What’s In The Van?

What’s In The Van?

As we set off on our next adventure, a friend recently asked how, exactly, we are living out of our Winnebago Revel for months at a time. He is thinking to embark on a similar lifestyle and I agreed to create a post on ‘What’s In The Van’.

For all intents and purposes, we are simply on a REALLY long camping trip. We started with our basic camping supplies and determined where to fit them in a 20′ x 6′ space. The things we use every day are more accessible than those we use less often. Everything has its place so we aren’t constantly searching for whatever we may need. Here is an overview of ‘what’s in the van’ …

Clothing and Everyday

  • We both have enough clothes for about 10 days. Our small wardrobe relies on layering to accommodate weather from freezing temps to the Arizona heat. Furthermore, our clothes span from being hiking gear to ‘townie’ wear. My goal is to never have a stranger look at me and think ‘that chick is living in a van’! 😂
  • Outerwear for all weather and temperatures including rain gear, mid weight jacket, winter jacket, hats, and gloves
  • 3 pairs of shoes: Hiking shoes, townie shoes and sandals
    • Confession: I recently added a pair of Oofos to my collection and I am not even a little bit sorry! They are like hugs for my feet after a long day of hiking! I am now a huge proponent of a pair of camp shoes (or recovery shoes) as a ‘must have’ in the van.
  • We store our clothes in North Face 42 L Voyageur Duffel Bags and it works out perfectly. We can easily zip the duffle bags closed to take in a hotel or on an airplane.
  • We each have a toiletry bag that holds everything we need to help us look and smell like a townie. Mine has been appropriately nicknamed ‘the suitcase’!
  • Microfiber camping towels from Wise Owl Outfitters. They aren’t the soft, plushy towels from home; however, they fold up small and dry quickly!
  • For laundry, we are using Kind Laundry sheets and Shout Color Catchers. The Shout Color Catchers enable us to throw everything in a single load without worrying about white clothes coming out pink! They are a game changer!

Kitchen and Cooking

Mark and I have some dietary restrictions and we cook frequently on our trips. This required a bit of pre-planning but it works out well.

The ‘kitchen’
  • Portable single burner induction cooktop (that easily fits into a drawer) and Magma nesting induction cookware (for easy storage)
  • 3-quart Instant Pot for quick and easy dinners
  • Otzi two person portable grill and a small bag of charcoal
  • Gourmia 1 liter collapsible water kettle to boil water for coffee and heat water for nightly dishes
  • Place settings for 2: plastic plates and bowls, silverware
  • Very basic (and small) kitchen tools, a collapsible mixing bowl, and a set of 4 collapsible, nesting storage bowls for leftovers
  • Collapsible dish washing tub and dish drainer
  • 45 QT Yeti cooler – it was intended to hold our road trip beverages, but we instead use it for dry storage.
    • We have found that storing smelly food and spices in the cooler helps to contain the odors (so the entire van doesn’t smell like garlic powder). Plus, the exterior of the cooler is perfect for our travel sticker collection!
  • The Paprika app has been invaluable
    • The app holds our favorite recipes (to keep us from eating spaghetti and tacos every night), tracks dry goods that we keep in the van, and I can use it to create an ongoing grocery list. The best part is that we don’t need to be connected to the internet to use the functionality. We carry 4 -5 days worth of food in the van and have been eating quite well on the road!

Camping Supplies

  • Collapsible camp chairs, a foldable camp table, small bluetooth speaker, rechargeable lantern, Thermacell Radius bug repellent, and marshmallow forks (all the essentials for a good campfire!)
  • A cheap [WalMart] tent to hold our campsite when we head out to explore
    • Finding a place to camp after the sun sets is stressful. If we are planning to boondock (free camping on public land), then we will seek a site early in the day. Once we find a place to camp, then we will set up our cheap tent and camp chairs to ‘mark our spot’ before taking Hank off to an adventure. It helps to minimize stress and ensure we have a place to park for the night.
  • 2.5 gallon water jug that we keep filled in case we end up camping in a site without available running water
  • Rechargable white noise machine for those times when a campsite situated along train tracks seems to be the only option for the night
  • Small garbage can that uses bathroom-sized garbage bags. It works out perfectly to keep trash from accumulating.
  • Extensive first aid kit to cover every ailment from insomnia to an open wound, as well as sunscreen ranging from 20 to 50 SPF!

