👇For all the items we use in our Motorhome please see our Amazon Storefront* below👇 www.amazon.co.uk/shop/livetodrive?ref=cm_sw_em_r_inf_own_livetodrive_dp_cHOrbbaZQsH51 * As an Amazon Associate we earn commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support :)
As we are not on the road all the time and you have to take stuff in and out the motorhome, I take a large bag (I call it the too en from bag) and as we go or when I am at home and for intstance, have to put the towels of the moho somewhere, after washing, they go in the to en from bag. So when the day of travel comes I just grab the bag and off we go! Not expensive but really usefull, in my opinion! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I own both the external and internal cab blinds. I bought the internal ones and found that they suffered from a little condensation, which I had to rub off daily, especially in the winter. For this reason I bought the external blinds and used to sing their praises, that is until it became windy. In a gale they flap all over and on the last trip we made, I didn't take the internal blinds with me so we had to persevere in the wind with the external blinds. To cut a long story short, when we got home and I cleaned my van, the front wing on one side and the door on the other side was scratched from the movement of the fabric and at the point of the magnets in the little pocket on the doors. I had to t-cut the scratches out, fortunately they came out. I now prefer the internal blinds, yes they have more condensation which has to be rubbed off but on the flip side, they don't damage the paint work at any time, you can use them more safely, if you wild camp, which we don't but the external blinds are also very bulky as well, to store in the van. Nowhere on CZcams was I told by anybody that they can damage your paintwork in the wrong conditions. It may be still when you put them on but at the end of the night it can get very windy on occasion. All it takes is sand or grit to be whipped up by the wind and find itself between the material and your bodywork and voilà you have a course sanding sheet.
A very fair point I will make sure it is mentioned in a future video. We don’t use the magnets and on a couple of occasions when the wind was strong they have indeed flapped around which is irritating just because of the noise without the thought of them scratching the van too although we have yet to find any marks on our van. Thanks for watching and your informative comments.
Just found you guys, great videos, really helpful and subscribed. Just had our first trip in our camper an and this is great. Look forward to watching the rest of your vlogs, I’m 4 in 😊
Just a little nugget for newbies who store their Moho outside during winter. Run engine at least once every two weeks more if poss, and move Moho as often as poss to stop flat spots on tyres occuring, we found this out the hard way as newbies.
Yes very good points. The “CP” Michelin’s apparently hold up better to not being used frequently but nether the less we should all regularly run the engines and move the vans; even it is only around a storage site.
Absolutely brilliant! We are gradually collecting motorhome stuff in preparation for a new purchase in the coming weeks/months. Many of these items were not on our list, so thank you!
I have watched a couple of your vids, really like them. Very informative, and easy to watch. New to this motor home lark, as parents have passed theirs to me.... so now, thanks to you I have a ready made shopping list.
Very informative, thank you. Haven’t yet picked up our motorhome but getting prepared for it’s arrival. A few more things added to the shopping list after watching 😂👌🏽👏🏼
Thanks. We still recall the first day picking up our Motorhome… only to drive it straight to storage before lockdown 😔 We wish you many happy travels in your new van. Thanks for your support 👍
Brilliant, useful, informative, thanks both great video, love our tv when away curl up and watch a film if weather not to good. I use elsan (blue normally but have green too) last well, works great, no smells. Toaster me to must have👍 Thanks again keep them coming take care xx
Thanks. We enjoy making these types of video and hopefully this shows on screen. Thanks for your suggestion regards Elsan, we will try it out. Yes the toaster is necessary 😊 Thanks again for your support. We wish you many safe and happy travels 👍
We went from MoHo to campervan, only because we could store at home and use it as a daily runner and only two of us. On mpg for our 6m MoHo 170bhp if I kept it at 60mph or below 35 mpg, soon as I toed it it dropped to 25mpg. Have fun in the van and yes enjoy your bathroom 😀
My husband is also a gadget person. He has made his own electronic leveller which we use all the time. It shows the van back to front and side to side.
Absolutely loved this I have wrote everything down thst you have listed lol we can't afford to buy our motor home untill we retire in 5 yrs time lol but then we will buy our dream van which is the pilote 650c ..then it's time for us to start making our memories together 😀😀😀😀
Good vid, like the way you anticipated the “you don’t want to do that” comments. Toaster, coffee machine musts, totally agree it’s my van, it’s my holiday couldn’t give a toss what other think! 😀
15m is a good balance between the 2 extremes (10m vs 25m) but I am happy to use and recommend 25. If we ever get to use more than 20m I will be satisfied we have enough.
A quick tip for the cable tidy. 1/2 the cable and pop in the middle of the cable onto the spool first. This is 1/2 the number of turns when you wind/unwind :)
For filling the tank at a service point you only need a 2m hose with push connectors and a Heos water adaptor, as it would be a pain to unroll a big hosepipe for what is essentially a 5 minute job, this is much easier way to do it from my experience, also a colapz waste pipe kit to send water to the gray waste container 👍🏻
2m would be a bit short for one place we stayed at but yes a flat hose is a nuisance to unravel. Had a garden flat hose failure before so at least we have a spare. We are looking at the Colapz waste pipes so thanks for suggesting. The Heos doesn’t fit our Roller Team. Many thanks for your comments.
