Give your motorhome its first drive, and before long, you'll be looking for bargain deals on RV accessories. Even if your motorhome is kitted and decked out with all the trimmings, you're bound to need a few extras, for practical reasons. But don't worry; scouting for motorhome accessories doesn't need to be as complicated or as costly as you imagine it to be. Ask any experienced motorhome owner, and they'll tell you that you can buy good quality RV accessories, even if it's a last-minute buy, without breaking the bank.
When it comes to
accessories for your motorhome, parts & spares, price shouldn't be your first consideration, even if you're on a tight budget. The most important factor in determining what RV parts and accessories to buy should be your maximum payload. It's easy to get carried away and buy whatever happens to tickle your fancy at the motorshow, so start with essential accessories and then move on to the frills, based on the extra load your motorhome can carry. To help you focus on what really matters and save up as much as you can for when it's time to put those finishing touches, we've put together a list of basic RV parts and accessories you should budget for as soon as your new motorhome is in your driveway.
1. Spare Leisure BatteryWhen you're not hooked up to a source of electricity, you inevitably say goodbye to the TV, microwave and the kettle, and switch to fuel heating. Those much-wanted doodads and garnishments in your motorhome will bring you no joy whatsoever if you can't power up your gadgets and devices. Adding a second battery to your setup could extend your enjoyment by days or weeks. As long as you make sure that the extra battery is identical to the first one in make, capacity, and where possible, manufacturing date, you're good to go. When it comes to leisure batteries, the higher the capacity the higher the price. A rating of 75 Ah (that's 75 ampere hour) for a battery running on 12V indicates that it would supply current for over 6 hours and 15 minutes, whereas a battery with a rating of 110Ah would last you just over 9 hours. Obviously, the one with the higher performance rating would also weigh more. You'll also need to have a
caravan battery charger for it on the road.
2. Sat-NavMotorhome-specific satellite navigation devices may not be at the top of your priority list, but they're absolutely essential RV accessories if your motorhome is on the large side. Wrong turns onto mud paths, low bridges or narrow streets can have disastrous consequences for you and other drivers. When you have a motorhome sat-nav, however, you can specify the dimensions of your vehicle and make sure that you avoid roads that are off-limits for your size and payload. What's more, some sat-navs include important information tailored to motorhome drivers, such as campsites and other facilities. Before you buy your favourite sat-nav, however, remember to check the international maps available on that specific model. Most maps exclude remote areas, and some even exclude whole chunks of a continent, as is the case with many sat-navs claiming to have full European coverage. Our most popular is the
Avtex tourer 1 which includes all the latest technologies.
3. Satellite DishMost TVs come with the Freeview feature nowadays, but if those channels aren't enough for you, then there's always the option to use a decoder. Official boxes are easy to find on eBay, if can't take a Sky box from home, for instance, but check the voltage on them, because they may need more power than your battery can provide. If you need a
RV satellite dish, then your options are: the self-seeking and the manual varieties. Self-seeking dishes automatically find the satellite you select within seconds, and lock into position. Manual dishes are the types of antennae where you need to tilt, readjust and fiddle with the dish until your designated witness can confirm that they can see something other than static on the TV. The bigger the dish the more expensive it is, but you'll also pick up much better signal and have greater coverage.
4. 12v TV setGone are the days of the bulky cubic car TV. You can have a decent flat screen TV running in your RV for hours on end and weighing under 10kg, but don't forget to add the weight of the brackets to the mix.
Avtex and
Vision plus are the leaders in the market. Have a look at both of these on our site and compare the features to decide upon your perfect RV TV.
5. Reversing CameraIt's hard enough to manoeuvre a family car with anxious children and a loud pooch in the back. You'll need all the help you can get with a large motorhome. That's why they've developed new-fangled
reversing cameras that are integrated into your rear view mirror or even the dashboard, so that you can't help but notice them. They can show you what's right behind your motorhome. They're also a great alternative to older models because they don't take up any extra space. Some recent models also display visual grids to show you the distance to nearby objects, and others come with their own proximity sensors to issue a warning when you're too close to them.
6. DashcamThe dashcam is a very handy recording device that saves up important footage from your journeys that you can then watch again at home. It can also come in very handy in insurance cases. There are as many models and features out there as there are motorhomes, so you'll be spoilt for choice. One option is the automatic dashcam that starts recording as soon as you start your engine or a sensor detected an object nearby. Full HD dashcams display the sharpest image, but you'll also need them to render fast objects clearly, so choose something with at least 30fps. There's also built-in memory and external memory (SD cards) to consider, because let's face it, what good is a dashcam to you if you're out of recording space?
7. AlarmHome alarm systems are great for houses, but not very useful as standalone
security solutions for motorhomes. That's because most motorhomes come with plastic windows, so don't expect to have too great a range of options for this category of RV supplies. The caravan-style catches on these windows are less than reliable. You can easily break in without damaging the windows because they flex open. The solution is to have two alarms, one in the cab and one at the back, as well as individual window sensors and alarms.
8. TablewareIt goes without saying that you'll need a hefty load of kitchen gear on your journeys, especially if you're more of a Full English fan than crunchy cereal kind of person. But if you're trying to recreate a restaurant experience in the comfort of your motorhome, the weight of all the devices, crockery, utensils and other RV supplies will eventually ...weigh on you. Luckily, there are various lightweight alternatives out there, including stackable and collapsible
RV tableware.
9. InternetIt's always better to have an internet connection and not need it, than to not have one at all when you travel. If you can find a campsite with Wi-Fi, then crisis averted. You probably won't be able to stream anything on Netflix because you'd literally be sharing bandwidth with all the other campers, but at least you can surf the web. If you can't pick up the signal even though the campsite advertises Wi-Fi access, then you probably need a Wi-Fi booster. But if you'd like to have internet access from anywhere, then your cheapest option is 3G or 4G cellular data accessed via phone, tablet or a laptop with a dongle. Alternatively, you could always try satellite internet, but then you'd need to give up roof space to fit a dish.
10. AwningMaximizing your space is crucial if you want to enjoy your time away from home, especially if your motorhome is small. That's where
RV awnings come in. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny gazebo-like version to the standalone room and terrace varieties. Some can be fitted like a tent to your awning rail and fixed to the ground so that they're in the same position throughout your stay at the campsite, while some can be taken off and put back up again as many times as you wish.
