Basic Van Dwelling Needs

A basic subject that comes up in Van, RV, or tiny home life is where do you have all your stuff? Well first off, you simple have less stuff. After some long thoughts and life re-evaluations everything just had to go. Decided what we couldn’t live without, packed up and drove away. Most things will be replaced as we went along.

A comfortable bed. Must have a cozy place to sleep. An inexpensive foam type mattress does the trick, and foam can be custom cut to fit to how you make a bed inside any vehicle. Cannot have too many blankets and pillows either.

A vehicle in good running condition. Even though we are not blazing through miles of the country yet keeping our location options open was a must. The better it runs the more miles it can roam.

Good walking shoes. Blisters are no fun. But every foot is different, some of us get lucky and our feet will be happy with a cheap pair of tennies. Wildlife and mountian folk could care less about the fashion on your feet. Still for the girls a fun pair of sloshers for the beach, rain, or snow does make you feel more fancy.

A shower, well there’s lots of ways to take care of this. Gym membership for starters, community centers, good swimming holes, a gallon of water in an inconsipicuous place, occational campsites. So for now we go without. (And back to shoes, shower flip-flops are not a bad idea.) And yes we roam with no toilet for moment as well. Think about it this way, where do you go to the bathroom when on vacation? At work? Out shopping? Out to dinner? It’s way easier than we had thought. Plus, no cleaning a bathroom or dealing with RV black tanks, been there dont that. A lot a van dwellers poop in a bag in a bucket which haven’t had to do that one just yet.

Power! We started small, haven’t needed to upgrade just yet either. A portable lithium battery (our is a Jackery, wonderful product if you go shopping for one) we simply charge from the van when driving. Amazing, a van can drive you to work, take you on vacation, be your home, and provide you power. The option of adding solar pannels is a good possiblility as well.

Mounts, bungie cords, hooks, ropes, whatever you need to hold things in place, hang up a towel or jacket. Can’t have stuff bouncing around your home all the time, and floor or counter space just doen’t exist much anymore. All kinds of hooks or cords will become your best friend. Everything will rattle and shake, and break over time so keep that in mind if the home is on wheels. Letting that worry go will however make backroads way more fun!

Organization! This isn’t a thing but where and what you store things in becomes an issue. Rearanging was a battle at first, and still is. But becomes easier once you figure out which items you grab most often and when. Even in a small drawer you have to pack tight the most often reached for items will stay toward the front. Oh and those canvas storage cubes stay put pretty darn well. (Cabinet and drawer latches in the RV didn’t always last long, and plastic drawers flew out on bad corners more than once) A little mess in a house can be a major issue inside a small space.

Stickers. Yes stickers, or magnets. It’s like a must have collection for nomads in general. As a kid I started my travel collection with hat pins, then added the magnets, and have now started keeping an eye out for stickers. But for van life stickers will stick and stay anywhere.

Cookware. One. Whatever it is you prefer to use you only need the one. No you don’t need 3 sizes of skillets you need one. Found that spatulas and spoons are better without the slits in them, solid clean surface is way easier to clean. Having certian dishes is a preference. Paper plates are just fine but I still prefer a sturdy plastic bowl for soup or cereal.

Cold food storage. Try not to skimp on an ice chest. But there is a lot of brands cheaper than a yeti. I do kinda miss the RV fridge, but a regular house fridge I don’t. Looking foward to trying out a plug in travel cooler soon as well.

Anything else you have a question about? There are so many youtube video reviews of travel related products there can be lots of decisions to make on what you need. But seriously the best advise I ever heard and wish to share is move in first! Whatever it is, small home, RV or other vechicle move in with nothing but your clothes and beding and see what you can live without before going shopping. If you’re leaving the sticks and bricks behind you’ve most likely already planned on adventure and simplicity being what life is all about! Not the stuff you own!

Thanks for taking a look!