Hi people,i have been driving for 7 months and now going tramping,i have lots of cans with all day breakfast etc,bought myself argos stove&kettel, all toilet stuff,dvd player,what else i may need? Also,with finding overnight parking i heard industry estates are the best. Do you use that website HGV PARKING UK? is it ok? Any info appreciated
take plenty of cash with you for when the ladys of the night come knocking on your door
if your going to park up on ind estates then you will need plenty of bog roll for when you need a crap in the cab or if your lucky you can park somewhere a bit out of sight and jump up on the cat walk for s hit
oh i see you said your taking bog roll so your learning
worse thing about tramping is when you need a shi t and your out in the middle of no where, god help anyone if they dont have bog roll
Water container…Wet wipes…Cutlery…Bowl…Plate…The list goes on really…Just about anything that will make your life comfortable while your away…You’ll be able to add bits and pieces as you go…As for parking…Industrial estates tend to be a bit quiter at night…As there is alot of traffic movement in msa’s at night as a rule…But obviously if you get paid parking or have a snap account.Then msa’s and truckstops are ok.Never used the hgv parking site…So can’t help you with that.
If you go on the Go Outdoors website you can buy a double burner stove made by Hi Gear for £14 so you can do 2 things at the same time. Get some cable ties, gaffer tape to sort stuff like air leaks not for kidnapping prostitutes 
some reading material for if you are parked miles from anywhere a good book or fanny mag will do 
Maybe look into buying a TV with built in DVD player and freeview you can get a 19 inch one for just over £100 and get a decent arial such as an Omnimax which will set you back about £80 but is one of the best you can buy. If you have a fridge then think about buying stuff like diced chicken or breast, pork chops, steaks, mince so you can cook yourself some meals with maybe rice/pasta instead of forking out to eat all the time.
Regarding finding descent spots to park overnight ask other drivers I’m sure they will help and word of mouth from other lads in the yard. I always look for industrial estates near a supermarket or even town centres so I can go to a pub for a couple of pints and a meal after a long day on the road. That HGVParking.com is a good place to look but some of the information can be misleading such as how many spaces to park, price and even if HGV’S are allowed. Once you have been on the road a couple of months you’ll get an idea and a few good spots stored in your head where you know you’ll be safe to park and have a venture out for couple of pints, sit down meal or takeaway if that’s your fancy.
Don’t bother with lay bys right at the side of the likes of the A14, A42, A38, A12 etc unless you want to be rocked from side to side every time another truck passes or not being able to sleep thinking the next truck is going to smash into you do to a driver who is tired or not concentrating. Only use a lay by thats set back from the road, plus these ones have the advantage of being dogging places most of the time so you can watch a bit of live ■■■■ or even 2 fellas get it on
It may not float your boat but the diesel scrotes don’t go near these places for obvious reasons
Double burner ordered. Great info thanks alot
joker83:
Double burner ordered. Great info thanks alot
You’ll have to buy a hose and regulator and a Calour Gas propane cylinder for it to run off. I’ve got a 3.9kg for my stove you can get smaller.
Scramble egg on bacon in the lorry?? Sounds alright isn’t, just bought double burner and hose i need bottle as well but this has to wait till sunday hopefully i will find some place selling it. How much it cost anyway? Cheers
We are banned from having gas bottles or cylinders in truck at all
.
Is proving a problem .
However i mostly eat packet cous cous so only really nead a kettle . just chop som toms and cucums and raisons into it .
No fat or salt .
Also try m&s or waitross in da servs early evening when reduced . nice salads and stuff 4 cheaps
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
If you go on the Go Outdoors website you can buy a double burner stove made by Hi Gear for £14 so you can do 2 things at the same time. Get some cable ties, gaffer tape to sort stuff like air leaks not for kidnapping prostitutes
Maybe look into buying a TV with built in DVD player and freeview you can get a 19 inch one for just over £100 and get a decent arial such as an Omnimax which will set you back about £80 but is one of the best you can buy. If you have a fridge then think about buying stuff like diced chicken or breast, pork chops, steaks, mince so you can cook yourself some meals with maybe rice/pasta instead of forking out to eat all the time.
Regarding finding descent spots to park overnight ask other drivers I’m sure they will help and word of mouth from other lads in the yard. I always look for industrial estates near a supermarket or even town centres so I can go to a pub for a couple of pints and a meal after a long day on the road. That HGVParking.com is a good place to look but some of the information can be misleading such as how many spaces to park, price and even if HGV’S are allowed. Once you have been on the road a couple of months you’ll get an idea and a few good spots stored in your head where you know you’ll be safe to park and have a venture out for couple of pints, sit down meal or takeaway if that’s your fancy.