RV Supplies

The RV Supplies
  • Small electric drill and an emergency tool kit with sockets, screw drivers, duct tape, and zip ties
  • Water filter and long water hose for filling the van’s water tank
  • 30 Amp surge protector and a long extension cord for bringing power to the van
  • Cleaning supplies: Black and Decker dustbuster, windshield cleaner and Method all purpose cleaner
  • A small outdoor mat for wiping off dirty shoes

Hobbies and Games

  • Hiking and backpacking are a big part of our travels and we have a lot of gear shoved in the van to support this hobby! We use several of our backpacking items for every day living including our quilts, camping mugs and headlamps.
  • A journal for quick daily notes and to capture our lists of ‘things to do next time’
  • Several maps and books are stored behind the seats and we call this area ‘the library’
  • Cards, cribbage board, Travel Scrabble, and a new game called ‘Trails’ are essential for any road trip
  • A small bag with yarn and needles to knit hats (for donation) during long days of riding in the van

Other Considerations

Personal Protection

Personal protection is always a big question, and seemingly, everyone we meet has a different solution. I won’t go into detail on what we keep in the van to protect ourselves from any ‘bad guys’ (knock on wood that we haven’t met any); however, we do carry a means to keep ourselves safe. The best advice I can give is to make sure you are comfortable wherever you choose to spend the night. If you have an unsettling feeling in your gut, then find somewhere else to camp!

Recycling

Our beautiful country has so much to offer; however, a standardized recycling solution is not one of ’em! Recycling practices vary across states and it’s difficult to regularly find recycling bins. As a result, we keep a small box with our clean recyclables. When we happen across an appropriate bin, we stop and dispose of anything we can. It’s not a great solution, but definitely something to keep in mind.

Cell Service and Connectivity

I continue to be amazed at the lack of cell service in rural areas. While it’s nice to be ‘off grid’ once in a while, we use our evening time to work on this blog, stream movies and plan for the coming days. To enhance our connectivity, we recently bought a weBoost cell booster. It’s small and portable and we have definitely seen an improvement in our signal strength!

And most importantly …

A sense of adventure! Many factors can initiate a change in plans: too many things to see and do (FOMO is real, people!), fluctuating weather conditions, and vehicle trouble just to name a few. It’s impossible to plan for every scenario and that’s where adventure comes into play! Keep an open mind … it will prove to be invaluable!

That’s about it! We miss the comforts of home (like cushy chairs and a big TV), but for the most part, we are living comfortably without having a lot of stuff.

Below are a few photos of the van set up and how things generally look from day-to-day. Click on any picture to open the gallery and read the captions!

If you have any specific questions about gear, planning, or life on the road, then feel free to post questions in the Comments and we’ll do our best to provide an answer!

Hope you have an exciting summer adventure planned! Happy Trails –

Mark and Debbie

Note: the product links within this post are to be used simply for reference purposes. This is not considered to be an endorsement of any specific product(s) and we are not compensated or paid by any companies or third parties.

6 thoughts on “What’s In The Van?”

  1. And here I am on a call about RCSA deep dives, RAU mnemonic management, 2LOD challenges, challenger playbooks, and EUCs….I know you’re jealous.

    Great to yinz out there exploring!

    1. Wow – multitasking at its finest 😂😂

      Hope you and your family are doing great!

  2. I’ve got a question about the first photo of the gear garage, with the bed raised. What is that on the underside of the bed? Your backpacks strapped onto it?

    I’m super impressed with your ability to maximize usable space with minimal stuff.

    1. Hi Jen! Great question! There is a cargo net under the bed where we store our empty backpacks. There is also a large zippered pouch attached under the bed where we store sleeping pads, a rain tarp and our camp chairs! Thanks for reading our blog! Hope you are doing great!

  3. Glad to see you still out there living the good life. Looks like you are having a great time. Very informative post, I’m the same way where everything has its place and purpose. Maybe hit up a trail with you guys sometime if you get back this way.

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