Keith Gooden
Welcome back to another Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden, and here’s Motorhome Matt.
Matt Sims
Here I am. How are you?
Keith Gooden
I’m fine. And you?
Matt Sims
Yes, very well. Good to see you again.
Keith Gooden
And you too. And by the way, this is part two of our podcasts which are looking at new products at the NEC show, the big show, and we’re reviewing them.
Matt Sims
I know. It was good. It was good fun, wasn’t it?
Keith Gooden
It was absolutely fantastic fun. There was a huge banner of Matt’s face greeting people as they queued to get in. As I’ve said before, I’m a fan of the banner.
Matt Sims
A fan of the banner? My fizzog, as you called it in the past.
Keith Gooden
Your fizzog-, his physiognomy!
Matt Sims
We had lots of people taking pictures by it and of the posters at the railway station as well.
Keith Gooden
Did you get people walking past going, ‘That’s him,’?
Matt Sims
They did, yes. I was still underneath it. Every morning we’d go in the door with all our recording kit and cameras and all the kit and caboodle. We’d all arrive as a team and set all the alarms off because of all the stuff in our bags. And they’d all look at me and go ‘Oh, Motorhome Matt!’ I don’t know why they spoke like that.
Keith Gooden
That’s a very odd voice.
Matt Sims
Pointing at the banner, ‘Let us in!’
Keith Gooden
As revealed in last week’s podcast, we don’t know what’s happened to the banner. Matt hasn’t got it. I haven’t got it. It is now making its way around the country. If you know where the banner is, get in contact with us because it is legendary. I mean, it’s an egomaniac’s delight, isn’t it? Let’s face it.
Over 40 interviews – that was fantastic, as well – of people who were showing up, members of the public, also some of the YouTubers and experts that were floating around, as well. Very enjoyable, Matt.
Matt Sims
It was good, wasn’t it? And if you came and spoke to us or came and spoke to me, thank you ever so much for doing so. And your encouragement was not lost on us at all. The good news is-, is it good news? We’ve decided to carry on.
People were overwhelmingly positive about it saying, ‘Oh, if we hadn’t discovered you, we’d have wasted a fortune on the wrong motorhome.’ Yes, it was bit overwhelming. I’m not going to lie.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic. And if you could just send us 10% of what you saved, we’d be very happy. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?
Matt Sims
Yes. I’d have gone with 12%!
Keith Gooden
Yes, so thanks very much for saying hello and all the rest of it.
Enjoy a free weekend in a motorhome with this special Early Bird offer
Keith Gooden
Now, let’s talk about the great offer you’ve got at the Motorhome Holiday Company, shall we?
Matt Sims
Indeed, yes. So if you book a motorhome holiday for next year with us, a hired motorhome holiday at www.motorhomeholidaycompany.com and you book and pay, you’ll get a free weekend away. That rhymed!
Keith Gooden
What’s the detail of that, Matt?
Matt Sims
Well, it’s really simple. So book a week away next year, and we will book for you a weekend away when you want to go. You can go before, you can go after, you could go at the same time and have some friends come with you in a different motorhome. You can make your week a 10 day trip. All we say is that you can’t do the weekend in the school summer holidays. That’s all.
So if you want to get a practice in before your big holiday, that big week away-, it could be two weeks, you don’t have to limit it to a week, why not? But if you want to get a weekend away, we’ve got a few people who have made the weekend a five day trip and just paid a couple of days extra so they’re having two holidays. If you want to get a practice in, then the big week away is much easier and all a bit more familiar.
Keith Gooden
And where do people have to go? What do they have to do?
Matt Sims
You can give us a call or you can go to the website. All the details are there – www.motorhomeholidaycompany.com – and you can book your week. And then when we ring you to take a payment you can just tell us you’d like to pay now. And then we’ll give you a voucher for your weekend away. And you can book that when you’re ready. You don’t have to book that at the same time.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic.
Truma’s new high-tech solar panel and control panel
Keith Gooden
Let’s get back to the show, some of these interviews and some of these brand-new products that we had a look at. Truma – what do they do?
