I would like to start this article by stating there is no such thing as van life items you can not live without. You don’t really need anything specific for van life and the lifestyle itself can take many forms. In fact, it’s a very minimalist lifestyle, so writing an article about must-have items seems almost counter-intuitive. Perhaps this should be titled “Cool Space Saving Items” or “Our Favorit Item on the Road”; however, to appease the SEO gods I will just have to go with “Van Life Items you Can Not Live Without”.
Sometimes you see an item and you think “Wow, that’s so cool! I will use this every day” only to find out it sucks or you never use it. It’s ok, we have all been there. Every few months we go through all our things and get rid of items that no longer serve us. After two years of traveling by van full-time, we have seen many items come and go from our space. Here are some of the items that make the cut every time! These are items we love but, at the end of the day, use the item that works for you. Of course, none of these items are absolutely necessary and to that point, we will give you an alternative budget option as well.
Click the pictures to find more details about each item.
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Collapsible Things
The first item up, on our list of van life items you can not live without is collapsible things. Our original thought here was to talk about our new collapsible kettle, however, there are so many useful collapsible items let’s just make it a category. You can get many collapsable items including water jugs, buckets, bowls, strainers, kettles, cups, and even a pour-over!
What we have:
For Christmas this year Joe’s sister gifted us this awesome Sea to Summit Kettle and Cups Set and this GSI Collapsible Pour Over! It was a super thoughtful gift for a small space like ours! So far we are loving it, especially the small size it all packs down to. The materials feel quality and we are very excited to put these items to the test.
Top of the line:
Honestly, Sea to Summit is pretty top of the line in this category; probably one of the most expensive options but an option that will last a long time. The X-Pot Kettle is part of the innovative camp cookware, X-Series. Sea to Summit uses food-grade, heat-resistant silicone sidewalls, and a hard-anodized aluminum base. The side walls expand for use and collapse for transit while the aluminum base conducts camp stove heat evenly.
Budget:
Just use what you have. Your items do not need to collapse. It is just a cool space-saving feature. Use your existing cup, bowl, kettle, whatever… It still gets the job done.
Portable Shower
There are many options for portable showers on the market. Most come with some sort of rechargeable lithium battery, a water pump, shower head, and hook or suction cup holder. They are easy to assemble, lightweight, and compact.
What we have:
When we were building our van we opted to not plumb in a shower. We wanted an indoor/outdoor shower option that would allow us to not only shower inside but also rinse off gear, wash dogs, and wash motorcycles outside. With this in mind, we built a shower stall inside and use our “shower solution” which is this blue USB rechargeable shower head and a water jug. We love this product because of its versatility, minimal power consumption, and low water usage (under 1 gallon/minute). The con is it does not heat the water so you have to heat your water source in some way or take a cold shower.
Top of the line:
Ohhh, look at this nifty gadget! It is a portable HOT water shower! Like the pump above, you still use a separate container for water but with this option, the water is pumped into the water heater before it flows to the showerhead. The package includes a water heater, temperature control knob, shower head, water pump, and carry bag. The heater runs on propane with a safety shutoff and the pump runs on AC or DC power. The cons, it’s not as compact and it’s for outdoor use only.
Budget:
A fixed shower on the road is someting you can live without. Yes, hygiene is important but hear me out. If you have a gym membership like Planet Fitness or Anytime Fitness you can shower at one of the many gyms nationwide. There are coin showers all over the country. If you’re near the beach many beaches have public shower facilities. Last and certainly not least, one of my favorite options is to take a plunge in one of nature’s many bathtub options. Hot springs, fresh rivers, clean lakes, and waterfalls are great ways to freshen up on a budget!
Laundry Bag and Line
The majority of the time we use laundromats to wash our clothes but we do carry a manual laundry bag. Something we use more often than the bag is the clothesline. If we have wet gear, laundry, or towels and things we want to dry out this line is perfect.
