What not to buy lol!

[scbunurse]

So - eagerly awaiting collecting our Bailey Autograph in March but can't resist going to the MH show in Glasgow in Feb as it's just down the road (well about 3.5 hrs away)

I know we'll be tempted by all sorts of gadgetry whichever way we turn so can all you experienced MH's advise please on what would be really useful and what is a waste of space/weight/money.

We will be getting levellers and a Sine inverter if there are deals to be had but other than that...

 

[WillH]

A Campabucket, really useful bit of kit, complements the watering can.

 

[nicholsong]

Thanks - hoping to wild camp quite a bit as we are in Highlands of Scotland. But that does mean only a few hours of daylight in the winter and that's mainly when I would expect to be sewing. In the long summer days we'll be out hopefully...

Now we know you are wildcamping in Scotland I would suggest a second cassette would not go amiss and according to your Boy Scout/Miltary experience maybe also a folding shovel - we bought ours in Callender.

But except those items which your previous camping has advised you about, I would still hold off till you have used the MH.

The advice about using it on the drive/road at home is good, as you can find stuff in the house - but then duplicate it for the MH. It is a pain to have to remember to transfer stuff from one to the other.

We apply this to even toothpaste, razor, cooking oil etc. and towels and duvets/covers - an initial outlay, but they will in total last longer - also when one arrives home from a trip with it all dirty there are fresh ones in the house.

Geoff

 

[Xabia]

Don’t buy a sat nav, use an app on mobile or tablet, Google Maps or Co-Pilot, always up to date and more accurate and cheaper.

 

[chaser]

A Campabucket, really useful bit of kit, complements the watering can.

Yeah we have a fold up bucket , and do the same with grey waste as the clean , just shove it under till it's full then go and empty it when it's convenient

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[chaser]

Don’t buy a sat nav, use an app on mobile or tablet, Google Maps or Co-Pilot, always up to date and more accurate and cheaper.

Yeah , as I suggested " here maps" is the one we use, been all over Europe with it , never lost and compleatly free and also works offline.

 

[nicholsong]

Good quality easy chairs that fold as flat as possible.
Skid mats for that muddy field.
Plastic storage boxes, for the odds and sods.
Decent wheel brace, or long handle wrench, small extension and right sized impact socket.
Melamine plates etc.
At least 2 LED torches, small for around the van and a good long distance.
Triangular road/safety signs.
2, High Viz jackest that fits over outdoor clothing. ( It's not always dry at 9.00pm )
USB socket, mains and cigarette holder.
Awning steadies for high wind. Decent screw pegs. There is a kit that comes with plates, screw pegs of different length, usually about £70, but last a life time. Needs Battery drill, and then of course charger.
Beware of the light weight folding bowls and buckets, a sharp knife very easily penetrates, making it a waste of money. Prefer large bucket/bowl, 2 handles holds all the laundry or pots and pans etc. Stand about 18 -24" high, sounds big, but is lightweight and pack loads of stuff in for the garage.
Folding stool/step.
Little Devil, cooking aid. Bit like a waffle maker or toastie etc, but 3" wide, use on electric, gas, bar b q.Does savoury or sweet, £15.
Microwaveable non staining containers.
Motorhome wi-fi, expensive and dosn't work every where. Only boosts what is available on short range. We tried it and couldn't even access MacDoalds
Rubber door mat

That's about it for starters.

Did you read the question?

'What not to buy'

You must be a salesman.

Geoff

 

[44658]

The what not to buy is limitless, and every year some new chocolate fountain, dyson this and that. If you are really keen, then go to a few carboot sales this spring, and see all the useless Christmas presents. Hence what to buy, rather than a million plus of what not to. As for salesman, I've nicked a few in the past. nod ploddy noddy.

 

[DangerMousy]

er - what's the watering can for?

