Finest Van Life Gear at REI – Bearfoot Principle
After I was packing up my first Sprinter Van in 2016 for my first huge journey, I struggled with determining what sort of van life gear I actually wanted to carry with me on the highway. It’s really easy to overpack when you’re residing in a small house, and when you aren’t utilizing one thing at the least as soon as every week, it’s probably not definitely worth the treasured house that it takes up.
7 years and three Sprinter vans later, I’ve actually bought my gear and group dialed. On this weblog publish, I share the perfect van life gear I’ve gotten from REI that I nonetheless use on the highway.
Sponsored by REI Co-op
REI Co-op is our favourite out of doors gear retailer and a long-time supporter of our work right here at Bearfoot Principle. We recognize their 1-year return coverage, their Member-only coupons, and the truth that REI Members obtain 10% again on their purchases yearly. We solely advocate merchandise we really love and suppose you’ll love too.
Van Life Kitchen Gear
Eureka Ignite Plus 2-Burner Camp Range
Regardless that I’ve a small induction range within the van, I choose to outside as a lot as doable to have extra cooking house, decrease energy consumption, and keep away from overpowering meals smells within the van.
I’ve had the Eureka Ignite Plus 2-Burner Camp Stove for a number of years and extremely advocate it. It has superior fine-tune temperature management, is extraordinarily fast to arrange, suits two 12″ pans, and straightforward to scrub.
Store Eureka Ignite Plus 2-Burner Camp Range at:
YETI Rambler Mug
An insulated vacuum mug just like the YETI Rambler Mug is a must have van life merchandise for these early mornings on the highway. It’ll hold your espresso scorching for hours, stop it from spilling in your sprint, and prevent from utilizing disposable cups when getting your morning repair on the fuel station.
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AeroPress Go Journey Espresso Press
Discovering the proper espresso maker for van life is usually a problem – your conventional espresso maker might be too cumbersome and a glass French Press is a recipe for catastrophe. That’s why I really like the AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press. It’s tremendous compact, light-weight, and straightforward to make use of, making it the proper addition to your van life setup.
The AeroPress Go comes with every part that you must make a scrumptious cup of espresso, together with a scoop, stirrer, and filters, all of which match neatly contained in the press for straightforward storage. Plus, it’s comprised of sturdy supplies, so it could stand up to the wear and tear and tear of life on the highway.
Dr. Bronner’s Mild Liquid Soap
Did you know you can use Dr. Bronner’s for dishes? Normal dish soap contains a lot of nasty chemicals that can harm plants and animals where you are camping.
We use Dr. Bronner’s Mild Liquid Soap for our dishes and located that it cleans simply in addition to Daybreak. And having physique cleaning soap that doubles as dish cleaning soap means you solely have to hold one cleaning soap bottle within the van.
Store Dr. Bronner’s Delicate Liquid Cleaning soap at:
Van Life Furnishings & Equipment
Helinox Sundown Chair
A strong camp chair is a should for van life, and the Helinox Sunset Chair has been our favourite for a few years. I really like how supportive they’re and the excessive again permits you to actually sit again and chill out, which is good in comparison with a few of the chairs on the market with decrease backs.
At lower than 3 ½ kilos, it’s very light-weight and packable. The opposite factor I really like is that even when it’s put collectively, it’s not too cumbersome and we will retailer two of them on our mattress in chair kind. Which means we by no means actually need to pack them down after we are shifting campsites and our chair is all the time able to go.
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GCI Out of doors Compact Camp Desk
Should you planning on doing a bunch of off-grid tenting, then a lot of the campsites you keep at gained’t have a picnic desk. This GCI Outdoor Compact Camp Table is a cinch to arrange, breaks down flat, and provides you a spot to place some appetizers and a drink whilst you benefit from the sundown.
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CGear Multimats Unique Sand-Free Mat
The CGear Multimats Original Sand-Free Mat is a superb choice for van life attributable to its sand-free design, sturdiness, versatility, and straightforward upkeep. It’s comprised of high-quality supplies that resist water, UV rays, mildew, and mildew whereas letting sand and tremendous dust filter by means of the mat as an alternative of piling on high. This mat is light-weight and compact in comparison with a conventional out of doors rug, making it simple to retailer in your van.
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Rumpl Blanket
I’ve been utilizing Rumpl Blankets since I bought my first Sprinter Van again in 2015, and I’m totally satisfied they’re the perfect van life blanket on the market. The two-person original puffy may be very heat and is barely bigger than a queen dimension.
It spans the width of a Sprinter Van, so that you gained’t be preventing along with your touring companion for covers. They arrive in a bunch of vibrant colours, however even higher, they’re mechanically cleanable and the fabric is ideal for individuals who have a canine that sheds. The canine hair doesn’t stick and you’ll rapidly give the blanket an excellent shake exterior for a fast clear in between washes.
EcoFlow RIVER Professional Moveable Energy Station
The EcoFlow RIVER Pro is a compact transportable energy station that gives a dependable and environment friendly supply of energy for van lifers. With 720Wh capability and a number of charging ports – together with USB, USB-C, AC, and DC – you possibly can energy every part out of your laptop computer to your roof fan. BFT workforce member Courtney makes use of the RIVER Professional in her van to cost all electronics and it makes an important backup energy supply even in case you have home batteries.
