We love van life! New Zealand is such a great place to live in a van. There are freedom camping spots all over the place with stunning views and great locations. It’s a wonderful way to get around and see the country with our home always with us! There are, of course, difficulties in living on the road and in such a small home but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on what we think are van life essentials.

Here are just 10 of the items that make this so much easier! We couldn’t be without these things and whilst some are definitely luxury items, they make a world of difference to how we live on the road. They really helped to turn our van Vandalf into our home.

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Table of contents

Nakie Hammock

We LOVE our hammock! It’s super compact so takes up no space when we aren’t using it and as it’s so small we can take it on hikes too. It has straps to attach it to trees, so all you need are two trees a decent distance apart and we have the perfect spot to relax when we pull up for the day!

Water Filter

We have heard so many people complaining about the taste of the water at the various places you can fill up with fresh water. Personally, we have never had a problem with this. We have a filtered water tap in our van, as well as a Brita water filter that sits on our bench.

That’s right, we double filter our water! Mainly because our van is an ex rental and we are yet to figure out how to change the fixed water filter. But, also, because Tiff is incredibly fussy about her water. Having the Brita water jug means we can take it into the hotels we stay at as well. Filtered water wherever we go!

Aeropress/Tea Strainer

An absolute must for Nathan is a cup of coffee in the morning. He used to have a plunger, however; we found it hard to clean as there was no easy way to empty the wet grounds. With an Aeropress, the grounds are dry and go straight into our veggie scraps bin! Not to mention, it’s much smaller than the plunger. Storage is always an issue for van lifers, so the smaller the better when it comes to kitchen items!

If you aren’t a coffee drinker, then chances are you might start your day with a cup of tea instead. The most eco friendly way to do this is with a reusable tea strainer instead of tea bags. Less waste and no plastic in your cup of tea either.

Tiff loves her T2 strainer that sits on the rim of the cup. She has found it’s the best at not letting any loose leaves into her finished cup of tea. It also has a little lid that doubles as a base, so you have somewhere to put the wet tea strainer and a lid to save the tea leaves inside for another cup.

Eye Masks

We invested in some lovely handmade eco friendly eye masks when we were in New Plymouth. The best decision ever!

When you freedom camp, you often end up parked under streetlights that shine through our blinds. An eye mask is an easy way to block this out and not have to find expensive blackout window covers. They are also wonderful in Summer as the sun is often up well before we want to be!

A Good Speaker

We have a UE Boom and love it! We actually had to get a new one when we moved to New Zealand as our first one got lost somehow. We still have no idea how, as we swear we had it in our hotel. One of the great mysteries of our move! We use it to watch movies on the laptop and, of course, play music in the van and at our campsites.

A Warm Doona

Buffalo Beach Freedom camp

Tiff would not budge on this one. She wanted the thickest doona we could find. Nathan was sceptical at first but when we hit our first really cold night in the van, he was very greatful.

The air was so cold outside of the doona, but we were toasty warm under it. It gets really cold here and vans are not the best insulated houses. Having a good doona to get you through those freezing cold nights is a must. We have since invested in a thinner summer doona as well as you feel both extremes in the van.

An Outdoor Rug

We are so so glad we got this rug. We don’t use it inside the van, but we bust it out when we park up and are sitting outside. It is perfect for campsites with little to no grass. Tiff also uses it as some extra padding to lay her yoga mat on when doing a workout or practicing yoga, as the ground is often hard and bumpy.

It also doubles as an extra blanket on those super chilly nights. Definitely a luxury item, but it makes such a difference when turning a campsite into your home for a couple of nights.

Comfy Camping Chairs

For Christmas, we splurged and got each other a super comfy camping chair from The Warehouse. If you’ve been to New Zealand or live here, then you know warehouse isn’t the most fancy of stores. However, they do have good stuff at a reasonable price. We wanted comfort on a budget and that’s what we got!

These chairs are great. They have a insulated drink holder and a little esky in the armrest as well as a pouch on the side to hold your book! They are slightly padded on the back and high rise, which makes all the difference when lounging outside, taking in a good view. Being able to turn the outside into part of your home setup is really important when living in a van, as it makes your space feel that much bigger.

Air Fryer

Whilst some people manage to fit an oven in their van builds, we did not. We do have a little grill which is good, but not good enough to cook things like pies or fries. For this we have our air fryer!

We were such sceptics when it came to air fryers before we lived in a van. But now that we have no oven, it’s the best thing since sliced bread! We take it with us when we staying in hotels for work as not many of them have ovens in their little kitchens either. It really opens up our cooking opportunities and we absolutely could not go without it anymore.

Bookshelf

Perhaps not a must for everyone, but Tiff couldn’t possibly live in a home without a bookshelf! Ours is a very makeshift bookshelf, but it does the trick! She has pulled the headrest off our bench seat and kept her books in place with an occy strap.

We visit as many Indie bookstores as we can when travelling and Tiff likes to buy a book from each one, preferably by a local author, but she doesn’t always get that option. So the books on this shelf are ever changing and add to making our van feel like our home.

For those who menstruate

Period pants and a period cup. Periods are annoying at the best of times. They get that little more difficult on the road. For one thing, we try to have the least amount of rubbish we can.

Using single use period items goes against our eco-conscious travel goals and honestly, having the space to store a few months’ worth of single use period products is not going to happen. To save yourself having to make a last-minute stop at the shops every month, invest in some good reusable period products!

There are so many options out there now, and it seems to be increasing every day. Tiff uses period pants from both Bonds and Modibodi, both work great for her. She also uses a period cup for the heavier days at the start of her period. Obviously, this is a rather personal one again, so find what works best for you.

It feels like such a big leap at the start going from single use to reusable items, but Tiff is never looking back! They are so handy to have and take up next to no room in terms of storing. The period pants are so much more comfortable than single use pads too!

Everyone has their own list of perfect van life essentials

Hopefully, these help you to pick the right items for your own van life adventures! Everyone is different and what we can’t live without some will be able to get by without easily. You have to ask yourself what you like most about living on the road and what makes somewhere feel like a home to you. Put the two together and you should come up with a good idea of how to make van life work for you and what items from your home you need to bring along with you.


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