Matt Sims
Truma! Well, if you own a motorhome or caravan, you’re probably familiar with the brand because they take care of heating you, cooling you and heating your water. They’re a huge company, and they’ve been around for a very long time.
I caught up with Sue, the marketing manager and Mark, the operations manager and they were launching some new products at the show, including a new control panel. Mark tells us more.
Mark
Yes, so we’ve been one of the main suppliers for solar panels for quite a long time. So we’ve had the traditional fixed solar panels which go on the roof and charge the batteries. We moved over 18 months ago to start doing flexible panels.
So whereas a traditional fixed panel could weigh 8 kilogrammes to 11 kilogrammes, a flexible panel may come in at 2.6 kilogrammes. On a motorhome it’s not quite so important, but on a caravan where weight is really important to keep low, it can make a large difference.
So this is something that having supplied manufacturers for just over a year, we’re allowing for the after-sales and for customers on the open market to be able to take the product as well.
And then as an evolution, as most industries and people do, we’ve moved on our control panel that’s been out for about 10 years. We’ve now gone to a touchscreen, so it’s I suppose a bit like the iPhones and a bit like the iPads that we’re used to. It’s a lot more intuitive. So again, it’s just showing people that and launching it so they know what’s available.
Matt Sims
And does the new control panel still have the INET functionality as well?
Mark
Oh, you’ve done your research, haven’t you?
Matt Sims
No, I’ve had one for years! I’ll tell you what the best feature for me is – walking on the beach and turning the hot water and the heating on before I get back to the motorhome. I love it.
Mark
Wow, fantastic. Yes, it doesn’t do that.
Matt Sims
It’s rubbish!
Mark
It’s an INEX panel, so it is an evolution to that. So currently where, as you say, you’ve got the app, you can download it, you can change the heating, put the hot water on and turn it off from that side. It has Bluetooth capability from the vehicle.
What you’re talking about, having the chip in for sending the messages, ironically, is that next stage! So that isn’t out at the moment, but it is due out in the early part of next year.
Keith Gooden
So you’ve been turning on the heating and drawing the curtains in somebody’s motorhome thinking it was your own, and it wasn’t.
Matt Sims
I found the only flaw in the product! It’s a great feature. No, it’s a long interview with them we did, and it’s actually really interesting. We go into their solar panels a bit more and we talk a lot more about this new control panel. Control panels for your heating and hot water, Keith, are important. Lots of us spend hours staring at them thinking, ‘What on earth am I doing? How does this work?’ And it raises lots of questions.
So it’s a big thing. It’s a big thing. It’s kind of the front of their products, really. And the real clever stuff is in the boiler, which you don’t really want to get involved with. Now, the control panel – the touchscreen is very cool. They had it on demo there. And there are some new developments coming in the future, as Mark said.
We’ll run the whole interview on YouTube so you can check it out there. Go ahead to Motorhome Matt, watch the full interview and get the full lowdown on what Truma are launching in the future on our YouTube channel.
Keith Gooden
This is a great dad product, isn’t it? Dads have been obsessed with thermostats, the amount of toilet roll people use, and now you’ve got an app and you can control it. You can walk along the beach and you can control your motorhome facilities. It doesn’t even let you do that. And you do it!
Matt Sims
The new one doesn’t. The one that I’ve got that I’ve had for years does. This new one doesn’t. So come on!
Keith Gooden
They’re sitting in their motorhome and their curtains are doing things and Matt’s walking by!
Matt Sims
Yes! No, you can do it to your own motorhome. Imagine that, turning someone else’s hot water on. That’d be freaky, wouldn’t it?
The top-quality and rigorously tested rooftop tent from Thule
Keith Gooden
Okay. Thule – have I pronounced that correctly?
Matt Sims
You have! They were launching a new product at the show, and here’s what they had to say. We’re here with Graham from Thule. It’s regularly mispronounced – is that the correct pronunciation?
Graham
That is correct, yes. It is not ‘Thool’. It is Thule.
Matt Sims
Thule – and it’s a Swedish company. How long has Thule been around?
