Best Motorhome Accessories
Whether you’re heading off on your first ever camper van adventure or looking to stock up on some essentials, the number and variety of camper, caravan and motorhome accessories just keeps on growing. It can be hard to decide what to bring with you.
To make things easier for you, we’ve divided this guide into categories based on different camping functions: sleeping, cooking, keeping warm, entertainment and more. Following that is a miscellaneous section listing some other popular rv supplies.
Before you go overboard and buy everything in this guide, be aware that every camper van has a maximum authorised mass (MAM) which you need to stay within. If you’re finding it hard to choose between any two motorhome accessories, opting for the lightest one normally makes sense.
Throughout this guide, we have linked to some relevant Amazon products. These are examples only and not necessarily the best choice for your situation. We are Amazon affiliates but if you do decide to buy any items, rest assured it won’t cost you any extra.
RV & Motorhome Accessories for Getting a Great Night’s Sleep
Top of the camping mattress reviews on Amazon (at the time of writing) is the Inspiration mattress which uses the popular open coil spring system. With a firm edge for strength and a soft and luxurious feel for comfort, this could be the best £70 you spend.
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Fitted poly-cotton caravan bed sheets are also a good investment because they are designed to fit caravan beds perfectly while requiring minimal ironing (who wants to spend the holidays doing housework?) If colour is important to you, there are dozens to choose from. Don’t forget mattress protectors and pillows for the full ‘home from home’ experience.
Motorhome Accessories to Create More Space in your Kitchen
The biggest Winnebagos aside, most camper vans are a little tight on kitchen space so the two features you want to have top of mind when searching for kitchen camping accessories are multi-use and compact design.
Take collapsible bowls. From mixing and food prep bowls to washing up bowls, there are some handy designs which you can literally squash flat for easy carrying. If you don’t like collapsible bowls then at least go for stackable. You can even get useful plate and bowl holders for keeping standard crockery safe during transit.
If your camper van is lacking a full oven, there are a range of stove top ovens that will enable you to convert your humble stove into a virtual oven.
In terms of multi-use camper van accessories, we came across this fantastic Instant Pot on Amazon. It combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, yoghurt maker, rice cooker and steamer all in one device.
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And what kitchen would be complete without a coffee maker. You can still get your caffeine fix no matter how far away you are from the nearest barista.
Motorhome & RV Supplies to Regulate your Temperature
Many of us Brits take our camper vans out to hot climes in order to enjoy a proper summer. However, since we’re unused to dealing with the heat it’s easy to forget about the need to keep cool.
Reflective window coverings are one way to maintain a comfortable temperature as you can deflect away those blazing sun’s rays. Reflectix is a popular product and is quite cheap to buy too.
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If you want to bring a fan with you (recommended) Dyson fans are powerful yet surprisingly quiet. This product video explains how these motorhome accessories work.
A fridge fan is also a useful addition for the summer months. Not only will your food last that little bit longer but you will also find you’re using less power.
In general, your holiday will be a lot more relaxing and pleasurable if you can keep your food and your occupants cool. If that means buying a better fridge or air conditioning unit, it is likely to be worth the investment.
More Essential RV Parts and Motorhome Accessories: Hoses, Pipes and Components
There’s no getting away from it, hoses and pipes are an essential part of the camper van user’s toolkit. You really don’t want to spring a leak in your sewer hose when draining your tanks so do yourself a favour and check them all before you head off.
Also, you can now get lead, phosphate and BPA-free water hoses so even if your old ones are intact, it might be a good idea to invest in something a little better for your health. To improve the quality of your drinking water further, add some water filters and water softeners to your shopping list. While you’re at it, buying in some holding tank treatment will help keep things moving steadily when emptying your toilet cassette.
If the water pressure at your campground is too high, you can end up damaging your water hoses and components. For this reason, a water regulator is also a useful piece of kit to have. Hose Y converters are nice motorhome accessories to have too if you need to separate your water outlet into two pipes for any reason.
Do you miss having a shower while away on a camping trip. You might be pleased to know that you can take one whenever you like with this battery powered shower from Laserbeak.
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Beyond the Camper Van: Accessories for the Great Outdoors
Just because you have the luxury of a camper van, it doesn’t mean you have to stay inside it when at the campground. In fact, some of the most enjoyable parts of an rv holiday can be those times when you’re sitting around a campfire with some new-made friends, cooking up some fresh fish on a barbecue or chilling out on a hammock strung between two trees on a balmy summer evening.
A portable propane fire pit will give you the option to strike up a campfire without many of the hassles (collecting wood, clearing up afterwards, etc.) Here is one of the best reviewed on Amazon:
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If you want to cook a tasty grill-up dinner without squeezing into a cramped kitchen, a propane grill could be an ideal buy. With an electric ignition, you don’t even have to worry about keeping stocked up with matches.
As mentioned, a hammock can be a great addition to any camping trip although you may prefer kicking back on a zero gravity lounge chair instead. While you’re at it, it’s always a good idea to stock up on some insect repellant.
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Awnings are popular camping accessories and these useful space extenders are available for motorhomes as well. There are two main types of motorhome awning: drive-away and canopy.
A drive-away awning is a self-supporting frame which you can set up around your camper van while on the campground and leave it in place while you drive around and explore the local area. Drive-away awnings tend to be quite roomy with some even providing you with a spare bedroom. The trickiest thing with drive-away awnings is realigning the awning with the camper van when you return. Experienced campers create positioning guides to make this process a bit easier.
Drive-away awnings create extra living space while keeping your camper van safe from the worst of the weather. Outdoor furniture, such as tables and chairs, will be useful motorhome accessories, especially if you can stack them or fold them up. As with most camping accessories, compact, portable designs are the way to go.
