If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly looking for new campervan accessories. I come away from every trip with a shopping list of items which I didn’t know i needed. They come in three categories; things to make me more comfortable, things to make van life in the UK easier and gadgets I didn’t need, but really wanted.
Some of the accessories are a result of mistakes we’ve made. You can find a list of the top campervan mistakes to look out for here.
I’ll keep adding Campervan Accessories for the UK and beyond to this list, so bookmark and check back. Leave a comment if you would like any additional information on anything you see below.
Mattress Topper
Although the rock ‘n’ roll bed in the campervan is comfortable, its not quite a home mattress. If there’s two of you in the bed, you’ll likely spend more of your time on one side than you normally do too. The result of the firmer bed and less space to move has, in my experience, been waking up with a stiff hip. It didn’t take us many camper trips to buy a mattress topper and now we wouldn’t go away without one.
Collapsible Bin
Space and storage are two things which are a premium in a campervan, motorhome or caravan. This is especially apparent when you’re cooking; waste, off cuts and empty bottles of beer need to be stored somewhere and this is the best way we’ve found to do it.
The bin clips over one of your cupboards, folds down when you don’t need it and opens out to a good enough size whenever you do. An added feature is the bin bag roll holder on the front. I’m not a huge fan of the sticker on the front but it peels off easy enough. I think this is an excellent and inexpensive VW campervan gift idea.
You can find the one we bought here.
Ridgemonkey Pan
Once you start talking to campervan, motorhome or caravan owners you’ll start seeing a pattern emerge regarding accessory recommendations. I’ve lost count how many people have told me to buy a RidgeMonkey pan and I’m not sure why it took me so long to buy one!
The RidgeMonkey is essentially a two non-stick pans with detachable handles connected with a hinge. You can separate the pans for additional cooking space but the beauty of the XL or Combi is you can fold one over the top of the other and create an oven. This enclosed clam shell style cooking space opens up a world of camping recipes you could expect to only be able to cook at home. We found an added benefit of the clamshell arrangement is that it protects your hob from splashes.
The RidgeMonkey Combi has a segmented second pan as seen above and comes with an additional veg steamer attachment. Although this segregated pan comes in handy for fry ups, the XL is better for making toasties or anything you need to flip. With the XL being symmetrical, to flip your food, you just flip the pan! Both options come with removable handles for storage and a handy carry bag so they don’t scratch anything.
The only care point we’ve found is the ‘lid’ section can hold quite a lot of condensation, so when you open the hinge, be careful not to drip boiling water on yourself. For us; the RidgeMonkey pan is a fantastic campervan gift idea.
Headrest Hooks
These are the least expensive campervan accessory on the list but that definitely doesn’t mean they are the least useful. These headrest hooks do exactly what you would expect and you can see them in action in the image at the top of the page. We think these hooks are an excellent campervan storage solution. From shopping bags to drying walking boots and backpacks, these hooks get daily use whether we’re on a trip away or not.
The set i purchased came in a pack of 6 and can be found here.
Electric Hook Up Cable Reel
Another accessory which took me far too long to buy but wouldn’t be without one now, the EHU cable reel. We have 2 sizes of electric hook up cable, a 5 and a 20m. Although the 5m cable is easy enough to store, the longer version becomes a nightmare without a reel. The cable was reminiscent of Christmas fairy lights every time i took it out of the cupboard. Not only is this doing the cable a considerable amount of damage, its just time consuming and annoying.
The EHU reel is just an inexpensive and simple way of keeping your cable organised and always ready. An added benefit is the reel will likely prolong the life of your cable as you wont be stressing the coils whilst untangling.
Portable Fire Pit
The portable, folding, fire pit is one of my absolute favourite campervan accessories for the UK. There are few things I enjoy more on a trip away than sitting with a drink in front of a fire, but most campsites and beaches only allow them if they’re raised. The portable fire put is the best solution to this problem we’ve found.
The fire pit consists of a tubular metal frame supporting a wire mesh fire surface. It folds down to a little bigger than a pint glass and opens out to a perfect size. The beauty of the tubular design is the lack of heat retention – we’ve had fires burning for hours and the frame is still safe to touch.
The fire pit we use can be found here.
Campervan Projector
I will do a more in-depth article on campervan projector setups, but for now – its absolutely an accessory you should consider. We purchased an inexpensive mini projector, a mounting bracket and a screen from Amazon. The screen stretches from the pop top down to self adhesive hooks on the B pillar. Having a proper movie watching setup is a saviour for rain, hangovers or lazy days on trips.
It’s worth noting that our setup is currently reliant on electric hook up (as the projector is UK mains powered). But there are battery powered options such as the Anker Capsule Max or the new Samsung Freestyle. I’m tempted to buy one of the above and will do a full review on here if i do.
Blind Spot Mirrors
The most consistently useful campervan accessory i’ve purchased is a pair of small self adhesive blind spot mirrors. I have one attached to both wing mirrors in the bottom right hand corner. You’ll quickly learn that the design of the VW T6 wing mirror is pretty poor, you have a large blind spot which become dangerous when moving between lanes. The convex mirror removes this blind spot and make me feel far safer when merging, overtaking and driving in general.
Karcher Window Vac
We couldn’t have a list of the best UK campervan accessories without adding something to help with condensation. As we talked about in our mistakes post; winter trips in England means its unavoidable. After trying a few different strategies including silica bags, sponges and micro fibre cloths we finally bought a window vac.
It’s essentially a hollow squeegee with a vacuum attached. As you move it over your window it sucks all of the condensation into a removal water reservoir. We’ve had one for a few months now and wouldn’t do another winter without one.
Some of the questions I had to look up before buying:
How long does the Karcher Window Vac take to charge?
About 120 minutes to fully charge from empty.
How long is the Karcher Window Vac’s Battery Life?
About 20 minutes – Good enough for a couple full trips or a good few months of windscreen clearing.
