Van Life Essentials List: Must-Have Items for Campervan Living
We’ve officially been full-time nomads for five years.
The first two years of nomadic living, we lived in temporary housing as Skip took travel physical therapy contracts throughout the U.S. This prompted us to pare down our belongings to only what could fit in our Toyota Camry.
Fast forward a couple of years, and now we live in a mere 60 square feet of space in our campervan. We’ve pared down our belongings to almost nothing at this point. And the funny thing is – we don’t miss anything we’ve gotten rid of.
It’s actually quite the opposite. It feels freeing to own less, like a big weight lifted off your shoulders. We’ve realized you can live with so much less than you think.
That being said, there are definitely some material things that will make your vanlife experience smoother and more enjoyable.
Keep reading to see a list of van life essentials to make life on the road easier for you.
This list of van life must-haves will continue to grow as we think of more items – so continue to check back for more!
Essential Items for Van Life
Eberspacher (AKA Espar) Heater
We thought we were “fine” with our simple Mr. Buddy heater in our 1st van build…
UNTIL we installed an Eberspacher heater into our 2nd build. It’s been an absolute GAME CHANGER.
We’ve used this heater in freezing temps, the snow, and all-day-rain, and it has NOT disappointed!
It’s such a luxury to be warm when:
➡️ We first get out of bed in the morning (the van floor is FREEZING, after all)
➡️ Skip gets ready for work during chilly mornings
➡️ Jazz works remotely from the van during the day
➡️ We’re stuck in the van all day due to rainy/snowy weather
➡️ We leave Honey (our pup) in the van in colder temps
Before installing an Espar heater, we would still wear our beanies, socks, jackets, and blankets to stay warm — even when our heater was running. Now, we’re toasty within minutes after we boot the heater up.
Lounging in the van with minimal clothing on makes our tiny living space feel so much more like an actual home!
The heater taps directly into our van’s gas tank for fuel, so we don’t have to carry any extra fuel to keep it running. AND, it has a thermostat so we can set it to keep the van at a certain temperature, just like a thermostat in an actual home.
The Espar heater is the #1 luxury item we would not pass up if we did a 3rd van build. We’re beyond happy with the quality, efficiency, and ease of use.
MoonShade Portable Awning
Before we got a MoonShade, we often found ourselves searching for a shaded parking spot to escape the heat.
Requiring a shaded parking spot not only limited our parking options during the day, but it also prevented our solar panels from charging our batteries throughout the day.
Now, we can set the MoonShade up in less than 5 minutes, which provides us with all-day shade AND allows us to get all the solar power throughout the day.
It’s not only great at cooling off the interior of your rig on hot days, but it also provides the cutest little “patio” area outside your van to set up camp.
Chillin’ on our “patio” near Mammoth Lakes on a 90+ degree day under the comfort of our MoonShade Awning.
You can set it up over your slider door or your rear doors, and it’s versatile enough to fit most rigs, whether you’re in a van, RV, or even car camping.
If you have a roof rack, you can hook the shade directly to that.
If you don’t have a roof rack like us, you’ll have to get some anchors to mount your shade to. We recommend the adhesive anchors if you want them to be permanent once you stick them down or the magnetic anchors if you want to be able to move them around. So if you want to use the Moonshade over both your slider and rear doors you’ll need either two sets of adhesive anchors or one set of magnetic anchors.
The MoonShade is also incredibly lightweight and portable. It’s only 8 lbs and will only take up a small footprint in your van at a stowed size of 28” x 6”.
Use our coupon code “skipandjazz” at checkout to get $30 off your MoonShade.
Learn more about the MoonShade here.
WeBoost Cell Signal Booster
With Jazz working full-time from the van, dependable cell service is a must for us. And if you’re planning to work remotely from your rig, this should be at the top of your list of vanlife necessities.
With the WeBoost cell signal booster, we stay connected 95% of the time, allowing Jazz to take Zoom calls, make phone calls, and complete all her work duties without the constant worry of having cell reception.
The WeBoost allows us to stay connected even while on BLM land or in remote/rural areas with limited service, which increases the number of camping spots to select from as well.
For example, it can boost one unusable bar of service to three very usable bars of service. Or it can boost a slower connection with two bars of service to a fast connection with four bars.