A canopy awning can be either temporary or permanent and has to be retracted or removed whenever you move your camper van. Some models, like the Dometic awning featured in this YouTube clip, are designed to be quickly and easily assembled and retracted.
Cycling is a fantastic way to explore new surroundings and decent bike racks are a must. Take your time when choosing one as it is easy to be stuck with a design that’s unsuitable. Some of the factors you should consider include:
• Visibility. Does the rack obscure any of your windows, mirrors or cameras?
• Handling. Is there any noticeable impact on handling when the rack is fully loaded?
• Security. How easy it is for thieves to steal bikes from the rack – or take the rack itself?
• Weight. What is the maximum capacity of the rack? Is this adequate for your needs?
For an even easier way to roam the environment, investing in electrically assisted pedal cycles (pedelecs) may be worth thinking about. You can either buy one outright or purchase a kit to transform an ordinary bicycle into a powered one. Make sure you check the bike’s spec against EN15194 to ensure it qualifies as a pedelec rather than a moped. If you are camping in the UK, you have to be 14 or above to ride one.
RV & Motorhome Accessories for Wild Camping
Known as ‘boondocking’ across the pond, wild camping is technically illegal in England and restricted to light camping in Scotland. However, with the landowner’s permission, an experience akin to wild camping is achievable. Wild camping on the continent is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s welcomed in the Scandinavian countries; France allows it but imposes a lot of restrictions while in Spain, it depends on the region.
Without the amenities of a campground, your main priorities will be power and, unless your escaping from the modern world entirely, connectivity. Here are some rv supplies for remote camping.
Most motorhomes will come equipped with a leisure battery for running appliances like kettles, TVs and toasters when you have no access to power. Getting hold of a second leisure battery is a very good idea. Leisure batteries are designed to provide low power over a long period so they aren’t interchangeable with the car battery even though a car battery would work as an emergency.
Good quality lithium leisure batteries are great and you can also get solar battery charging kits for them, especially handy if you are camping in sunny Spain or similar places. The better (and more expensive) solar panels actively track the sun to maximise efficiency.
Many motorhome campers have reported being able to extend their holidays by two to three weeks simply by having good spare batteries to rely on when off the beaten track.
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A lithium jump starter for your camper van can be a lifesaver if your batteries do run down. You do need to make sure the model is suitable for your engine size and type though. Some types will even charge your devices. Make sure you also pack plenty of spare batteries for battery-powered motorhome accessories like lanterns, walkie talkies and the like.
When exploring the road less travelled, connecting to the internet may be problematic. This WiFi Ranger is simple to install and use and can extend your WiFi range for up to 2 miles but you will need to go for the Sky2 pack or higher to get the longest range and fastest speeds.
You can also use your mobile phone as a WiFi hotspot and a signal booster can help ensure you get a connection wherever there is mobile coverage.
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To connect devices to your phone, you will need to set it up for tethering and be with a provider that allows tethering as part of the plan. At the time of writing, EE and Vodafone include unlimited tethering on any plan while Three and O2 only allow it on contract plans and also impose data restrictions. However, unless you are planning on streaming Netflix through your phone, the allowances are usually sufficient.
Motorhome & RV Supplies for Entertainment
Although many of us go on a camper van holiday to get back to nature and unplug from technology, there are others who want to take their tech with them as much as possible (or at least have it there for them in the evenings or during wet days).
For those who like to spend a good portion of their holidays absorbed in a good book, packing an ebook reader is essential. The storage is practically infinite and there are a huge range of low cost and free books to keep you entertained.
If you want to enjoy the luxury of TV, a satellite dish will provide you with free-to-air channels and Sky subscribers can even take their box with them for an uninterrupted service in Europe. It is important to note that Sky subscribers travelling to southern Europe will need the bigger (80cm) dish. Paying extra for the self-seek variety is also worth considering as manually adjusting your dish to get a good signal can be tricky to say the least.
In terms of a TV, an LCD flat screen TV will be the lightest option and if you go for a 12V model, you can run it off your leisure battery. Anything bigger than 22 inch will need a 240V supply. Many motorhomes include a built-in TV bracket so you should check for this before splashing out extra on fittings.
Walkie talkies aren’t really toys of course but they are surprisingly good at distracting children. As long as you have enough spare batteries for emergencies, you could hand the walkie-talkies to your children and watch them come up with all sorts of games to occupy themselves.
If you’re determined to go down the traditional route, there are plenty of options for whiling away the evening hours from travel board games and playing cards to puzzle books and listening to (or playing) music.
Miscellaneous Camping and Caravan Accessories
It is impossible to cover every single accessory on the market but here are some of the most useful items that don’t fit neatly into the other categories:
• Camper van friendly GPS system/SatNav. One which locates campsites and allows you to add the width and height of your camper.
• Dash-cam. Useful for insurance claims.
• Reversing camera/s (ideally with proximity sensors).
• rv covers and wheel covers.
• Drip extenders. A simple bit of kit which stops the rain from causing unsightly black streaks down the side of your campervan.
• Power extensions. As many as you can.
• Battery-powered lantern/s.
• Portable vacuum cleaner.
• Window locks and alarm system.
• Levelling blocks.
Once you’ve bought everything you need, there’s one important step you should take. Check the new value of your possessions and check it against your insurance policy. You may need to increase your coverage to ensure everything is protected.
Is there anything we’ve missed? Do you have any favourite motorhome accessories you wouldn’t dream of leaving home without?
Please let us know in the comments and share this article if you found it useful.
