DIY Van Conversion | Campervan Essentials

Van Conversion
2.10.20
DISCLOSURE:

I am not a van conversion professional or professional handyman. This is a documentation of my experience and you should make your own decisions on how to build your own van, and seek professional guidance if you are unsure. This blog post also contains affiliate links, so if you click a product link and buy from the merchant, I will receive a commission fee. The price you pay remains the same, affiliate link or not. Buying through my product links is the best way to say thanks if this blog post was at all helpful to you.

Campervan Essentials

These are items that I have found useful for living in or building a van.
  • Build
  • Kitchen
    • Ratcheting Paper Towel Rack (Buy on Amazon) (Keeps paper towels from unrolling while driving)
    • Hand-powered Coffee Grinder (Buy on Amazon) (Electricity saver)
    • Stainless French Press (Buy on Amazon) (Doesn’t shatter)
    • Reusable Ziplock (Buy on Amazon)
    • Bees Wrap Sandwich Sized (Buy on Amazon)
    • Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Buy on Amazon) (Really nice for cooking meat in the van, easy cleaning)
    • MSR Dish scraper (Buy on Amazon) (Great for cleaning cast irons)
    • Large Camping Pot (Buy on Amazon) (Can drain without using a strainer, folds up for easy storage, lightweight)
    • Small Camping Pot (Buy on Amazon) (Can drain without using a strainer, folds up for easy storage, lightweight)
    • Cast Iron Panini Press (Buy on Amazon) (Great for campfires or just put it directly on the stovetop flame, easy cleaning)
    • Bluetooth Propane Tank Monitor (Buy on Amazon)
    • Slide-out Double Trash Bin (Buy on Amazon)
      • Recycling Trash Bags (Sized for the above sliding bin) (Buy on Amazon)
      • Trash Bin Bags (Sized for the above sliding bin) (Buy on Amazon)
  • Cold Weather Gear
    • Down Slippers (Buy on Amazon) (We both have these and they keep our feet toasty af)
    • 12v Boot Dryers (Buy on Amazon) (We installed an outlet in the garage just for these to warm our ski boots)
    • Extendable Ice Scraper (Buy on Amazon) (Never thought I’d say this about a scraper but this thing is great, the curve makes a big difference, I can get most of the snow off the roof from the ground.)
  • Cleaning
    • Body Wipes (Buy on Amazon) (We use these as a quick freshen up, cleaning sandy feet before bed, as TP, etc. Also, I created the artwork for this brands packaging 😀)
    • 12v Vacuum (Buy on Amazon) This thing does the job and is inexpensive, but is definitely not “powerful”.
  • General
    • Weathertech Mat (Buy on Amazon) (The battery under the drivers’ feet doesn’t seem very well sealed to me, so this seemed like a must-have, been happy with the 1 piece.)
    • Push-on-lights (Buy on Amazon) (These are great for places you find you want some light once in a while but didn’t wire a permanent light to)
    • Extendable Ladder (Buy on Amazon) (This thing is sweet, and it’s nice to not have to permanently install one)
    • 10 Year Carbon Monoxide Detector (Buy on Amazon)
    • 10 Year Smoke Detector (Buy on Amazon)
    • Small Fire Extinguisher (Buy on Amazon)
    • Promaster Window Vents (Buy Here)
    • Promaster Window Covers (Buy Here)
  • Entertainment
    • Bluetooth Speaker (Buy on Amazon) (Very happy with this speaker)
    • Shoe Organizer (Buy on Amazon) (Easy to cut to the size you need)

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