re driving. It’s useful feature, but it does mean that you don’t need to think about every time you leave or arrive at an address, to switch the settings of your fridge.

Air Conditioning

Think about how you intend to make use of your motorhome. It’s probably in the “nice to have” category, especially if traveling around your home country of the UK as well as using the camper van for couple of weeks in the year. If you’re planning to travel to France with your motorhome during the month of August, it might be essential.

Air conditioning is a costly additional expense and requires at least 10A of EHU for it to work If it is less than that, it will stop working. Don’t even think of using your leisure batteries without a specialist setup! Based on the type of unit you choose, you could also select blowing hot air that can help with heating, or even be all you require.

Modern models can be controlled with a silent mode’ for use at night. I’m not convinced they’re all that quiet and, generally speaking after your van has been cooled getting to a comfy temperature, you’ll probably not want the air conditioner in the evening unless you are sleeping above the cab. It can get very hot and stuffy in hot conditions.

Awning

We believe that an awning light is the best option for protection from sun and weather protection. A light for awnings that connects to an internal switch, can be useful if you’re cooking or just sitting out at night. It is necessary to tie down straps and might be interested in bolt-on options, such as central rafter, sun screen and a wind diffuser as well as the safari room that shuts the awning from all sides. Thule is the primary manufacturer of motorhome awnings as well as accessories within the UK.

If you tend to camp out in the wild and camp in the wild, you shouldn’t need an awning in the same way as there’s no place where that you’ll have to put it out, or worried if you’re moving on…that’s our knowledge. We have heard of people who carry large parasols rather than an awning!

It is important to tilt your awning in order for rain to drain away or it will overflow and fall down. Make sure that your awning straps are used in the event of even the slightest possibility of wind. An awning are a costly piece of equipment to be lost.

Bike Rack

There are many kinds of bike racks that will meet any need, including motorhomes as well as campervans. Check out the recommendations and research before buying, you generally get what you get for your money. We recommend Fiamma bike racks.

If you have a towbar, rack, you can purchase racks that fit , which means that there is no need to drill into the rear of your vehicle. But, if you’ve got an extended back end, this could make you heavier and could result in you crashing on ferries and speed bumps.

It is possible to purchase an appropriate bike cover. This must be fitted with a warning signal attached (as do bikes with covers) as per rules of your country you’re traveling through. Fiamma offer a variety of.

Corner Steadies

Sometimes referred to as legs. These rear corner stabilizers are manually raised or lowered by turning an elongated spindle. The legs are in contact with the ground, and help to stabilize for people who move around the motorhome. You might find it beneficial to carry two pieces of wood that you can place beneath the legs in order to distribute the weight.

Electric Step

This basically means you can extend or retract a fixed step into the habitation entrance electrically (runs starting at 12 volts). The step is attached to the chassis and then can slide beneath when it is retracting. This is often done in the driver’s chair or by using an electronic switch near the door. A sound alarm will be activated when you begin to drive in order to remind you to lower the step prior to driving away.

External Gas Point

It’s a good thing to have in case you plan to cook a lot on the Cadac or similar grill. The point is usually located within a storage space at the rear of the door to the living area of the van. It is connected to the gas supply. They are easy to use and also mean that you don’t require an additional gas bottle.

Heating

Take into consideration how you will utilize your motorhome. If you are planning to use it for short vacations, you will not require heating. If you are planning to stay on the southern coast of Spain or Portugal at a camping site equipped with EHU, you could be able to do so with an oil-filled fan heater or radiator. If you plan to travel to the northern part of Europe and the mountain ranges during the wintermonths, you will certainly require heating.

You can choose between blowing or wet air. Our experience has shown that wet is the most comfortable and effective. The blowing air will dry your skin! The wet system can also provide hot water. It is recommended to consider a system with the boost feature if prefer a longer shower, or have more than two people. Also, you should look into how you can get gas in Europe rechargeable systems are the best, and will be explained further down the page.

Every heating system requires regular maintenance, usually 2 times per year, and it will require any kind of fuel. With an 11kg or a 6kg gas bottle, the heating runs continuously for about 48 hours, depending on the system you have. If you’re warm the van can keep the heat on for a long time. We’ve never had to keep the heating on more than two hours per day, even with minus temperatures.

Inverter

Inverters convert your 12V power into 230V which means that you can make use of three pin plug-ins and appliances. We do not use appliances like a toaster or other appliances that require a significant amount of power since they greatly deplete the batteries.

Be aware that certain inverters aren’t able to provide the full 230V from each socket. You may have some sockets with 230V and others with 12V ones. Be sure to know the type of socket you’re installing and be sure to get an inverter that is large enough to meet your requirements.

Leisure Batteries

All motorhomes need a leisure battery. The number, dimensions and type of leisure batteries will be contingent on the way you plan to utilize your motorhome. If you’re buying a second-hand motorhome, it is important to consider the age of the batteries. The battery life can be anywhere from four to five years, based on the usage and the type.

The batteries are recharged automatically when you’re connected to 230V and when you run the engine and then trickle charged using solar energy, if you are equipped with a solar panel. The regulator is normally installed that manages the various charges and keeps the batteries in a good condition. Batteries can be a difficult matter, speak to an expert dealer who will provide more details on batteries.

Motorhome Levelling

There are a variety of alternatives here, from basic ramps for leveling to’steadies that are made of adjustable legs that are slid down on the back corners to complete all-round hydraulic systems that are operated from the cabin.

Oven & Grill

Certain vans have some vans come with a (usually) Dometic stack of fridge freezers and ovens or microwave. Take note of what your campervan’s needs before you go out. Our van was equipped with an oven, and we have a microwave with a low power in our closet! We never thought we’d utilize an oven and we certainly didn’t during the summer months but in winter, we’re glad to have it. If you choose to use an oven, think about including an element of grilling. It’s great for toasting when you don’t need carrying a toaster around, or will be on the grid for a long time.

Satellite Television

Satellites require either a dome or dish as well as a large amount of wiring which is why they are best specified when you purchase. More information on satellite television and streaming TV here. There is also the possibility to access internet at a motorhome and WiFi by using a satellite dish which means you can connect to your mobile phone without costly data. It is important to note that it’s not an inexpensive option and is not always efficient for TV in the more southern regions that include Europe, Morocco and Turkey.
SOG Toilet

An amazing invention (unless you own the Thetford Porta Potti!) that eliminates the smelly toilet and reduces the requirement to use any chemicals. After opening the blade of the toilet (the smooth plastic lid that separates the bowl from the cassette) the fan begins to create negative pressure and removing undesirable odours out of the cassette via the roof or the side of the van, based the location where your toilet is. This means there’s no requirement for costly chemicals and no smells, and best is that it’s eco green. We’ve installed this on all of our vans. for us , it’s an essential accessory for motorhomes.