I packed for a 2-week vacation in a van using tips from people who live in one full time. It made my journey so much smoother.
7 min readI packed for a 2-week vacation in a van using tips from people who live in one full time. It made my journey so much smoother.
The van I’d rented for two weeks came from the rental company Native Campervans. Thankfully, the 75-square-foot space had practically everything I needed. There was a stove, sink, bed, and plenty of room for storage.
The van also had a seven-gallon tank for water. While some vans are equipped with much larger tanks, I figured stopping to fill it up with water a few times throughout my trip wouldn’t be too challenging.
But Christian Schaffer, who has lived in a van for more than four years, advised bringing a collapsible water jug. She said I might use more water than I predicted, so having a few backup gallons could help me avoid a stop or two.
“A thing that’s kind of helpful is those big collapsible water jugs that you can fill up just so that you have extra to go off-grid,” Schaffer, 38, told BI. “And they pack down really small when you’re not using them.”
Casey Hogan, a 31-year-old living in a 2019 Ford Transit, reminded me that van life can feel similar to camping. Plus, I’d be doing activities like hiking and climbing, where things could go wrong.
Hogan said she always packs with emergencies in mind. “I always travel with and hike with the first aid kit,” Hogan said.
That way, she’s prepared if something goes awry out in the wilderness.
Navod McNeil told BI that he also considers safety when it comes to packing for a van trip in his Ford Transit.
The 30-year-old said that there have been plenty of times when something went wrong with his van, and one common problem was a dead battery.
So he started packing a portable jump starter for his van trips. This way, he doesn’t need to rely on AAA or a stranger with jumper cables to save the day.
I have a portable jump starter in my everyday car, which I bought on Amazon for $60. I might have forgotten to pack it if McNeil didn’t remind me.
Beyond that, McNeil said he always has an external battery, so he can still access electricity if his van’s power were to fail.
Often in remote destinations, there isn’t cell service, and depending on your van and WiFi setup, you might be without service for days on end, Maddy Garrett, 25, told BI.
With that in mind, Garrett always has a few playlists, podcasts, and movies downloaded on her devices.
While Garrett said disconnecting from the outside world is a major perk of van life, there are still times when you’ll want a solo movie night or music for those long, service-less drives.
Zach Nelson, a 23-year-old living in a Sprinter van, recommends packing items that will make it easy to document the adventure, whether you prefer to write in a journal or snap pictures on a film camera.
“You definitely need a way to document it, whether it’s a Polaroid film camera or even just your phone,” Nelson said.
Garrett said her Kula cloth has been a game changer when it comes to using the restroom with van life. The $20 item is an antimicrobial, reusable pee cloth that’s easy to carry on trips.
I’m a frequent hiker and backpacker, and I’ve had my eye on a Kula cloth for a long time. And since my van wasn’t going to have a bathroom, Garrett said it was the ideal time to buy one.
“It just makes your life easier because you could stop and pee on the side of the road at any time,” she said.
Plus, a pee cloth would mean that I wouldn’t have to worry for two weeks about throwing away used toilet paper, she said, adding that “it’s literally the best thing in the whole world.”
Multiple people said that traveling in a van would mean needing to adapt to the weather.
“You have to understand whatever is going on outside will probably affect you on the inside,” Brittany Newson, a 36-year-old living in a travel trailer, told BI.
Whether it’s rain, snow, or heat, everyone agreed I should pack with that in mind.
Sierra Fernald, 23, said I shouldn’t only consider the weather, but how I handle it. Fernald said she hates the cold and there were times in her Ram ProMaster van when it felt impossible to get out of her warm bed in the morning. So she invested in warmer clothes and a heater to make those chilly mornings easier.
“Definitely prepare for the weather, and maybe over-prepare a little bit,” she said.
Multiple people said I wouldn’t want to live and travel in a crowded van, so they encouraged me to evaluate if and how I was going to use every item I packed.
“Come in with the bare minimums and see how you like to live in the space,” Newson said. “Then you will see what it is that you would need in order to be happy.”
Worst-case scenario, I could always stop at a store along the way to pick up anything I’d forgotten.
While I did overpack, the people I spoke with shared helpful suggestions that made a drastic difference throughout my trip.
For example, grabbing a first-aid kit and portable jump starter gave me confidence and reassurance throughout the two weeks. And not worrying about used toilet paper thanks to Garrett’s Kula cloth suggestion was a major luxury.
While I’d add a few more items to my packing list for a regular road trip, these nomad-approved items will always be tucked into my suitcase for my future van adventures.
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