The equipment and accessories for your motorhome options are available when you purchase a brand-new or used motorhome are huge as is the demand for retrofitted accessories is even greater.

Certain motorhome accessories can be included as an extra when you select a new motorhome and fortunate buyers of used motorhomes can benefit from accessories and gadgets that are already installed. If not, you can purchase the majority of motorhome accessories online and either put them in yourself or hire an experienced professional.

What Motorhome Equipment and accessories do you really Are You Looking For?

When you are deciding on the equipment and choices when you are deciding on the specifications of purchasing a new motorhome or locating the perfect used motorhome, think about the weight each one will contribute onto the MRO (maximum running order) that’s the weight of the vehicle at the time it leaves the factory.

The greater the MRO the lower the payload you’ll have to your list of essential packing items of daily items. Request the manufacturer’s list of weights available before deciding what’s important and what’s good to include.

Motorhome Equipment List

Automatic Food Fridge with Energy Choice

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

Air Conditioning

Take into consideration how you’ll utilize your motorhome. It’s probably in the “nice to have” category, particularly if you’re traveling in Europe or the UK and using the campervan 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 cost-effective additional expense and requires at least 10A of EHU to function effectively If it is less than that, it will stop working. Don’t even think of using your leisure batteries unless you have a professional setup! Based on the type of unit you have, you may also opt for blowing hot air to be a good addition to your heating system or even be all you require.

Modern models can be controlled with a silent mode’ for use at night. I’m not sure they’re all that quiet and, generally speaking when your van is at a comfortable temperature, you’ll probably not want the air conditioner on during the night unless you are sleeping above the cab, which can become 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 awning light that is connected to an internal switch, can also be helpful when you’re cooking or just sitting out at night. It is necessary to tie down straps and might need to think about bolt-on options, such as central rafter, sun screen as well as a wind diffuser, and an area for safari that closes your awning completely. Thule is the primary manufacturer of motorhome awnings and accessories within the UK.

If you tend to camp out in the wild then you might not need an awning in the same way as there won’t be a place you’ll need to set it up, or be concerned if you move on…that’s our experiences. We have friends who have a big parasol rather than an awning!

It is important to tilt your awning in order for rain to drain away otherwise it could fill up and then collapse. Make sure that your awning straps are on in the event of even the slightest possibility of wind. Awnings can be a costly piece of equipment to be lost.

Bike Rack

There are many kinds of bike racks that will meet every need, including motorhomes and campervans. Research and verify recommendations prior to buying. Generally, you get what you spend for. We recommend Fiamma bike racks.

If you own a tow bar, rack, you can purchase racks that fit , which means that there is no need to drill into the rear of your vehicle. If you do have a lengthy back end this could make you heavier and cause you to crash on ferries and speed bumps.

There is a possibility of 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 has a wide selection.

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 as people move around in the motorhome. You might find it beneficial to carry two pieces of wood that you can place beneath the legs in order to spread the burden.

Electric Step

This basically means you can extend or move a fixed step into the habitation entrance electrically (runs from 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 via an opening switch on the door. Alarms will sound each time you begin to drive in order to remind you to lower the step before leaving.

External Gas Point

It is a great thing to have to cook up a large amount with the Cadac or similar grill. The point is typically located within a storage space near the front door of the van. It’s connected to the gas supply. They are easy to operate and means you don’t need to carry an additional gas bottle.

Make sure you check Autoleisure for their motorhome accessories store.

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 spend winter on the southern coast of Spain or Portugal on a camping spot equipped with EHU, you could have to use a plug-in oil-filled fan heater or radiator. If you are planning to venture to Northern Europe as well as the mountains during the wintermonths, you will certainly require heating.

There is a choice of blowing air or wet. Our experience has shown that wet is definitely the most efficient and comfortable. The blowing air will dry your skin! The wet system can also provide hot water. It is worthwhile to look into a system that has the boost feature if prefer a longer shower, or if there are more than two people. It is also important to think about how to obtain gas in Europe Refillable systems are ideal and are explained further down the page.

Every heating system requires regular maintenance, usually 2 times per year, and it will require the same type of fuel. With an 11kg or 6kg gas bottle, the heating runs continuously for around 48 hours, based on the system you have. If you’re warm your van will be able to retain heat for quite a while. Our heating has never been to be on for more than two hours per day, even with minus temperatures.

Inverter

Inverters convert your 12V power into 230V which means it is possible to utilize three pin plug-in devices and appliances. It isn’t recommended to use items like a toaster or other appliances that require a significant amount of power since they greatly deplete the batteries.

Be aware that certain inverters don’t provide all 230V for each socket. You might have 230V sockets, but others with 12V ones. Be sure to know the type of socket you’re installing and be sure to get an inverter large enough for your requirements.

Leisure Batteries

All motorhomes need a leisure battery. The number, kind and size of the leisure battery will depend on the way you plan to utilize your motorhome. If you’re buying an old motorhome, be sure to check 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 automatically charged when you are connected to 230V, you are running your engine, and then trickle charged using solar energy, if you are equipped with a solar panel. The regulator is normally in place that regulates the various charges and helps keep your batteries in their optimal condition. Batteries can be a difficult topic, so talk to an expert dealer who will provide more details on batteries.

Motorhome Levelling

There are many choices here, from simple ramps for leveling to’steadies that 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 the (usually) Dometic stack of refrigerator freezers, ovens or microwave. Consider what your campervan’s needs for food before you splash out. The van we had came with an oven. We keep a microwave of low-wattage inside our clothes! We never thought we’d make use of an oven and certainly not during the summer months but in winter, we’re grateful for it. If you opt for an oven, you might want to consider including an element of grilling. It’s great for toasting when you don’t need carrying a toaster around, or is off grid a lot.

Satellite Television

Satellite system require dome or dish and a lot of wiring inside which is why they are best specified when you purchase. You can find more details about satellite television and streaming TV here. There is also the possibility to access internet at a motorhome and WiFi with 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 alternative to consider and isn’t always efficient for TV in the more southern regions in Europe, Morocco and Turkey.
SOG Toilet

An amazing invention (unless you own an 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 divides the bowl from the cassette) the fan begins to create negative pressure and removing unpleasant odours from the cassette by letting them escape through the roof or sides of the van, depending on the area where the toilet is. This means that there is no need for costly chemicals, no smells, and best is that it’s ecologically green. We’ve installed this on all of our vans. and for us it’s an essential part of a motorhome.