Graham
Thule has been around since 1942, so quite some time.
Matt Sims
Wow. Big birthday. Yeah. Now we’re here looking at a brand new product, which is is it being launched at the show or is it just new to the UK? This particular
Graham
80 years. Wow. Big birthday! Now, we’re here looking at a brand new product – is it being launched at the show, or is it just new to the UK?
Matt Sims
Wow. So it’s brand new, and it’s called the Thule Approach. Now, this is a roof tent. Is that what we call it?
Graham
Correct. It is a roof tent. So the the beauty of a roof tent is it’s quite simply a tent that can go on the top of your roof and can go on lots of different vehicles. I get that question a lot – ‘Hey, I have a standard vehicle. Can I put a rooftop tent up there?’ And the answer is yes, as long as you have the proper racks to actually support the roof tent and as long as your vehicle roof can support it, which most vehicles can.
Matt Sims
So this is illustrated here on top of a VW Transporter. The ladder height is obviously adjustable, so it can go on a car, a four by four or a motorhome or campervan and you can basically build an extension.
Graham
The beauty is, like you said, you can take any vehicle and turn it into an adventure vehicle. And for those people who already have spacious vehicles, we have a lot of folks who say, ‘Hey, you know, I snore and my wife snores so she sleeps downstairs, and I actually have a tent that I’m up top in.’ And so it gives that extra space no matter what vehicle you have.
Matt Sims
That fixes quite a few problems!
Keith Gooden
So that’s a tent on top of your motorhome, is it?
Matt Sims
Or your car! It’s like a cheap HYMER Venture S.
Keith Gooden
That’s the motorhome we talked about last week from HYMER, which caused a bit of a stir because it does look completely different from most motorhomes. And let’s face it, motorhome design is fairly conservative. This isn’t, so look it up online. You’ll be blown away. But on the top of it, talking about being blown away, it’s got this inflatable tent and Thule doing that for your motorhome or for your car.
Matt Sims
Yes. This one isn’t inflatable. You fold it up, but it’s really, really lightweight. It’s really clever to use. It’s actually quite big.
Keith Gooden
The one thing that occurs to me is what if it’s windy or really rainy, and you’re in one of these things? Are they weatherproof?
Matt Sims
Apparently so, yes. Yes, go and check out the Thule website.
Keith Gooden
Okay, that was Thule, and they were at the show as indeed we were here at the Motorhome Matt podcast.
Plug-and-play van conversion electric kits from BCA
Keith Gooden
One of my favourite interviews that we did was with a company which provides wiring looms in a box. Now, a wiring loom, if you don’t know, is all the wires that connect to all the connectors in your car or motorhome. But they have these ones which are literally in a box which allow you to do other things, and you were talking to them, weren’t you?
Matt Sims
Yes, it’s a plug-and-play solution to convert a van into a campervan. In most campervans, the layout’s pretty similar. Things are generally in the same place, and BCA has launched a plug-and-play loom which makes it safe and easy and quick to do. We both caught up with Wayne who is from the manufacturer BCA. And they were launching this new product at the show.
Wayne Boyd
Okay, so we’re exhibiting. We’re supporting our manufacturers out here in the halls. And then likewise, we’re also trying to promote our new kit in a box. It’s an electrical item that allows people to fit their electrical system to a panel van, if that’s what they’re converting, and showing that they’re safe out there.
Keith Gooden
Electricity can be a dangerous thing. So what is it about your product that makes it safe?
Wayne Boyd
Okay, so we’ve designed this particular item so that you have your safety features with your RCBs and your MCBs inbuilt into the power distribution.
Keith Gooden
RCBs? MCBs?
Wayne Boyd
Yes, the residual circuit breaker, just to basically protect the appliance and to protect the user.
Keith Gooden
Like an old fashioned fuse?
Wayne Boyd
Yes, more elaborate, but yes, in essence. So yes, we have this item. And basically, it ensures that when you’ve got electricity in your vehicle, both the appliance and the end user are safe.
Keith Gooden
So what is it about this product that makes it unique for the user?
