Thinking of taking a family vacation? Then consider a camper. These have now become the perfect accommodation for people who are in love with the outdoors. Nothing is quite like a camper trip and even in a sunken world economy; we see that trailer sale and their spares are still wildly popular. This is because they offer a flexibility that is not found with other forms of holiday travel. But before you embark on an RV mission, you must ensure that you have the right camper spares.

Many people start by having the camper itself inspected before they embark on a long trip. This is to preempt the possibility of something going wrong or to catch and replace a part that seems to have succumbed to wear and tear. These spares may need repair or replacement before one can make the trip.

Many caravans come with a warranty especially if you purchased it new. Sometimes there is additional insurance that one can pay which provides for extended warranty over and above the manufacturer’s warranty that is provided at the point of sale. If you have a warranty for repairs on your caravan, then that would be a good time to pay the dealership service center a visit. The dealership that sold you the motor home is the best place to have it repaired because they are familiar with its mechanical setup.

Sometimes you are in a position where the manufacturer’s warranty has elapsed. If this is the case then the first place to search should always be caravan repair shops and servicing centers which can easily be found within the local yellow pages. While motor homes are becoming very common, their service centers are still rare and one has to either search online or join a club or forum that is run by people who own caravans. You may not even find a caravan spares store in the immediate area where you live.

Then there are those who have purchased imported campers. Sometimes these can become problematic because their spares are hard to find. In such cases, there are a few options one can explore in order to get the right spares. One of these options is the one we mentioned earlier; you must consult with the dealer where you purchased the caravan. Some people avoid this especially if the warranty has elapsed because dealer service centers tend to be more expensive than other service centers.

Another option would be to search the internet for RV clubs. If you know the make and model of your camper, this can be important because you can easily type this in and see whether there are any motor home clubs dedicated to people who have that particular make and model (you should also do this before you buy the motor). In these forums, you will most likely see people discussing caravan spares especially those to do with your particular brand.

A final way to procure the right camper spares is to check with the local junkyard.

Why Camper Accessories Are Important

Ever since man started trading on long distance and even shorter distances, he made trips across the land to acquire either what he did not have or to sell it to others. This was the origin of the great trade routes that we read about in the history books. Trade routes existed whenever there was civilization or social order of any kind but most of the trade routes were prevalent in the Middle East, parts of North and West Africa and also the Arabia. Today, nomadic tribes on North Africa and even West Africa still go on the trade expeditions which involved a number of camels, some horses, and some donkeys. These animals were laden with the goods that were to traverse the trade route which was also called a caravan. Today when we talk to caravan, we are speaking of mobile homes, motor homes, recreational vehicles also known as RVs, trailers and caravan homes. These are mostly associated with people who move from one place to another either for recreational purposes or relocation purposes. Recently, there has been an increase in motor homes because of the hurricanes and tornadoes that have been wreaking havoc in the Southern and central parts of the United States. The government agency that handles disaster relief, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association), has been issuing trailer homes to the families and individuals affected by these hurricanes. These people then park the home either in the same lot where their home used to sit or they can move to an approved location. Caravans are important because of a number of reasons.

Safety

RVs are usually attractive for people moving from one place to other usually long distances. When it comes to recreational reasons, campers are great for camping and other outdoor expeditions. Many people like to pack their entire family and take off into the wild with all their accessories jammed into the vehicle. This is by far the most popular way for using caravans. Now when one is embarking on these trips, one has to make sure they have all the accessories in order. This is because there are other than just ensuring that the motor homes is running well, one has to make sure they have everything that they need for the trip. These items are what we refer to as caravan accessories, and they can include tents, flashlights, water-resistant boots and jackets, scissors, knives, fishing rods and baits, rope and more. While out in the wild, anything can happen. All this while there are no stores nearby. That is why one needs to have something like a flash light or water resistant boots in case they might have to step into the water for any reason.

Protection

Caravan accessories are very important for protection. This is because most people go off into the wild when they embark on a caravan and these areas hardly have any stores or even police or medical facilities. In short, you’re on your own.

RVs -The Basics

When we talk of the word caravan, many people associate these with the traveling caravans that used to spot a few camels, some horses, some sheep and in some cases, even elephants. These traveling caravans used to traverse huge tracts of land on trade routes in North Africa and the Middle East and there is hardly history that is complete without the mention of these tour groups. Caravans were made popular and even necessary by trade. The economies of first-century civilizations, regardless of where they were located , was sustained by trade and this trade was facilitated by the various caravans that traversed the well-known trade routes. Today, caravans still do exist especially in remote regions of the world where modern roads are non-existent. If one takes a tour of the desert regions of North Africa and the even in the Middle East and Arabia, they will still encounter nomadic tribes who still crisscross the desert in caravans that have changed little since the medieval days. But today, caravans refer to mobile homes whether stationary or mobile which are either placed on a lot by another transport vehicle that tows them or by a tractor. They are also referred to as trailer homes. Some people even refer to them as motor homes.

Other than static motor homes and campers, there are touring caravans which actually move from one place to another. This is mostly done when an RV or recreational vehicle is towed behind another, usually a truck with considerable horse power and taken to a different location.