On the subject of food grade hoses, as an ex old school water authority employee I would never drink water from a tank. We take bottled water for drinking and cooking and refill the empty bottles direct from the tap, after sterilising the tap.
The food grade hose could look unnecessary as we also don’t drink straight from the tank. We read many comments from people who have used the water for “many years” with no issues but we prefer to keep the water in a good condition but still drink from bottle water.
In my experience in using the French connection Plug to 240 V is only rated at IP 44 and we have had a few occasions where the plug has filled with water so we have changed our plugs and sockets to IP 66 so when they are secure they are fixed together and perform a waterproof seal we have had occasions in the night where the electric has ceased to work due to heavy downpours.
I am keen to find out more. Would you be able to send me a link to the items you use? Also do you ever have an issue with reverse polarity at any sites?
@@LiveforTravel my profession is electrical wholesale so I took from my own stock but you could use a company called Gewiss ip67 I have seen on Amazon or Screwfix or one of the national wholesaling companies where you probably get a cheaper price , it was a significant problem to us last year as the design of the socket that you have had a little hollow in the back and the water collects and run straight down into the wires.
excellent advice (mostly) but 2 things I would like advice on solar panels and power storage and I have converted to air fryer dont need microwave or oven is this something covered by manufacturers dont care about whether Brit /euro English born Irish blood family lives in USA so not tied to tradition more to practicality (no 1 stuff your toaster do mine in air fryer prefer) but watched a few of your videos thanks for the great advice and tips dont want to get caught short and since most travel will be on continent essential advice thanks
Good list. I have most of this stuff one way or another. A few comments... Spirit level - if you have an iPhone find the Measure app - it has a spirit level function which is more than good enough for checking your level. I guess android phones have something similar. In addition to levelling ramps consider some grip plates to help get out of muddy pitches or gravel etc. I keep a 1 litre plastic jug next to my toilet servicing stuff - take it to the disposal point along with my bottle of blue or green 'stuff' so I can set up the cassette there and then after cleaning it out (measure 1.5 litres of water in, add green or blue, slosh another later in and mix). Ohh and you need to use 50% more of the green stuff than the blue. I have some plastic bottles that I bought that I measured the right amount of blue / green for a refresh of the cassette and marked the side with a sharpie so I can see when I've added enough to the cassette. The pink stuff goes a long way and as I ended up with a bottle (newbie purchase mistake - it came with the blue) I just put a little in a spray bottle, top up with water and keep it in the toilet.Seems to work really well. I have a Ridge Monkey - which we use off grid, and also a stovetop toast maker (low wattage toaster for when on Hookup) but I also have a Remoska. Basically an electric countertop over that uses very little power (400w)... there is a bigger 'grand' version more suited to a family that is 600w I think. Some of the best roast chicken you will have had. Another useful item in addition to a multi gang extension is a multi port USB charger... I have an Anker PowerPort 5 that I keep in the campervan to supplement the 3 USB ports it has. If I need to I can easily run that off my 800w inverter too.
Thanks. I will try the spirit level on the iPhone. I tend to put an “amount” of chemical in the cassette when emptied (with water) but hadn’t noticed you need to use more green than blue. Your other items are interesting and now they are visible under this video will be doubtless useful for others so thank you very much both for watching and for your very helpful comments. A video with some common “newbie” problems has just gone live.
@@LiveforTravel No problem, happy to share some of my learnings - and lots more to learn. Checked the bottles again and you actually use double the amount of green compared to blue - 60ml per 10 litres of cassette capacity vs. 30ml for the green. Having the bottles marked up is really convenient. Just carefully pour, check, pout until you hit the next line.
@@stevezodiac491 Understand and I have one similar length (and the full meter long version). My issue with doing that is that you could pfaff around for ages with the levelling ramps trying to get as close to perfection as you can... but it really does not matter. If I can get 1 or max 2 degrees off kilter on the iPhone app then I know we will be fine.
Where were you two when we were setting all our camper stuff? Sure is neat to have someone to have done all this research and document it all. Especially when you researched the fact that the fuller the grey water tank is, the more pressure it exits with! Did you establish by actual experience?
I know we could have purchased everything from you! Yes I learned about the water the hard way. We are planning on fitting a collapsible pipe to extend it to the edge of the van and also allow us to add another pipe to be attached to drain water directly on a full service pitch.
Your advice & showing was absolutely brilliant. Thank you very very much. Question: Would you do one on security for women traveling by themselves ?? & also power station for when you are boondocking or freedom camping
Thanks. We could do. Additional security for the front door we would use the ‘strap’ method where you place a strap around each of the pull handles on the doors and effectively tighten it so that neither door can be opened. If we were to buy a power station we would go with the popular Jackery.
