VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
Chocks, levelers and the stopover checklist
Settling in for the night in a motorhome: leveling ramps, why absorption fridges need a level vehicle, and the arrival and departure checklists that prevent damage.
There is an evening ritual in motorhome life, like the arrival routine at a mountain hut. Done right, it guarantees a horizontal night's sleep, a fridge that cools, and a damage-free departure the next morning. Here is the complete routine, in order.
Leveling: more than a comfort issue
Sleeping head-down is unpleasant, but the real stake is elsewhere: most absorption fridges (the motorhome standard) must be level to work — a few degrees of sustained tilt is enough to block the coolant cycle and, over time, damage the unit. Shower and sink drains also empty poorly on a slope.
Leveling in practice
Spot the slope by eye, then check with a bubble level on the cabin floor (or your phone's level app). Place the leveling ramps — supplied by most rental companies, otherwise €20–30 at any accessory shop — in front of or behind the wheels on the low side, and drive up at idle speed with a passenger guiding. Two rules: always chock a full axle (both wheels), and never level on the jack. Handbrake on, gear engaged, and on a marked slope add a wheel chock.
The arrival checklist
1. Vehicle chocked and level, handbrake on. 2. Fridge switched to gas or 230 V depending on hook-up. 3. Site electricity connected (a CEE adapter is often needed — our stopover guide covers the equipment). 4. Gas open for cooking and heating. 5. Awning out only if you're staying close by: one gust destroys it, and it is almost never covered by the insurance.
The departure checklist — the expensive one
The most common rental damage doesn't come from the road but from a rushed departure: awning left out, entry step extended, aerial up, 230 V cable still plugged in, rooflights open. Always run the same loop: interior secured (cupboard doors, fridge latched, worktops cleared), gas off, exterior (cable, ramps stowed, awning, step, hatches), then one full walk-around before turning the key. Tape the list to the dashboard — and pair it with our rental departure checklist.