20 ESSENTIAL TOURING ACCESSORIES

Thanks to a certain pandemic that you might have heard about, it’s boom-time in the motorhome and campervan market.

The manufacturers can’t make them fast enough and plenty of new owners have come on board to enjoy the many pleasures of this amazing lifestyle.

But after you’ve invested all that cash in a leisure vehicle, which other items are worth adding, to make the most of your new purchase?

We’ve shopped around and whittled it down to our top 20 favourite things. Some of these are practical essentials, while others are a bit more left-field and might even surprise you.

It’s also worth mentioning that these are our ideas for touring – everyone tends to have a different view of how they want to relax and spend their time on holiday, so pick and choose what best suits your needs. You might not need all of the items listed here, but we think that they’ll add value and enjoyment to your holidays.

1. Second 12V battery

Yes, it’s an unexciting purchase (hey, it’s not all barbecues, G&Ts and fairy lights, you know!), but you’ll thank us for it. The thing is, nobody ever writes to Practical Motorhome complaining they have too much power and struggle to drain their leisure batteries. They never report that even with their inverter and fan heater on, they just can’t seem to flatten the battery.

In a modern motorhome, the entire habitation system runs off 12V power and if it goes flat, things start going haywire – heating systems don’t fire up, water pumps won’t run and then eventually, the LEDs stop working. It’s the heart of your vehicle.

If you never stray far from a mains hook-up, one battery might suffice, but it’s really much wiser to cover all eventualities (such as a lack of mains hook-up pitches) by adding a second battery to your set-up.

Ideally, you’ll need to match the brand, specification and age of your existing battery. If this isn’t possible, then either buy two new lead-acid or AGM batteries, or consider switching to lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4).

These are best purchased from a UK-based supplier, for reliability and warranty reasons. Avoid anything that is shipped direct from China or other non-European countries via an online retailer – these units can sidestep UK and European testing laws and are a lucky dip in terms of quality and safety. The top cause of domestic house fires is poor-quality electrical items.

While adding