There are two types of people who operate touring caravans; one is those people that are moving from one place to another and are in transition. These could be people who are looking for a place to stay in a new state or city and have carried all their belongings in the caravan trailer. In some instances, the people who operate these vehicles could have been displaced by a natural disaster like the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and are looking for a place to relocate to. Because of that hurricane and others which came later, the number of touring caravans became more widespread as there is now hardly a hurricane season that does not leave in its wake, destruction of homes and property leaving scores of people homeless.

The organization called FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association) also provides free touring or static homes that people can tow from one place to another. It provides these as a way to house people in the interim after a hurricane, a tornado or an earthquake as the insurance companies sort out compensation. These homes are either located on the place where the former destroyed house used to sit or on government approved land. There are also many vacant lots where this can place caravans has to be done with discretion to avoid violating trespassing laws. Caravan accessories them become necessary in such a scenario because the caravan life comes with its own demands.

Type Of Campers And Their Accessories

Caravans have always been existence since the inception of trade. In the first century, people quickly found that they could supplement what they did not have or produce locally by linking with other communities whether far or near. The mode of transport was usually camels because these are animals that are well suited to long trade journeys. In North Africa, it was common to see caravans operated by the many desert tribes traversing the large expanses of desert to exchange goods. Today, you can still see caravans especially in the desert regions of North Africa, the Middle East and some places in Arabia. Today, people still move from place to place but this is mostly done through motor vehicles. While it is common to see regular vehicles moving from place to place as we now have well-connected roadway systems, caravans mostly refer to motor homes, trailers, mobile homes and the recreational vehicles (RVs).

There are has been an increase in RVs in the recent years and not necessarily because people have a higher affinity for travel but because of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina which saw hundreds of thousands of people being misplaced and relocated. This happened when FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association) dished out hundreds of trailer homes to displaced families some of who decided to remain and supervise the reconstruction of their homes and others drove off to new locations.

Caravans today have taken on different shapes and sizes and some are extremely luxurious. There are families who have perfectly normal homes but maintain a touring caravan for recreational purposes such as outdoor camping trips and expeditions which they take annually. These families pack their belongings and caravan accessories in motor homes which are usually already in the motor home and tale off to the great outdoors.

These RVs are very cozy as we said, sporting air conditioning, freezers, hot showers, television, cable and even Internet service. They even come with a central heating system. There are a few accessories that caravans require and it is not uncommon to see people who are on the verge of a tour flocking to accessory shops which stock merchandise that can come in handy in a road trip.

RV accessory shops stocks almost anything that is necessary for the outdoors. You will find things to do with the caravan motor home itself and then there are things to do with the outdoors. The motor home itself can mostly be serviced in places where regular trucks are serviced. In most cases, the actually dealer who sold you the motor home has a service area that can service the home when it comes to mechanical issues. Outdoor caravan accessories include tents, flash lights, water resistant clothing, boots, gloves, lighters and much more. The list of everything you need for an outdoor expedition trip is vast and people only carry what they need for a particular trip. If there will be fishing then a pair of fishing rods and hooks will suffice.

Where To Buy RV Accessories

Caravans have been part of human transportation since there was a movement of people and goods from one place to another. In the Middle Eastern parts and even parts of Arabia and North Africa, nomadic tribes still transport goods across the vast expanses of the desert. In the past, trade routes involved caravans traversing the desert and wilderness terrain as traders sort buyers and sellers for the goods that they had. Today, people still move to and fro but instead of camels and horses they use motor vehicles and the term caravan is now used to refer to a type of motor home that people use to move from one location to another without necessarily leaving their belongings behind. These include motor homes, trailers, recreational vehicles and mobile homes. These resemble regular homes only that they are more temporary in nature and can be boarded either onto a tractor tow truck or can be pulled by a truck or pick-up. Motor homes actually are homes on wheels and can be driven from one location to another. They resemble a cross between an actual home and a truck where there is a driver cabin. The driver cabin looks more or less like a regular large truck while the back of it is extended and has windows and side doors. Inside the back portion, the home is partitioned to resemble an actual home with rooms such as living room, bedroom, restrooms, kitchen and even a storage area. The caravan contains all the amenities found in a regular house such as a heating system and an air conditioning system.

To embark on a successful caravan one needs to be prepared. That means making sure the motor home is running well. Some people who have owned the motor home long enough have the ability to do their own mechanical diagnostics to make sure everything is functional while those who are less mechanically inclined prefer to take the vehicle to a specialist or the dealer where the home was purchased. This involves the actual working of the motor home. But what about the other caravan accessories that will definitely come in handy during and on the trip?

In order to have a successful RV trip, one needs to have the right camper accessories to make the trip a success. Many people on a caravan prefer to sleep inside the actual mobile home but there are others who want to pitch a tent. So the tent is the first item on the accessory list. Others include flashlights, knives, batteries, binoculars, safety pins, lotions, anti-mosquito repellants, gloves, water-resistant boots, jackets, helmets sometimes, back-packs and the likes. Where can one buy these?

If you go online and type in Google “outdoor accessories store” you will definitely come up with great websites. Soon the Internet is the best place to start. The Internet is also handy because it affords you the luxury of price comparison.

You can also check the yellow pages for an outdoor sports store and you will find some close to your area.