50 Must Have Essentials For Vanlife!

After building out 3 different vans and spending over 1.5 years living out of vans, we like to think that we have a good idea about what is important (and what isn’t!) when it comes to vanlife! Here are 50 of our favorite must have essential items for vanlife beginners!

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Vanlife Kitchen Must Haves

1. Sink and Faucet

This one might be self explanatory, but running water is definitely a must have! In our first and second vans we used this electric water pump however in our third and current van we are using this foot pump instead. Whichever method you choose, having a pump to provide running water is a must have for us! We have done vanlife without it, and definitely appreciate having a real faucet to use.

2. Extra Water Storage

We always keep 14 gallons of water with us in the van. We use these jugs here and they work great!

3. Water Filter

For added piece of mind keep a water filter in your van! You can use inline filters like this, or a simple water pitcher like this one that we use.

4. Stove

Another must have is a stove! You can go super high end with built in propane or electric stoves, or go super simple with a standard Coleman camp stove like us.

5. Collapsible Coffee Pour Over

One of our favorite new kitchen gadgets we have added to the van! Bonus, its actually our own company - this collapsible pour over from Travel Ready Gear will let you make delicious pour over coffee anywhere! Easy to use, very easy to clean (cough cough French press) and has been a game changer for our daily coffee routine.

6. Water Kettle

After backpacking Europe we bought ourselves an electric water kettle and will never go without! This one is fairly inexpensive and works within the limits of our inverter (make sure your power system can handle a kettle)

7. Decent pots and pans (bonus if they are stackable)

We just use normal pots and pans. We actually went a full year without a pot! However we are checking out these stackable ones that seem like a way better option for our small space.

8. Plates, bowls, and utensils

Any generic set will do, but if possible find something plastic or un-breakable like these!

9. 12v Fridge

This is our current fridge. In our previous vans we used a regular mini fridge like this, as well as a high end fridge like this. Overall we are supper happy with our current choice! It is 12v, keeps our food cold, and was a lot cheaper than some of the more expensive options.

10. Rice Cooker

Another must-have for us in a van is a rice cooker. Having limited stove space (2 burner camp stove) means we are always looking for ways to cook things easier. We eat enough rice so storing a rice cooker is totally worth it!

11. Mini Trash can

You can try just using trash bags but your van will function a lot better if you have a dedicated trash can. Ours is actually just this bucket so its multi-functional!

12. Silicone Ice Tray

Our old van had a freezer and this silicone ice tray was great!

Vanlife Living and Bed Must Haves

13. Blackout curtains for the front

These heavy duty curtains work great to keep out light and give us privacy at night!

14. Blackout curtains for the windows

Our current van has a ton of windows so we bought these at the 24 inch length and they do a great job

15. Decorative Blanket

Sometimes its hard to incorporate color into the van and decorative blankets are perfect!

16. A Good Comforter

We actually went for a long time without a heavy duty comforter and regretted it! Once we upgraded it made a huge difference on cold nights. We use this one!

17. Short Queen Memory Foam Mattress

We use this exact mattress and it has been great! It has already lasted a full year and we expect it to continue to last

Vanlife Bathroom Must Haves

18. Natures Head Composting Toilet

The greatest vanlife toilet. Worth every penny. We will always have one in our van.

19. Wet Wipes

For quick wipe showers on the go!

20. Solar Shower Bag

For beach rinse offs or remote campsites, this is definitely the most affordable shower option for a van!

21. Full Size Towels

You’ll appreciate having full size towels for the inevitable campsite showers, planet fitness showers, etc. We use microfiber ones but any towel will do!

22. Shower Shoes

Another 100% must have for vanlife - shower shoes. We have showered in some pretty gross showers before and would never consider going barefoot. Any cheap foam or plastic flip flop or sandal will do!

Vanlife Gadget Must Haves

23. Airtags

We have become huge fans of AirTags and use them all over. They help give us peace of mind that our stuff (and van) is safe when we are not around.

24. Bluetooth Thermometer

We have a couple of these in the van. One in our main area and one in our fridge to make sure it stays cold and our food stays fresh.

25. Mini Tool Kit

We always keep a mini tool kit accessible in the van. You can make your own or buy one like this!

26. Headlamp

These are the headlamps we use for everything. Highly recommend! Perfect for hiking, using around the van at night, and more.

27. 12v Fan

When we were first looking for 12v fans we saw a few that were $100+. We eventually found these and they work perfect and are much more affordable.

28. Phone holder

A good phone holder is a must have for long drives and using your phone’s GPS

29. USB-C 12v Car Charger

Another must have! It even charges our computers so the passenger can work on long driving days. We also use this with the 12v outlet we installed in our living area to charge our computers as well

30. Generic Binder Clips

People always think we are crazy, but we literally use these every day. Closing snack bags, closing curtains, hanging up towels to dry, and hanging up clothes to dry, and more!

31. Extra Long Phone Charger

Its funny how convenient having a long phone charger is! In a van with limited outlets, this is a perfect way to bring charging wherever you need it

32. Portable Document Scanner

This is a super boring one but as small business owners, and in particular business owners who operate on the road, a document scanner is a must have for us for receipts or other important things. We don’t have enough room to store paperwork, so we choose this instead!