Welcome to Motorhomefacts, we are a thriving motorhome community (Largest in Europe). Why Not JOIN NOW and get instant access to more of the website. It costs nothing to join and only takes a few minutes. We have 200,000 different people visiting our site monthly and this amount of motorhomers in one place guarantees a fast response to any questions you may have. We also have unique facilities not found elsewhere such as our Online Logbook, stopover tracker, Motorhome directory with Ebay type feedback and the largest repository of motorhome campsites reviews found anywhere
These can only be a guide. Many motor homes work on different systems and some of the items will not be needed. Not many motor homers manage to get it right all the time and stories abound of those who drove off with the electric hook up cable cable attached, damaged a shower tray with a falling shower gel bottle or, worse case scenario, finished up with a lasagne wedged in their dashboard radio after an emergency stop.
There is an internationally recognised system called ICE (In Case of Emergency)
Put the names and mobile phone numbers of the people you would wish to have contacted in an emergency under the headings ICE 1, ICE 2 and so on in your mobile phone. If it is ever necessary then they can be contacted on your behalf by anyone knowing the system –eg paramedics, police etc
A LIST OF ESSENTIALS
Some of these might be provided by your dealer or have been left in a pre-owned van.
First aid kit
2 warning triangles
Reflective jackets for all in van
Torches and spare batteries for them ( or a wind up /shake up torches)
Smoke detector
Carbon monoxide alarm
Fire extinguisher and fire blanket
Spare bulbs and fuses ( inc. for habitation area)
Spirit level
Levelling ramps or lengths of wood
Gas bottles (usually propane)
Gas bottle spanner (if required)
Pigtail between gas bottle and van (if required)
Water hose(s)
Tap adapter
Hose connectors
Toilet fluid
Plastic or rubber gloves
Tool kit (basic tools , this does not cover the kit supplied with the van which has a jack etc)
Electric hook up lead(s)
16 amp to continental adapter
Polarity tester
Polarity changeover lead
TV aerial extension cable (for sites with TV available from the hook-up bollard)
Spare prescription glasses if you wear them
A separate FAQ has been published with items that ar
CHECKLIST BEFORE MOVING OFF
Inside:
All doors, windows , roof vents and lockers closed and locked
All loose items secured ( NB check bathroom )
Fridge switched to 12v and locked
Tables locked in position
TV aerial or satellite dish in travelling position
Maps, directions etc needed to hand in cab
Money for tolls handy
Dog, cat, children secured ?
Anti-rattle precautions wedged in place
Plugs in sinks ( prevents smells from the waste tank if it is getting niffy)
Outside
External lockers and inlets closed and locked
Steadies wound up
EHU cable put away
TV aerial cable put away
Step and mats put away
All items below van removed (chairs, buckets etc)
Gas turned off
Levelling ramps or skid mats stored
Awning rolled in and secure
Bikes secure and covers, warning plates etc in place
Sometimes it is a good idea to check your exit route before you move off ( low branches, one-way systems , boggy areas etc ) and make sure you know whether you are going to turn right or left outside the camping place gates. It avoids any unpleasantness as queues form behind you while you decide !
BEFORE LEAVING THE SITE
Fresh water topped up if necessary
Waste water dumped and cassette checked
Drinking water filled up
All deposited cards collected from Reception and payment made.
EN ROUTE
We also find it useful to have a set of small laminated cards that can be put on the steering wheel to remind us of things we have done when we stop for a break or to service the van eg:
GAS ON
WINDOWS and ROOF VENT OPEN
TAP ADAPTER in VAN ?
OTHER USEFUL SIGNS
1.A laminated card giving the vital statistics of the van (eg height, length, mass, width, tyre pressures ) is useful if kept somewhere the driver can see it immediately when he is approaching a low bridge or narrow road . At these points the mind goes blank and it is a good idea to have a reminder. It is a legal requirement I understand for vans above certain dimensions.
2.It has been suggested that a diagram of the outline of the van showing these statistics is kept handy so that it can be shown at toll stations if there is any likelihood of argument as to the class of the vehicle. The class determines the amount you pay. Most motorhomes are counted as Class 2 if they are not towing or very long.
3.A laminated diagram of the van in outline marking the various inlets and outlets - eg water inlet, fuel inlet, waste water outlet, fresh water drain is useful when you are approaching a service point or fuel pump and your mind goes blank as to which side you need to park near the tap or pump.
