Top 28 Motorhome Essentials And Products You Need On The Road 2024
We have been living full time in our van for six months now and as newbies to Van Life we understand that there are so many products out there that are tempting to buy (even before you have a van or motorhome). We did and we definitely didn't use some of them. Therefore, these are your must have Van Life and motorhome essentials - tried and tested by us!
Below we breakdown the top 40 Van Life products that we have been loving in our van. It so important to find the right products as there's not too much space in a motorhome but we think we've found some great things to make Van Life and Motorhome Life more comfortable, convenient and fun! Here are our best Van life products:
Contents
Essential Motorhome Products
Our top essentials that everyone who owns a van or motorhome. For us these are non-negotiable things you need if you're going to live in your van.
A must have for condensation which will build up quickly in your van. We used this daily in Norway and was a real life-saver in colder weather. We also used it for cleaning up spills. It charges using 240v so this is something to consider but it doesn't take long to charge
A life saver in many situations. We use it around the van for odd jobs, while camping and Mike uses it fishing. We currently use a Wave and love it, we would also recommend a Signal if you're looking for a lightweight tool.
Something that you never want to use but you just in case. We found this small lightweight extinguisher on Amazon and bought three to spread out roughout the van. Luckily we have never had to use them.
To add extra space to your van you can add an extendible rail. We put ours in the shower room but you could add one in your garage or anywhere else really.
This stuff is magic! This product will stop things moving in your draws while you drive. We used it in our cutlery draw and everything stayed in place even on rocky drives. We used it for pots and pans and plates as well.
If you don't drive your van or motorhome enough then this can save the battery. Plug it in and solar energy will top up the battery to make sure it doesn't die. If you're building out a van this is a must!
Van Life Comfort and Convenience
Some of these things may not be 100% necessary but we love having them in our van. We can not imagine doing Van Life without a toilet! Some of these products just make our everyday lives easier!
We love our Simploo toilet. We have written a blog explaining the pros and cons and compared it to our newly purchased Simploo Mini.
It doesn't take up too much space and means you can have piece of mind when drinking from your tap.
This is great for filling up at park ups where you can't get close to the water source. Also great for filling up water at petrol stations. We didn't take the hose head but this could perhaps double up as an outdoor shower.
If you have a proper mattress in your motorhome then you won't need this. However, we have a modular bed and use the foam cushions from our sofa as our mattress. This isn't that comfortable therefore we use a panda mattress topper and it's so comfortable.
In our Van Life journey, Starlink has been a game-changer, offering us the freedom to work from picturesque remote locations with confidence. While it has its downsides, the reliability and speed have made it worth the investment for us. However, as with all Van Life decisions, consider your unique situation and needs to determine if Starlink is the right choice for you. Find out more here!
Blackout window covers are crucial for privacy, insulation, and overall comfort during your journey. Skip the pricey pre-made options and follow our detailed DIY guide to create custom window covers that match your style.
Van Life Adventure Gear
For us Van Life was all about adventure. Therefore we prioritised things that would take us outside. These items will depend on your hobbies but here are a few things we loved.
This is one of my favourite things we have in the van. Not only is this great for camping and hiking, but in case you run out of water in the van. The water bottle filters water making it clean to drink.
If you're planning on going camping from your van these are great as they have attachable day packs meaning you have two bags in one. Perfect for Van Life. It can also double up as a suitcase (although it doesn't have wheels.)
You can never have enough of these in case you unexpectedly run out of power in the van. We love this one as it holds 4 full charges.
Depending on where you plan to take your van you may want some trekking poles for those harder hikes. We ended up using ours on Ben Nevis, they really help your knees when descending the mountain.
If you're into water sports and getting outside then a dry bag is a must. You can get them small for just your phone or bigger for full days out.
This is a great way to make the most of living in a van. Park up near a lake or a river inflate your kayak and off you go. We took on Intex Excursion Pro which is a fishing Kayak and used it lots across Scotland and Norway.
For swimming, kayaking, beaches and more these are great. We actually drove off and left ours under the van so we will be re-purchasing soon.
These are small and lightweight making them perfect for Van life. They are perfect for hiking, wild swimming and more!
We love these pots they are so lightweight, and we sometimes even use them inside the van their that good. They stack and their small - they also cool down really quickly!
Camera Equipment and Technology
To capture all those memories it's nice to take some camera equipment. There is also nothing better than snuggling down in your van with the projector playing.
We bought our Hero 8 off Gumtree to save money and it works great. We would recommend having at least one camera on the road to capture your memories and this is a great adventure camera.
Again we got our drone off Gumtree to save money. We went with a DJI Mini which is a great beginners drone and takes some amazing shots. If you're just getting into drone photography I would suggest buying second hand and opting for a DJI Mini.
For cosy nights in the van, this is the perfect projector. This projector is small, lightweight but has a great picture quality. We love this and use it all the time.
Everyone needs a way to displaying their memories. For printing all the amazing Van Life adventures this is great as you can choose the photos you want. Bonus is you have a photo to print them to get them started.
Van Life Kitchen Must Haves
Again the kitchen items are very van specific. They depend on what you have in your van. For example, if you have an oven you won't need an Omnia. Here our the top picks for a Van Life Kitchen.
A great space saver. These are expensive but have been great for us. We didn't take all the pots and pans just the ones we needed and they fit perfectly in our cupboard.
Perfect for those vans that don’t have an oven. You can make pasta bakes, bread and pies... sounds perfect to us!
Everyone raves about yeti Mugs and we started off with them. They are great but expensive and heavy so we have just bought some lightweight camping mugs with lids to try out.
Again this is great for saving space in your van. This one is super spacious and has a place for cutlery keeping your van tidy.
Our six-month journey into full-time van life has been amazing and after trying out all the things we bought months in advance we are now ready to share our favourites. We hope you found this article helpful and have found some new goodies to try out for your motorhome or campervan!
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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