The 7 Most Forgotten Items in UK Motorhomes (and How to Never Leave Them Behind)
Last summer, my mate Dave rang me from a campsite next to Ullswater, absolutely beside himself. “I’ve forgotten the bloody levelling blocks again!” he groaned down the phone. There he was, parked on what could only be described as the side of a small mountain, with his motorhome listing like the Titanic. His wife Sarah was refusing to sleep in what she called “the wonky van,” and Dave was facing a night under the stars unless he could sort it.
Thankfully for Dave one of my other friends lives nearby in Penrith and he kindly loaned Dave a set of ramps. Although I believe that Dave returned the ramps with the addition of a few cans of beer!
Dave’s mishap got me thinking about all the times I’ve heard similar tales of woe from fellow motorhomers. It seems we’re all guilty of leaving something crucial behind, no matter how experienced we think we are.
The excitement of getting away can make even the most organised amongst us scatter-brained. I’ve seen seasoned tourers forget items they’ve packed religiously for twenty years, simply because they were rushing to beat the Friday afternoon traffic. Our brains are funny things – when we’re focused on the big picture (like imagining ourselves beside a Scottish loch with a cup of tea – or something stronger), we often overlook the practical details that make the dream possible.
There’s also what I call “home bias” – we assume we’ll be able to sort things out when we arrive, forgetting that the local shops in remote parts of the Highlands might not stock motorhome-specific kit.
Forgotten Item #1: Levelling Blocks
Poor Dave learned this lesson the hard way. Levelling blocks are absolutely essential for UK touring, where finding a perfectly flat pitch is about as likely as spotting a unicorn in the Cotswolds.
Last year, I watched a couple at a site near Snowdonia spend an entire afternoon using rocks and bits of wood to level their ‘van. They’d driven all the way from Surrey and realised they’d left their blocks in the garage. The site owner eventually took pity on them and lent them some ancient wooden blocks that had probably been there since the 1970s.
Without proper levelling, your fridge won’t work efficiently, you’ll feel dizzy walking about inside, and good luck getting any sleep when you’re rolling towards your partner all night. Modern absorption fridges need to be within 3 degrees of level to function properly – something many new motorhomers don’t realise until their milk goes off on day two.
Forgotten Item #2: Hose Connectors
Here’s a scenario that’s played out at countless UK campsites: you arrive, set up, go to fill your water tank, and discover the tap fitting doesn’t match your hose. It’s like a cruel joke played by the camping gods.
My neighbour Janet learned this lesson at a lovely site in North Wales. She’d packed everything meticulously – or so she thought. Come Sunday morning, she needed to fill up before the long drive home to Birmingham, only to find her standard connector wouldn’t fit the Victorian-era tap the site was using. She ended up filling her kettle sixteen times to get enough water for the journey home.
British campsites seem to take pride in having the most obscure tap fittings known to mankind. Pack a selection of connectors, including the universal type, and you’ll save yourself a world of frustration.
Forgotten Item #3: Spare Fuses
Electrical gremlins have a habit of striking at the most inconvenient moments. I once watched a family’s entire holiday nearly go up in smoke (quite literally) when their leisure battery charging system failed due to a blown fuse.
They were staying at a remote site on the Isle of Skye, miles from the nearest motorhome dealer. The husband, bless him, drove forty miles to Portree, only to discover that the local garage didn’t stock the specific fuse type he needed. It was only thanks to a helpful fellow camper – a retired electrician from Leeds – that they got sorted with a temporary fix.
A small bag of assorted fuses costs less than a tenner and weighs nothing, but it can save your entire trip. Include both blade fuses for modern systems and traditional glass fuses for older ‘vans.
Forgotten Item #4: First Aid Kit
I’ll never forget meeting a family at a site near Canterbury whose day out cycling took a turn when their youngest came off his bike. Nothing serious – just scraped knees and wounded pride – but they’d no plasters, antiseptic, or anything to clean the gravel out of the cuts.
The mum was nearly in tears, more from feeling unprepared than from the actual injury. Thankfully, our pitch was nearby, and we could help out, but it really drove home how vulnerable you can feel when you’re away from home without basic medical supplies.
A basic first aid kit should include plasters, antiseptic wipes, painkillers, and any prescription medications. If you’re touring with children, add some fun plasters with cartoon characters – they work miracles on minor injuries!
Forgotten Item #5: Torch or Lantern
“Why didn’t we bring a bloody torch?” These were the exact words I heard echoing across a campsite in Dorset one evening when the site’s electrical hook-up failed during a storm.
The couple in question – lovely people from Manchester – were trying to navigate their motorhome in complete darkness using the light from their mobile phones. They’d been camping for years in static caravans with electric lighting and hadn’t considered what would happen if the power went off.
Even if you’re staying on sites with electrical hook-up, a good torch or lantern is essential. Power cuts happen, you might need to check something outside in the dark, or you could end up wild camping where there’s no electricity at all. LED lanterns with USB charging are brilliant for modern motorhomes.
Forgotten Item #6: Toilet Chemicals
This is perhaps the most embarrassing item to forget, and yet it happens surprisingly often. I was chatting to a site warden in the Yorkshire Dales who told me he regularly has campers knocking on his door, red-faced and asking if he sells toilet chemicals.
One poor chap had driven up from London for a long weekend and only realised his mistake when his wife pointed out the suspicious smell emanating from their cassette toilet. The nearest camping shop was twenty miles away and closed on Sundays. Let’s just say it wasn’t the romantic getaway they’d planned.
Always pack spare toilet chemicals, even if you think you’ve got enough. Better to have too much than to find yourself in a rather unpleasant predicament.
Forgotten Item #7: Wheel Chocks
Wheel chocks might seem like an optional extra, but they’re actually a legal requirement in many European countries and essential for safety on sloping pitches.
I learned their importance the hard way during my early motorhoming days. I’d parked up my Swift Capri at a site in the Brecon Beacons, confident that the handbrake was sufficient. I woke up the next morning to find my motorhome had rolled forward several inches overnight – thankfully, it was stopped by a conveniently placed tree rather than the neighbouring tent.
The site owner was remarkably understanding, but he made sure I understood that wheel chocks weren’t just a good idea – they were essential. Since then, I’ve never pitched without them.
How to Stop Forgetting (Your Complete Pre-Departure Solution)
The solution to all these forgotten essentials? A proper pre-departure checklist that you actually use. Not one that sits in a drawer gathering dust, but one that becomes part of your routine.
I’ve developed a foolproof system over fifteen years of motorhoming, and I’ve never forgotten a crucial item since implementing it. The secret isn’t just having a list – it’s having a system that’s so simple you’ll actually stick to it, even when you’re excited about getting away.
