Equipment - must have / useful / can't do without items

[Phil_G]

Its very easy to get drawn into accessories for their own sake, my suggestion would be to take only what you actually need, and to choose items that are multi purpose, such as the ridge-monkey XL which is so versatile. I dont need a coffee machine but I do like my copper kettle for its 'homeliness' rather than the practicality of a collapsible. Your main limitation is its only a small van, and after your first couple of trips you'll find you're carrying items that you never used even once The minimalist approach suits me but we're all different

 

[CAB]

Second favourite thing:

Battery operated Nowpresso, for Nespresso in the van.

Needs to be used with hot water rather than heating from cold in order to make the battery last, but gets decent pressure, almost as good as our home machine.

 

[VanDamMan]

Hi ....I know we’ve all mentioned cookers and a like....but one thing that you will do a lot of is sitting in a chair...nearly every one starts of with the basic and then upgrades , then upgrades again or pass it on to the kids....although when you first try it in the shops they feel great but after a while the back of your thighs get uncomfortable....so check the construction...second to a comfortable bed a good camping chair is a must

 

[Ayjay]

We've been taking a charcoal Weber Go Anywhere BBQ with us for years: Go-Anywhere Charcoal Barbecue | Official Weber® Website. We've tried cheaper barbies and after being used a couple of times and left outside the tent, the paint inevitably came off and rust sets in. The Weber's got a hard enamel coating and looks as good now as it did when new. It's a great design and if your careful when packing it, can also contain other BBQ essentials like spatula, tongs, 'turbo' gas lighter, small charcoal chimney (another essential: Rapidfire Compact Chimney Starter | Official Weber® Website), fire starters, fire gloves, cleaning scourer and a few dinners worth of charcoal)

We've also got one of the large (57cm) 'kettle' barbies for the garden and that's been used a lot for at least 10 years now - it's had a few minor repairs but looks like it's good to go for another 10 years. Another good thing about Weber is that spares are readily available.

 

[cgtmiles]

Hi ....I know we’ve all mentioned cookers and a like....but one thing that you will do a lot of is sitting in a chair...nearly every one starts of with the basic and then upgrades , then upgrades again or pass it on to the kids....although when you first try it in the shops they feel great but after a while the back of your thighs get uncomfortable....so check the construction...second to a comfortable bed a good camping chair is a must

I’d be interested to hear if anyone has a comfortable chair that works to eat from a camp table and still packs down small. We have standard camp chairs which aren’t comfy but fit nicely under the rib bed and aren’t high enough to sit in and eat from a table. Then we have 2 delux camp chairs which are bigger, comfy but still a little too low to eat in and are too long to fit under the bed when transporting.

 

[Paynewright]

I’d be interested to hear if anyone has a comfortable chair that works to eat from a camp table and still packs down small. We have standard camp chairs which aren’t comfy but fit nicely under the rib bed and aren’t high enough to sit in and eat from a table. Then we have 2 delux camp chairs which are bigger, comfy but still a little too low to eat in and are too long to fit under the bed when transporting.

We have a set of trays in our camping gear, a bit uncouth I know. We always eat at the table at home so a bit of a treat for all of us!

Ian

 

[VanDamMan]

I’d be interested to hear if anyone has a comfortable chair that works to eat from a camp table and still packs down small. We have standard camp chairs which aren’t comfy but fit nicely under the rib bed and aren’t high enough to sit in and eat from a table. Then we have 2 delux camp chairs which are bigger, comfy but still a little too low to eat in and are too long to fit under the bed when transporting.

Hi ya....we like you have probably looked every where..it’s a real trade off between transportability and comfort, but we excepted the inevitable and went with comfort and filled the van to the rafters

 

[JasonW]

Recently purchased one of these... Not tried it in anger yet, but looks good and great quality

 

[fax001]

This is great for good coffee in the van.
Have to love titanium.
Lightweight, not too big and makes 2x mugs of coffee. Doubles up as a jug and small pan.

Camping Titanium Cup, Outdoor Portable Mug, Pure Titanium Pot, Multi-Functional Outdoor Travel Mug, Capacity 750ml Max, Light 220g, Bestargot®: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Camping Titanium Cup, Outdoor Portable Mug, Pure Titanium Pot, Multi-Functional Outdoor Travel Mug, Capacity 750ml Max, Light 220g, Bestargot®: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.co.uk

Cobb barbecues are great. Had ours for over 15 years now. Probably nearer 20.
Spares available if you manage to break anything. They are pretty robust.
Need very little in the way of fuel.
Cool to the touch even when hot enough for cooking.

 

[Mi58ck]

Hi ....I know we’ve all mentioned cookers and a like....but one thing that you will do a lot of is sitting in a chair...nearly every one starts of with the basic and then upgrades , then upgrades again or pass it on to the kids....although when you first try it in the shops they feel great but after a while the back of your thighs get uncomfortable....so check the construction...second to a comfortable bed a good camping chair is a must

We have just purchased a couple of Tommy Bahama chairs,going by the reviews they look to do the job hopefully.Tried Isabella and such like but still have not found a decent one .Fingers crossed

 

[cgtmiles]

We have a set of trays in our camping gear, a bit uncouth I know. We always eat at the table at home so a bit of a treat for all of us!

Ian

So how do your waiters serve to trays?

 

[Lord Mfwic]

This.

 

[Blitz]

This.
View attachment 76094

That boils something with a Jet
Tell me more Sir

 

[Lord Mfwic]

That boils something with a Jet
Tell me more Sir

I can do better than that.
Here is a handy video explaining all.

It is a brilliant bit of kit. Always in my van.

 

[fax001]

Another vote for the JetBoil.
Alpkit make a good value alternative, called BruKit. Rather less expensive than the JetBoil. Alpkit is a small UK company that sell direct to the public. Excellent.

BruKit all-in-one cooking system

Heat it and eat it, a 585g integrated cooking system for quick cooking on the go. Ideal for fresh brews on the trail, hot soup and nutritious one-pot wonders. Free Delivery. Free Returns. Same Day Despatch

alpkit.com

 

[CAB]

Hi ya....we like you have probably looked every where..it’s a real trade off between transportability and comfort, but we excepted the inevitable and went with comfort and filled the van to the rafters

Know what you mean; in our advanced years (!) we wanted something comfortable that could recline, but still eat at the table. Went for these, the most compact recliners I could find:
Performance Advancer Compact Chair

They still take up a lot of room, but they are loverly to sit in!

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Hi ya....we like you have probably looked every where..it’s a real trade off between transportability and comfort, but we excepted the inevitable and went with comfort and filled the van to the rafters

Thats what we do. I'd put the sofa in if there was enough room
.

 

[VanDamMan]

Thats what we do. I'd put the sofa in if there was enough room
.View attachment 76099

Most people build extensions to put the big furniture in .....but I’ll take that... Sofa On The Go

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Most people build extensions to put the big furniture in .....but I’ll take that... Sofa On The Go

It was my first attempt at a Caravelle conversion.

 

[Teesix]

@JasonW
We've got one one those, it's an excellent bit of kit. One thing I've found is that it can heat things up a little too well. Even on the lowest flow setting it would sometimes overheat the frying pans. Get yourself a couple of heat diffusers to sit on top of the burners, they work well in spreading the heat more evenly across the bottom of the pans.

One of my better buys is a Kampa Collapsible Pendant Groove Light to hang in the awning or off the tailgate. It's dimmable, 5m cable and has a handy remote too.