We’ve gone from being unable to load our Instagram feed or emails to being able to upload a Youtube video and edit our website – just with the flip of a switch to turn the WeBoost on.
We spent eight months of our vanlife journey without it and we’re never going back.
Read more about our van life UNLIMITED internet setup for only $25/month here.
DC-DC Charger
A DC-DC charger charges your “house” batteries from your vehicle alternator as you’re driving.
This device makes you not solely reliant on your solar power to recharge your house batteries daily. When you’re spending a lot of time in gloomy areas (think of places like the PNW, San Fran, etc), this device is a godsend.
Before we used the DC-DC charger, we were constantly worried about draining our battery bank in overcast weather. But now we know we can give ourselves a quick power boost with a drive to our camping spot for the night. And bonus – it also charges your batteries while you’re stationary as long as you have the ignition turned on.
Use this link for 10% off your first purchase on the Renogy website.
Battery Monitor
We’ve used both the Renogy and Victron battery monitors and found they both work well.
Monitoring the percentage of battery life you have will quickly become a part of your everyday life so you can be sure to keep the essentials electronics running – e.g. your fridge 24/7 and your roof fan during the nighttime for ventilation. You’ll want a battery monitor so you stay aware of how much power you have.
This Renogy battery monitor has everything you need to know on one screen which is nice. It’s the more budget-friendly option of the two.
You have to click the next/arrow button to see the different readings on this Victron battery monitor but we’ve found it to be more accurate overall.
Note: Our entire electrical system is made up of Renogy products, so the battery monitor does not have to match the brand of your electrical system.
Swivel Seat
A passenger side swivel seat was a non-negotiable for our tiny 136-inch wheelbase Promaster. It opens up the space a ton and allows us to have two workstations in the van.
Usually one of us works at our convertible dinette bench while the other works in the swivel seat.
You can add a flip-up table to your sliding door cabinet with these shelf brackets or add a Lagun table mount between your driver and passenger seat to the swivel seat into a cozy workspace.
You also don’t want your feet to be dangling from the Promaster seat when it’s swiveled so you can use this foldable, portable squatty potty to rest your feet on like we do. Side note – have you ever used a squatty potty before? If not, you need to – it’ll change your life. Dual use is everything in a van! :)
Phone Mount
I can’t believe we lived van life for 10 months without this phone mount.
It seems silly, but this is probably one of our biggest recommendations on this list of vanlife must-have items. It’s one of those little things that greatly enhances your everyday life when you’re driving constantly.
We used to just set our phones on top of the shifter, and every time we took a tight or quick turn, it went flying. Occasionally landing on our puppy. Poor Honey girl!
This mount sticks to your dash with extremely strong 3M tape and then attaches to your phone with strong magnets. We’ve many phone mounts before and we can confidently say this one won’t budge or droop while you’re driving.
If you use a phone case, you can just set the magnet between the case and the phone. We like this method because we can adjust how the phone sits on the mount by simply taking the case off and moving the magnet.
If you don’t use a phone case, you can stick the magnet directly to the back of your phone but you won’t be able to adjust it’s position once you’ve stuck it down.
Multipurpose Clothing
With little room for clothes storage, you’re going to want to buy clothes that can do it all.
One of our favorite clothing brands is Vuori. Their apparel is on the pricier side, but it’s well worth it for the comfort, the versatility, and how flattering their clothes are. Especially when you’re basically just wearing the same clothes every day – just keepin’ it real. :)
Jazz has several tank tops from Vuori that she’s worn anywhere from the gym to lounging in the van to a hike to a night out on the town
Skip has been wearing their shorts and sweatpants for over 4 years now and every pair is still going strong.
We’ve found their clothing to be extremely durable and they also stand behind their products and have an awesome return policy.
Use this link for 20% off your order of $150 or more.
Celebrating finishing a beautiful hike while decked out in our Vuori clothing
Gorilla Mat
When you live in a van, you’re putting your home through an earthquake every day while driving. This inevitably leads to screws loosening, things flying out of cabinets, and leaks and spills.
This ultra-absorbent gorilla mat has saved us from water leaking all over the van countless times. We’re talking gray water tank leak and freezer defrost leaks that would have been a huge deal if we didn’t have this mat sitting under them. We also use it under our freshwater jerry cans just in case it decides to leak at the seams (which hasn’t happened yet – knock on wood).