Hi I live in spain and most cables are 1.5mm even mains in the house are 1.5mm, also we have a 25 mtr cable and also a 20 mtr cable as in europe you will find some aires are more than 25mtrs away also you may need a splitter as some aires have 10 pitches but only 5 hookups and most people will share a hookup, also remember every country has different fittings for gas cylinders and you cannot refill your cylinders
Very good essentials , sorry if this is off subject a little but what is the rollerteam faux leather like, is it strong comfortable and does not get to hot in the summet
Thanks. We haven’t noticed although we always use an exterior screen cover. Regarding strength, this will be something we will see over time with 4 of us using the van but they are absolutely fine currently and don’t show any issues.
I have bought two of the silicon kettles both produce an oily film on the water even though I boiled them quite a few times. Anyone else noticed this? I never used them because of this.
@@LiveforTravelBTW, Enjoying your videos. Great work. We're Originally from the UK, We now live in Brisbane, Australia but taking the year off in 2022. Back to blighty to buy a motorhome and then tour Europe. You're posts are very informative. Keep it up!
I haven't read all the comments so if it's already been said I'm sorry but a wine waiter's knife with bottle opener is as useful as a multi tool in some ways.
That one has not been mentioned. Yes would be useful although we needed a Phillips screwdriver a few days ago to access the heating boiler. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Can you please tell me the distance between the centre of the rear wheel to the outer edge of the rear bumper and the height from the floor to underside of rear bumper? I am about to purchase a 590 but have a very steep driveway and I am worried about it grounding.
Please note the following measurements are for our specific van. Specifications frequently change and obviously the height is also dictated by what is carried in the van. Centre of wheel to rear of van (bumper) - 1205mm Height of rear of van (to lower edge of the bumper) - 500mm Height of rear of van (bottom of wheel arch nearest the rear) - 360mm We hope the info is helpful and you purchase your 590.
I understand Calor are not used in Europe so if we were planning on staying over there for weeks we would likely choose another solution although I am aware the filling up with LPG for example with a Safefill system is starting to become harder in the UK. We would kit the van according to what we use it for.
That is not possible to answer. Campers and Motorhomes, like any vehicle, have a level of reliability dependent on how they have been maintained. A vehicle, driven with compassion and serviced correctly and at the specified time will afford many more years of use vs a neglected vehicle with little service history. From a habitation perspective, again if the van has had annual inspections and those inspections are documented, it will prove to be a better option. German converters are known for their quality but even those will suffer if not cared for.
I have two cylinders in my camper van, one in use and another sealed full one. In a camper van with gas use being low ( diesel heater ) you don't need a level because you just get a new cylinder when the on line one runs out when you get home but motorhomes use more gas particulatly for heating and it runs out much faster.
For quote price and then renewals we would say Comfort. However we have not had to use them so unable to say how good they are when needing to claim. They get recommended on Facebook groups we use.
Hi 😃👍 To get a bigger target to hit with your waste water down pipe buy a cheap funnel place it in the top of the container and you get a much bigger target to aim at. @chasing_sun_shine
We will be showing a short video with us fitting a flexible pipe that reaches the side of the van so we no longer have to get down on the ground 😊 thanks for your suggestion 👍
What a shame the fire extinguisher/supression was skipped over. What size for different vans? Water/powder or both. Did your insurance not have a minimum requirement? Propane/diesel/petrol/gasoline/lithium/lead batteries. Drones/phones/laptops/inverters and Go-pros etc - all potential time bombs. Last week czcams.com/video/nXm7h3FX_yk/video.html
We are well aware of the potential for a fire within a van. What I am unaware of is the requirement to carry different types of extinguisher. Today we have had our 2nd habitation check completed by an AWS approved, indeed UK winner (mobile) who has not mentioned any additional requirement of such but now the question has been raised, and as I am in easy contact with him, I will ask the question and will either; a) reply with the answer and (depending on answer); b) do a video regarding fire equipment in a van. As for our insurer requiring a “minimum” the answer is no, they do not.
@@LiveforTravel Thank you for the reply. I have no experience but would love to DIY van life and genuinely be interested in your contacts replies. TIA.
@@jempro1674 The reply is not straightforward as most things are in life; “… a water type could cover certain aspects of fires in leisure vehicles in relation to materials present, but more importantly is totally unsuitable for flammable gasses and areas where there may be electrical fires. Pretty much common sense with water and electric. As for size, its a case of how much weight do you want to add to your loading capacity as set out by the manufacturer and how much space do you want to take up. Average motorhome and caravan extinguishers are 1kg. It is definitely worth mentioning the importance of an extinguisher location. Advisable for it to be near the entry door or other means of rapid exit in the event of a fire, be unwrapped and ready for use and serviceable. Extinguishers will have an expiry date and/or a pressure gauge. These are checked at an annual habitation service. More importantly though, tackling a fire can be dangerous and a fire will take over a leisure vehicle remarkably quickly.”
