Bink’s Must Have Vanlife & Camping Items
Chillin’ at a dry lake bed outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
After taking numerous trips in our VW Vanagon over the past couple years, we feel like we finally have a good idea of what items work and don’t work for us while on the road. We thought we would share some useful camp/travel items here in our latest post (yes, we know our blog has been a bit dormant😬). Clicking each picture will take you to the item to save you the time & trouble. We also get commission from affiliate links to apply toward van repairs, so if you see something you like, buying through these links will help us out a bit. 🤗
First, and maybe the most useful thing to us, is a portable toilet. At first, we were on the fence about carrying human waste in the van. If we were to say that buying a toilet was a great decision, that would be a major understatement. We cannot even begin to express how convenient it is to have your own restroom onboard! It allows you to relieve yourself anywhere: on the road, in the deep forest, in a parking lot, etc. This is especially important during these times of COVID-19. We bought a Camco 2.6 gallon version, which can be easily emptied anywhere you would normally use the restroom. Drop-in dissolvable tablets are available to keep things smelling fresh.
Our custom-built toilet box holding our Camco toilet.
Next is the can-do-everything Noah’s Tarp made by Kelty. We bought the 9 foot version. It’s a super-versatile tarp that be used as a tent, a roof to protect from sun/rain or even a shower curtain! It packs up very small, which is important for “van life.”
Kelty Noah’s Tarp - 9 foot.
A recovery strap is another important item to have on hand. We learned this first-hand as we were stuck in sand in the backcountry outside of Joshua Tree National Park. We didn’t own a strap at the time, but the folks who pulled us out of the mess did. We immediately went out and bought one and keep it in the van at all times.
Smittybilt 20 foot Recovery Strap.
Keeping your clothing organized is imperative if you are on the road for an extended period of time. This is where packing cubes come in. Clothes can become a mess if not kept in check. We use the cubes as if they are drawers of a chest (underwear cube, shirt cube, pants cube, etc,). Before we had started using the cubes, we just put everything in a large duffel bag. That became a mess VERY quickly.
Gonex brand Packing Cubes.
One of the most amazing items we bought for life in the Vanagon is the Aeropress coffee maker. We bought this to take the place of a stainless steel percolator that was taking up too much space in our cabinet. The coffee that comes outta this press is NEXT-LEVEL compared to anything else! We even use it at home full-time now. We have a really nice coffee maker sitting in our kitchen collecting dust thanks to this $40 marvel!
The marvelous Aeropress!
Having dishes that are durable enough to withstand the vigors of “van life” is pretty important. We swear by the Delta Camp dishes by Sea To Summit. We have used them for years hiking in the backcountry, and now we use them in our van. The bowls and plates have a really handy thumb-grip on the side that doubles as a loop to attach the included caribiner for your cutlery. The dishes are very hard-wearing and clean up quite easily.
Sea To Summit Delta Camp Dish Set.
While we’re on the subject of dishes, we found these practically indestructible stainless steel cups on Amazon that are perfect for the outdoors. They are really great at keeping drinks ice-cold. We even bought a second set for our house.
Indestructible Stainless Steel Cups.
Finally, the 3.8 Gallon self-pressurized water tank made by WaterPORT has been so helpful on our travels. It can be pressurized using compressed air via the valve on the side or by a hand pump (It takes no time at all to pump by hand). This is our main source of water for taking showers. We get around 4 quick showers with a full tank. It’s also nice to know we have extra water with us at all times should an emergency happen. The purchase package we linked here comes with a trailer hitch mount, a spray nozzle & a coil hose. We ended up rigging a shower head to the unit, and that has worked out well.
WaterPORT self-pressurized water tank.
The WaterPORT mounted to the Vanagon with the optional hitch mount..
We hope this article is helpful to all that read it. One of our main missions for this blog is to inspire others to set out on adventures, and to make it easier to do so. If you have any questions/comments, please don’t hesitate.