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Van life essentials: What you might need for your next camper trip!

Blog· Van life

12 Jan

What would you consider van life essentials? Over the years we have tried out so many products to try to make living in a van conversion a little easier. We know that sleeping 5 in a camper van is not the easiest of tasks.  Five people come with a lot of well.. ‘stuff’, and we have learned that there are a few essentials that make living in a van for even a weekend much easier! And what if you decide to try out full time van life? Here, I have picked a few of our favourite camper van essentials – those items that are a must have for living in a camper van, RV or motorhome … The key here is to plan well … and to pack with thought, to try to reduce the ‘stuff’ you need to take.

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 Van life essentials for a camper van trip (or small RV) with kids!

  •  Van life essentials for a camper van trip (or small RV) with kids!
    •  
    • Camping table and chairs
    •  
    • Portable gas stove
    • Good camper storage
    • Camper van awning 
    •  
    • Camper van refrigerator
    •  
    • Camping coffee maker
    • A small hand held torch and medical kit
    • Camper van essentials for van life – other items

 

Camping table and chairs

If you have not built a table into you camper van conversion then buying a portable camping table and chairs is definitely one of those van life essentials! This Vango bench set had to be our most used product of Summer 2019. It literally came everywhere with us, beach trips, days out, glamping trips and on our campervan trips. We also pack it in the car for our day trips.

The Granite bench Set features a durable granite table top and aluminium frame to ensure it is strong but stays light. You can alter the height of the set by adjusting the legs allowing you to use it as a low table or dining table. Unlike a similar bench set that we previously owned, the Vango Granite 90 bench set folds down really quickly to allow for transportation and storage, oh and it is super lightweight too.

It comes with two benches that are a great size, and has a carry handle to make it easy to transport. We also have a set of camping chairs and we found a great camping chair for a toddler that comes with a detachable tray that was amazing during our travels with a toddler in tow!

Vango granite 90 bench an essential item for van life with kids

 

Portable gas stove

We decided not to have a camper van stove built in during our van conversion. This was mainly because we have young lively kids and also liked the idea of cooking food outside of the camper. We have used a number of stoves during our travels. We have been using the Vango Trangia 27.1 Stove for about a year and it has been absolutely brilliant. It is made from ultralight aluminium and is therefore lightweight and conducts heat well. The aluminum stove system spreads heat quickly and evenly, meaning that food does not stick to the centre of the frying pan. The hard surface also means that it is resistant to scratching and wear.

The stove is really easy to pack and transport – it can even be popped into a backpack for family days out!

Vango Trangia stove is a van life essential for camper van life

We have also used a Coleman Fyre Champion gas stove which is a small propane stove for the camper and is easy to store and transport. It operates from Coleman propane cylinders and features a double stove. The stove  packs away safely and the lid doubles up as a windshield.

Read here for our favourite camping recipes and make ahead camping meals

Good camper storage

We are always on the lookout for good storage ideas for our camper van. This Granite storage unit is a really good unit. If you have been on a camping trip or campervan holiday with kids, you know that it can be difficult to keep your camper tidy and organised, particularly when space is limited.

We use this storage unit for all of our kitchen utensils, cutlery and crockery, although it would make a great storage unit for shoes and clothes too. It features a durable granite effect table top and has three internal shelves and external pockets and mesh panels. It has a strong frame and what we love is that it easily and quickly folds downs to a compact size and comes with a carry bag for protection and easy transportation. We also make use of plastic storage boxes with lids that easily store under the rock and roll bed, and we use a large plastic storage bucket for all the outdoor toys and beach toys.

Camper van awning 

When converting a camper van, an awning is definitely something to consider. It’s a great way to provide an additional outdoor space, extra storage, shelter from the weather, or to provide an extra sleeping area.

The Vango Cruz drive away awning is a brilliant way to more than double your living space on your campervan adventures. We only use the awning if we stay anywhere longer than a couple of days on our road trips, as we also have a canopy awning for overnight breaks. Vango AirBeam® makes it super easy and quick to pitch and creates a really strong rigid structure to withstand the elements.

We love the front canopy that create a little shade when the sun is out – perfect for little ones.

Although we have not tried this – the Cruz has the option of adding a 2 bed inner should you want to create a sleeping space.

You can also add awning carpet to the drive away awning. This Vango cruz carpet is an additional luxury but definitely makes the drive away awning comfortable and warmer. It is fitted to match your awning so fits beautifully, and also it stays put! The carpet comes in a carry bag for easy transportation and is really easy to clean. A small dustpan and brush can be used to keep the carpet clean during your travels.

camper van awning - the Vango drive away awning an essential for a camper van or motorhome

We also have a canopy awning. This is an awning that is permanently attached to the van. We opted for a Fiamma awning for our VW T5 and this is fitted to our van and winds out as we need it. This awning is extremely easy to set up, and provides basic protection from the rain and sun.

