Downsizing from an condo or a home right into a camper van doesn’t imply it’s important to sacrifice your entire comforts and conveniences. We realized this primary hand whereas dwelling in our van, Benji, full time. Over the previous couple of months, we’ve taken the time to search out the most effective van life equipment! Thanks to those necessities, we now have turned Benji from an everyday campervan to a snug and comfy tiny dwelling on wheels.
We knew we needed our van to be as purposeful and homey as doable so we had been very considerate about each merchandise that earned its place in our cabinets.
That can assist you in determining what you want in your van, we’ve put collectively this record of the 52 finest van life necessities that make van dwelling simpler.
Van Life Kitchen Necessities
Listed below are the entire van life kitchen necessities that make our camper van, Benji, right into a cell kitchen that even a touring chef would take pleasure in.
Induction Cooktop
As an alternative of fussing with propane, we skipped the camp range and went for an excellent speedy induction cooktop. It heats up shortly and is simple to tuck away after we’re not utilizing it as a result of it’s so compact. That is good campervan gear as a result of it’s energy-efficient and is far safer to run in a small area than fuel.
Fridge
This 2.2 cubic toes RV fridge is surprisingly spacious and runs on DC energy immediately off our batteries. It solely attracts 40W, which is superb contemplating it has a small freezer compartment too. The black exterior seems to be modern and fashionable and we by no means have to fret about propane or ammonia as you do with conventional RV fridges.
Pure Convection Toaster Oven
A toaster oven is an excellent versatile van life important that’ll have you ever lined for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We use it each morning to make toast and it’s the right van-sized oven to roast veggies, bake pizza, and even bake dessert! We pack ours away into the cabinet after we’re not utilizing it. It’s additionally electrical and runs off the identical circuit as the remainder of our home equipment.
De’Longhi Nespresso Essenza Plus Machine
This isn’t simply an espresso machine, however a espresso machine and a kettle all-in-one. The most effective factor about it’s that it boils water in 30 seconds, so it’s good for tea and for boiling water for cooking with out the necessity for a kettle. Tea lovers and lazy chef’s dream! And, it’s fairly good at making fancy espresso too
Insulated Water Bottles
Our Hydro Flasks are our go-to after we wish to maintain our tea sizzling on a chilly day or carry ice-cold water on a hike. We by no means have to fret about leakage and the bottles are simple to hold round wherever we go. They arrive in plenty of totally different sizes and cute colors too!
Wall Mount Paper Towel Holder
If you’re dwelling in a van, counter area is prime actual property. Vanlife merchandise that give gadgets a spot to reside with out taking over counter area, like this wall mounted paper towel holder, are tremendous useful. The most effective half about this one is that it has a ratchet system so you’ll be able to tear off paper towels simply with one hand.
Wall Hanging Fruit Basket
One other nice approach to release counter area is with these wall-mounted kitchen baskets. They’re good for storing fruit to stop bouncing and bruising whereas we’re driving. In addition they look good and fashionable so you’ll be able to put them wherever. We use 2 of those on our kitchen wall and one other one below our sink for storage.
Silicone Placemats
These non-slip silicone placemats are nice for shielding our desk and counter tops from sizzling pots and pans. They’re washable and roll up properly to pack away into the cabinet.
Wheat Straw Bowl
These wheat straw bowls are a triple risk: they appear good, they’re good for the surroundings, and so they’re unbreakable. The wheat straw materials is a tremendous various to plastic however is simply as sturdy and light-weight. These are good for bumpy rides and might stand up to all of the bumps that include backroad driving and life in a van.
Wheat Straw Plates
Identical to the bowls, these wheat straw plates are an eco-friendly various to plastic dishware. They’re versatile, sturdy, and look good too. Undoubtedly add these to your automobile dwelling necessities packing record!
Collapsible Silicone Meals Storage Container
With restricted area, having van life gear that may collapse down to put flat and tuck away once you’re not utilizing it’s actually useful. These collapsible meals storage containers are product of silicone in order that they’re sturdy and non-toxic. The 4 totally different sizes are nice for storing our leftovers! They’re simple to wash and simple to retailer. We’ve 8 of them!
Compost Bin
Discovering a compost bin that’s compact and blocks odours properly was actually vital in finishing our van life kitchen. This slim 4-litre compost bin is the right resolution. It has an air vent and comes with a mounting bracket so it may be secured whereas driving and never take up counter area. We’ve by no means had an issue with compost smells of leaks, so it’s been an ideal resolution for our kitchen.
Compost bin on the suitable and trash bin on the left
Collapsible Trash Can
We love this collapsible trash can that may hook onto any cabinet door and be utterly flattened and out of the best way after we’re not utilizing it. It’s sufficiently small to not be cumbersome however large enough to deal with no matter rubbish we create each day (we attempt to reside low waste, however we aren’t zero waste but!). This needs to be included on any record of campervan necessities.