Don’t bother with lay bys right at the side of the likes of the A14, A42, A38, A12 etc unless you want to be rocked from side to side every time another truck passes or not being able to sleep thinking the next truck is going to smash into you do to a driver who is tired or not concentrating. Only use a lay by thats set back from the road, plus these ones have the advantage of being dogging places most of the time so you can watch a bit of live ■■■■ or even 2 fellas get it on
It may not float your boat but the diesel scrotes don’t go near these places for obvious reasons
Bang on advice this pal,its nice to know a driver who actually leaves the wagon nowadays and dares to venture for a pint 
Gas bottles banned? Just paid 28 quid for stove and hose
joker83:
Scramble egg on bacon in the lorry?? Sounds alright isn’t, just bought double burner and hose i need bottle as well but this has to wait till sunday hopefully i will find some place selling it. How much it cost anyway? Cheers
Just google " local calour gas dealers" and pick the nearest to you. It coast me about £40 for the first bottle as you are basically hiring them out, once that bottle is empty take it back in exchange for a full one and it costs about £10-£15 if I’m not mistaken.
Just don’t loose your hire agreement otherwise when you take the empty back for a full one you’ll have to pay full price again.
joker83:
Gas bottles banned? Just paid 28 quid for stove and hose
Some company’s do ban them due to a fire/explosion hazzard im guessing. End of the day if I can’t cook for myself in the truck then I want at least £15 a day meal allowance otherwise they can bollox and I’m cooking in the cab.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
joker83:
Gas bottles banned? Just paid 28 quid for stove and hoseSome company’s do ban them due to a fire/explosion hazzard im guessing. End of the day if I can’t cook for myself in the truck then I want at least £15 a day meal allowance otherwise they can bollox and I’m cooking in the cab.
Plus one dam right
Look on net for anyone flogging their empty gas bottles. Can be cheaper as you’re only ‘exchanging’ your bottle then.
Usually as low as a £5.
Just make sure of the make you want… Calor, Flogas etc.
I always go for Calor as their prices are fixed by Calor themselves.
Other ones let the selling agent set the price. 
I am tramping again and did away with carrying all the crap I used to, I bring a fridge, a kettle, a laptop with a 3G dongle and Freeview antennae through a USB port, a couple of books, have plenty of water bottles with me, a shower bag and towel, a duvet, pillows and sheets, bog roll (not for lay-by’s or the cat walk, but some loos at sites run out of bog roll lots of times), kitchen rolls, window cleaner, baby wipes and bacterial wipes and clean clothes and that is just about it.
I plan my days to park somewhere where I can eat, I take a lunch break at a place that has food and carry milk and cereal for my breakfast. I can carry all my tramping stuff in 2 bags.
I haven’t had the need or felt like cooking in the cab, why would I want to drive around in a lorry smelling like a greasy spoon. You can get good cheap health food just about anywhere with a little bit of planning. With a smart phone and google maps you can always find a place to spend the night within walking distance of decent food or a pub. In the morning I stop of at a store somewhere and get myself something for lunch. With a little bit of common sense you don’t need to stink your cab up with the stench of bacon all day.
Never pass a loo or a meal.
I can’t believe some of the crap that other trampers carry with them, I bet you they don’t use 10% of it.
Best advise i can offer other than the usual cooking stuff is plan your day think in advance about your options for parking there’s a few apps about , generally think about getting parked at least half hour before you need to at night avoid shallow laybys if possible as you will spend the night being rocked out of your bunk or waiting to be hit by something passing try to park in well lit places diesel thieves don’t like well lit areas if your forced to park in shallow laybys try to get the near side up on the kerb and turn your unit in a little if noise bothers you get some ear plugs just keep your self safe if you hear someone messing with your tank call the plod but stay in your cab don’t be a hero you will soon get the measure of it and as said above think about using a toilet at your last drop same with showering if you not in a truck stop try get one in the day somewhere it really is about planing mate and forward thinking enjoy and good luck one more thing if you do use a gas burner or camping gas disconnect the bottle at night just in case it leaks
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Just don’t loose your hire agreement otherwise when you take the empty back for a full one you’ll have to pay full price again.
I’ve never had to show my hire agreement when exchanging an empty bottle for a full one, a 4.5kg butane bottle exchange is around £16 nowadays.
For a truck, the suitcase gas stoves are probably better, even a 227g canister will provide heat for cooking and kettle water for a couple of weeks and can be bought at four for a fiver if you know where to look. Even at Argos the slightly larger 250g canisters are less than a tenner for four.
get to know an old timer,but make sure you don`t get lead astray
wheelnutt:
I haven’t had the need or felt like cooking in the cab, why would I want to drive around in a lorry smelling like a greasy spoon.
nor would I, so I just roll down a window.
anyways, there are no two trampers alike, so you’ll find out what you need soon enough. when I was away for 8+weeks at a time, it took an entire combo van to empty out the gear from my scania, nowadays it’s a lot less but the list is still long.
joker83:
Gas bottles banned? Just paid 28 quid for stove and hose
Gas cookers banned at our place, had to ditch mine after too many random cab inspections. Anyway invested in an electric oven and its the dogs bollox, does pies, ready meals etc a treat.
Just stick it on 30 minutes before parking up and jobs a good un.
Bit worried about the high salt content of these ready meals so may start doing a steak in it or get creative and have a lamb shank.
It makes a nice bedside table for me tablet, phone and wetwipes which are essential after a lamb shank…