I dont agree on many things, you said this video was for camper and too. Truma gas gauge.. just keep a full 3.9kg as back up, price of gas you need to use it all. Outer windscreen cover, no way. When it gets wet or iced up you have to out it away wet!! Ramps yes agree but not the 70mm ones, go for the 120mm, they are 50mm longer and way higher. You said cello tvs probably weren't great, they are made by ferguson so decent TV. As for rappers, the blue is way way better than the green, agreed. Just empty it at night. Dri king waters from your water tank is fine, why buy water!? You didn't mention fly spray? Food thermostat!!!!??? Why? Massive panset in a camper? Errr. Nooo. Anti slip plates?? Why?? No mention of carbon monoxide or fire alarm? Sod the 2kw heater, get a diesel heater, 10hrs per 1L of diesel.
@LiveforTravel no pal. I like your videos. I just don't agree with certain things that's all.i have lived full-time off grid in my camper, and it's just my opinion buddy
@@matterhorn1975 opinions are always welcomed. My opinion, the amount of water on the inside of our van if we used internal covers would be more than on an external… after raining. With regards to what was ‘missed’ on this particular video… would you fancy taking a guess how many points there would be? If we filmed it, you understand someone would still say that we missed something.
👇For all the items we use in our Motorhome please see our Amazon Storefront* below👇
www.amazon.co.uk/shop/livetodrive?ref=cm_sw_em_r_inf_own_livetodrive_dp_cHOrbbaZQsH51
* As an Amazon Associate we earn commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support :)
As we are not on the road all the time and you have to take stuff in and out the motorhome, I take a large bag (I call it the too en from bag) and as we go or when I am at home and for intstance, have to put the towels of the moho somewhere, after washing, they go in the to en from bag. So when the day of travel comes I just grab the bag and off we go! Not expensive but really usefull, in my opinion! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks. Well that sounds like a good idea… appreciate your support.
I own both the external and internal cab blinds. I bought the internal ones and found that they suffered from a little condensation, which I had to rub off daily, especially in the winter. For this reason I bought the external blinds and used to sing their praises, that is until it became windy. In a gale they flap all over and on the last trip we made, I didn't take the internal blinds with me so we had to persevere in the wind with the external blinds. To cut a long story short, when we got home and I cleaned my van, the front wing on one side and the door on the other side was scratched from the movement of the fabric and at the point of the magnets in the little pocket on the doors. I had to t-cut the scratches out, fortunately they came out. I now prefer the internal blinds, yes they have more condensation which has to be rubbed off but on the flip side, they don't damage the paint work at any time, you can use them more safely, if you wild camp, which we don't but the external blinds are also very bulky as well, to store in the van. Nowhere on CZcams was I told by anybody that they can damage your paintwork in the wrong conditions. It may be still when you put them on but at the end of the night it can get very windy on occasion. All it takes is sand or grit to be whipped up by the wind and find itself between the material and your bodywork and voilà you have a course sanding sheet.
A very fair point I will make sure it is mentioned in a future video. We don’t use the magnets and on a couple of occasions when the wind was strong they have indeed flapped around which is irritating just because of the noise without the thought of them scratching the van too although we have yet to find any marks on our van. Thanks for watching and your informative comments.
Very interesting and helpful video - thanks! I'm getting a camper van soon and will be stocking up following your advice.
Excellent. Thanks.
Just found you guys, great videos, really helpful and subscribed. Just had our first trip in our camper an and this is great. Look forward to watching the rest of your vlogs, I’m 4 in 😊
Thanks. Really appreciate the support. We wish you many happy travels in your new van. 👍
Loved all the info. Bought a 2015 T-line 590 this August so love all your videos and support 👍🏼
Fantastic 👍 we wish you many happy travels in your 590 😊
Excellent comments/reviews. Thank you for the video.
Great. Thanks for watching and your feedback.
Just a little nugget for newbies who store their Moho outside during winter. Run engine at least once every two weeks more if poss, and move Moho as often as poss to stop flat spots on tyres occuring, we found this out the hard way as newbies.
Yes very good points. The “CP” Michelin’s apparently hold up better to not being used frequently but nether the less we should all regularly run the engines and move the vans; even it is only around a storage site.
Excellent video, thank you
Isn't it nice having someone talking to you in a basic language .Just got my first motor-home great video thanks The toilet one was first class too
Great. We wish you many happy travels in your new van. Thanks for your support.
Best video I’ve watched in ages. Very helpful to a newbie.
We were all newbies once. Thanks for watching and your comments. 🙏
Thanks - some really useful stuff to help me plan for Vanlife starting in a few short months…
Thanks. Nice to hear. All the best with the future Vanlife. 👍
Absolutely brilliant! We are gradually collecting motorhome stuff in preparation for a new purchase in the coming weeks/months. Many of these items were not on our list, so thank you!
There will always be items we find we want 😊 thanks for watching and all the best with your future purchase.
Loved it & a BIG thank you
Thank you for watching and the feedback.
Superb video thank you, very informative.
Thanks for your support.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks.
Thanks 🙏
Very informative. Thanks
Thanks for watching and your feedback.
I have watched a couple of your vids, really like them. Very informative, and easy to watch. New to this motor home lark, as parents have passed theirs to me.... so now, thanks to you I have a ready made shopping list.