Wayne Boyd
What we’ve tried to do is ensure that anybody can fit it that’s reasonably competent. Install the unit into the vehicle, and each connector then will mate up to the appropriate harness connector on the PDU.
Keith Gooden
PDU?
Wayne Boyd
The power distribution unit.
Keith Gooden
Thanks for helping me out on that one. So you’ve got this. It’s in a box. You were talking before we started the interview about DIY Dan. This is DIY Dan proof, isn’t it?
Wayne Boyd
Yes, it is. What we’ve tried to do is make sure that anybody can fit it. With it being plug and play, the connectors are colour coded. So what we’ve got here is a unit that’s suitable for anybody to try.
Keith Gooden
Who’s your perfect customer, the person coming along that this is going to benefit the most?
Wayne Boyd
Somebody that’s unsure. Somebody that’s been and purchased a panel van and aspires to something that’s out here in the halls today, but financially can’t reach it. Somebody that wants to DIY. So this kit in a box is perfect.
Keith Gooden
I’ve asked the stupid questions. Let’s have some intelligent ones from Matt, shall we?
Matt Sims
Okay, so this manages the 12 and the 240 volt side of the circuit. Is that right?
Wayne Boyd
Yes, it does. The idea is that some people will fit separates within the vehicle. But those with a limited amount of space and just want this compact unit van, this covers all bases.
Matt Sims
And how long does it take to fit you thing?
Wayne Boyd
Somebody who’s competent, I would say, would be able to install this throughout the vehicle in roughly two hours.
Matt Sims
That’s pretty impressive. Even a DIYer?
Wayne Boyd
Yes, I would say. Once they’ve found the location that they want to put this item into, have laid the cables out within the vehicle and they know where the appliances are going to be. Plug and play – yes, it should be two hours.
Matt Sims
This is going to save lives, surely, isn’t it?
Wayne Boyd
Yes. Unfortunately, there are people out there that have fitted items that aren’t safe. And this really does cover all those bases.
Matt Sims
Fantastic. And what does it cost?
Wayne Boyd
If you’re going to find this at a retailer there are probably different levels, but you’re probably looking at about £350.
Matt Sims
£350. There are three models, aren’t there? Tell us about the three models.
Wayne Boyd
Okay, so you have the base unit which is just the power distribution unit. Then you have a model that has the majority of the wiring included and then the top one has a water probe included if you’ve got an underfloor water tank that you want to measure the levels in.
Matt Sims
For the wastewater or fresh water?
Wayne Boyd
For the freshwater.
Matt Sims
Yes, brilliant. And where can people buy one?
Wayne Boyd
We have a wholesale company that allows you to go and find your local dealer out there in the dealer network. So with most of the retailers, if they have an account with Pennine Leisure Supplies, they’d be able to get one online.
Matt Sims
Including our own shop, Keith! www.thatleisureshop.com. I think we need to stock this.
Keith Gooden
I think you do! Go there first www.thatleisureshop.com!
Matt Sims
Safety first. Brilliant product.
Keith Gooden
It sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?
Matt Sims
It is. Well, it’s going to make life a lot easier. If you’re looking to convert a van, a VW Sprinter, Crafter, or whatever it might be, this loom is ideal. And the great thing is, say you want to do something different and a bit quirky, they sell extension leads for that particular circuit so you don’t have to conform. You can do something different.
But this product means you can do it safely, so it’s just plug-and-play. No soldiering. No screwing on spade connectors and risking shorts and short circuits. It’s very clever.
Keith Gooden
It’s got all the connectors, has it, at the end of the wire?
Matt Sims
They’re all colour coded. Yes, it’s very simple to use. Yes, it’s really good.
Keith Gooden
So another great invention thanks to the motorhoming and caravanning industry.
Matt Sims
Indeed, yes. And we are going to be stocking it in the shop at www.thatleisureshop.com. We’re excited to get it and very proud to have that.
Keith Gooden
And one of the things that have been in shortage for motorhomes, cars and caravans has been wiring looms. So it’s great that you can get one of these to have a go at your own conversion.
