Overview
Baby Wipes
These always come in handy. Sometimes just to clean your hands after you’ve eaten something. Or your shoes when you accidentally stepped into that big mud pool, which you have been so careful about. But also if you weren’t able to shower for a while.
Ear plugs
Even if you have insulated very well, it will happen that there are so many ambient noises, that you will still hear them inside your van. And not only for the ambient noise, but when you’re not sleeping alone in your van, you cannot help but lie close to each other in such a small space. And who doesn’t snore?
Camping applications
Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, these apps will come in handy. There are many different applications for finding the perfect location to stay the night. They include camping sites, parking lots, laundry services… and even private persons or farmers who open their domain to park your van, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small contribution. You’ll find pictures, reviews and any other information you need. We use Park4night, but there are many others, such as Campercontact.
Download the Park4Night app
Download the Campercontact app
GPS Tracker
Put a GPS tracker in your van, that’s connected to an application on your mobile phone. In this way, you can always find your van in case it gets stolen. It is also useful if you give your family or friends access to the tracker, so they’ll always be able to know where you are in case of emergency. Depending on the kind of application you have, many different features such as real time geo location, information about driving speed, alarms when your van leaves a certain area, when it moves and so on…
CO- & gas detector
This one’s a must have for your own safety. Living or traveling in a van means living or traveling in a closed space. Therefore, it is important to know when you have to ventilate the room. You can hang a CO detector inside your van. Also when you use gas inside your van, make sure you install a gas detector close to your gas supplies to be notified as soon as possible when there’s a leak.
Packing cubes
Packing cubes can ensure that everything remains tidy and organized. They keep your clothes from getting mixed up at every speed bump. When packing your van, packing cubes are super efficient to move your clothes into or out your van too.
Gel pads
Gel pads will prevent your stuff from moving while driving. Put them underneath your loose parts and they’ll stay in place without using glue or anything else. They are almost invisible, you can cut them to size and you don’t have to put everything away over and over again when you go driving.
Magnetic stuff
Maybe you haven’t noticed yet, but you are living in a metal box. So, why not use its physical properties? You can buy magnetic stuff or just some magnets and attach them to whatever you want: keys, go pro, phone… We have magnetic hooks to hang up whatever we want, for example some wet towels. We also have those magnetic flashlights and we absolutely love them. No spare hands to hold your flashlight when it’s dark? Just hang it onto your van.
Window covers/curtains
Window covers and/or curtains are useful for at least three things.
First of all: temperature. They have an insulating effect, so they can keep the temperature inside your van more consistent.
Secondly, they provide more privacy. You can cover yourself from the outside. It’s not that comfortable when people are walking by and they look inside your van like you’re a fish in a tank.
And last but not least: light management. It’s amazing to wake up and watch a beautiful sunrise from your bed. But we can imagine that sometimes you want to sleep in for a day, instead of being awakened by the light. Curtains and/or window covers can keep it relatively dark in your van.
Compact and lightweight towels
When living or traveling in a van, you are obviously limited in storage space. And what takes up more space than those huge towels? Well, not all towels. Travel towels are lightweight and only take up little space. At the same time, they also dry super quickly. What else do you want?
Sustainable soap
Both for showering and for your hands and dishes, it’s best to use sustainable soap. Especially when you have an outdoor shower. The water will run into nature and you don’t want to harm the environment with those chemical soaps. Also, when you have a grey water tank for your shower and/or sink, use sustainable soap. Maybe some day your grey water tank will fill up faster than you expected, and you have to discharge some of your grey water on the way. In this way, you won’t harm the outdoors. But avoid discharging your water along the road and always try to discharge in places provided for it.
Toolbox
Everyone knows it: the bad timing of things breaking. When traveling in a van, you are on the move with something that is constantly moving and shaking, so it’s not uncommon for parts to loosen up. Always make sure you are one step ahead and be prepared for things to break or loosen up. Bring along a toolbox and some spare parts (screws, straps…), so you can fix any broken part immediately or that you can at least provide a temporary solution.
Trash bin in front
That little appetite while driving: A snack for on the go can’t be missing. But where do you leave your waste after that? Although we prefer the use of reusable drinking bottles or coffee cups, we also know that you will always have to deal with waste. To ensure that our cabin does not become cluttered with papers and waste, we have placed a trash bin in front. This prevents the cabin from becoming a mess after every ride.
Parking levelers and a car inclinometer
Can you imagine that your house is tilted, so you have to cook and sleep on a slope? No, we neither. It will not be possible to park perfectly straight everywhere. To compensate for uneven surfaces, you can use levelers to make sure your van is parked straight. With a level tool you’ll always have an objective measurement of what’s ‘straight’.
Foldable shovel
It is almost inevitable when traveling around with a van and chances are it’ll ever happen to you: You get stuck in a swampy surface. We cannot guarantee you will get yourself free with just a shovel every single time. But in some cases it will certainly help you out.
Not only to help out your van but also to help yourself out of distress, a shovel might be helpful. If you have no other option than to relieve yourself along the road, it is recommended to dig a hole first. But, please, try to make sure you always have the opportunity to use a toilet and don’t poo outside.
And we are sure there will be other situations in which a shovel can come in handy.
Table light
There is nothing better than sitting outside in the evening and enjoying the fresh air, but we are not a fan of making a fire to have some light. I might dangerous and harmful for the environment. To have some light in the dark, we use a table lantern, chargeable with USB and solar energy. The light is bright and warm, which makes it super cosy and it’s so easy to use. No mess to start a fire. Also for a late evening walk, this table lamp will provide you with enough light instead of those uninviting flashlights.
Unbreakable tableware
In your campervan, your tableware is subject to constant movement, vibration, and sometimes rough terrain. Traditional glass or ceramic tableware is more likely to break or chip under these conditions. Unbreakable tableware, typically made of materials like melamine, plastic, or stainless steel, can withstand the rigors of the road without shattering.
This is why we chose for unbreakable tableware of Mepal. They offer a nice assortment from lunch boxes, tableware, drinking cups to even thermos flasks. And all of this in nice colours. We have the Bloom collection in pebble black. This fits very well with our wood interior.
And when we say they’re unbreakable, you can be sure we mean it! We have already tested this extensively by accident! You also often see that plates and jars discolor after a while (or after tomato sauce)… Well you don’t get this with the Mepal collection! We can only recommend Mepal if you’re looking for the right tableware for your camping adventures!
With the code Coordinotes2024, you get a 10% discount on all Mepal products!
Get your unbreakable tableware from mepal here
Checklist before you leave
Things that can be on your checklist
Switch off electrical devices to safe battery
Close windows
Turn off the lights
Open all curtains
Check if everything is stored away properly
Leave no trace
It’s not really a hack but rather a rule: LEAVE NO TRACE camping. We care a lot about the environment and try to combine both living a human life and preserving nature. When you go out there camping, please leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but memories.
Leave everything the way it was when you arrived. Or even better: if you find any trash, take it with you and throw it away in a trash bin where it belongs.
Leave no trace camping: Do's and dont's
Read more
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