Thanks. Great to read. The shopping list tends to grow with vans 😁 We wish you many happy travels in your new van.
A used scissor jack or two from the salvage yard are real handy for leveling things up, too!
I could imagine the fellow campers faces 😊
Very informative, thank you. Haven’t yet picked up our motorhome but getting prepared for it’s arrival. A few more things added to the shopping list after watching 😂👌🏽👏🏼
Thanks. We still recall the first day picking up our Motorhome… only to drive it straight to storage before lockdown 😔 We wish you many happy travels in your new van. Thanks for your support 👍
Loved your video - thank you.
Thanks for watching and your feedback.
So useful thank you!
Thanks for watching and your lovely feedback.
Great info. Thank you
Thanks for watching and your feedback.
thank you very much. Very usefull.
Thanks for watching and your support.
Excellent video and very very well presented. love it thank you
Thank you for your feedback and for watching.
Really enjoyed this video. So informative with lots of ideas. Thanks 🙂
Thanks for watching 😊
Brilliant, useful, informative, thanks both great video, love our tv when away curl up and watch a film if weather not to good.
I use elsan (blue normally but have green too) last well, works great, no smells.
Toaster me to must have👍
Thanks again keep them coming take care xx
Thanks. We enjoy making these types of video and hopefully this shows on screen. Thanks for your suggestion regards Elsan, we will try it out. Yes the toaster is necessary 😊
Thanks again for your support. We wish you many safe and happy travels 👍
We went from MoHo to campervan, only because we could store at home and use it as a daily runner and only two of us. On mpg for our 6m MoHo 170bhp if I kept it at 60mph or below 35 mpg, soon as I toed it it dropped to 25mpg. Have fun in the van and yes enjoy your bathroom 😀
Yes and we may go back to a campervan when the kids have flown.
Very useful information, thanks
Thanks for watching and your feedback 😊
Nicely informative video, thank you both.
Thanks for watching and your support.
I am new to this so thank you very much 😊
Thank you for watching and for your comment.
My husband is also a gadget person. He has made his own electronic leveller which we use all the time. It shows the van back to front and side to side.
Fantastic. 👍
Very good and informative Thanks
Thanks for watching and your feedback.
Great Presentation 💯💯💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👏👏👏🙏
Absolutely loved this I have wrote everything down thst you have listed lol we can't afford to buy our motor home untill we retire in 5 yrs time lol but then we will buy our dream van which is the pilote 650c ..then it's time for us to start making our memories together 😀😀😀😀
Absolutely. We are making memories for us and more importantly our children. Thanks for your feedback. 👍
Very good video for newbie camper vanners like myself thank you. It’s all very “Carry On” this camping larks hey! 😂
We did watch the Carry On films in the 70s 😂 thank you for watching and for your great feedback.
Good vid, like the way you anticipated the “you don’t want to do that” comments. Toaster, coffee machine musts, totally agree it’s my van, it’s my holiday couldn’t give a toss what other think! 😀
We think so. Everyone should be allowed their own opinions but that means we are allowed ours too 😊 Many thanks for watching and your comments 👍
Very helpful. Subscribed!
Thanks for watching, your feedback and subscribing 👍
Very helpful video
Thanks for your support
Phil from VW Adventures. Great video.
Thanks Phil 👍😊
It went way beyond informative....was very amusing, especially " wifes"" input!?
Thank you. The “wife” is also called Fran is other videos 😊
Do love the Fran l❤
I have passed on your comment 😁
Great informative video, made even better by your wonderful assistant ( the screwdriver lady). 🇬🇧🎃🍷🍺👍🏼
Hi 🙋♀️ I don’t think I’m giving Nigella a run for her money 💰😉😚
Screwdriver Lady is always a great assistant 😊
@@franbiggs8376
Hi Fran 🍷🍺👍
@@chrisneedham5803 🇬🇧🥂🍷Friday night 🍷o’clock 🕚chin chin 👍😚
I have used a 15m electric cable for more than 30yrs and No problem
15m is a good balance between the 2 extremes (10m vs 25m) but I am happy to use and recommend 25. If we ever get to use more than 20m I will be satisfied we have enough.
A quick tip for the cable tidy. 1/2 the cable and pop in the middle of the cable onto the spool first. This is 1/2 the number of turns when you wind/unwind :)
Like it 👍
For filling the tank at a service point you only need a 2m hose with push connectors and a Heos water adaptor, as it would be a pain to unroll a big hosepipe for what is essentially a 5 minute job, this is much easier way to do it from my experience, also a colapz waste pipe kit to send water to the gray waste container 👍🏻
2m would be a bit short for one place we stayed at but yes a flat hose is a nuisance to unravel. Had a garden flat hose failure before so at least we have a spare. We are looking at the Colapz waste pipes so thanks for suggesting. The Heos doesn’t fit our Roller Team. Many thanks for your comments.
@@LiveforTravel no worries glad to help in some small way 😃👍🏻
On the subject of food grade hoses, as an ex old school water authority employee I would never drink water from a tank. We take bottled water for drinking and cooking and refill the empty bottles direct from the tap, after sterilising the tap.
