Sometimes van life can be intimidating … especially when it’s your first time around. We’re here to help simplify the process, and make it easier to get on the road so you can enjoy your time away.

About a month ago two of our employees, Jess and Sam, took an epic road trip up the West Coast in our Mercedes Metris Weekender (Getaway) Camper van we lovingly call Dungeness. They saw amazing sights, ate delicious food, and camped in some of the most beautiful places — all in a COVID friendly way. We really do think traveling in a camper van during the middle of a pandemic is the way to go — perfect for social distancing!

While they were gone, the two came up with a list of 6 extra things to bring on your van trip (in a Weekender) to make it top-notch. If you have additional items that are a must for you, leave them in the comments section on this post!

Portable Fridge

Life on the road means you aren’t usually going out to eat, but are often cooking at your campsite. While ice chests and coolers are efficient for keeping your food cold, you may not always have access to ice if you’re in a remote area. We find that having a portable fridge is the way to go. This Dometic fridge chargers as you drive your Metris van, and keeps food perfectly cool. When parked, we plug the fridge into an external battery — like the Goal Zero Yeti1000. Did we mention it’s also a great makeshift seat or table? Finding dual purposes for items while living out of a van is essential!

Jewelry or Shoe Organizer

While you likely won’t be using this item for jewelry or shoe organization, it’s the perfect thing to hang behind your front seats to organize items you use every day. We put our face wash, toothbrush, garbage bags, masks, glasses, etc. in these organizers. You will quickly realize that van life is a lot about shuffling your belongings around every day – especially when it’s time to go to bed or leave camp in the morning. We like to have all of our most used items easily accessible, so they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Temporary hooks

Temporary hooks are great for storage/organization and can be found at most stores! We’d recommend buying the suction cup hooks - they are extremely easy to install and remove on your windows, and prefect for hanging hats, head lamps … really anything! The more organized you can be while on your trip, the better.

Head Lamps/Luminoodle

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it gets dark pretty early during the winter time. If you’re cooking or doing anything outside past 5pm you likely will need a source of light. Head lamps and Luminoodles are the perfect solution! We love to string up the Luminoodle on our van awning or bring it inside the van if we need a little extra light.

Small Trash Can

Garbage accumulates fast while you’re living and cooking from the van. We found the perfect trash can for the Mercedes Metris Camper Van from Target. It fits perfectly in the foot step of the rear slider doors! Having a trash can is truly essential - all of your garbage is contained and not sliding around the vehicle while you’re traveling from one place to the next.

Hand Sanitizer

We love this pocket sized hand sanitizer from Trader Joes. It’s prefect to take with you anywhere and then stash it in your organizer that lives behind your front seats. Camping during COVID often means actually washing your hands in a sink can be hard to come by. This hand sanitizer does great in a pinch (and smells good too!).

While these recommendations certainly aren’t comprehensive, we know you’ll be happy when you bring these extras on the road. If you rent with Peace Vans, the Luminoodle and fridge come stocked in a Weekender van! Now it’s time to get out and explore the great outdoors in a camper van.

While these recommendations certainly aren’t comprehensive, we know you’ll be happy when you bring these extras on the road. If you rent with Peace Vans, the Luminoodle and fridge come stocked in a Weekender van! Now it’s time to get out and explore the great outdoors in a camper van.