Blog

18 Must-Have Accessories for Your Camper Van

A Comprehensive Guide

When it comes to camper van life, having the right accessories can make a huge difference. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a full-time van lifer, these camper essentials will enhance your experience and ensure you have everything you need for a comfortable trip.

Camper necessities and must-haves are vital for making your van life comfortable and enjoyable. These essentials help you live efficiently on the road, turning your camper into a cozy home. With the right items, you can enhance convenience and create a welcoming atmosphere, allowing you to fully embrace and enjoy every adventure that comes your way.

Must-Have Accessories For Your Camper Van

Camper accessories for the inside of your van are key to making your journey more comfortable and enjoyable. With the right items, like clever storage solutions, Satellite Navigation, Lighting, Fridge, Compact Kitchen Gadgets, and Elevator bed, you can make the most of your space and create a cozy, inviting atmosphere. These touches help you feel right at home on the road, allowing you to truly embrace the van life experience.

Navigation and Safety

1. Satellite Navigation

Satellite navigation is one of the most essential accessories for campervan road trips.

2. Reversing Camera

Reversing and parking a large motorhome can be fraught with danger and anxiety. Even small long vans can be tricky to reverse safely in busy campgrounds. Which is why a reversing camera is a great investment and one of the best gadgets for campervans.

Comfort and Convenience

3. Lighting

Proper lighting can transform the ambiance of your campervan. LED strips, solar-powered, lanterns, or rechargeable USB lights offer efficient and versatile lighting options. They can be used to create a cozy atmosphere or provide ample light for cooking and reading

4. Compact Fridge

A compact fridge is a good choice for a camper van because it can be power efficient and preserve your leisure batteries. A 12V fridge is more power efficient than a 120V fridge, which requires the inverter to be on all the time. Compressor fridges use very little power, which is good for preserving leisure batteries. Some fridges can run on gas, 12V, or mains power. This allows you to save on gas while driving and save on 12V while stationary.

5. Swivel Double Seats

Swivel Double Seats 360 Degree Rotating: There is a locking point every 90 degrees, which can be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, with 4 locking points. The seat comes in two sizes: a narrow, compact one and a wider, more comfortable one. We recommend the narrow seat for 144 Sprinter van builds and the wide one - for 170 Sprinter van builds.

6. Roof Fan

A camper roof vent is a must if you're to enjoy your experience on the road. In summer, a campervan is a hot metal box. Without the airflow provided by proper venting, this quickly becomes unbearable. Even worse, poor air circulation leads to very bad indoor air quality due to cooking, moisture, and smelly clothes.

7. Elevator Bed

Easily adjust your space with the elevator bed. Elevator bed in camper vans are smart way to save space in a camper van conversion. During the day when you're not sleeping, the bed is out of your way you have plenty of space to sit, eat, and relax. At night when it's time to go to bed, it cranks down from the ceiling and your bed is already made.

Explore Vans with Elevator Beds

Cooking and Dining Essentials

8. Dining Area with Table

A campervan table is one of the things that make your van life more functional, comfortable, and fun. What's important is to be creative with the table. That's because, for campervans, maximizing the space is what makes life in a van enjoyable

9. Kitchen Gadgets

Equipping your camper van kitchen with compact, multi-use gadgets can make cooking on the road enjoyable and easy. Look for items like collapsible sinks, Ovens, portable coffee makers, or compact stoves. These gadgets ensure you don't sacrifice taste or nutrition while exploring.

Energy and Power Solutions

10. Solar Power System

Take advantage of the sun's power by installing a solar power system on your camper van. Solar panels will keep your batteries charged, giving you electricity to run your devices, lights and small appliances without needing to be connected to an external power source. It's environmentally friendly and perfect for off-grid

11. Water Purification System

Making sure your van is safe and has access to good drinking water is vital to an enjoyable van experience. One of the biggest concerns about being outdoors is finding reliable water sources.

With the Water Purification System in camper van you have the ability to clean the water in the van and make it safer. Instead of relying on others to ensure the quality of your water, with Water Purification System you can take any water and clean it for use. but bringing a water purification system with you is a great precaution in case of emergency.

Storage and Organization

12. Electronic Safe

Small enough to tuck away into a corner of your van, this safe box will keep your valuables locked down while you’re out and about.

13. Flarespace nVader Rack

The Flarespace nVader Rack is a rear storage system that can be a good fit for a camper van because it can help maximize the interior space and carry a lot of gear.

14. Aluminum bathroom

Durable, rust-resistant, lightweight camper van bathroom, designed for those who value both functionality and luxury. Engineered for space efficiency and durability, this versatile unit combines style, convenience, and practicality—perfect for any van conversion project.