The food grade hose could look unnecessary as we also don’t drink straight from the tank. We read many comments from people who have used the water for “many years” with no issues but we prefer to keep the water in a good condition but still drink from bottle water.
Enjoyed your video, try campervan bits for your leveling blocks
Thanks. We have had look at them. Thanks for your suggestion 👍😊
In my experience in using the French connection Plug to 240 V is only rated at IP 44 and we have had a few occasions where the plug has filled with water so we have changed our plugs and sockets to IP 66 so when they are secure they are fixed together and perform a waterproof seal we have had occasions in the night where the electric has ceased to work due to heavy downpours.
I am keen to find out more. Would you be able to send me a link to the items you use? Also do you ever have an issue with reverse polarity at any sites?
@@LiveforTravel my profession is electrical wholesale so I took from my own stock but you could use a company called Gewiss ip67 I have seen on Amazon or Screwfix or one of the national wholesaling companies where you probably get a cheaper price , it was a significant problem to us last year as the design of the socket that you have had a little hollow in the back and the water collects and run straight down into the wires.
@@adrianc5320 great thanks for the details.
We use our mobile phone wifi it to a portable projector and 2 Bluetooth speakers which can be used for video and music instead of a tv
Yes I have seen set ups similar. A great alternative (and probably a bigger picture).
The only thing you missed out was a smoke alarm, enjoyed the video.
Yes. They should be installed as a matter of but agree it should be highlighted. Thanks for your comment.
excellent advice (mostly) but 2 things I would like advice on solar panels and power storage and I have converted to air fryer dont need microwave or oven is this something covered by manufacturers dont care about whether Brit /euro English born Irish blood family lives in USA so not tied to tradition more to practicality (no 1 stuff your toaster do mine in air fryer prefer) but watched a few of your videos thanks for the great advice and tips dont want to get caught short and since most travel will be on continent essential advice thanks
Always useful to read comments like this as it can be helpful for other viewers that read them. We wish you many happy travels across the continent.
About the spanner for the gas bottle valve, the manual actually says that it should be handled by hand, thereby no overtightening!
Same way as the sticker on the front Remis blinds show not to drive… with them closed.
Good list. I have most of this stuff one way or another. A few comments... Spirit level - if you have an iPhone find the Measure app - it has a spirit level function which is more than good enough for checking your level. I guess android phones have something similar. In addition to levelling ramps consider some grip plates to help get out of muddy pitches or gravel etc. I keep a 1 litre plastic jug next to my toilet servicing stuff - take it to the disposal point along with my bottle of blue or green 'stuff' so I can set up the cassette there and then after cleaning it out (measure 1.5 litres of water in, add green or blue, slosh another later in and mix). Ohh and you need to use 50% more of the green stuff than the blue. I have some plastic bottles that I bought that I measured the right amount of blue / green for a refresh of the cassette and marked the side with a sharpie so I can see when I've added enough to the cassette. The pink stuff goes a long way and as I ended up with a bottle (newbie purchase mistake - it came with the blue) I just put a little in a spray bottle, top up with water and keep it in the toilet.Seems to work really well. I have a Ridge Monkey - which we use off grid, and also a stovetop toast maker (low wattage toaster for when on Hookup) but I also have a Remoska. Basically an electric countertop over that uses very little power (400w)... there is a bigger 'grand' version more suited to a family that is 600w I think. Some of the best roast chicken you will have had. Another useful item in addition to a multi gang extension is a multi port USB charger... I have an Anker PowerPort 5 that I keep in the campervan to supplement the 3 USB ports it has. If I need to I can easily run that off my 800w inverter too.
Thanks. I will try the spirit level on the iPhone. I tend to put an “amount” of chemical in the cassette when emptied (with water) but hadn’t noticed you need to use more green than blue. Your other items are interesting and now they are visible under this video will be doubtless useful for others so thank you very much both for watching and for your very helpful comments.
A video with some common “newbie” problems has just gone live.
@@LiveforTravel No problem, happy to share some of my learnings - and lots more to learn. Checked the bottles again and you actually use double the amount of green compared to blue - 60ml per 10 litres of cassette capacity vs. 30ml for the green. Having the bottles marked up is really convenient. Just carefully pour, check, pout until you hit the next line.
I use a proper nine inch joiners level, professional and accurate.
@@stevezodiac491 Understand and I have one similar length (and the full meter long version). My issue with doing that is that you could pfaff around for ages with the levelling ramps trying to get as close to perfection as you can... but it really does not matter. If I can get 1 or max 2 degrees off kilter on the iPhone app then I know we will be fine.
Where were you two when we were setting all our camper stuff? Sure is neat to have someone to have done all this research and document it all. Especially when you researched the fact that the fuller the grey water tank is, the more pressure it exits with! Did you establish by actual experience?
I know we could have purchased everything from you! Yes I learned about the water the hard way. We are planning on fitting a collapsible pipe to extend it to the edge of the van and also allow us to add another pipe to be attached to drain water directly on a full service pitch.
