Anyone who has a motorhome do you

[tanstaafl]

Use the shower ?
Use the (tiny) hobs?

Is there appropriately sized pots and pans that come with the motorhome?

We’ve just been to the show at the NEC this week and got to wondering how many owners actually use their showers and hobs. Do most owners plan to stay on sites that have shower blocks and do you bring table/chairs and a good camping stove instead?

Yes to both. Our hob isn't tiny...3 ring gas burner. Shower is absolutely fine but if you are very overweight it could be challenging.
We want the freedom to stay at a variety of stopovers and not be confined to campsites.

I very rarely use the shower, if off grid it's not an efficient use of water. If on site I use the showers on site.

I use the hobs a lot although our van has 4 hob rings and a full size oven

Yes to all.

4-Burner hob (3-gas & 1-mains electric), gas oven. Include the fitted microwave and there are ample facilities to make a 3-course meal with the only limiting factor being the restricted preparation surfaces.
We don't carry large pots & pans as we are never cooking for more than the 2 of us and we never make so much that there are leftovers for another meal (although the decent sized fridge/freezer means this is quite possible).

We have a bathroom with separate shower compartment although my OH prefers to use the on-site showers as he is quite tall & broad so prefers more space. I on the other hand manage in the shower quite happily.

We almost exclusively use CAMC sites and these tend to have excellent facilities but definitely no bars, restaurants, pools, entertainment etc as we do not like that type of site.

Yes to the hob.
Usually use the site showers, bit more room, don’t have to empty and refill the water.

Just to confirm, were you looking at a camper or motorhome, 2-berth or family sized?

"Tiny" hob. This made me go and check our hob and it is 4-ring, 50cm wide so the same as a narrow domestic hob and more than adequate but as I said in my earlier post, we use normal pots & pans but just not the largest, family ones. Same with the oven, normal baking trays fit ok.
We don't tend to use the grill much as we carry a separate toaster for toast.

Not aware of any Moho that comes complete with pots & pans.

Yes we carry table & chairs for sitting outside although we never eat outside as alfresco dining is not for us.

Camping stove. Again, not certain what type of vehicles you were looking at as our on-board cooking facilities are far better than any camping stove.
We do have an external gas BBQ connection (to allow it to run off our fitted bottles) but not liking alfresco dining, we never use it.

Yes to both and ours is only 6m long 2 berth.
3 ring gas hob and can use pans up to 20cm diameter
I bought Tefal ingenio as the handles detach for storage

@tanstaafl
Was there a particular manufacturer or model of Moho that took your fancy?

The best thing about the show is that you get a chance to look at multiple ranges and try them out.
Choosing the layout that suits you is most important, some go for a fixed bed while others (us!) like to maximise living space and are happy to spend 2-mins making up a bed.
Budget & size are also important choices as is finding a good dealer for aftersale support.

Definitely a motorhome. Though the show is all new models, we don’t rule out buying second hand as budget is the main consideration.

SIL has a motorhome but doesn’t use the shower saying the site showers are better for space and water pressure and then there’s carrying cleaning product for the shower and keeping it clean.
We’d really want to be self catering but the hobs looked compact though I guess you compromise with your meals? You cook to the facilities you have and adjust the type of meals to suit?

New models at our budget level that stood out were from Chausson and Rimor.

We have a motorhome. Hob has 1 electric & 3 gas rings, grill & gas oven, microwave. Only 2 of us & I only tend to cook easy chuck in the oven stuff, or take a frozen home made chilli to reheat & do some rice with it etc. Always use shower in van - good water pressure & really hot water. Like to shower & just get into pj’s without traipsing outside, especially in winter. We love it & use van all year round, as long as safe to drive ie not icy. Average 60-70 nights/yr.

We use the hob on ours, and have used the shower once. We tend to stay on sites with decent facilities so use their showers, but it isnt the best use of water.

We ordered a new motorhome at the show, as we got a good part ex price on our current one. The new one has a slightly bigger shower and only a 2 ring hob, but weve never used all 3 at the same time in our current one.

We bought a set of camping pans from go outdoors that has a small and medium frying pan/saucepan as well as a bigger stock pot type thing. The pans have screw on handles for space saving and its been fine for us. We tend to cook basic meals (spag bol/curry in premade sauce) or eat out.

Yes, we use the shower in our motorhome. My dh sometimes uses the showers on a campsite, but I don’t like traipsing back and forth in my dressing gown. The shower in our van is pretty good - decent power and lots of hot water.

