Simple Van Life Essentials

6 must-haves for every van lifer’s day-to-day life- all you need for a comfortable time travelling.

Here are some of the essentials we have found are a must have, or at least make life on the road much more comfortable. This is not a kit-list for a van build, but more things that you'll be thankful you packed!

KETTLE

Even if you are not a hot drink lover, a kettle is essential! They come in handy on cold nights when you need a hot water bottle, and perhaps have no electricity or ran out of fuel for your heater. It is a great way to have a warm shower if you are lacking sun for your solar-powered bag shower or are not using public showers. Finally, kettles are great for heating water if you’re doing the washing up on a cold night and you do not have a water heater (we think they’re unnecessary) or for sterilising things!

FLIP FLOPS

Wowee are we glad we brought sandals with us on our winter road trip to Scotland. Though flip flops are better as they dry much more quickly, some sort of sandal is also grand. Why? PUBLIC SHOWERS. You’ll thank us.

HAND SANITISER

We only use Neal’s Yard hand sanitiser as it has organic ingredients and doesn’t contain any nasties (see our Rewilding Your Home series), which means its also much better for the planet. If you run out of water, use public loos, bring a picnic along to a muddy hike or even just do the shopping during a pandemic, you’ll be glad you’ve got a bottle to hand. If you use my Neal’s Yard link [https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/rebeccaspencer] , you do not pay any extra, but you are helping a travelling spoonie earn money on the road!

FLANNELS & TEA TOWELS

These are both great for washing and for helping you travel with glassware or ceramics! We’ve used flannels for helping the dog cool down, an unexpected end-of-a-shower in the van after a public shower stopped working, toothaches and the normal face washing. The best tea towels are the oldest ones that have stopped shedding fluff, or the linen type that generally don’t leave bits of thread on your dishes.

INSULATED WATER BOTTLES

An underrated classic. We like Super Sparrow and POP water bottles that keep liquids cool for 24 hours or warm for 12. We use ours constantly for bringing hot chocolates out on hikes to warm ourselves up, for keeping water cool on long warm days, or for keeping water from getting close to freezing on cold nights. As we’re both very clumsy humans, Jack and I prefer water bottles over cups in the van to prevent the inevitable spillages we’d have otherwise.

BATTERY PACKS

These do not need to be fancy ones, massive ones or solar powered ones (the latter aren’t usually very good in the long-term). We have two for our phones (each with 3-4 charges) and one that can charge phones or the van battery if it goes dead. It’s a great idea to take one if you are attempting a long hike in case you get stranded, or if you are like us and often change plans at the last minute and go for an extra night of wild camping!