Self-Adhesive Pure Cork Shelf Liner
We lined our drawers and cupboards with this self-adhesive cork liner that appears nice and helps maintain issues in place after we’re on the street. We love the look of cork and the truth that it’s an environmentally pleasant renewable materials.
Adjustable Cupboard Shelf
Something that creates more room in your tiny cabinets is on the van life necessities record for us. These adjustable cupboard cabinets are a straightforward resolution for including shelf area to our cupboards. We use these for our toiletry cupboard, however they can be utilized for any kitchen/toilet storage.
Expandable Drawer Organizer
An expandable drawer organizer is one of the best ways to retailer your cutlery. It retains ours neat and arranged. We love this eco-friendly bamboo tray as a result of it’s versatile and appears nice too.
Magnetic Spice Containers
Magnetic spice containers are good van life equipment for storing spices and different small bulk gadgets. They provide a straightforward approach to release cupboard space and scale back your waste from pointless packaging. We purchase our spices and dry items in bulk. This set additionally comes with pre-made labels so you’ll be able to maintain all the pieces good and arranged.
Black Quartz Sink
This sturdy and easy-to-clean quartz sink makes our kitchen look modern and fashionable and might maintain as much as the wear and tear and tear of van dwelling. It’s the right dimension for laundry our palms and dishes with out taking over an excessive amount of counter area.
Pull Out Sink Faucet
This black faucet matches our quartz sink and works identical to an everyday dwelling faucet. It has a sprayer that you would be able to pull out and a button for a handy swap between spray or stream mode—good for a fast sink bathe to rinse off sneakers or sandy toes. The tap swivels so you’ll be able to take advantage of all of the area in your sink, which van lifers know is a large perk.
Damascus Metal Knife
Everybody is aware of that cooking is made quite a bit simpler when you could have the suitable instruments. This Damascus metal knife is a superb versatile software that makes meal prepping a breeze. It’s hand-forged, tremendous sharp, and feels safe and comfy in your hand.
Ceramic Knife Set
Having a purposeful van kitchen signifies that we will’t have knives that uninteresting simply because it’s not sensible to hold a knife sharpener. We opted for dearer ceramic knives to make sure that we at all times have sharp blades which are sturdy and rustproof.
Silicone Spatula Set
Silicone utensils are a fantastic various to steel or plastic as a result of they’re sturdy, they gained’t scratch your pots and pans, and so they’re simple to wash. The handles gained’t warmth up when you’re cooking and cleansing is so simple as wiping them down with cleaning soap and water.
Necessities for Van Life: Water System
Having a purposeful water system and good plumbing is an enormous a part of feeling such as you’re dwelling in a house and never only a car. These water system elements are glorious for van tenting gear.
Electrical Water Heater
Excessive on our van life necessities record is an on-demand electrical water heater. Having sizzling water every time we’d like it has been implausible for chilly days and for laundry up correctly. This mini 4-gallon water heater is simple to put in and heats up in simply 20 minutes. It’s a little bit of an influence hog, it makes use of on common 50-100A of energy with each use, however since we now have loads of juice in our batteries, it’s probably the greatest van life equipment we now have!
RV Water Tank Filler with Shutoff Valve
Having a tank filler permits us to replenish our freshwater tank tremendous quick and with out worrying about any backflow within the line. This Camco filler has a shut-off valve so we will management the movement of water and have the ability to flip it off as soon as the tank is full with out having to run over to shortly flip the hose off.
RV Recoil Hose
This spring hose saves area by retracting right into a small coil however extends to be very lengthy after we want the additional attain. It’s tremendous helpful for having the ability to get water wherever we’re with out having to fret about storing a cumbersome hose.
Beneath Sink Water Filter System
Having a water filter system was a should for us since we replenish freshwater from plenty of totally different sources that every one have totally different chemical and mineral content material. With a filter, we all know that our water is clear and freed from any traces of chemical compounds like chlorine and lead.
Camper Van Bed room & Residing Space Necessities
Having a snug mattress and sitting space are van life necessities that make sleeping, hanging out, and happening a street journey rather more gratifying.
Scopema Swivel Seat
Putting in a Scopema Swivel Seat in our Sprinter was a GAME CHANGER, because it allowed us to create extra seating area contained in the van when our elevator mattress was down. The Swivel Seat lets you rotate your driver or passenger facet (or each) seats to face the again of the van when the van will not be in movement. We bought a passenger-side Scopema swivel seat designed particularly for our 2008 Sprinter from The Swivel Store. Getting the suitable swivel for our van made for tremendous simple set up and ease of use.
