We don’t do gear reviews. We’re not going to test products for a week and tell you what we think. Everything on this list has lived in our van (a 2017 Ram ProMaster) for months or years. Some of it has survived eight years on the road. Some of it replaced something that didn’t.
Less a “best of” list, more a “what we actually grab every day” list.
If something breaks or we stop using it, it comes off the page. No dead links, no ghost recommendations.
Morning ritual
Aeropress
We’ve made coffee in parking lots, on riverbanks, at 11,000 feet, and in the back of the van while it rained for three days straight. The Aeropress has never once let us down. It’s light, nearly indestructible, and makes better coffee than most cafés we’ve been to. We keep a hand grinder next to it and that’s the whole setup.
Moka pot
Stovetop espresso with no power draw and nothing electronic to fail. It’s the slower option and some mornings that’s the point. [needs a line]
Cooking in a galley the size of a closet
Ninja Crispi
For years the kitchen was an induction stove and whatever we could make work. The Crispi changed that more than anything else we’ve added. Small victories matter when you live small, and this one stopped being a novelty about a week in.
Instant Pot
One appliance covering what would otherwise take three, in a kitchen with counter space for about one and a half. That trade is the entire argument for it in a van. [needs a line]
Ninja Blender
Smoothies in the van sound ridiculous until you’ve been parked somewhere hot for a week and the idea of cooking anything makes you want to cry. The Ninja earns its counter space. We also use it for soups and the occasional frozen margarita when the day calls for it.
Comfort & sleep
ENO Hammock
This gets set up more than almost anything else we own. Rest stops, campsites, between two trees at a trailhead. It takes thirty seconds and suddenly you’re not in a parking lot anymore. We have the DoubleNest because sharing a single hammock sounds romantic but is actually a fight.
Kelty low camp chairs
The van has no good place for two people to sit, which is the one thing we’d change about our build. Outside, these solve it. They sit low, they pack flat, and they’re the first thing out of the back doors when we stop somewhere worth staying a while. [needs a line: which Kelty model?]
Hydration & kitchen
Hydro Flask
Eight years. Multiple dents. Still keeps ice frozen for a full day in Arizona heat. We each have one and they never leave the van. If you’re debating between this and a cheaper option, don’t. The cheap ones work for six months. This one works forever.
Dometic CFX65DZ Fridge
This is the foundation of how we eat on the road. Dual zone means we run a fridge side and a freezer side. We’ve kept groceries fresh for over a week in the desert with no shore power. It draws more power than anything else in the van, which is exactly why the solar and battery setup matters so much.
Outside the van
Inflatable Kayak
This was a “do we really need this?” purchase that became one of our favorite things we own. It packs down small enough to store under the bed platform, inflates in about ten minutes, and has taken us to places we never would have seen from shore. Worth every inch of storage space.
Self-care on the road
Solawave (Karlee’s pick)
Red light therapy wand that she uses almost every night. Van life is hard on your skin: sun, wind, dry air, inconsistent water quality. This is one of the routines that makes the van feel less like camping and more like home.
Power and sound
Anker battery packs
The things that keep everything else alive between the van and wherever you’ve walked to. We’ve had these long enough to have opinions, and the opinion is that the cheap ones are not cheaper. [needs a line]
Bose speaker and headphones
Two people working in 70 square feet need a way to not be in the same room. The headphones do that. The speaker does the opposite job, for the evenings when we want the whole space to feel like one. [needs a line]
Finding places to sleep
We’ve used a lot of apps over the years. These are the ones still on our phones:
Freecampsites.net — Our go-to for dispersed camping. No frills, user-submitted, and the reviews are honest.
iOverlander — Best for BLM land and international spots. We used this constantly in the early years and still check it when we’re somewhere new.
The Dyrt — Good for campground reviews and finding last-minute spots. The pro version has offline maps, which has saved us more than once.
Campendium — Great reviews, especially for cell signal info at specific sites. When you work from the road, knowing you’ll have service matters more than knowing there’s a fire ring.
The power setup
Our van runs on a BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 with 300+ watts of solar on the roof. It powers the fridge, the fans, our laptops, phones, and everything else. We lived on a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 for six years before switching, so we’ve seen both sides.
If you want the honest, detailed breakdown of how van power actually works, what’s worth it, and how to size a system for your life, that’s what Jesse built Create a Van Life for.
On the list, not in the van yet
We’re not going to pretend we’ve tested things we haven’t. But it’s a fair question what we’re eyeing, so:
OutIn Nano portable espresso machine. Espresso without a stove, without a power draw, without the counter space. If it works the way it looks like it works, it changes the morning. We’ll report back honestly either way.
Everything above the “on the list” section is something we currently own and use. If that ever changes, we’ll say so.
