What to buy for new a MH?

Hi fatbelly, I think I said this on your last thread on the same subject which has obviously been lost in cyberspace

My best buy is a Silver Screens external screen cover, can be, (and is, in our case) used all year round.....even with internal blinds that may or may not be provided, external screens are, imho a must have for the comfort they provide in summer or winter.....

I would certainly buy a good set of levelling ramps. There are a lot of hardstandings that are far from level.  Personally It drives me mad if the van is not level.  I also agree with the previous post that silverscreens are a good buy, especially if you intend to use the van in winter as they cut out all the condensation problems.  Do buy good quality ones though like Silverscreen or Taylormade, not the cheap rubbish ones of ebay. 

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You will get lots of replies to this. The advice to "buy as you need" is good and will prevent you getting carried away in the accessory shop.

Levelling Blocks

A decent set of these is invaluable and will last for decades. A small spirit level is also useful. We also bought a set of quality wheel chocks from Alko (not cheap but not an area to cut corners).

Chairs

You can spend a little or a lot on these. Canvas stuff in a bag chairs which stow easily and are reasonably comfortable can be bought for around £10. Top quality chairs can approach £100 each. Do you actually need a sun-lounger. This is one purchase where talking to others may point you in the right direction.

Insulated Cab screens

These can be internal or external and are very useful especially in cold weather. Lots of threads and opinions. For us an external Silver-Screen is best but others favour the competitor brand Taylor-Made. Internal screens have their uses too but if you are only buying one I would go for external.

Fresh Water

In some locations e.g. a CL you won't be able to use your hose and/or to conveniently connect the hose to your van. You can buy an aqua-roll but personally I would just buy a funnel (some people off cut one from a plastic bottle) and a plastic container which can be 10 litres or up to 25ltr depending on how strong you are and/or how much storage you have. Alternatively some people use a watering can (but if you do this watch the width of the filler inlet compared with the spout). Some people (us included) do not drink from tank water so a separate water container is useful. Our high quality 5ltr one cost 12e in Germany.

Grey Water

On CC sites there is usually a dumping point but these are not universal. A full blown waste-master (as used by caravanners) takes up size and weight but a simpler low profile tank (around 19ltr) can be purchased from most accessory shops (again watch out for height of tank on its side versus free space under tank outlet).

Crockery cutlery pans etc

Most people probably have a van set of these and they may range from one cup and one plate each up to a full set. You will probably want to buy a gas kettle if you intend to be off grid but initially you can probably bring everything from home until you see how elaborate you want to be.

Toilet Chemicals etc

You will need these Aqua-Chem or whatever and special toilet paper initially. Many people believe there are cheaper alternatives (lots of threads here) but I would start conventionally.

Tools and Spares

Again a huge subject and it depends how technically confident you are. However duck tape fuses and spare bulbs at least.

Fire protection and First Aid

We carry a decent sized foam Fire Extinguisher and a fire blanket. Your van may come with a dry powder one but it is unlikely to be up to the job. Your van should have and/or you should fit a good smoke alarm and CO alarm. Carry a decent First Aid Kit . If you are not trained to use a Fire Extinguisher and/or in First Aid consider acquiring these skills.

Packing Stuff Generally

There are any amount of packing solutions but often the adaptation of materials or containers you already have will work best. Lining shelves with "sticky" liners in a favourite.

Prices

I suspect most people bite the bullet and buy from their local dealer but you can shop around on-line or otherwise including e-bay however these days the internet is not always cheapest.

 

As I said you will get lots of advice and only your own experience and wishes will filter out the good and bad the necessary and the worthless.

Best of luck with your new hobby.

 

Hi fatbelly. This thread HERE might be of use as I posted a very similar question a few months ago. We were previously caravanners though so did have quite a bit that we transferred across. I can't tell from your post whether you are or not..

We've had literally tons of trips away since buying it in August and an certainly happy to offer my thoughts as a newbie Motorhomer. - most of the things I mention were given as really good advice on here.

So in no particular order;

1.I would not be without my levelling blocks (so with that a spirit level is handy) - I have a real bug bear about not feeling level, it's personal preference of course but even those pitches that look level can turn out to have an incline.

2.A silver screen or similar - this has been an absolute godsend for motorhoming in winter. It wasn't cheap but it was worth every penny. It seems that there are two brands worth buying - Silver Screen and another - I'll edit it when I find the thread. Beware cheap imitations was the advice I was given.

3.I have also bought a small heater for the front of the rig where we sit. Even with blown air, our feet were cold - this has been a real bonus - THIS is similar to ours. I cannot tell you how much we've needed and used this!

4.I bought a mat for the "landing" here we stepped in. Saved lots of muddy floors

5.2 x Microfibre towels - towels are VERY hard to dry in a motorhome. Brilliant purchase. Easy to find on Amazon or ebay

6.We already had chairs for outside - 2 Isabella chairs - the 2016 version of THESE, complete with the leg rest. You spend an awfully long time in your chairs wink so if you CAN afford decent ones, I'd get a couple but if not, any will do :)

That's it for now, but I'll have another think. All that said, the best advice we got was to do a couple of trips and see what YOU miss/feel you need.

 

Agree with above posts and would add a collapsible bucket for emptying the waste tank if you don't want to/ or can't us the MHSP. Some antislip matting for lining the cupboards and shelves to stop things sliding around would also be useful. A pitch sign for when you go out for the day to stop someone nicking your pitch.

When we bought our first motorhome,  a very good motorhoming friend advised us to each buy a set of ear plugs  and wear them when we were travelling between sites. . -------------  I thought he was joking until the first holiday with the van.  The rattles and squeaks and other strange noises from the habitation area  were just bit annoying.

We soon learned how to deaden most of the rattles during that holiday but only on smooth roads.  We kept the ear plugs handy just in case though.

 

Cheers...................K

you only need 4 things

levelling ramps ,home made or bought

Silver screen

Chairs, as comfy as possible

Cider, after a couple of cans you won't care about what you have forgotten to buy

Our first purchase was an insulated front screen cover, especially if you are going away in colder whether. We have a Taylormade cover which is slightly longer and covers the bonnet air vents preventing water getting into the engine compartment. You will need some form of levelling, I have found very few hardstandings to be completely level!!! Having tried various plastic ramps I have ended up using wooden ramps made out of scaffold planks, not quite as dignified but they work!!! 

David

Thanks to everyone for the replies. They are much appreciated.

Going off your recommendations I'll be buying an external silver screen and some levelling chocks.

With regards to the silver screen, its been posted that in winter they reduce condensation but what are their value in the summer.