Do you have a van lifer in your circle? Not sure what to get them? In this van life gift guide, you’re going to learn some perfect ideas for the travel and camping life on the road. In this list, you’ll find both fun and practical gifts.
For those who are living their dream with limited space, here are 37 van life gifts for your fellow van lifer or campervan lover!
1. Volkswagon VW Bus Van Ceramic Coffee Mug
For the Volkswagon enthusiast, this is the perfect gift! Inside this VW mug, you can also expect to fit a regular cup of coffee. Be careful with the enamel as it’s not built with industrial-level strength.
2. How to Live in a Van and Travel Book
Beginner van lifers have plenty of research to do before jumping on the road and into the lifestyle. Whether they plan to go full-time or part-time, a book with well-researched information that’s simple to follow can be helpful to answer a ton of questions.
3. DC to AC Power Inverter
Maintaining consistent power is crucial on the road. A handy DC to AC power inverter can plug right into the cigarette lighter to charge things like laptops and tablets. This one even includes a pair of USB plugs to charge cell phones. This can be a useful piece of gear to work on a computer or for watching a movie.
4. Volkswagon Travel Coffee Mug
A different kind of mug, more built for the road. This travel coffee mug can slide right into vehicle cup holders with that one of a kind Volkswagen bus design.
5. Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater
During the winter months, it can get especially cold inside a van. These small portable buddy heaters can keep your van lifer very warm and toasty during the coldest weather. They do use propane, so it’s important to use them with caution!
6. Laptop/Eating Wheel Tray
Living in a van calls for eating meals inside the van as well in many cases. If you’re at a place to stop it can be quite handy to have a tray that you can pull out to use as a working surface. Whether it’s for a laptop, food, writing, drawing, or anything else: this one is sure to be useful.
7. Fruit Hammock
One of the staples of #vanlife, the fruit hammock is something quite popular with van lifers. It’s quite inexpensive and helps to hold a variety of produce. Anytime you want to save space in the pantry or cupboard, this is a great spot for it.
8. Solar Shower
Finding showers on the road can be a bit challenging depending on where you’re located. Unless you’re at a city or campground, you may not always have easy access. Hanging a solar shower can be a simple way to have a warm shower anywhere you travel. This one can hold up to 5 gallons of water and heats the water with solar technology.
9. Portable Toilet
One of the top concerns people have about van life is: how do you go to the bathroom? A simple solution is to use a portable toilet. It’s not always the best if you can find a toilet (so the holding tank lasts longer). However, these are easy to tuck away and store for times when you can’t make it to a restroom in the middle of the night.
10. Solar Portable Charger
For those going off-grid, solar power can be essential for keeping tech powered up. A solar portable charger can keep small electronics charged up and ready to go when out of the van.
11. Toothbrush Holder
Storing bathroom gear can be difficult without a proper place for it. With a toothbrush holder, you have a dedicated location for your brushes to go. This helps to keep them clean and not get lost in the mix of other gear.
12. Hand Vacuum
Staying clean in a van is something many people forget about. Having a nice hand vacuum is one of those practical van life gifts that can help to keep the living space neat and tidy.
13. Comfort Seat Cushion
Sitting in a van’s driver’s seat for hours at a time can get uncomfortable no matter how good the cushion is. A comfortable seat cushion can be a real help for alleviating any back pain.
14. Backseat Hook/Hanger
Holding bags, garbage, clothes or other gear that has a loop on the back of the headrest is something quite valuable with limited storage space. This allows you to make use of space that may otherwise be going to waste.
15. 12-Volt Portable Stove
Do you ever wish you could keep food warm for hours? This simple 12-volt stove is the perfect little box for heating or warming any pre-cooked food.
16. Portable Small Water Jugs
Everyone needs water… how do you plan to store it? This aqua container holds 7 gallons and is easier to carry and fill up that other large options.
17. Microfiber Towel
Staying dry is important to keep excess water from building up or getting tracked inside the van. A microfiber towel is an upgrade from a traditional cotton towel as it dries much faster. This helps a lot with showering since they can dry in under 30 minutes.
