We've been living and travelling on the road since 2017 - here are our ESSENTIALS for every day van life
Sections
5
Life
Organisation
Entertainment
Working
Outside
Life
Everything we use for day to day living and comfort
Bugs can ruin a trip. Trust us, we've been there (you can read about that here) so a bug screen is aaalllways a good idea!
Bug Screen for Standard Roof Mercedes Sprinter
This is PERFECT for road trippers who don't hit towns very often and don't want to have to worry about finding laundrets
Scrubba Wash Bag Portable Washing Machine
Go organic with these soap nuts, meaning you can wash your clothes and tip the water anywhere without having to worry about harsh chemicals
Organic Soapberry Natural Laundry Detergent
We absolutely love our composting toilet! No need for plumbing it in, water or chemicals and it's super easy to maintain
Cuddy™ Lite Composting Toilet
This powers the majority of our devices, fridge etc. Charges so well from the solar
DJI Power 1000 - 1024Wh Portable Power Station
We've always been a fan of Dometic coolers. They use minimal power, store plenty and are less hassle than a regular style fridge
Dometic CFX5 Cooler
Gift your friend the ability to wash in the wilderness. This is something we craved while camping in the outback and it’s definitely one of the best gift ideas for campers!
Solar Shower Bag Camping Shower
We've had our camping towels since 2017 and you honestly can't go wrong. We use them for brushing off Lilly after the beach now, but they're great for showers too!
Quick Dry Camping Towel
This will probably be the next thing we add to our van, a good bug screen on the back doors adds one more layer to keep the pesky mozzies away
VanEssential Mercedes Sprinter Rear Door Bug Screen
Organisation
Some of our favourite ways to stay organised in the van. We love a packing cube or handy organisation hack!
Packing cubes make packing SO MUCH easier and help us save space in the van
Compression Packing Cubes 4 Set - Black
Game. Changer. This keeps all of our dashboard tack organised and within easy reach
Van Sun Visor Organizer
Another game changer - we keep poo bags, Lilly's leads and other little odds and ends that we need easy access to
Van seat Organizer
Entertainment
The great outdoors is the best entertainment in van life, but here are some of the other ways we keep ourselves busy on rainy days
Our JBL speaker was a literal life saver on our long road trips around Australia
JBL Charge 5 (Black)
An audio subscription will help make long drives even more enjoyable!
Spotify - Web Player: Music for everyone
Who doesn't love a van life card game? Uno's our go-to because it's light weight and easy to stash in our chair pockets
Uno Flip
This is a complete list of our favourite podcasts that we listen to most weeks!
The Best Road Trip Podcasts
A quick this or that travel game to keep the boredom away while you're driving
This or That Travel Edition
Over a hundred questions and conversation starters. We love to whip these out on long drives to keep the snoozes away
100+ Road Trip Questions For Couples, Friends & Family!
Working
If you work online, this is what we use to stay connected and avoid disrupting our work flow
This is how we stay connected on the road. It's never failed us and made working on the road so much easier
Starlink!
We didn't have space for a proper desk - so this is the next best things! Very comfortable and easy to store
Comfortable Knee Desk
Cheap eSim options for mobile roaming data - we use this for when we're away from the van and need data
eSIM Service
Outside
Van life isn't constrained to inside your van - here are some of the things we use when we park up and extend the van outside
An outdoor folding table for cooking and keeping organised outside
Outdoor Folding Table
Every van lifer needs a comfy folding camp chair, and they don't have to break the bank
High Back Folding Chair
Make your camp pretty! I love a set of fairy lights to make things feel homely
