18 Best Campervan Accessories & Gear For Adventure
Owning a campervan is all about getting outside in nature, kayaking, camping, hiking or mountain biking are some of our favourite activities for vanlife. Embarking on vanlife adventures opens up a world of possibilities for exploration and outdoor activities. To make the most of your journeys, having the right campervan adventure gear is essential, so we decided to put together a list of the best campervan accessories we took with us for outdoor living.
Contents
Water Sports: Best Campervan Accessories & Gear
The kayak is a great way to be more adventurous from your van. This Intex Pro is inflatable and folds up small enough to fit in the garage of our van, the Excursion Pro is also made for fishing with fishing pole holders and a go pro holder built in to the body. We have taken our kayak on German Lakes and Glacial Fjords and it hasn't let us down yet. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, or you don't need the fishing attachments we recommend you go for the Intex Challenger.
Keep your valuables safe against water and the elements with a durable dry bag. Its waterproof seal keeps your essentials dry during kayaking, beach outings, or any water-related activity, giving you peace of mind. You can get the bags in different sizes, we recommend the 10L as this is big enough for a change of spare clothes plus phones and our drone. You can get larger models for longer outings or small 5L bags for just your phone and wallet.
The perfect water shoes for comfort and grip, these wet shoes are essential for exploring rocky shorelines or sandy beaches. They can also protect you from sea life such as weaver fish. Quick-drying and supportive, these shoes will keep your feet protected. We accidently left ours under our van and drove off! We use them loads and will be re-purchasing them.
Surf Board
We haven't got a surf board in our van yet. They take up a lot of space so it is something to consider. We would love one though for when we are parked up at the beach.
Dive into the mesmerising underwater world with a snorkelling set. This is a great adventure item to take with you. They don't take up too much space but can be used to make beach days more exciting.
Camping: Best Campervan Accessories & Gear
Make sure to choose a sleeping bag that suits the temperatures you'll be camping in. From lightweight options for summer nights to insulated ones for colder weather, you'll be able to find a sleeping bag that provides the perfect balance of warmth and portability. We went with a summer bag and actually ended up using it inside the van alongside our duvet in -6 showing they are useful to have in your van.
We love camping and we had been using some really old pans when we went hiking. We decided to upgrade to this Primus Set and we're in love! They are super lightweight and nest to save space in your bag, they cool down quickly and are non-stick.
A good lightweight tent is hard to come by, there are a lot of different features that you'll need to consider: ease of setup, weather resistance, and ventilation. We have been using a super old one which Mike's dad gave us but there are lots of good new ones out on the market for relatively cheap.
These lightweight and adjustable trekking poles were essential in Norway for the long hikes, with challenging terrains giving us the confidence need to trek. They not only provide stability but also reduce the impact on your knees, helping your hike, especially on rough or uneven surfaces.
These are a game changer for anyone who is used to the standard camping kettles. Instead of waiting around for 5 minutes, you can have quick and convenient cooking with a reliable jet boil stove. Ideal for camping and van life, these compact stoves boil water in a flash, ensuring you spend less time cooking and more time enjoying camping.
Staying fresh can be difficult on your journeys however the portable Scrubba Wash Bag makes this a little easier. This genius solution allows you to do laundry anywhere, making it an essential addition to your van life gear for extended adventures. This is great for when you run our of underwear and socks on longer hikes.
Microfibre towels are perfect for quick drying after water activities or showers. These towels are compact and highly absorbent, as well as a super space-saving essential for any van lifer on the road. We ended up using ours as our every day towel as well as our outdoor camping towel so it might even be good to get two and have a spare!
Additional Van Life Adventure Gear
We use our Lifestraws everyday to ensure a clean water supply wherever our adventure takes us, wether we're camping in Scotland or Backpacking Asia. This portable water filtration device removes contaminants, providing you with safe drinking water during your outdoor adventures.
We have a Leatherman Wave and love that it's portable, we use it around the van as well as camping and Mike even uses it for fishing. We also love Leatherman as these tools really do last years and can pretty much help you out in any situation. They now also do a Leatherman Bit Kit which we can't wait to try out.
An essential in the modern day, keep your devices charged with a reliable portable battery pack. We chose to go for one with multiple USB ports and high capacity to stay connected for longer, also allowing you to charge multiple devices.
We love our GoPro Hero 6, you definately don't need the latest to capture your adventures. Whether you're cliff diving, mountain biking, or exploring hidden trails, this action camera is designed to withstand the elements and document your most thrilling moments, especially great for underwater use such as diving or snorkelling.
Tip: We bought ours second hand off Gumtree to save some money. We went with the Hero 8 and it works perfectly.
The DJI Mini Drone allows you to capture breath taking aerial views of your van life journeys all from a palm sized piece of tech. This compact and easy-to-fly drone provides a great perspective, turning your adventures into cinematic experiences. We bought our DJI Mini second hand off of Gumtree to save money.
Perfect for unwinding and enjoying the peace and quiet of being in nature in a lightweight and packable hammock. Great for lazy afternoons or starry nights, a hammock adds a touch of comfort and relaxation to your camping weekend.
Stay organized on the road with packing cubes, a van lifer's secret weapon for optimising the small amount of clothes space. They'll allow you to sort your clothes neatly, making it easier to find what you need when living life on the move. They're also useful for camping or backpacking trips from your van, we didn't actually use ours in our van but for camping these were amazing.
Tools To Make Your Trip Stress Free
These are some of the travel tools we love and use, by booking through our links you support our blog and help us grow, thank you!
Thank you for reading and enjoy your Van Life adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
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