Top vlog new to motorhomeing very helpful thinking of doing some filming when we are out can I ask what editing software did you use thanks
Hi. We use iMovie included on a MacBook Air. Thanks for watching and your comments.
Your advice & showing was absolutely brilliant. Thank you very very much. Question: Would you do one on security for women traveling by themselves ?? & also power station for when you are boondocking or freedom camping
Thanks. We could do. Additional security for the front door we would use the ‘strap’ method where you place a strap around each of the pull handles on the doors and effectively tighten it so that neither door can be opened. If we were to buy a power station we would go with the popular Jackery.
Hi I live in spain and most cables are 1.5mm even mains in the house are 1.5mm, also we have a 25 mtr cable and also a 20 mtr cable as in europe you will find some aires are more than 25mtrs away also you may need a splitter as some aires have 10 pitches but only 5 hookups and most people will share a hookup, also remember every country has different fittings for gas cylinders and you cannot refill your cylinders
Thanks. Yes the type of gas cylinders we use are only in the UK. Thanks for the info.
Very good essentials , sorry if this is off subject a little but what is the rollerteam faux leather like, is it strong comfortable and does not get to hot in the summet
Thanks. We haven’t noticed although we always use an exterior screen cover. Regarding strength, this will be something we will see over time with 4 of us using the van but they are absolutely fine currently and don’t show any issues.
Ok. Tv. Broadband I own a Starlink system and it’s amazing. So stream tv and gaming is possible
Very informative video. I would just add smoke/gas detectors.
Thanks. A great point. The van had them as standard but it should be added/mentioned in future.
the wattage for the kettle etc any information will help thx chris
Kettle is 680 watts. Links to all the items are in the description.
Highly entertaining - thanks for this as newby campervan adventurers!
Glad you enjoyed. We wish you many happy travels.
I have bought two of the silicon kettles both produce an oily film on the water even though I boiled them quite a few times. Anyone else noticed this? I never used them because of this.
We have not had any problems with either kettles.
You mention toilet chemicals. I highly recommend installing a SOG unit. No smells. Best mod I did for my caravan.
Thanks. I will look at one.
@@LiveforTravelBTW, Enjoying your videos. Great work. We're Originally from the UK, We now live in Brisbane, Australia but taking the year off in 2022. Back to blighty to buy a motorhome and then tour Europe. You're posts are very informative. Keep it up!
@@stephendawson1644 thanks. That feedback is appreciated. All the best with your new van.
What about a food steamer? Several tiers cooking all veggies and fish etc at once.
Good idea 💪
I haven't read all the comments so if it's already been said I'm sorry but a wine waiter's knife with bottle opener is as useful as a multi tool in some ways.
That one has not been mentioned. Yes would be useful although we needed a Phillips screwdriver a few days ago to access the heating boiler. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Can you please tell me the distance between the centre of the rear wheel to the outer edge of the rear bumper and the height from the floor to underside of rear bumper?
I am about to purchase a 590 but have a very steep driveway and I am worried about it grounding.
Please note the following measurements are for our specific van. Specifications frequently change and obviously the height is also dictated by what is carried in the van.
Centre of wheel to rear of van (bumper) - 1205mm
Height of rear of van (to lower edge of the bumper) - 500mm
Height of rear of van (bottom of wheel arch nearest the rear) - 360mm
We hope the info is helpful and you purchase your 590.
Brilliant thank you
Think I’d have left the gas sensor thing in amazons warehouse and bought more gas
You make a fair point 😊
Instead of having a TV (with its weight) - Have you seen any of the mini-projectors??
The Cello TV we have is only 2kgs. I do love tech though so a mini projector would be something I am interested in. But not because of weight.
So so when in Europe how or where to fill your gas bottles
I understand Calor are not used in Europe so if we were planning on staying over there for weeks we would likely choose another solution although I am aware the filling up with LPG for example with a Safefill system is starting to become harder in the UK. We would kit the van according to what we use it for.
Which van did you buy as we need one that is 6m or less?
The van we chose features on almost every video. We have the Roller Team T-Line 590.
AquaChem green is more toxic than the blue. Official from CAMC told us that at a CAMC talk
There is nothing straight forward in this world is there.
What? You never drank out of the garden hose as a kid? Boy, if you didn't, you missed one of childhood's rites of passage!
Have not ever drunk from one 😊 spent my time smashing diecast cars up with my mate (his Dad owned a scrapyard)
Do you have internet whilst on the road??
We only have data on phones at present.
what is the realistic shelf life of a 2000 van please
That is not possible to answer. Campers and Motorhomes, like any vehicle, have a level of reliability dependent on how they have been maintained. A vehicle, driven with compassion and serviced correctly and at the specified time will afford many more years of use vs a neglected vehicle with little service history. From a habitation perspective, again if the van has had annual inspections and those inspections are documented, it will prove to be a better option. German converters are known for their quality but even those will suffer if not cared for.
Hi Paul, doesn't the van system tell you how much gas is left?
