Mains power

robinph

Planning on renting a campervan for a few weeks driving round New Zealand later in the year. I've been trying to figure out what I'll need to be taking in terms of chargers for all my gadgetry though or if I'll need to try and find cigarette chargers for everything. Where it says 240V in the specs for the vans would it actually mean that there would be a regular mains outlet plug inside the van once you plug in the van at the campsites, or do they just mean that the heating etc only works once plugged in at a site and you don't actually get any sockets internally to plug in other stuff?

Technical Specifications:
5 Speed Manual Transmission
2.2L Turbo Diesel
Fuel Consumption: 14 litres per 100km (average)
Power Steering
Air-conditioning (driver’s cab only)
Heating (driver’s cab, 240V living area)
Power Supply: 12V Battery/240V mains power
Fresh Water Tank (85 litres)
2 x 2.5kg Gas Bottle

*Kol*

They mean that you will have 240v plugs in the MH to power any of your chargers etc.

loobylou

The sockets will be NZ type sockets, you'll need an adapter (or two) so you're UK plugs will fit them. They're cheap and readily available.

robinph

I have an extensive collection of US and EU plug adapters and sure I had an Oz/NZ one at some point, but that seems to have since gone missing. Due to my never expecting to be needing it because they are so far away I guess.

OuterBombie

Howdy,

Myself and my missus just did three weeks in NZ during March in a rented camper.

The specs sound pretty similar, we had a 04 Ford transit with a nice conversion. 240V was only obtainable in campsites when you were plugged into mains power. I was hoping the van would have an inverter but no joy. That said though, it did have a hot water tap and shower and a good sized fridge that was always on.

The weather was good so we didn't have to worry about heating. The van did have air-con (when plugged in) or a gas heater (ebershard!?).

It was a good trip, expect to see plenty of other campers on the road. Fuel is half the cost of here and the campsites are plentiful and cheap enough.

Enjoy,

Ray.

robinph

I don't expect the air-con to be needed much when I'm there but the heating will certainly be made use of.

I guess that the likes of the frigde would run off a seperate battery from the one used to start the engine, but if your parked up for a couple of days does that then take power/ get recharged from the mains that you plug into rather than needing to run the engine at all?

*Kol*

robinph wrote: »

I don't expect the air-con to be needed much when I'm there but the heating will certainly be made use of.

I guess that the likes of the frigde would run off a seperate battery from the one used to start the engine, but if your parked up for a couple of days does that then take power/ get recharged from the mains that you plug into rather than needing to run the engine at all?

The fridge would run on gas when you are parked up or 220v if you are plugged in. Fridges are wired so that they only run from the battery when the engine is running, otherwise the battery would be discharged very quickly.
Though you are correct in saying that the leisure battery is charged when you areon the electrical hook up.

OuterBombie

Hmmm, I was wondering about the fridge alright. My own camper fridge kills my battery pretty quickly so I tend to use it infrequently.

On the van in NZ there was no switch to change it to use gas (as my own does) but either way it chugged away without hassle, keeping several varieties of NZ beers nicely chilled.

The air-con unit doubled as a heater when plugged in.

Which camper crowd are you renting off? I went with kiwi-campers. I was looking for a Hi-ace but went they didn't have one to rent they upgraded us to a '04 Ford Transit for no extra charge. Was a two berth with toilet and shower.

Ray.

robinph

One of the many places that I've been looking at is Skiwi as they seem to effectively be resellers for the Maui/ Britz/ Backpacker companies but bundling in ski racks/ snow chains and lift passes for the ski season which is part of what I'm going for. I'm still debating weather to go for a HiAce size one with just the bed or a Transit+ sized one with loo and shower as well though.

Prefer the driving of the HiAce size, but extra space inside a bigger one would always be nice.

OuterBombie

Howdy,

Yeah I shared your opinion about the driving of the Hi-ace but to be honest was well impressed with the Transit (I drive a '94 transit camper here).

If you are on your own go with the smaller van, otherwise the extra space is worth considering especially if the weather is dodge. I wasn't convinced about the toilet and shower but to be honest they were the job. I was surfing down south and I could jump straight into the shower in my wettie after a surf and get warmed up. Plus there was no hassle when we free-camped anywhere, if the mood suited us.

Would love to go back in the winter there, they have thermal springs everywhere that would be so sweet after a day on the slopes.

Ray.