Zinus 4 Inch Gel Reminiscence Foam Mattress Topper
To make our mattress, we used this 4-inch gel reminiscence foam topper that’s a lot denser and extra body-conforming than common foam. The gel reminiscence foam is a tremendous temperature regulator and it helps your physique properly. Our mattress is now so comfy, we’d select it over any most lodge beds – what number of van lifers can say that?
Latex Mattress Topper
Topping our mattress with this extra 2” topper makes our mattress tremendous comfortable. We purchased a king-size, reduce it to suit our queen dimension mattress, and used the leftover items to make cushions for our entrance seats. Lengthy drives at the moment are tremendous comfy too!
Bamboo Drawer Dividers
We love these bamboo drawer dividers for protecting our clothes drawers tidy and arranged. These ones are superior as a result of they’re product of eco-friendly bamboo and so they’re adjustable to allow them to slot in any drawer.
Security & Automotive Necessities
Along with your entire dwelling and cooking wants, a number of the most vital issues in your van life packing record are your security and automotive gear.
Roadside Emergency Package
Being ready for no matter comes your approach is an enormous a part of dwelling on the street. This package comes with a transportable air compressor, tow ropes, and a primary support package amongst many different helpful issues and provides us peace of thoughts.
Hearth Extinguisher
This transportable hearth extinguisher is a light-weight aerosol can that’s simple to make use of and takes up little or no area in our van. It’s the right choice to maintain in a automobile or van to guard your self and your car within the occasion of a fireplace.
Carbon Monoxide Detector & Hearth Alarm
A carbon monoxide and smoke detector are camper van necessities that no van is full with out. We’ve a battery-powered alarm so we don’t want to fret about wiring and might really feel secure with this 2-in-1 detector. A carbon monoxide detector is very vital if in case you have any tenting van gear that makes use of propane.
Snow Tire Chains
A pair of snow tire chains are nice to have in your camper necessities record in the event you’re ever in high-elevation or snowy areas. We’re touring in Canada so having tire chains is a given and is definitely required for winter driving in British Columbia.
Booster Cable
A set of dependable booster cables are van life requirements that you just’ll most likely want sooner or later—even when it’s to assist another person out. These are must-haves for any street journey or van life journey.
Folding Shovel
Relating to van equipment for tenting or every other out of doors journey, a folding shovel is a helpful software to have. You should utilize it to shovel filth or snow or take it with you when obligation calls within the woods. This shovel is foldable so it’s transportable and simple to hold.
Necessities for Electronics & Van Life Devices
Though dwelling in a van is all about dwelling merely, having some nifty van life tech makes the expertise that rather more gratifying.
Transportable Speaker
Whether or not we’re sitting by the fireplace, hanging out on the seashore or simply enjoyable inside our van, this waterproof out of doors Bluetooth speaker is an superior gadget to ensure we will hearken to music or podcasts wherever we go. It’s sturdy for out of doors use and the battery lasts a very long time between costs.
Cell Telephone Automobile Mount
Having your mobile phone mounted in a sturdy location that lets you use GPS when you’re on the street is tremendous helpful. This mount slides onto your air vents and holds your cellphone securely with out having to fuss with suction cups or different mounts.
WiFi Vary Extender
With the ability to work from our van wherever we’re is a crucial a part of our life-style. One in all our prime van life necessities is that this WiFi vary extender that enhances wifi sign reliability. It’s simple to arrange works whether or not we’re at a campground with a weak sign, or in a Walmart parking zone.
12V Outlet & Socket Charger
Between our laptops, digicam gear, telephones and iPad, we now have a ton of electronics that want to remain charged. Our van is outfitted with not one, not two however 5(!!!) of those shops and socket costs. There’s one in each nook of the van and some in our digital drawers.
Dimmable LED Puck Lights
These dimmable LED lights function the primary lighting supply inside our van. They provide cool or heat lighting and are perfect for a piece setting or enjoyable night. There are 10 brightness ranges managed by a distant so we will match the sunshine to our temper and management them from wherever.
LED Strip Lights
We love how versatile these LED strip lights are with 1,000,000 totally different colors for each temper. They’re programmable to activate and off after we need and could be managed with the clicking of a button from the distant or on our telephones.
Magnetic Cupboard Lights
We use these magnetic lights inside our cupboards to offer extra gentle. They’re movement activated and could be recharged through USB, so no want for batteries. Plus, we will stick them on the facet of our van and provides ourselves gentle exterior whereas tenting!
Van Life Energy Necessities
Our photo voltaic system is the important thing to renewable vitality whereas dwelling in a van. Here’s what we’ve bought.
200W Photo voltaic Package
A photo voltaic package has all the pieces you want to get began and take the guesswork out of placing collectively your electrical system. We purchased all of the items individually at an area photo voltaic distributor in Canada, however 3 of those can be is the equal of our photo voltaic setup. The package comes with photo voltaic panels, a cost controller, and the wiring and mounting brackets you’ll want to hook up with your batteries.