Matt Sims
Yeah, it’s true not just in motorhomes, either. The whole VW Audi group had a huge problem. And then we talked about it before, say at Porsche they were all these wiring looms are made in Ukraine, and the factory had a big hole in the carpark you know, everyone went home.
Keith Gooden
Okay, then – let’s carry on. We are doing the podcast today. It’s part two of the new products at the NEC show that we were at. Over 40 interviews, but we’ve picked the very best of them for you for this episode.
New camping and motorhome accessories for 2023 from Grove Products
Keith Gooden
Well, cheers, Matt, is what I’ve got to say!
Matt Sims
Cheers indeed.
Keith Gooden
That’s a nice glass of water, but of course, Matt, when he was at the show, wasn’t drinking water.
Matt Sims
Oh, no.
Keith Gooden
He was drinking toilet fluid.
Matt Sims
Oh, I did. In the corner of the hall, one of the halls, there’s a company called Grove products. And this is a stand that’s roped off and you can’t get in. And you think, ‘Well, why?’ They’re actually a wholesaler to the industry, including us at That Leisure Shop. And they are launching new products to the trade. So it’s a chance for all of us to go in and actually look at the new products and order them at the show.
And you can peer in as if you’re placing your face against the glass and peering through the window at the new products on display inside the stand. I got to catch up with deputy managing director Ross Gilchrist, who talked me through some of the new products that Grove is bringing to market.
So you’ve been busy with wholesalers throughout the week, no doubt. And you’ve got a number of new products which we’re likely to see in the shops possibly before Christmas. Is that right?
Ross Gilchrist
Yes, we’ve got some new hitch covers and cable bags, things like that, that are coming out. They’re leaving China in the next few days so you should be with you before Christmas, definitely.
Matt Sims
Right, now – one of these products I’m particularly intrigued by is the caravan hitch cover. It’s always a winner of a Christmas gift for granny and grandad. Look at this – ‘Keep calm and caravan.’ And it comes in a really neat little bag.
Ross Gilchrist
So that’s a cable bag. That’s a peg bag, a boot bag, maybe, for football boots. So there’s a range of, ‘Keep calm and caravan,’ and some Welsh versions and Scottish versions. They’re always good sellers.
Matt Sims
No St. George’s Cross, then?
Ross Gilchrist
Now for some reason there’s not huge demand for the St. George’s.
Matt Sims
Do you know what? The number one product we sell, the doormat – we only sell the Welsh ones. We don’t sell St. George’s Cross. We don’t sell the Scottish one – well, not very often. The Welsh doormat is our number one mat product we sell. We’re only in Bristol over the bridge. So we are definitely stocking this. You can buy online or pop in the shop and pick one up. But I think these are going to be a hit.
Keith Gooden
You weren’t drinking the toilet chemicals, Matt! You promised me that.
Matt Sims
It’s coming. It’s coming. It’s coming.
Keith Gooden
Environmentally friendly toilet chemicals, which are part of the Grove array of products.
Matt Sims
Grove is bringing in a new product called Solbio, which is an odourless and colourless toilet chemical and it can be used in a mainstream sewer. It can be used in a septic tank. It’s brilliant. And it’s in what looks like a wine bag with a little tap on it.
So yes, more about that in a future episode. And yes, I will confess – I was told it was harmless. And Ross was there and he started washing his hands with it. I said, ‘Can I drink it?’ ‘Well, yes, if you wanted to…’ So I did!
Keith Gooden
You looked green around the gills for quite a few hours after it.
Matt Sims
I don’t recommend it. Anyway, stay tuned for more on that, and there will be a video on our YouTube channel in due course. We’ll let you know when it’s coming out.
Joanne: ‘Can we bring food in our motorhome when travelling to France?’
Keith Gooden
It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden. Here’s Matt Sims!
Matt Sims
Here I am.
Keith Gooden
He is Motorhome Matt. Let’s get some questions and answers – questions from you who listen to the podcast and answers from expert Matt Sims, Motorhome Matt. First of all, Joanne has been online to ask Matt!
