Morning all

I've noticed a few new forum members recently looking for advice on essential equipment and I wondered if anyone has a favourite item in their set-up which might not, at first sight, be an obvious addition. I'm not thinking awnings or Remoskas, both of which feature regularly on the forum

My starter for ten would be screw in tent pegs. Like many I use a rechargeable drill with corner steady adapter. Recently I invested in some screw in pegs and a 13mm socket for the drill. Setting up the awning, even on hardstandings or on frozen ground (we are 12 month campers) is a breeze as is removing them. No more hammering in rock pegs - bliss!

Capn C

Agree screw in pegs from Aldi where a god send drilling into hard baked pitched in Spain last year - those were the days

For roadside emergencies I have a small hydraulic bottle jack as well as a scissor jack. Lots of bits of wood as well for packing under the chassis and levelling the ground.

On site I have same bits of wood to help packing under corner steadies in soft or uneven ground plus a couple of ramps and wedges to get the van dead level. Small spirit level also.

Same bits of wood again plus an old set of bathroom scales to get the right noseweight.

Small folding step to assist getting an awning up in to the awning rail.

Bag of bits of rope, guy ropes, rubber ladder straps etc to make sure awning is secure with additional guy ropes if high winds are forecast.

Small toolbox plus a spares box containing various items like fuses, bulbs, different types of adhesives etc.

As you can see, I'm a practical sort of bloke!

We always carry long plastic cable ties the longer the better.
Very useful for all sorts whilst away and we can put them in the gutter drain holes so we don't get black marks down the Eriba sides.
If put in correctly the water runs along them and drips off away from the sides.
Also a light saw for cutting branches which we've used to keep the hook-up cable clear of the ground to avoid rabbits chewing the cable whilst munching the grass.
Incidentally we always use broken branches, we don't go lopping off the tree, in case anyone's worried.

Tom.

My sister brought me a no peg washingline from her travels in Australia similar items are available in the uk and plastic over the door plastic hooks (look in the pound shops for them) also wd40 or it's generic equivalent and gaffer tape but most important of all the corkscrew

Denise & Phil

Torch and batteries
Low wattage kettle & toaster
Can opener
Neil says IPod and dock

Some great suggestions..............a few others for us

a couple of outside mats to go at foot of steps if don't put up awning and another in case we do put up awning and the hardstanding is quite narrow to go at the front entrance to the awning especially it it reaches the grass.These keep the inside of the van or awning free of wet and mud

a pair of Crocs each to quickly pop on if we need to go to the site toilets at night in the wet

A plastic box with a lid to store dirty walking shoes in under the van if we don't put the awning up

Oh and a set of double nine dominoes to while away dark nights & cause marital discord

MikeT

We have a 3 square metre breathable ground sheet. It's nice to walk on in bare feet and really helps to keep the van clean by not tracking in dirt. We often use it without a sun shade up. Very light and washable from decathlon.

Having seen it in a French van one year we use bath mats, dyed dark blue as flooring in the van, great at the door for soaking up any wet off shoes and nice and cosy by the bed for bare feet in the morning. At the end of each trip they go in the wash and back to new.

Don't forget Duct Tape