4.We also keep a printed sheet for use in case of breakdown. From bitter experience breakdown companies want a whole variety of information. Having this to hand keeps down mobile phone bills and counters the senior moments which occur under stress and mean you can't even remember your own name !
They will phone you back so be sure to carry your charged mobile with you if you have to leave the van. Remember to wear your reflective jackets if you have to leave the van and put out triangles if it is safe to do so.
It helps if you extract as much information from your sat nav or surroundings as you can to be able to tell the breakdown people exactly where you are. Tomtom satnavs have a useful "Where Am I ? " feature which it might be useful to get to know before you need it !
Vehicle registration number
VIN number
Chassis number
Year and model of cab
Date when the van was first registered
Mass and length of vehicle (in case they have to truck it away)
Insurance company phone number ( European)
Insurance policy number
Breakdown service number
It is a good idea to make several good colour copies of these documents. Carry at least 2 sets of copies with you in separate places in the van or on a memory stick and leave one at home with a relation or friend whom you can contact at any time and have them fax copies if necessary. This is real belt and braces but things do get lost !
* indicates Europe only
For the van:
V5 (Log book)*
Insurance certificate and contact details
Breakdown policy and contact details
Service book for base vehicle and conversion ( if under warranty)
Green Card ( in going outside the EC)*
Instruction books as required (these can often be downloaded from the manufacturer's website as a pdf file onto a laptop)
Recent weighbridge certificate if you have one
Insurance and proof of ownership of any towed vehicles or motorcycles
For each person ( or animal)
Passport*
Driving licence (including paper part if new-style licence)
EHIC medical insurance card*
Health and travel insurance policy and contact details*
Credit cards (tell your bank before you go)
Debit /cash cards (ditto re bank)
Spectacle prescription
Regular medicines prescription (or the tear off list that comes with a UK prescription)
Ferry tickets*
Campsite booking details, if made (and directions !)
Address book with UK contacts listed
Camping Card International card (CCI)
ACSI Card [MHF Link]*
Caravan Club card
Camping and Caravanning Club card
National Trust Card
English Heritage Card
Top up details for mobile phones ( tell your provider you will be going abroad- ie roaming)
Last edited by Grizzly on Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:23 pm; edited 4 times in total
Thanks Karl, point added. I've suggested the plug should be removed in an earlier topic about filling with water !
Jock and Rita- very good addition. I'm working on it now and collecting together our own documents as I go. Fingers Xed, we've never left any at home but a checklist is a very good idea.
G
Edit; Documents checklist added. Please check. If I've left anything off then it's not in my to-go folder either !
Re the spectacles Chris. If they are needed for driving in mainland EU, then a spare pair needs to be carried, I believe.
Your checklists are looking good. We could have made good use of them, when we went to Luxembourg, forgetting the details of the site we were staying at, and the details of the insurance recovery phone numbers that we needed.
Jock.
______________________________________________________________ For "Our Mavis."
Re the spectacles Chris. If they are needed for driving in mainland EU, then a spare pair needs to be carried, I believe.
Jock.
Yes, you're right about this and I'll add it to the items that are essential at the top of the list.
The reason I put glasses prescription down is that often, the spare pair people carry, is not their latest prescription. Fine for driving with in an emergency, if the prescription has not changed much, but not much fun if you break your everyday pair and can't read or do close work. Every French shopping mall has at least 15 opticians and they can do you a replacement in an hour or so.
As a newbie of two weeks this checklist is great but!
I was interested in the comment that most motorhomes fall into Class 2 for the dreaded motorway tolls (if not towing or very long)
I don't judge the new love of my life as very long but unless I have got it wrong my 2005 Autosleeper Nuevo is 1.5 metres high at the first axle (M6 toll) and therefore falls into Class 5?
Any comment on this would be very helpful, and please keep up the good work,
I don't judge the new love of my life as very long but unless I have got it wrong my 2005 Autosleeper Nuevo is 1.5 metres high at the first axle (M6 toll) and therefore falls into Class 5?
You've got me there Nabber ! I'd forgotten about our very own M6 toll road and my classification was intended for European toll roads. I've only used the M6 toll once and that in a car so can't give any answers here !
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
All times are GMT + 1 Hour Page 1 of 2Goto page 1, 2Next
UK
For "Our Mavis."
We could have made good use of them, when we went to Luxembourg, forgetting the details of the site we were staying at, and the details of the insurance recovery phone numbers that we needed. 