Our Mercedes Sprinter with 2 photo voltaic panels on prime
100Ah 12v Lithium Deep Cycle Battery
Together with the photo voltaic panels, your batteries are a number of the most vital elements of an off-grid photo voltaic setup. We bought our 4 lithium-ion batteries from an area provider however these are similar to those we now have.
12-Volt Energy Inverter
An inverter is important for turning the DC energy out of your batteries into AC energy on your home equipment. This inverter is fairly quiet and provides us clear, pure sine wave energy for all of our electrical wants.
Camper Van Consolation Necessities
Adjusting to totally different temperatures and climates is all a part of a touring life-style. These van life necessities will aid you keep comfy alongside the best way.
Diesel Air Heater
Touring in Canada means we’d like a strong heater to maintain us heat within the winter. This diesel heater is a Webasto various for a fraction of the value that positively delivers. It retains us heat and comfy even at -20°C and creates dry warmth, not like propane furnaces like a Mr. Heater.
MaxxAir Dome Exhaust Fan
Having an exhaust fan is vital for van lifers to stop extra moisture and condensation. This dome exhaust fan works nice within the toilet to attract out moisture from the bathe and maintain our van mould-free.
MaxxAir Fan Deluxe
We’ve two of those 2-way followers that create nice air circulation and assist to manage temperatures when it’s sizzling out. Airflow is vital in stopping extra moisture, particularly once you’re cooking or boiling water. We’ve one over our mattress and one within the kitchen.
Zero Breeze Mark II Air Conditioner
An air conditioner wasn’t initially on our record of tenting van equipment, however after spending 2 sizzling summers adventuring round Canada, we realized that it was a must-add! We did an entire lot of analysis to search out the finest AC for vanlife and located ZeroBreeze Mark II – a transportable AC good for our set-up.
The Zero Breeze Mark II barely makes use of any energy and might cool our total sleeping space in a matter of minutes. It’s nice for these sticky sizzling days when the fan simply doesn’t reduce it. Plus, it’s utterly transportable so you should use it wherever. ZeroBreeze Mark II is a actual air-conditioner with a built-in 24V adaptive frequency micro compressor. It doesn’t require ice or water and runs on AC energy when plugged into our energy provide within the van, however it could additionally run off battery for 3-5 hours of transportable utilization.
ZeroBreeze Mark II in motion in our van
Toilet & Cleansing Van Life Necessities
Separett Tiny Waterless Bathroom
Having a bathroom on board is important for any van lifer. We began our van life journey with a transportable bathroom on board however hated how smelly it bought after only a few makes use of. We checked out a lot of composting bathroom options, however finally, selected the Separett Waterless Bathroom. And truthfully, we LOVE IT! The separate is a singular bathroom resolution for the van, because it makes use of no water, no chemical compounds and no composting but retains our toilet smelling recent even after an entire week of use.
The Separett Waterless Bathroom is designed with 2 compartments, one for liquids and one for solids. Each compartments are stored shut when not in use so there is no such thing as a odour and no messy clean-up both. There’s a gentle that signifies when the liquids must be emptied. The liquid container is simple to tug out and dump into any sani station or common bathroom (no dangerous chemical compounds inside so it’s utterly secure to dump into any sewer). The solids, together with bathroom paper, could be dumped right into a composting bin, equally to a doggy doo-doo bag. Straightforward and mess free!
It’s one among our must-have gadgets for vanlife and in the event you’re in Canada, you should buy one by means of a Canadian distributor, Canadian Eco Merchandise. Belief us, it’s a worthy addition to your packing record! Van life merchandise like these make dwelling on the street comfy and handy.
Hanging Drying Rack
Laundry days imply restricted drying area so we use this transportable hanging drying rack that may hook on wherever. It’s nice for smaller gadgets like socks and might tuck away simply after we’re not utilizing it.
Shark WandVac Vacuum
A handheld vacuum is among the van dwelling necessities that we use far more than we’d ever assume! It’s light-weight and transportable whereas nonetheless being highly effective sufficient to maintain our mattress and flooring clear after a muddy hike or a messy day within the kitchen.
Pure Castile Cleaning soap
In the event you haven’t heard of Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Cleaning soap, you’re completely lacking out. That is an all-in-one resolution for laundry dishes, physique wash, shampoo, detergent, and many others. It cuts grease and filth even in chilly water and it’s biodegradable, making it one among our prime van tenting necessities.
This stuff have all helped to make van dwelling simpler and extra comfy for us as we journey the nation in our campervan. We hope this record of the 52 finest van life necessities helps you begin planning your packing record when you’ve gone by means of the thrilling course of of selecting your van (hyperlink to van conversion article) so you’ll be able to hit the street and begin your journey!