THERE’S SUCH A huge choice of touring products out there, we could easily have detailed the top 100 gadgets to carry in your caravan! But packing everything including the kitchen sink isn’t the point of a touring holiday.
It’s all about distilling your kit down to pure essentials. Items that are either so practical, you can’t live without them, or so good that they really enhance your holiday. While online influencers might claim that waffle-makers and multisensory light shows are vital, we’re a bit more realistic. We provide less waffle and more tangible touring goodness! So settle in and get comfortable with a brew, as we run through our top 20 touring gadgets…
1 POWERBANKS
Whether you’re a tech geek and have a caravan packed with devices, or a luddite who can barely tolerate a mobile phone, you’ll need to charge a gadget at some point.
Keeping your phone powered up will not only give you peace of mind in the event of an incident, but can also allow you to take as many photos and videos of your tour as you wish, without the worry of draining the battery.
Powerbanks require no technical know-how and simply plug into the device you want to power, using the appropriate cable.
The bigger the capacity of the powerbank in amp hours (Ah), the longer it will power your devices.
We’d look for models that include USB-C outputs as well as the much more common USB-A ports, as they’re more efficient at transferring power.
We’re not going to recommend a specific brand – we’ve tried many over the years and they’re all much of a muchness – so just pick one with the largest capacity for its size and weight to suit your usage. We do prefer ones that display the remaining charge as a percentage.
They’re an essential for your backpack when you’re hiking. We pack several – smaller models for use on the go, larger ones for devices used near the van.
Price From £10
Stockists Widely available
2 BATTERY-TO-BATTERY CHARGER
Did you know that your tow car is awash with excess power when you’re on the road, but most people let it go to waste?
However, with the simple addition of a battery-to-battery (B2B) charger, you can harness all of this free energy and make good use of it, to recharge your leisure battery bank.
Although they only work while you’re towing, doing this can make you far less reliant on electrical hook-ups.
A powerful B2B system can often fully recharge your batteries while you’re on the road between campsites, and they’re a fully automatic system.
If you’re a fan of staying at CLs and CSs or smaller sites that don’t always offer hook-ups, a B2B systemchoices of gadget. They really are a complete gamechanger.
