Home Sweet Motorhome - Fastening Solutions for Campervans

 

How Fastmount, Accuride and LED lights from JETPRESS improve life on the road. Our Fastening Solutions for Campervans.

Fastmount and Accuride products help make motorhomes more popular. It’s easy to see why so many people like to own a motorhome or a campervan. Traditional motorhome owners have been joined by families and younger folk who just want to get in their van and go. In a survey by Campervan magazine, half the respondents say they don’t do much planning before they head off, they just see where the mood takes them.

 

But it’s only fun if the van is well designed and easy to live in.

When you design camper vans, motorhomes or RV’s you need to make the most of small spaces. Here are a few clever ways designers and engineers have made life on the road better for their using products we sell, including Fastmount Panel clips and Accuride Drawer slides.

 

From on board to on the road

New Zealand panel mounting system experts Fastmount used their experience in luxury yachts to develop a Low Profile panel mounting system . We can supply the Fastmount Very Low Profile System designed to work with thin panels and facings like soft or honeycomb cored panels.

 

Add up all the space saved on wall panels, seat backs, bed heads and inspection panels in your van and people will have a bit more room to spread out. Factor in the weight saving you get using lightweight panels and fasteners and it will help with your mpg (or MPGe*) figures.

 

Drawer slides on the go

Accuride Drawer Slides show up in different places in lots of RVs. Inside a van you can’t have the drawers opening and closing as you drive around. The Accuride 3832HDTR is a lightweight drawer slide with Touch Release that won’t open accidently. With no need for a handle they are great in a confined space.

But slides are used for much more than drawers. Van converters are using heavy duty slides like the Accuride 9301E and 9308 to create slide out kitchens. The rear door of the van lifts up to provide a roof and the kitchen units and appliances slide out from beneath the bed. The lock-in and lock-out features of the 9308 mean they stay safely in place on the move and they’re stable when you use the kitchen.

 

For some layouts it would be handy to have drawers that open either side of a unit. The Accuride 2026 Two-Way Travel Drawer Slides open to 75% extension and have a hold-out feature both ways.

Accuride Linear Motion Drawer Slides are the sort used in aircraft for seat trays and seat recliners. They are just as valuable in a van interior for moveable parts of seats, storage covers and TV lifts. Accuride Pocket Door Slides are also used for TV doors because they fold out of the way when you want to view the screen. You can use them to screen anything and some designers will hide a whole kitchen using Pocket Door Slides.

 

Controlling the motion

 

 

To make the most of the space in a van, lots of things need to fold up or out. To make sure this is a controlled movement you can use gas struts. Selecting exactly the right strut for your application depends on factors like weight and the force required. The JET PRESS team have a lot of experience and expertise in this area. We are always happy to help advise on the correct strut and how to position it.

Gas struts are often found in gas bottle locker covers where a Swift&Sure Vari-Lift Gas Springs Camloc from the 06-15 Range is often used. Fold down beds tend to use struts from the 08-18 Range.

If you wanted to create a door that lifts up to create a roof like the kitchen described above you can use a combination of gas struts. An Econoloc Gas Spring has a spring loaded locking shroud that clicks into place when the spring is fully extended. The Econoloc is released by applying pressure to the right place on the shroud. Combine it with a matching Swift&Sure strut and your door will stay securely in place.

 

A bright idea

Power and practicality are the reasons designers are using LED lights in camper vans. The JET PRESS 12v LED IP65 Tape is a flexible and adaptable solution. It’s water resistant so you can use it inside or outside the van and it’s very easy to install. If you want to light up a dark cupboard the battery powered LED Motion Sensor Light is ideal. It won’t turn on until you open the door and turns off 30 seconds after you close it. One set of batteries is good for around 2,400 activations.

Let’s talk about power. You don’t want a flat battery, especially in an electric vehicle.  And you don’t want to have to run the engine all night. A traditional 12 volt bulb consumes 1.6 amps while 12v LED light consumes 0.12 amps. So if you have a dozen bulbs in your van they will burn 19.2 amps and the LED equivalent only needs 1.4 amps. Good for you and the planet.

And you don’t have to carry any spare bulbs.

 

*MPGe and range

The people who want to go out and enjoy nature in a campervan also want to protect the environment. So they’ll be looking for environmentally friendly electric camper vans. Some of the big automotive players like VW and Nissan have already revealed all electric campervans.

Range is still an issue for electric vehicles and if you want to get away from it all in a campervan you may be a long way from the nearest charging point. Lightweight panels and fixings will reduce weight. LED lighting cuts down energy consumption. Miles per Gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe) is a useful way for people to compare the efficiency of electric vehicles.

The team at JET PRESS have a whole host of ideas to help you find the right fastening solutions for campervans. If you would like samples or help selecting the right slides, struts, lights or fixings please call +44 1623 551 800, email [email protected] or contact us