 

Camper van refrigerator

Another van life essential is a camper van fridge. We opted for a fridge with a freezer compartment when planning our camper van conversion. Living in a van, even for a short trip is easier knowing you can pack fresh food such as butter, milk, cheese, and fresh salads. It means that you don’t have to worry about eating food really quickly, or having to visit the supermarket on a daily basis…and if you a camping with young kids, babies or a toddler, you have a constant supply of milk!

 

Camping coffee maker

Coffee definitely helps with those long journeys and camper van road trips, plus there is nothing better than the smell of coffee first thing in a morning. So what are the best camping coffee makers? A cafetiere is a simple and cheap option and simply requires a kettle. Alternatively we have tried a stove top coffee percolator, great if space is tight and also makes awesome coffee

For the longer road trips, we have packed a pod based coffee machine – it is simple and convenient. We found a coffee machine that fits in a cupboard when we are travelling and doesn’t take up too much space on the worktop, and we have constant supply of coffee for those beautiful mornings outdoors!

A small hand held torch and medical kit

A small hand held torch is a useful item to have to hand, along with a planned and well stocked first aid kit Store the medical kit somewhere that is easy to get to if you need it in an emergency and include plasters, scissors, antiseptic cream, children’s paracetamol etc.

Camper van essentials for van life – other items

 

You may find my camping list for camper van life (or motorhome or RV) with kids useful!

     

     You may also enjoy:

     campervan tips with kids- tips for surviving a campervan holiday

    a Road trip in France

    choosing insurance for a camper van conversion?

     

    Know someone who might find this post useful? Please do share it with them on social media.

    Do you have any other van life essentials to add?

     

    If you want to read this later – Pin it !

    Van life essentials

     

    Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase, this is at no extra cost to you, but I receive a small commission. 

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    otisandus_

    Vanlife • Camper Family • VWT5


    Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......

    I’m reall
    Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5


    Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y
    Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕

    Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn
    Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)

    🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

    My next campsite to
    🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx


    Camping with kids 🏕

    I was going to share my ne
    Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?


    Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for
    Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography


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    Ad/ Oh the places we will go ....... I’m reall Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5
    Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕
    Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)
    🏕Sunday share is back 🏕 My next campsite to 🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx
    Camping with kids 🏕 I was going to share my ne Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?
    Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography
    Happy Sunday!!! So I have decided on a Sunday fo Happy Sunday!!! 

So I have decided on a Sunday for the next few weeks I am going to do a little campsite share. Sharing our favourite campsites that we have stayed in our #t5camper over the last two or three years. I wanted to (hopefully) give you some inspiration for all those dreaming and planning for when we are able to hit the road in the future. 

My first campsite is @love2stay in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. Set in 22 acres of grounds with touring and Glamping on-site. 

Love2stay is a beautiful resort and an absolute gem of a site. We have booked again for this year and have stayed more than once over the last two years.

Facilities

Love 2 Stay  has serviced pitches and a  glamping village. The toilet block is modern and clean.  There is so much to do on site you won’t want to venture far. 

➡️ swipe for pictures 

There is a natural swimming pool, restaurant and pizzeria, fitness suite and thermal bath, assault course, children’s adventure play zone, barefoot trails, mini and junior craft activities, cinedrome for movie nights, yoga and Pilates classes, paddle boarding and kayaking....... the list goes on 

What we loved 

⭐️So many activities on site for everyone 
⭐️restaurant/pizzeria on site 
⭐️Swimming pool 
⭐️Spa/gym on site 
⭐️Dogs allowed (with separate dog walking area and dog agility course )
⭐️Brilliant size serviced pitches
⭐️Glamping available 
⭐️Usually Open all year round (covid restriction dependent) 

Things to consider 
 
⭐️it gets booked up so book in advance 
⭐️No tents allowed 
⭐️No on-site grocery shop
⭐️it is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed when you factor in all the additional activities that do -but it’s a wonderful experience and we absolutely love it here and it is a place that we will keep on returning to. 

Please do ask if you have any questions or if you have stayed here too? 

I’ll be back next Sunday with another gem !
    Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟 Fairy lights dotted around a Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights  dotted around a climbing frame
 
= A few more extra hours outside over the winter months 

Add in a flurry of snow ....

#1000hoursoutside 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #lockdown3

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