Toilet

Campervans can have composting, foldable, or flushable toilets. Composting toilets are smaller and lighter than other options. Flushable toilets require a black water tank that needs to be dumped.
Shower

Campervan showers need a lot of water, so you might need to connect an external hose. You can heat the shower with solar, gas, the van's engine, or a combination.
Framing

Most campervan conversions use two-by-four timber for the framing.
Placement

You can install a permanent bathroom inside the campervan or a temporary pop-up bathroom on the outside.

Explore Vans with Aluminum Bathrooms

Outdoor and Living Essentials

15. Awning

It provides shelter, expands your living space, offers versatility and flexibility, enhances outdoor entertainment and dining experiences, and provides added protection for your campervan.

16. Propane Fire Pit

When it comes to camping, there's nothing quite like gathering around a warm and inviting fire. However, traditional wood-burning campfires may not always be feasible or permitted in certain areas. That's where portable propane fire pits come in.

17. Camping Chairs

A camping chair and table is a lightweight folding chair and table with a chair canvas seat and backrest, and table provide more space to enjoy food or coffee. which is suitable for use in temporary quarters, typically outdoor setting like camping, by being portable and easy to set up.

Health and Emergency

18. First-Aid Kit

While nobody expects or believes they’ll get injured on the road, it’s best to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Pack a lightweight and portable first aid kit to treat any injuries as you go.

Why Choose Camper Van

A camper van can be a great way to travel and explore the outdoors while saving money and enjoying the freedom to go anywhere.

1

Cost Savings

Camper vans can help you save money on hotels, flights, and food. You can also eat in or outside with a barbecue instead of eating out at restaurants.
2

Flexibility

Camper vans allow you to stop anywhere you like and not have to rent a car.
3

Comfort

With the right camper van conversion, you can live as comfortably in your camper van as you would in a house.

Tips for Camper Van Living

Van life is super rewarding but comes with its own set of challenges. To live van life to the fullest, you'll have to optimize your space, keep things organized, and pack smart. Here are a few practical tips on how to live more comfortably on the road:

1. Maximizing Space

Space in the camper van is minimal. One can utilize space as well with these simple tricks. It includes:

Use Vertical Space

Fix shelves or hooks along walls to hold items such as kitchen utensils, bathroom supplies, or even clothing. This would not allow cluttering the floors, thus giving floor area too.
Under-Bed Storage

If your bed is elevated or you're using an elevator bed, you can use the space under it to store camping gear, extra supplies, or seasonal items. Just use plastic bins or baskets for easy access.
Multi-Use Furniture

Look for furniture that serves multiple purposes, such as a foldable table that doubles as a workspace or a sofa that converts into a bed. Compact and modular furniture can also be moved around to create more flexibility in your van's layout.

2. Organizing Small Spaces

Maintaining your camper van neat and tidy contributes to the comfort of your living space. Here are some strategies for keeping it neat and tidy.

Clear Bins and Labels

Use plastic bins, so you'll know what's inside if you place something in one. Mark every bin by name, and you could find something immediately if it's marked. It especially works with food, tools, or spare parts.
Magnetic Strips

Magnetic strips to hold tools, knives, or kitchen utensils against the wall. Saves the drawer space, and they're always within reach.
Wall-Mounted Racks

Add hooks or racks for hanging clothes, bags, or kitchen towels. Hold cleaning supplies or small items inside the back of a door or in a cupboard to keep them out of the way in your van.

3. Minimalist Packing

Less is more when in a camper van. Bringing too much around will simply make your home feel very cramped, and you'll spend the night looking uncomfortable, so here are some minimalistic packing suggestions:

Minimalistic packing for campervan life journey

Prioritize Essentials

Think of what you actually use in a day and pack those. Bring multipurpose clothing that can be layered or mixed and matched, and a small but functional cookware set.
Use Compact or Collapsible Items

Use compact, foldable, or collapsible items that take up less space, like a collapsible sink, foldable chairs, or a compact coffee maker.
Limit Non-Essentials

Resist the temptation to pack a few extra "just in case." Have a serious think about those hobbies, entertainment, or leisure items and consider doing without them or replacing some of them with alternatives that take up less room.

By following these tips, you will be able to make the most of your camper van's limited space, keep things organized, and pack only what you truly need, allowing you to enjoy the freedom of van life without feeling cluttered or overwhelmed.

Conclusion

Van life can be a comfortable and enjoyable experience for some people while it can be nightmare for others depending upon the accessories and tools they carry with them. If you are looking for an exciting and memorable van life experience then accessories listed above are must-haves for your camper van. These accessories will not only help you have a relaxing experience but will also help you in avoiding any unfortunate event. So don’t forget to have these accessories ready in your camper van before you start your adventure.

Book a video call, phone, or in person visit

Ready to bring your dream van to life? Let's make it happen! Start building your unique van today.

Feel free to write and call us. We really love to communicate with our clients.

+1 (951) 441-9719

bigbearvans@gmail.com

320 W Big Bear Blvd, Big Bear City, California, 92314, USA
5179 Brooks St. Suite G, Montclair California, 91763, USA