Lots of people recommend using one to top up your water tank without having to drive over to the tap. Its a great idea, but sadly doesn't work with Baileys because of the Whale system fitted

If you want to fill from a container then you can buy a Whale submersible pump to do that....but then you have to store a water carrier. We carried an aquaroll on our first couple of trips abroad but found that we only needed to use it a couple of times (most sites tended to have a tap near every pitch or we filled up via hose whilst emptying the waste) so we now plan carefully and manage without. We do take it with us on UK sites though if we're staying for more than a couple of nights as not many of them have a service point.

The EHU cable and hose are supplied

Check its specifically a Whale water hose - our dealer just supplied a generic hose with standard Hozelock ends and us being newbies didn't know what to look for. Found out the first time we tried to fill us we couldn't use it so we had to take the hose through a window, lift the floor hatch up and fill from the inside

A normal system that you can use a watering can for would be great though - I often wonder how easy a mod it would be?

 

[ianthebuilder]

er - what's the watering can for?

For your pot plants,, that you have to have( by law) placed outside your hab door!!
Xx

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[nicholsong]

For your pot plants,, that you have to have( by law) placed outside your hab door!!
Xx

I know C&MC think there rules are 'Law' but.........

 

[Northernraider]

Thanks - hoping to wild camp quite a bit as we are in Highlands of Scotland. But that does mean only a few hours of daylight in the winter and that's mainly when I would expect to be sewing. In the long summer days we'll be out hopefully...

If you plan to wildcamp a lot of forget about the silver screens....the van will have blinds as standard and those suffice
It also means you can make a quick getaway if ever required without the need to go outside and remove screens.

 

[scbunurse]

I thought the purpose of the blinds was to minimise condensation and keep heat in. Wouldn't that be the same wherever we camp?

 

[Bertie Bus]

We have found that despite using the fitted blinds, you get quite a bit of condensation inside the van due to the exchange of temperature (warm inside and cold outside) especially this time of year. I understand that the silver blinds act as insulation so that the difference between inside and outside is not so different.

 

[Puddleduck]

And a lot of the "show specials" can be bought cheaper elsewhere.

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[Southdowners]

- Save the air filled packaging you get when ordering things online - it's great for stopping plates, cups, glasses rattling or falling over.
- Door mats for outside and in
- jigsaw mats for outside, easier than large matting
- tub trugs come in all different sizes and they allow you to carry them as you would a bag - much easier, especially if you carry one in each hand. You can carry a lot of water in that way - far easier than a bucket or watering can.
- a whole set of saucepans, plates, cups, glasses and cutlery
- kitchen utensils
- Karcher window vac. Fantastic for clearing condensation
- first aid kit
- tool kit
- cleaning products


I can think of lots of other things to take but the list would be longer than a long thing!

 

[MattR]

These are the items that we carry in our MH: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...xAUj2A6DsjPxGfnkXyxctfRYi_xWRSGqkLFZl/pubhtml

 

[Reallyretired]

Lots of different opinions. We don't carry any sort of external screens, the inside blinds seem fine and I wouldn't like to be unable to drive off in an emergency, either on an aire/wild or indeed on a site if the van next door was on fire. We also wouldn't bother with a Karcher window vac, either in the MH or at home, never felt the need for one in 40 years of motorhoming. Also don't carry a barbeque or anything similar as not keen on burnt or raw food (or both at once in some cases).

Definitely do carry spare glasses (both ordinary and sun) as I am the only driver of the MH and am short sighted.

 

[Northernraider]

Good quality easy chairs that fold as flat as possible.
Skid mats for that muddy field.
Plastic storage boxes, for the odds and sods.
Decent wheel brace, or long handle wrench, small extension and right sized impact socket.
Melamine plates etc.
At least 2 LED torches, small for around the van and a good long distance.
Triangular road/safety signs.
2, High Viz jackest that fits over outdoor clothing. ( It's not always dry at 9.00pm )
USB socket, mains and cigarette holder.
Awning steadies for high wind. Decent screw pegs. There is a kit that comes with plates, screw pegs of different length, usually about £70, but last a life time. Needs Battery drill, and then of course charger.
Beware of the light weight folding bowls and buckets, a sharp knife very easily penetrates, making it a waste of money. Prefer large bucket/bowl, 2 handles holds all the laundry or pots and pans etc. Stand about 18 -24" high, sounds big, but is lightweight and pack loads of stuff in for the garage.
Folding stool/step.
Little Devil, cooking aid. Bit like a waffle maker or toastie etc, but 3" wide, use on electric, gas, bar b q.Does savoury or sweet, £15.
Microwaveable non staining containers.
Motorhome wi-fi, expensive and dosn't work every where. Only boosts what is available on short range. We tried it and couldn't even access MacDoalds
Rubber door mat

