This post might look a little different than most, but we have been getting a lot of questions recently about how we have outfitted our van from folks who are hoping to begin their vanlife adventure in the near future. As a result, we decided to come up with this list of 5 things around $20 that every road warrior needs in their van.
**Please note that prices for the specific items can fluctuate over time**
1. Cast Iron Skillet
Growing up in Alabama, I learned from a young age that cast iron is king!
It Seemed as though every family had a cast iron skillet on hand that was passed down from generation to generation and was used for everything from making breads and sweets to frying the kind of homestyle foods that will stick to your ribs!
As soon as the idea of moving into a van came up, I knew that a cast iron skillet had to be on the packing list.
This all-in-one utensil is all we need in our tiny kitchen. It has served us in cooking almost all of our meals on the road. We have cooked soups, stews, pastas, and curries. We have sautéed veggies, tofus, and greens of all kinds, and have even used it as a basin to deep fry tortillas, chips, and so much more.
By opting for a cast iron, you save so much storage space and simplify your cooking process.
Also, clean up is a breeze with a cast iron. No soap and water is needed. Just wipe it clean and then season it with a few drops of your favorite oil.
2. Puck lights
Believe it or not, these little guys are an absolute lifesaver. They are remote control operated and come with a ton of cool features like a shut-off timer and dimming capabilities. These lights can be turned on manually by pressing them or you can control them with the remote that is included. The remotes operate on the same frequency, so if you buy multiple packs, you can control them all from a single remote, straight from the package.
Lastly, they come with a sticky adhesive and screws so that you can attach them to practically any surface!
We specifically chose these puck lights for our van because we wanted to depend on our power bank as little as possible. Many people opt for a hardwired lighting system – which is great too, but if you are stuck in bad weather or find yourself under smoke cover for days at a time, your power bank might be depleted- leaving you stuck in the dark.
Don’t get stuck in the dark; make sure to have a battery powered light source!
3. Exercise Bands
You would think that living a nomadic lifestyle would lend itself to plenty of exercise. I mean after all, you are always surrounded by nature and endless trails to hike and explore. However, just because you are surrounded by those things doesn’t mean that you always want to take advantage of them. Be intentional with maintaining your health by getting in the routine of exercising. Granted, your space is limited which means that you cannot bring the gym with you. What we found that works best is a couple of yoga mats paired with some resistance bands. Both of these products can be packed away in small places and can be used in many different ways.
4. Battery packs
If you can’t tell, a lot of the things on this list focus on power.
When you are living off the grid, being able to charge all of your devices is of the upmost importance. To do this, we highly recommend investing in one or two of these little battery packs.
They are solar powered which means that you can recharge your battery pack without tapping into your power bank. Also, you charge and recharge your mobile devices a few times on each go! Just throw this bad boy outside on a sunny day and forget about it!
5.Shower bags, microfiber towels, shower tent
Ok, so this is more of a three in one – but all of these items go hand and hand and are each around $20.00. With these three items, you can have an entire shower set up allowing make you stay squeaky clean while on the road!
Shower bags
No bathroom setup would be complete without a shower – and these are the best ones that we have found. They are slender which means they heat up quickly when compared to more boxy designs. They also store easily when empty.
The nozzle design is far superior to other shower bags we have tried, allowing for decent water pressure and control. If you are careful about your water usage, you can get four showers per fill-up, which isn’t too shabby considering it is only 5 gallons.
Microfiber towels
We all have our favorite towels to use at home but, unfortunately, those plush, oversized towels didn’t make the packing list. They are too bulky and required too much space. Also, those plush towels require too much time to dry. A solid alternative are these full-sized microfiber towels. They are super absorbent, fast drying, and pack down really well! They also have nifty fastening straps so you can hang them up to dry wherever you need to.
In addition, their traveling case is great because you can toss them in your backpack and have them on-hand for any unexpected swimming trips, rainstorms, or whatever you might encounter on the road.
Shower Tent
Some vans and RVs are big enough that you can build a shower indoors – others are not. We have a cargo van – standing up indoors is hard enough, let alone showering. So, we invested in one of these shower tents that we can set up anywhere. It is equipped with stakes and tie points for rope to make sure it is anchored down. It has a zipper opening that is perfect to pass a shower nozzle through, and it folds up into a flat carrying case for easy storage.
We keep ours on the back of our passenger seat and have never felt as though it was in the way or took up too much space. Of all the things on the list, this is the best purchase we have made. It is durable, easy to set up, and convenient if you need privacy. You can use it as a shower tent, a changing room, a toilet stall, and so much more!
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