Category: Stuff
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Victron 12V 20A Battery Charger
Could there be a duller bit of kit in the van? Possibly so, but this one certainly scores badly on the dullness to price ratio. It simply plugs into mains power – either an extension cable run from the house, or a campsite hookup cable, and then charges the leisure batteries. This one has a…
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Mobile Mains Power Cable (Campsite Plug to 3-Pin Sockets)
Our overall philosophy about living in the van is that we want freedom; we want to be able to spend time in wild or remote places; we don’t want to be limited to visiting tourist destinations or places that cater to motorhomes and caravans. So we have big solar panels for electricity, and a large refillable…
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1000W Pure Sine Wave AC Power Inverter
Almost everything in the van runs off 12V DC power, or can be plugged into a 5V USB port, which itself is connected to the 12V DC supply. However, some things need mains AC power. Some of those things will for the foreseeable future (a domestic vacuum cleaner, a charger for the cordless drill batteries,…
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Huawei E5577 Mobile 4G Wi-Fi Hotspot
Otherwise known as a ‘mi-fi’, this allows us to take a 4G signal (via an external antenna) and create a wifi network inside the van. It has a pretty good battery, and charges by USB. Pretty simple to set up, and no complaints so far. £80 from Amazon (affiliate link).
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Poynting 4G Antenna
We have this mounted on the roof, wired up via the 2 attached cables to a Huawei 4G ‘mi-fi’ device; which sets up a wifi hotspot inside the van. The antenna, as well as being far more powerful than the one built into the mi-fi device (or our phones) is also mounted outside of the…
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Treatex Hardwax Oil
One of many combination oil and wax finishes suitable for wood (Osmo is another popular brand which I haven’t used). It gives good plywood a beautiful smooth sheen, and is easy to apply with a rag. Way better than water-based PU varnish, in my experience. £26 for a 1 litre can.
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Drawer runners
These are 45cm, full-extension, side-mounted, ball bearing runners. If your drawers and cabinets are square, and a good fit, proper runners like these are the way to go (rather than fitting wooden rails for the drawers to slide on). They feel secure, smooth, and let you pull the drawer out all the way when opening.…
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Sequoia table legs
We bought two of these for our main table. The fitting is pretty straightforward, the floor plate is low profile, and they’re nicely made, but there’s no getting away from the fact that one or two table legs are not enough to support a reasonable sized table without framing or wobbling. That’s why conventional tables…
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Hammerite Underbody Seal paint
We’re using this to protect the gas tank, which is mounted under the chassis – i.e. in a space where it’s vulnerable to grit, dirt and road debris. This is recommended by the suppliers of the gas tank, and claims to provide: Heavy duty protection for underbody, wheel arches and other high impact areas. Powerful…
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Hafele Gas Strut
We fitted these to the overhead cabinets, which have doors that open upwards above your head. The struts hold the doors open, but they also have some initial resistance which hold the doors tight when closed. Hopefully this will mean we don’t need to add latches to these doors. They’re easy to fit, and they…
Andrew Sleigh 