That's about it for starters.

I thought I carried a load of extra stuff u never use ha ha

 

[Northernraider]

For your pot plants,, that you have to have( by law) placed outside your hab door!!
Xx

Or like the French woman I passed in peniscola who had them all ground the windscreen in her hymer while she was driving it ...how she gets away with that ill never know ...they weren't small either

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[Reallyretired]

Also looking again at post by @RanC I don't carry skid mats. Not needed as rwd and I have a loathing of anything melamine, proper glass and China only, also correct lasses for wine, brandy etching.
It would be a funny old world if we were all the same especially if we were all like me

 

[Northernraider]

I have somehow ended up with 8 torches though and I've only used one of them about 3 times in the last 5 months

 

[airwave]

A big umbrella
crocs
wellies
collapsible bucket
all useful

Brolly , nah that's handy , rest yeah .

folding shovel

Hmmm tricky , yot question " not to carry" , but i would and do . However go for army surplus , or the same from ebay . The usual ones sold are plastic , bloody useless .

also correct lasses

Ello ! ! ! .

 

[Reallyretired]

Brolly , nah that's handy , rest yeah .



Hmmm tricky , yot question " not to carry" , but i would and do . However go for army surplus , or the same from ebay . The usual ones sold are plastic , bloody useless .



Ello ! ! ! .

Bl**dy autocorrect should be glasses and etchings was supposed to be etc.

 

[airwave]

Cheer's me ol mucker .





I agree with your cup and plates though .

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[MattR]

Also looking again at post by @RanC I don't carry skid mats. Not needed as rwd and I have a loathing of anything melamine, proper glass and China only, also correct lasses for wine, brandy etching.
It would be a funny old world if we were all the same especially if we were all like me

Surely you don't drink out of anything other than cut crystal?

 

[Northernraider]

Surely you don't drink out of anything other than cut crystal?

Silver goblets for me ...dishwasher safe

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Also looking again at post by @RanC I don't carry skid mats. Not needed as rwd and I have a loathing of anything melamine, proper glass and China only, also correct lasses for wine, brandy etching.
It would be a funny old world if we were all the same especially if we were all like me

Correct lasses for wine are essential. The wrong lasses probably prefer beer.

 

[jezport]

We have found that despite using the fitted blinds, you get quite a bit of condensation inside the van due to the exchange of temperature (warm inside and cold outside) especially this time of year. I understand that the silver blinds act as insulation so that the difference between inside and outside is not so different.

True but if you are wild camping you don't know if you are goind to have to make a quick getaway, which would be impossible with silver screens on.

 

[Northernraider]

True but if you are wild camping you don't know if you are goind to have to make a quick getaway, which would be impossible with silver screens on.

Also having to take them off dripping wet and packing away .....reminds me of tent camping euch.


But definately agree with the quick getaway it's one of the reasons I always reverse in to a wildcamp spot too and have my drivers seat back in driving position before I go to bed.

Probably watched too many horror movies lol but it pays to be prepared.

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[gus-lopez]

Just noticed Mitzimad that you are from Walthamstow. We are originally from Ilford and Canning Town now in Cornwall.
Sorry a bit off topic.

Bought our first house in Ilford when we got married. East ham & Forest Gate before.

Or like the French woman I passed in peniscola who had them all ground the windscreen in her hymer while she was driving it ...how she gets away with that ill never know ...they weren't small either

You haven't seen the Belgian missionaries then ?

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