No 🤷♂️
I have two cylinders in my camper van, one in use and another sealed full one. In a camper van with gas use being low ( diesel heater ) you don't need a level because you just get a new cylinder when the on line one runs out when you get home but motorhomes use more gas particulatly for heating and it runs out much faster.
what motorhome insurance company would you recommend please.
For quote price and then renewals we would say Comfort. However we have not had to use them so unable to say how good they are when needing to claim. They get recommended on Facebook groups we use.
@@LiveforTravel fab thanks liz
What about Fire Alarm etc
What “etc”
you keep saying about links. unable to see them where are they.
Links are in the description. If on a mobile device, click the drop down arrow at the end of the top line of the video title.
They say bleach is good for the water tank, and I always have separate water for drinking
We won’t use bleach in the grey water tank but that is personal choice.
@@LiveforTravel I just meant to clean it with bleach
@@susannordstrom5065 understand 👍
What??? Ollie and Alice like a bit of the telly?
Yes they like to have a bit of tv on
“My wife” she’s sitting next to you!
Is she?! 😊
You might not wish to use a cable tidy potential they can set on fire
We always use the 25m cable and tidy but, yes, we always unwind it and put the cable tidy in the van.
1st item a petrol inverter
Wouldn’t personally use one but we don’t plan to do much off grid.
If you ever meet that gadget John tell Ham he is a numpty
👍😊
Hi 😃👍
To get a bigger target to hit with your waste water down pipe buy a cheap funnel place it in the top of the container and you get a much bigger target to aim at. @chasing_sun_shine
We will be showing a short video with us fitting a flexible pipe that reaches the side of the van so we no longer have to get down on the ground 😊 thanks for your suggestion 👍
Can be very dangerus this 230 connector conversation as neutral and life can be false if you turn the plug by 180 degree
What a shame the fire extinguisher/supression was skipped over. What size for different vans? Water/powder or both. Did your insurance not have a minimum requirement? Propane/diesel/petrol/gasoline/lithium/lead batteries. Drones/phones/laptops/inverters and Go-pros etc - all potential time bombs. Last week czcams.com/video/nXm7h3FX_yk/video.html
We are well aware of the potential for a fire within a van. What I am unaware of is the requirement to carry different types of extinguisher. Today we have had our 2nd habitation check completed by an AWS approved, indeed UK winner (mobile) who has not mentioned any additional requirement of such but now the question has been raised, and as I am in easy contact with him, I will ask the question and will either; a) reply with the answer and (depending on answer); b) do a video regarding fire equipment in a van.
As for our insurer requiring a “minimum” the answer is no, they do not.
@@LiveforTravel Thank you for the reply. I have no experience but would love to DIY van life and genuinely be interested in your contacts replies. TIA.
@@jempro1674 no problem. I am interested too and have sent the question to the habitation guy for info,
@@jempro1674 The reply is not straightforward as most things are in life; “… a water type could cover certain aspects of fires in leisure vehicles in relation to materials present, but more importantly is totally unsuitable for flammable gasses and areas where there may be electrical fires. Pretty much common sense with water and electric.
As for size, its a case of how much weight do you want to add to your loading capacity as set out by the manufacturer and how much space do you want to take up. Average motorhome and caravan extinguishers are 1kg. It is definitely worth mentioning the importance of an extinguisher location. Advisable for it to be near the entry door or other means of rapid exit in the event of a fire, be unwrapped and ready for use and serviceable. Extinguishers will have an expiry date and/or a pressure gauge. These are checked at an annual habitation service. More importantly though, tackling a fire can be dangerous and a fire will take over a leisure vehicle remarkably quickly.”
I dont agree on many things, you said this video was for camper and too.
Truma gas gauge.. just keep a full 3.9kg as back up, price of gas you need to use it all.
Outer windscreen cover, no way. When it gets wet or iced up you have to out it away wet!!
Ramps yes agree but not the 70mm ones, go for the 120mm, they are 50mm longer and way higher.
You said cello tvs probably weren't great, they are made by ferguson so decent TV.
As for rappers, the blue is way way better than the green, agreed. Just empty it at night.
Dri king waters from your water tank is fine, why buy water!?
You didn't mention fly spray?
Food thermostat!!!!??? Why?
Massive panset in a camper? Errr. Nooo.
Anti slip plates?? Why??
No mention of carbon monoxide or fire alarm?
Sod the 2kw heater, get a diesel heater, 10hrs per 1L of diesel.
Not a fan then… 😬
@LiveforTravel no pal. I like your videos. I just don't agree with certain things that's all.i have lived full-time off grid in my camper, and it's just my opinion buddy
@@matterhorn1975 opinions are always welcomed. My opinion, the amount of water on the inside of our van if we used internal covers would be more than on an external… after raining. With regards to what was ‘missed’ on this particular video… would you fancy taking a guess how many points there would be? If we filmed it, you understand someone would still say that we missed something.
Its quite disrespectful to say your wife has more uses than just good coffee, you're objectifying her.
Objectively, you are commenting on an opinion you have on a life you know only what you see on an edited video.
Im not talking about your life, Im talking about the behaviour you displayed on the video.