Here are the essential items I use for travel and vanlife

Photography

• A tripod (especially for night photography)
• A portable external harddrive to backup your photos
• Generally I use:
  • my cell with a cell phone camera lens kit
  • a Sony H300 (Bridge Camera)
  • or Sony A65 (DSLR)

I think when it comes to cameras, use what you have. Take a class with your camera (check city rec centers or libraries) to see what your camera can do before buying a new one.

Hiking Gear

• Edible Plants Guide
• Bug Spray
• Binoculars for stargazing
• Dry Bags keep things from meeting watery deaths. I keep one in my purse (at all times) and a larger one in my backpack.
• For my busted knees and ankles, I use Badger Balm Sore Muscle Rub

Where to Stay

• For RVers: It can be difficult on the East Coast to find inexpensive, legal places to park a large vehicle. Harvest Hosts provides space on vineyards, farms, etc for any self-contained rig.
• Hotels: If I’m heading abroad, I always check the Hotels.com Deal page. They have GREAT last second deals.

Bedding

• A 6-inch full-size memory foam mattress fits perfectly (side to side) in a 1500/2500/3500 Promaster.
• Cobra Ridge Vent – use this under the mattress to prevent condensation and mold.
• Extra blankets can be stuffed in King-Sized pillow cases off season

Kitchen

• Water container with a spigot (in lieu of a pump faucet)
• One pan (I use a non-stick copper pan)
• One pot
• One tea kettle
• Butane stove or propane stove. I do not recommend alcohol stoves. They cook slow and you often have to dump the alcohol out of the stove before moving.
• Melita Drip Coffee Maker (non-electric)
• 1 for every person traveling (shatterproof bowl, saucer, cup, stainless steel fork/knife/spoon)

Internet

• I use this Wi-Fi Range Booster from Amazon
• For full details, read my post on how I access the internet on the road.

Shower Assembly

Here’s my DIY Van Shower How To post

Power / Electricity

• Anker 20,100 Ultra High Capacity Power Bank   (charges cell phones and USB fans)
• Schumacher Power Station (charges everything else, including the heating blanket)
• Schumacher Male to Male Connector (for charging the power station while driving)
• EverStart 120w Power Inverter (to charge the laptop while driving)

Lighting

• Any battery operated String/Christmas/Fairy lights will work
• Luci Solar Powered Lights

Toileting

• You can go the DIY composting toilet route in larger vehicles, but here’s an inexpensive chemical toilet that I’ve had success with.

Paint Used in the Van

• I exclusively used spray paint in my rig. I suggest using the KILZ brand (anti-mold) in the color you need, along with a clear coat of Rust-oleum (anti-rust) on any metal surfaces. If you are insulating, it won’t hurt to coat the inside of your van with these before sealing it up.

Everything is held down by

• Ratchet straps
• Hook magnets
• Regular magnets

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