18. Solar Starter Kit
For those going all-in on van life, a proper solar kit is a necessity for improving power consumption when not running the engine. This solar starter kit includes everything someone would need to get started (other than a battery).
19. Front-Window Sunshade
Like insulation, a sunshade helps to keep cool during hot weather. This is a must when parked in warmer climates, and acts as a privacy shield as well.
20. Reflectix Insulation
Adding reflectix insulation can help to better insulate the van. Many people opt to use this material as a way to cover their windows as “blinds”.
21. Wool Blanket
More on the luxury end of this list, a solid wool blanket goes a long way for a van lifer. With limited insulation in a van, staying warm can a real challenge. This blanket is large and has plenty of unique designs to choose from.
22. Cell Phone Signal Booster
Many people who live in their van need a way to get work done. With a cell phone signal booster, you can ensure you’ll have service when you need it. This is designed for RVs, so it works when you’re driving or parked.
23. Packing Cubes
Organizational skills are essential with limited space in a van. You need to be precise with every bit of room. Packing cubes can help to organize and better manage storage for van life.
24. Goal Zero Yeti
The king of all batteries, you have the luxury goal zero yeti. This portable power station can power up to 7 devices at a time from phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, and most small devices. Not to mention, it’s simple to understand.
25. Hammock
Relaxing out in nature cannot be defined more than by a hammock. A single camping hammock can go a long way for additional relaxation away from the van.
26. Collapsible Measuring Cups
Again with small space, collapsible is the keyword. These measuring cups feature food-grade silicone and are perfect for travel cooking.
27. Lifestraw
The beloved life straw. A staple in the outdoors and survival space. It doesn’t hurt to have one of these handy in case you cannot get access to clean water while off-grid or in a remote location.
28. Portable Clothes Washing Bag
Without access to a consistent laundry machine, there may be times where you need to wash your clothes “manually”. This Scrubba wash bag makes that process a whole lot easier. It also doubles as a dry bag when not being used for laundry.
29. Wine Tumbler
When wine lovers and van lifers combine, you have the need for a wine tumbler. This cup makes it much easier to consume wine without the worry of spills inside the van. With plenty of colors, this makes for a perfect wine and van life gift combination.
30. Jump Starter
A practical gift, the jump starter is something smart to have on hand in case there are any van engine troubles on the road. You never know when something bad can happen, and it’s always better to be prepared.
31. YETI Rambler Insulated Mug
Another mug, this one offers the YETI level of quality to the table. This insulated mug allows you to drink coffee, tea, juice, water, or anything else without the worry of spills and a consistent temperature.
32. National Geographic Road Atlas
Not sure where to travel to next? The National Geographic Road Atlas: Adventure Edition offers plenty of locations to choose from when on the road. With up to date road maps, and national park information such as the campsite length, this is a great addition to any van glove box.
33. Portable Bluetooth Speaker
When listening to music, watching a movie, or TV show, you’ll want good audio. For a van lifer, this is a perfect gift choice to get sound on the go with a Bluetooth portable speaker. These provide loud volume and can be taken outside around the campfire. This JBL speaker is even waterproof, so no worry about rain or spills.
34. Spice Rack Holder
For the chefs and cooks, having proper spice storage is a must. This clip-on rack holder can be placed anywhere you see fit with room for your spice collection.
35. Folding Camp Chair
When outside of the van and at the campsite around the fire, you’ll want a portable camp chair. This comfortable chair offers plenty of room with a large seat and mesh-back.
36. First Aid Kit
A first aid kit can be that preparation for if you need to treat minor aches and injuries. With lots of time spent outside in the van life, it’s smart to carry along with these supplies in case of an emergency.
37. Nalgene Water Bottle
The staple for an outdoor lover, the Nalgene water bottle is high quality and built to last. This is the perfect option to take on hikes, around the campfire, or even as a general all-purpose water bottle.
Conclusion
These van life gifts and campervan gift ideas for your fellow van lover has been sourced from a variety of van-lifers to create the ultimate compiled gift guide. This way, you get a diversified viewpoint of what’s the best gifts are for a van lifer.
We hope this van life gift guide helps on your shopping list!