It’s insane how much water this mat can absorb!
Water spills lead to mold if you don’t act quickly. Having this mat under your water systems will give you peace of mind and give you more time to act if it takes you a while to notice a spill.
Portable Power Station
Chances are, your electrical system will inevitably fail you at some point on your van life journey. Having a backup power source is crucial so you can keep your devices charged in a pinch.
We have a Jackery 240 Explorer Series and it’s the perfect size for us. It has two USB ports and one AC port and it’s small enough to bring to a coffee shop or to the park in a backpack so we have a power source at all times. Bonus – you can charge it up to 100% while you’re in the coffee shop using their electricity vs your own. :)
We know several vanlifers who actually use a more powerful version of these power stations as their entire electrical system in their campervan.
Our good buddy, @johnagroh, uses this affordable power station to power his entire DIY campervan.
We’ve also seen vanlifers use the Bluetti 200P Solar Generator and this Goal Zero power station to power entire van builds. Check out Jonnie’s Journey’s in-depth video explaining her full set-up using the Bluetti power station here.
We would’ve loved to know this was an option prior to buying and setting up our entire electrical system. Would have been so much more simple and saved us tons of time in our build!
Window Covers / Blackout Curtain
We DIY’ed our window covers using Reflectix, black fabric, and these strong magnets.
You can also easily purchase custom window covers like these (front window, driver & passenger side windows) if you want to save yourself some time and effort.
The Reflectix is vital for temperature control in your van on hot, sunny days. It reflects the sunlight and keeps your van significantly cooler. Whenever we go in the front cab area on a hot day, the temperature is at least 10 degrees hotter in the cab, but the blackout curtain helps keep all that hot air up front.
We also have a blackout curtain between the front cab and living area which makes a huge difference in terms of temperature control. It also keeps light out to help us get a restful sleep.
We cut the curtain to size and sewed it onto a shower curtain we had in our apartment that matched the aesthetic of our van build.
Blackout curtain between the front cab and living area in our campervan
MaxxAir Roof Fan, 12V Fan, and USB Fans
Ventilation is everything in a van build. And the MaxxAir fan is the best of the best when it comes to roof fans. Ours has a manual control but you can get this fancier version if you want it to run via remote control (side note – we have the fancier version in our 2nd van and we think it draws more power if your electrical system is small).
Roof fans are game-changers when it comes to circulating fresh air and keeping things cool.
Our MaxxAir fan plus our CR Laurence T-Vent Window creates an amazing cross breeze that keeps us comfortable in our van.
The MaxxAir fan has a built-in rain cover so you can continue to have your fan open on rainy days (think of warm, high-humidity days). You’ll also be able to run your fan without fear that it will rain in the middle of the night and soak your van.
In our 2nd van build, we installed this 12V fan which is AMAZING! It sits right next to our bed and swivels in all directions so we can direct air anywhere we want. It draws very little power which allows us to avoid running our roof fan all day long, which saves a significant amount of power.
This USB fan with a clip is great for a direct stream of air on you on really hot days. The clip allows you to move them all around the van. We have one for us and one for our puppy (yes – she’s a princess).
We also have this super powerful AC-powered fan to pull out on nights when the air is really warm and still. It runs off AC power but we plug it into our Jackery at night to keep us cool without drawing too much power from our system.
Bug Screens
We found these bug screens that will work for a high-roof Promaster without any extra cutting or sewing. This bug screen will fit your slider door and this screen will fit your rear doors.
When you want your doors open at night or even in some areas during the day, these screens are essential to keep mosquitoes and other insects out of your campervan.
You can also purchase this extremely strong and durable 3M tape to hang your bug nets. We put the 3M tape on the adhesive side of the velcro strip – the provided velcro strip isn’t nearly strong enough to hold up to continued use. Then we stuck it to the inside of the door wells as shown below so we can just grab the net and quickly stick/unstick it up.
Bug screens are a van life must have at night and in spots with heavy mosquitoes like this one
So there you have it! These are our most essential items for van life. What did we miss that’s vital to your life on the road? Comment your vanlife necessities below! ↡
We’ll be adding to this vanlife essentials list as we think of more must-haves, so be sure to check back for more!
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