Joanne
I just wanted to ask you if we are able to bring food in our motorhome on the ferry to France. I’m thinking particularly about the rules for Brexit. Thank you!
Keith Gooden
So Joanne says, and asks Matt the question, can she bring food to France?
Matt Sims
Well, of course, since we’ve Brexited, no, you can’t. So there are some clear guidelines on this. You’re not allowed to bring any meat or dairy products with you. You can, however, bring a limited quantity of fruit and veg, as well as eggs, egg products and honey. Restricted quantities of fish or fish products are also allowed. So there’s a quirk to that. If you’ve got a dog with you, and they eat raw meat, you would be allowed to take the dog food that’s raw meat for them for the next day, a day’s worth of food, but that would be all.
Keith Gooden
So you can say this fillet mignon is pour le chien.
Matt Sims
Pour le chien. Oui, oui, oui. Woof woof!
Keith Gooden
Thanks very much for that. So you can bring it over, but only for 24 hours’ worth of dog or cat food.
Matt Sims
Yes, but not for yourself.
Keith Gooden
Not for yourself. So if you want to bring fish, you’d better bring a cat. If you’re going to bring meat, you’d better bring a dog.
Matt Sims
You can’t take milk, cheese, yoghurt or other milk based products. My question is, ‘Can I take my Dairy Milk?’
Keith Gooden
Oh, very true.
Matt Sims
I know someone who actually had a big bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, and they were hiding it under the floor mat in the front of the car. They said, ‘They’re not having my chocolate!’ Apparently that would have been fine. But they were hiding it nonetheless. They wouldn’t give up the chocolate.
It’s worth noting that you can take baby milk. So while they say, ‘No milk,’ you can take infant milk or food or food required by humans or pets for medical reasons. So if you have to have a steak every day-,
Keith Gooden
I have to have a pie every day.
Matt Sims
Pie! The doctor said you’d be allowed to take it. There we are.
Keith Gooden
Thanks for the question. I hope that’s gone some way to answering it for you.
David: ‘Where do full-time motorhomes get their post sent to?’
Keith Gooden
David Lily’s been in touch. ‘What I’d like to know,’ he says, ‘Is if there’s a UK address for things such as insurance, banking and registration of my van? Where does the post get sent to? How do all the people who live in a van get over this, as they haven’t got an address?’
Matt Sims
Good question. We’ve answered this before. In fact, we’ve been asked this a few times. My advice is that your family and friends are going to be the answer. So if you can register at a chosen address, which is a family member’s, or a good friend’s who you trust, then use that.
You can use a PO box for general mail, but it’s not recognised by insurance companies or banks. You could use something like Van Post. It’s a website you can go to. It costs 60p per day to have your name and address registered with them. And then you can go and collect the post.
I don’t know whether Van Post can be used for your van registration address. They have very limited locations around the UK. There’s a spread of locations where you can then go and collect your mail. So the closest one to us here in Bristol is Taunton.
Keith Gooden
Hope that’s helped there, David.
Josie: ‘What’s the best practice for motorhoming with young children?’
Keith Gooden
Josie has been on Ask Matt as well. She’s pressed the button, and this is what she’s asked.
Josie
Hi, Matt. My wife and I are really interested in going motorhoming. We’ve been campers previously and we’ve not had any experience of using a motorhome. We’ve got two young children. One’s a new baby and one is a toddler. We just wanted to get a bit of advice about how people travel with babies and toddlers, how they use the seats, ISOFIX, those sorts of things, but also in terms of safe sleeping options.
Obviously, at the minute we tend to use two travel cots – well, one travel cot and one bassinet. But just to hear what other people’s experiences are and what your recommendations are, and if it’s okay to travel with children of that age. Thanks!
Keith Gooden
There you go, Matt. That’s Josie on Ask Matt. So what’s your advice?
Matt Sims
Yes, it was lovely to meet you, Josie, at the show. Thanks ever so much for coming and saying hello and then going home and sending us your question. It was great. I have to say, Josie’s baby was very cute. It was lovely to meet the whole family. But it was a babe in arms – very young. I think it was a few weeks old. First outing to the Motorhome and Caravan Show. Great indoctrination. I love it.