Our stove top has 3 gas rings, not tiny at all. We also have an oven and grill. We self cater most of the time and it’s fine, though the lack of work surfaces is a pain. Mostly I cook simple stuff that you just put in the oven, with veggies cooked on the hob.

Yes to both. I rarely stayed on sites so the shower was essential, particularly as I did a six month trip!

i had a Chausson and loved it.

I don't have one now but my parents did when I was a teenager. The hobs got used a lot along with the oven. We did a full Sunday roast in the motor home many times without issue.

I never used the shower as I have a spinal injury that meant I just wasn't mobile enough to manage it but my parents both used it each morning without issue.

We had a wee only rule for the toilet since emptying it was a bad enough job without dealing with shite too. Highly recommend you adopt the same policy.

Definitely a motorhome. Though the show is all new models, we don’t rule out buying second hand as budget is the main consideration.

Buying the vehicle is just the start.
You have to equip it but then there are the other costs that people often forget.
Insurance. Often you are unable to transfer a NCD from a car to a Moho policy so you usually have to start from scratch.
Servicing. Base vehicle servicing is often biannually (depending on mileage) but the habitation check is annual.
Storage. If you can keep it at home that is great but if you don't have space (or don't want people seeing when you are away) then secure storage is required. This sometimes works in your favour as a good site can often result in cheaper insurance. Expect to pay between £35-£60/M.
Tracking device. Many MoHo's come pre fitted with a tracking device which many insurers insist is activated & used. Premium is often £100-£200/Y.
Road tax varies with a larger vehicle actually being cheaper than a smaller one, our 4.25T Moho is £165/Y.

We’d really want to be self catering but the hobs looked compact though I guess you compromise with your meals? You cook to the facilities you have and adjust the type of meals to suit?

Never had a problem cooking nice meals but then again we are away to relax, not spend ages cooking & cleaning. Being in a different location every week gives you a chance to sample local eateries
There is a current trend to post photos on various FB groups showing the fabulous meals prepared in the MoHo, we have never felt the need for fine dining when away or photographing it!

New models at our budget level that stood out were from Chausson and Rimor.

What is your budget (if you don't mind me asking)?
Will you be adding any optional extras such as trim upgrades, awning, self levelling, solar, inverter, TV, WiFi etc. All cost money and add weight.
Oddly enough we have never had Chausson or Rimor. Bought plenty over the years from Auto Trail, Swift, FFB Tabert, Pilote, Rapido, both coach-built & A-class and usually on the Fiat or Merc chassis.

Talking of weight, do you have C1 on your licence as that opens up whole new horizons when it comes to size & weight of the vehicle? Whatever you do, make sure you do not fall into the trap of adding lots of "stuff" and then being overweight (very easily done). With each new Moho we always load up and take a trip to our local weighbridge to ensure we are legal.
The past couple of vehicles have not been supplied with a spare wheel from new so my OH has retrofitted one (parts available off the shelf but not included as to save weight).

we’ve never used the hob in ours as we always cook outdoors! We mostly stay on campsites and shower/wash dishes in the communal facilities. I would love to convert the kitchen into storage (there’s 5 of us so extra storage would be amazing) but have to keep it as is for whenever we sell it.

Yes to hob (particularly so when we are in cooler climates), almost every day at least to boil the kettle for coffee. We also have an oven, which again is used regularly when we are touring in the UK.

Shower is used less frequently as even a ‘navy shower’ uses quite a bit of water. When on campsites we use their showers, as water is less limited. When staying ‘off-grid’ we tend to shower every 2-3 days and flannel/sponge bathe in between.

We use the hob a lot and the oven, plus the external BBQ gas point, we had a composite lightweight refillable gas system fitted. We do a mixture of shower block and shower on the Motorhome. If it’s cold and wet outside and your pitch is a fair distance away or if the shower looks a bit grotty you may not fancy showering in the blocks.

As much as it’s nice to go out for food eating out every day would be a bit costly if you are away for a few weeks. Last trip, cheapest stay over was a car park in a Farm shop for a fiver most expensive was £35 inc electricity and a water pipe direct to the van at the pitch and very clean and good facilities.

DH did a lot of research and we hired a couple first as so many layouts to try. We have an end bedroom Buerstener which is a German brand on a Fiat chassis with a separate loo and shower. Also consider garage space.

Our best buy has been a big electric power bank as OH lives in the van part of the week. It means he can power the van as if he were on electric.
Also means we take a small air fryer to add to the meals we do!