What do I need ?

I’ve got some standard ramps from our caravan days, probably start with them. Does the water filler cap cut out when the tank is full ?

Thanks JK, got most of that already. I was always careful with payload and axle weights, and spent a while finding the right MH with a sensible payload. Always checked our van, total and axle, on the local weighbridge at the start of each season and will continue this with a MH.

What is the general consensus re travelling with water in the tank ?

No unfortunately not. Although it does mean you can keep an eye on how full it is getting. We only tend to travel with Hymers recommended 20 litres, so if only stopping for a night will only top it up until the gauge shows 50. That’s also where the watering can may come in handy. If there is a queue at the MH service point, it is often easier to park up and put in 3 of those.

Personally, as we always stop on sites or Aires where water is available, I don’t see any point in lugging about an additional 80 kilos. The recommended 20 is plenty for use on route and would even serve for a night in an emergency, if filling wasn’t possible.

Why not? It’s what MHs are meant for - to travel with all services usable. We fill at home before setting off and never drain before moving sites. In fact, that would be a pain as our MH is used every day when on tour.

We only fill with a hose at either a MHSP or ordinary tap and the only time we did differently was at Altnaharra where the SP is inaccessible to MHs.

Everyone has different ways of doing things. Just pick what’s best for you.

Hope you enjoy your new MH😁 We can recommend Silverscreens/Taylormade screens, great insulators, and help keep excessive heat out in Summer. If your cab are proves a bit cool, a very small portable oil filled radiator will take off the chill in Winter. It’s all we use for overnight, even when it drops very cold. Dunelm, around £20.

Best advice from us? Travel as light but as comfy as you need in terms of things you take with you. It keeps set up/pack away easy and simple, and, if you can, use it to go off sites, rather than like a caravan. With a little bit of research, you can generally find easy parking, and that way you can enjoy your own facilities off site as well, and it won’t restrict your choice of sites as much. 

Nellie’s point is good advice. You don’t have to stick to just HS pitches, if you use common sense, and have some decent underwheel mats/ramps to help. But always check your ground before driving on. We probably do 60/40% in favour of grass during Summer, but tend to use either HS or reinforced grass in Winter. We carry track mats, sometimes bridging ramps. All depends if you want to make the effort or stick with HS.

Have a lovely time 👍

We always travel with about a half full tank and top up when we reach the campsite. I might depend on your payload allowance as every litre of water equals one kilo in weight. Fortunately we have a quite generous allowance in our van.

David

The best advice by far on this thread is Tinny's comment thus:

Everyone has different ways of doing things. Just pick what’s best for you.

As a motor homer for 36 years, some of the comments I have read above are suggesting ways of working that I would not dream of adopting. But the point is everyone is different and we all find our preferred way of working. The only bottom line essentials I would agree with in order of priority are (specifically for motorhoming as opposed to a caravanning):

Levelling blocks  

Hose adaptors/attachments/water filler cap (as shown by SteveL above)

Watering can to keep fresh topped up

I never had mirror protectors (I don't think I knew they existed; never had an issue). I did have wheel covers utilised only between trips to help prevent or delay cracking in the tyre walls. I never had external windscreen covers. The windscreen and cab-side windows are the best source of light and provide the best view of surroundings in the van and I could never understand the idea of covering this up. I know you can remove it in the morning, but very few that I witnessed ever did. However, I know I am in a minority on this judging by my own observations on site.

Therefore, if you follow the majority, you'll want an external screen cover. 

Also, I used to travel with whatever fresh water was still in the tank, whether it were full or otherwise.

If you have cab blinds you won’t need a silver screen. As you have a garage your caravan accessories such as picnic table, chairs etc. will fit so no need to downsize. A food grade filler hose can be handy if you are parked up on a pitch with a tap (quite common in France) or a serviced pitch in the UK. I have a Jerry can style water container (plastic) for topping up the water tank during lengthy stays. Wing mirrors can be extremely costly to replace so protectors may save you. Mirror Guard are good.

Don't buy too much, it’s best to go away on a trip and decide afterwards.

There seems to be a bit of a difference of view regarding insulated screen covers v cab blinds. I appreciate that it is a personal and if you have screen blinds I would try those first before spending money on an external screen. However whether you might prefer an external cover might well depend where the sleeping accommodation viz a viz the cab area. If you are sleeping near the front of the van then, during the summer, internal blinds can still let in a lot of light. Maybe that is not an issue but for some it will be. Also an insulated screen cover will provide a bit of protection against both hot and cold temperatures. Most insulated screens have a middle section which can be pulled down (Velcro) if you want to see out. Our Taylormade has served us well over the past 10 years from frosty conditions at Chatsworth in December to very hot conditions on a Med campsite in the summer. Not an essential purchase but one that could be useful depending on some of the things I have mentioned.

David