So we travelled as a family with very young children. I think our first trip away with our first child was when she was four weeks old in a bassinet when we were parked up and obviously in a car seat when we were travelling. It’s actually the easiest age to take them away because they don’t do anything. They just eat, sleep and make a mess in a nappy and they don’t move about.
Keith Gooden
That’s right.
Matt Sims
It’s when they start wriggling…
Keith Gooden
Yes, the most shocking thing is when you’ve had a child, especially your first one, and you put them down somewhere, and for the first time you turn around and they’re not there anymore.
Matt Sims
Yes! ‘Where have they gone?!’ And I remember Neve, who was a crawler, as soon as she could, she was off. In our motorhome at the time, we had an interior step. You’d shut the habitation door and there was a hole in the floor which you stepped down to get out. And she would always fall in it.
She just constantly made a beeline for this hole, so I had to make a piece of wood and fill it in for when we had the door shut so she couldn’t injure herself. She cut her head open at one point. So yes, that was fun.
And I think the key is having a motorhome which has enough seatbelts. That’s really important. So we are a family with four kids. And so we’d have to have a six belted motorhome. So it’s really important that everyone has a seatbelt.
Remember, if you’re taking a dog as well, they have to be clipped in securely too. So they either need their own seatbelt or you can buy an attachment that attaches them to an existing seatbelt. So seatbelt numbers are really important. Josie mentioned ISOFIX. This is the system that car seats can clip into. It’s become very popular with modern cars.
Keith Gooden
Yes, it’s down the back of your backseat, isn’t it? If you feel down the back, between the back of the seat and the seat itself, you’ll feel these metal things sticking up.
Matt Sims
Little hooks.
Keith Gooden
Yes, and you clip the baby seat in. It’s supposed to be a lot easier than the old fashioned way of strapping it in via the seatbelt.
Matt Sims
Yes, and it is. Often there’s a base you clip in and then you just click the seat into the base and the seat spins so you get them out, which is cool. We’ve got one of those for our grandson because we’re in round two now. But ISOFIX is actually a relatively recent innovation in motorhomes. It’s been around in cars for many years, but it’s only really in the last 4 or 5 years perhaps that I’ve seen them appear in motorhomes.
It was an option at the beginning. And now often, certainly in a family layout, they’re there as a permanent fixture from new. So check if ISOFIX is a feature in the motorhome, if that’s something you need, and check your car seat because sometimes they’re not compatible with a non-ISOFIX seat. So that’s really important.
In terms of sleeping, obviously, bed space is important. Some motorhomes have protective sides that stop people falling out of the bed. We’ve used cot sides. So we bought on Amazon some flexible cot sides where you can adjust the width, and the two arms went under the mattress. And we had bunk beds at the back of the motorhome.
In fact, we have them in the hire business and we give them to families to use. And you can adjust the width of them so they’ll fit in a range of motorhomes and keep the kids in that bunk bed so they don’t roll out when they’re asleep.
Keith Gooden
Well, thanks Josie for the question. I suppose, Matt, as well – it’s the terrible twos, isn’t it, when especially on sites and stuff the kids start toddling around and they can get under and in between and you’ve really got to keep your eye on them.
Matt Sims
You do.
Keith Gooden
You cannot just assume that everything’s going to be alright.
Matt Sims
No, and you don’t know what’s over that hedge. It could be a stream. You need to be very mindful of that, as soon as they can wander off. The other thing to note, just to add, is high up beds, so over cab beds, you know, like in a Luton van, so the bed’s above the driver, or a pull down bed that’s up in the ceiling – there’s often an age restriction and advice on how old the children should be to sleep in that bed. That might be four years old.
I’ve got two girls and two boys. My girls were far more sensible than the boys at four years old. If the boys could launch themselves, they would. And I always ask families when they’re booking a holiday with the hire business, ‘How old are the kids and what gender are they?’ Because in my experience, boys are idiots. And if they can launch, they will, and it can be a six foot drop.