What we have:
We have been carrying around this laundry wash bag and this clothesline for a little over a year now. To be completely honest we have yet to use the wash bag as we have plenty of clothes in the van however we anticipate we will use it on some other adventures where we cant bring as many clothes. On the other hand, we use the clothesline all the time.
Top of the line:
The sky is the limit here. They have mini washer dryer combos if you have the power, water, and space for such a thing.
Budget:
Scrub your clothes with your hands and hang them on some paracord, use family and friends washer and dryer when you stop by, or swing into a laundromat.
One Million Hand Towels
In good van life and minimalist spirit, we try not to create too much waste; so rather than use paper towels we use reusable rags. We just wash them and reuse them. Since we only do laundry once every 7-10 days we have an excessive amount of rags to last us between washes.
What we have:
Maybe this is just us…? We have an excessive amount of hand-size towels that we use for everything. Different color rags are used for different things; the white ones are for our body, the gray ones are for the kitchen, and the black ones are for cleaning. We just have cheapo, generic, nothing fancy washcloths.
Top of the line:
I have yet to try these, but not long ago, I was introduced to silver embedded rags. Allegedly you can clean and disinfect using only water and these silver-infused towels or rags. Have you tried these? If you have, comment below your thoughts on how they work.
Budget:
Have extra towels you don’t need? Cut them into a smaller hand towel size and use them for everything.
Camp Chair
Ok, this might be a van life item we can not live without. When we first started on our van life journey we did not bring camp chairs. For some reason, we thought we would not need them which is crazy! I guess we thought we would sit on our couch in the van and look out through the slider…?
Every time we got to our camp spot for the night we were lacking outdoor seating options. Hanging out with friends around the fire… not without a chair. We learned the hard way, you may want to sit outside in the breeze on a sweltering day and you cannot stargaze from inside… For all these reasons we recommend bringing a camp chair with you.
What we have:
We opted for very simple and compact chairs. We have Cabela’s special version of a tri-leg stool camp chair similar to this one below. Not the most comfortable chair in the world, however, it is compact and gets the job done.
Cabela’s has the gear you need to travel. Check out their Travel Day Sale and start planning!
Top of the line:
The camp chair I really want but just cannot justify is the Nemo Stargaze Recliner and Luxury Camp Chair. Perfect for lounging under a starry sky but makes my wallet cry!
Budget:
Pop a squat on an extra blanket, downed log, nearby rock, or picnic table.
Cup Holder
When people notice this feature in our van they love it and we have inspired several people to install their own in their space!
What we have:
We have this cheapo Amazon special. It came in a 2 pack which was very handy because Joe broke the first one eventually and we had to replace it. Overall we have loved this cup holder and would recommend it. I love how it collapses down into a low-profile storage size when not in use.
Top of the line:
Same thing but fancy metal rather than plastic.
Budget:
Go without. Set your drink in the front cab cup holder, store it on the counter, or wedge it between something. Just don’t spill it!
Leveling Blocks
For the last item on this list, have you ever arrived at the most epic spot with a sweet view and cell phone service only to find there is not a level spot in the whole place? This is where leveling blocks come in handy. We did not start with leveling blocks but ordered them quickly after we arrived out west. We were having trouble finding level spots out in the mountains; even parking lots were not level…
What we have:
We opted for a pretty basic set of leveling blocks. I could not find the yellow ones we have but they are very similar to these orange ones. You can build these up as needed since our rig is not too heavy, these have held up and worked great for us.
Top of the line:
Not quite the same as manual leveling blocks but if you have the cash money you could opt for a fancy electronic leveling jack system. Most likely unnecessary but a super cool easy way to level out.
Budget:
Use a good old fashioned rock. Natures leveling blocks!
Well, that’s all I have for van life items you can not live without. Thank you for checking out this article and hopefully it gave you some fun ideas and product options for items you may want to look into. All the items I listed that we have, we actually use and enjoy. Although we are a part of the Amazon Associate Program none of these products are sponsored by a specific brand; they are just ideas or products I have heard of.
Comment down below your favorite van life must-have items you can not live without!
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Cheers,
Mindy and Joe
