Product Review – Nextbase 412GW Dashcam

Insurance - in whatever form - is something we hope we’ll never need to use. The same could be said of a dashcam. Recording - hopefully - nothing of note save perhaps for a memorable incident to be posted on social media!

Our dashcam however gets a little more use. Many who follow my blog and social media channels will come across our Site Arrival videos - dashcam footage of the last few miles or so to to a campsite overlaid with a bit of commentary from yours truly.

This summer the good folk at Nextbase kindly sent me one of their best selling models to review - the 412GW - so how did we get on and how did it compare to our previous device?

Installation was swift and straightforward - positioning and securing the suction mount then running the power lead back to the socket. In fact it was even easier than that as I used the power lead from the old dashcam after establishing that the connector and power supply output was the same.

The mount incorporates the GPS module and choosing whether to have the coordinates recorded on screen is one of many option available but the only thing you really need to do is insert a MicroSD card, set the time and date and you're good to go. An excellent quick start guide is included that covers the basics.

Operation was similar to our old device. It starts recording when you start the engine and stops when same. Recordings are made in 5 minute clips. Once the memory card is full, the dashcam overwrites starting from the oldest clip – this is why it’s important that the time and date it correct, particularly for how we will be using the footage.

Of course the hope is that in normal use you will never need to download the footage to pass on say to an insurance company, or even the police. However, we need regular access to the clips though to create our Site Arrival videos and that is where this product excels.

Transfer of files to your phone  is easy using the inbuilt WiFi feature together with the Cam Viewer app available for iOS and Android. Footage could then be easily emailed to say an insurance company without the bother of transferring to a computer. What it means to us is that we can transfer footage ready for editing without having to physically remove the dashcam – saving wear and tear on the mount or memory card.

Should you wish to transfer footage to a computer however, the Nextbase Replay 2 software is included. Files can be played back on most video playing software but with this not only can you view the footage but also a map of the route taken, speed, direction and any G sensor information too. All useful information in the event of an insurance claim.

We’ve now had the dashcam a couple of months and it’s already proving to be a worthy replacement for our old dashcam. The picture quality is excellent – recording at 1440p – and the wireless transfer facility is particularly handy for us too. It seems well made and I’m sure it will give us many years of service. I’d have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone in the market for one.

For more information go to www.nextbase.co.uk

To buy from Amazon go HERE

Product Review - My Mellow Mattress Toppers

Ok, I know it's not the done thing to talk about a woman's age, but our Patsy is getting on a bit. And before we go any further I should explain to any newcomers to the blog that Patsy is our caravan, though to be fair in most respects she is wearing pretty well. One area that has seen better days though is the two front bench seats. Ok during the day as sofas but at night when their duties continue as beds they're definitely showing their age: spongy and generally less supportive than is ideal. Particularly when the human back they’re supporting is past it’s prime too…

More than once we've considered toppers of some sort but always put it off, not least because yours truly hates parting with cash for anything unless it's for something important. Like beer - sorry, materials for my 'research' project. Or another long leather coat....

Step forward then a company called My Mellow who contacted us through Twitter and sent us a pair of toppers to try out.

Last weekend, in a rare mid school term outing for Patsy we were able to try them out for the first time. So, how did it go? Well. Very well in fact. Although to be fair the first night didn’t provide the sternest test. If I say end of a long tiring week and pub you get the idea. I probably would have slept just as soundly on a slab of concrete, however lying there with an early morning cuppa it was noticeable how much more comfortable the bed was. Ditto Saturday and Sunday night, which being a ‘school night’ there was very little liquid, er influence. I’m very much looking forward to using them on one of our longer trips when I think their effectiveness will become even more apparent.

So, they work although as I mentioned earlier we’ve not tried similar products from the other better known companies in the caravan and motorhome market so this review is not comparing like for like. I was very impressed though and once again wished we’d taken the plunge earlier.

Okay, a bit more about the toppers themselves and then a look at the company that makes them.

Our toppers were 190cm x 72cm each with a thickness of 5cm. They would sell at £105.06 each - all prices include delivery. From order to door was a couple of days in our case but delivery is usually within 5 working days. They were delivered vacuum packed and we followed the enclosed instructions to lay them out and let them ‘breathe’ and open fully. Inside is memory foam with a density of 120kg/cubic metre. The cover is zipped and removable for machine washing. The photo shows the topper secured with a ‘thingymebob’ - these are not included but you can find out more about how to make them with Dan Trudgian’s excellent video HERE.

My Mellow are a family run company based in Blackburn, Lancashire and have for many years supplied foam to the furniture and bedding industry but are now entering the caravan and motorhome market.

As well as toppers they make full mattresses too and offer a made to measure service through their easy to use website which shows a selection of popular shapes to aid selection, and if the toppers are anything to go by, they’ll be a worthwhile investment. The website will calculate the cost based on requirements there and then - you don’t have to wait for a quote - and the price you see is what you pay. As I mentioned before, delivery is included. All are made in house  from scratch, not by third parties and because of this they are able to offer keener pricing than more established competitors. I’m sure you will want to check for yourself but to look at just one example - the nearest equivalent to our toppers would cost around forty pounds each more - and there would still be a delivery fee on top. A free pillow is sent with every topper too.

The foam used is made in Manchester and fully compliant with British fire safety standards BS7177 and source 5 - a safety standard equivalent to that used by hotels etc.

There is a short video showing demonstrating our toppers on our YouTube channel which you can find HERE.

The good folk at My Mellow have also given us a discount code - use code legsdown at the checkout to get a further 10% off until the end of September.

To sum up - we’re VERY happy with our toppers and I really like the fact that they are made in Britain too and I think My Mellow will prove to be a serious competitor in their new market.

You can follow them and keep up to date on the usual social media platforms - Twitter & Facebook.