So you need to be mindful of that. So think about where the kids are going to sleep, and think about how they could injure themselves if they fell out of bed.
Keith Gooden
‘But Dad, I was just being Spiderman.’
Ty: ‘Does having a six metre plus motorhome hinder driving and parking?’
Keith Gooden
Ty’s in contact with us. Ty says, ‘I’m buying my very first motorhome. Does a motorhome over six metres long really hinder,’ – good word that, hinder – ‘Driving and parking?’ Ty is struggling about what to compromise on.
Matt Sims
Yes, it’s a good question. It’s a good question and a very popular question for someone who’s never driven one before. I would say for general driving, no, it makes no difference at all. The issue isn’t the length. The issue really is the width and the height. And they’re the factors that you’re more concerned with when you’re driving. The length, if you’re going forward, it just all follows you. It only really becomes a consideration when you turn or go backwards. I’d say that’s when the length becomes something to think about.
The width and height are far more important, and they’re factors with car parks. So going into a beachfront carpark, there’s often a height restriction. There’s also a consideration of height on toll roads on the continent. So if you’re over three metres high, you’re going to pay a bit more. But for parking, yes, I would say it is a consideration.
If you’re thinking of taking the motorhome into a city and you’re going to do city breaks or you’re going to go to a seafront, then you’re going to want to park in a regular parking space. Often, six metres is the length of most generous parking spaces. I always look for a space over the other side of the car park out of the way so nothing gets damaged on my motorhome by other people. And I reverse into a space where there’s maybe grass behind it so you can back the back end in the overhang into the verge.
But I would say if you’re looking at a six metre motorhome, you’re probably looking at a van conversion, so a campervan or a small coachbuilt. But those chassis are also available on a 6.4 metre chassis. That opens up a range of layouts for you in terms of going from a transverse double bed, so an east-west bed to a north-south double or single beds. It also opens up the option of a bathroom at the back in a wider range of models.
That 40 centimetres, 6.4 metres, really, I don’t think, would make a lot of difference. One of the differences potentially is you’re going to have a longer wheelbase. So the distance between the front and back wheels is going to be further apart. And that’s going to make it a lot more stable on the road and a much more pleasant drive, I’d say, than a really short base vehicle.
So I would open your search to 6.4 metres. And I don’t know whether you’re looking at a van conversion, which is obviously narrower usually than a coach built. But certainly narrower is easier to drive and navigate, particularly where we love to go in the corners of Cornwall and in Ireland and Scotland where the roads get very narrow.
Keith Gooden
Hope that’s helped, Ty! I suppose what it comes down to as well is also the point you were making about the layout. Make sure the layout is right for you.
Matt Sims
That’s number one.
Keith Gooden
That’s the important thing.
Matt Sims
Number one. Yes, layout then budget, always. Ignore the money at the start. Just go and look at everything. Look at every feasible layout.
Keith Gooden
Alright, Ty. Thanks very much for that.
Send your questions to Matt and Keith
Keith Gooden
How do people actually send in a question for you?
Matt Sims
You can go to the website. It’s really easy. Just go to www.motorhomematt.co.uk/askmatt. You can fill in the form and submit it, or we love it when you actually record the question. Just hit the orange button and record it on your own microphone. You can proof it before you send it and press submit. We just ask you for your name and tell us in your recording where you are in the country. It’s lovely to know where people are, isn’t it?
Keith Gooden
Yes, nobody has been telling us where they are! And when we look at the statistics for the podcast, you’re spread far and wide, and it’d be great to share that with everybody who listens to the podcast. That’s just about us done and dusted. So how do people get in touch with you?
Matt Sims
You just go to the website – www.motorhomematt.co.uk. And there you can find all the places to listen to us. And you can watch us on Youtube. Just search Motorhome Matt. But please, if you are listening on Apple podcasts or Spotify, please leave us a five-star review and tell us on Apple podcasts what you thought of it too. It really helps us spread the algorithm and spread the word that the podcast exists.