The RIVER Professional is extremely simple to make use of and could be charged utilizing photo voltaic panels, a cigarette outlet whereas driving, or a wall outlet. What units the EcoFlow other than different energy stations is that it could cost from 0-80% in 1 hour if plugged right into a wall outlet – so in a pinch, you possibly can simply recharge at a espresso store very quickly!
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MPOWERD Luci Moveable Photo voltaic String Lights
Create higher camp ambiance with the MPOWERD Luci Portable Solar String Lights. We love these for stringing up at camp to have nighttime lighting, and the twine tucks into the unit making them tremendous transportable and straightforward to retailer when not in use. You’ll be able to cost these string lights through the built-in photo voltaic panel or by plugging them right into a USB charger.
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Van Life Clothes at REI
REI Co-op Expandable Packing Dice Set
Packing cubes are a simple technique to keep organized when you’re residing in a van. In my Sprinter Van, Ryan and I every have two of those REI Coop Expandable packing cube sets in numerous colours for our clothes. Pants go in a single massive dice, shirts in one other. Underwear, bras, and socks go within the small cubes. Get the gist?
Packing cubes imply every time that you must seize a brand new pair of socks, you aren’t digging by means of an enormous messy duffel bag or drawer. One other huge benefit is when you’re packing up your van for the primary time, the packing cubes allow you to set limits for the quantity of garments you’ll carry. I like that they’ve handles so if you’re staying with household and associates, you possibly can simply carry them into the home.
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Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket
Having a packable, light-weight, but heat jacket is a should for van life. I’ve worn Patagonia’s Nano Puff jacket for years and love how versatile it’s for climbing, lounging at camp, and on a regular basis put on. It packs down tremendous small so it doesn’t take up a ton of room in your van, both.
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Selk’Bag Wearable Sleeping Bag
The Selk’bag wearable sleeping bag is a must have for van life as a result of it offers each heat and mobility, permitting you to remain comfy and comfortable whereas additionally having the ability to transfer round freely. It’s excellent for these chilly nights across the campfire and it packs down sufficiently small to simply stash away whenever you don’t want it.
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Van Life Toilet & Hygiene Staples
Cleanwaste Go Anyplace Moveable Bathroom
Should you’re the sort of van lifer that wish to arrange store for a couple of days in a single location, this Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Portable Toilet is an alternate resolution for going #2. It’s a foldable rest room that you would be able to arrange behind a bush, and it makes use of a easy wag-bag system to gather waste. When you’re again on the highway, you possibly can merely throw the baggage into the trash, somewhat than having to search for a dump to empty your transportable rest room.
By finishing up your waste, you possibly can decrease your affect on high-use areas. The wag luggage are sort of costly, so it’s not an on a regular basis resolution….however we supply this in our van simply in case.
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REI Co-op Fast Dry Multi Towels
It doesn’t matter what else you pack in your van, quick-dry towels are a must have piece of van life gear. We now have 5 or 6 of them stashed all through the van in numerous sizes. We use them to dry dishes, our canine, our our bodies, and to stash in our day packs for lake hikes.
They don’t get a cool musty scent like common towels, and if that you must clear them, you possibly can rinse them with slightly Dr. Bronner’s cleaning soap and they’re nearly as good as new. Additionally they fold actually small, so that they don’t take up a bunch of room like a cumbersome seashore towel.
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No Rinse Bathing Wipes
No bathe, no downside. I had an indoor bathe in my first Sprinter Van, however I discovered I hardly ever used it…so I scrapped the indoor bathe in my second and third vans.
No less than as soon as every week, we discover ourselves at a campground with scorching showers and swimming in lakes and rivers in between retains the dust at bay, however these No Rinse Bathing Wipes are additionally an excellent van life staple to have round for in-between showers. They’re light in your pores and skin whereas wiping away the dust and dirt, making you are feeling simply recent sufficient whenever you’ve gone a couple of days with no bathe.
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Geyser Techniques Moveable Bathe w/ Heater
Should you don’t have a everlasting bathe arrange in your van however need the luxurious of scorching water waters, look no additional than Geyser Systems Portable Shower w/ Heater. BFT workforce member Courtney has used the Geyser for over a 12 months and loves how versatile and straightforward to make use of it’s.
It may be used for a wide range of functions, from washing dishes to rinsing off gear to bathing your self or your pets. And with an inside scorching water heater, you don’t want to fret about chilly showers!
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Different Van Life Favorites at REI
Garmin InReach Mini 2
Among the best elements of van life is placing your cellular phone away and going to areas distant from service. The one subject with that’s what in case you have an emergency – whether or not that be a mechanical breakdown or a medical emergency – and your cellular phone doesn’t work?
My associate Ryan is a Kind 1 Diabetic, so being ready after we are within the van or climbing is all the time one thing that’s on my thoughts. One among our most essential items of van life gear is a Garmin inReach Mini 2. It permits us to ship customized textual content messages regardless of the place we’re or to name for medical assist if we’re in a critical state of affairs. It additionally has a GPS and a few useful navigation instruments for when your navigation apps in your telephone gained’t load.
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Journey Medical Kits Mountain Sequence Hiker Medical Equipment
Together with the Garmin InReach, having a fundamental first support equipment in your van is essential. The Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker Medical Kit is an effective place to start out with fundamental meds, blister therapies, and wound dressings. It additionally comes with a pocket information for fundamental wilderness first support.
Whereas this equipment most likely gained’t save your life, it might get you thru a pinch till you drive your van again to civilization. As well as, it’s all the time a good suggestion to complement your store-bought first support equipment with something that you simply may want on your private medical wants.
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America The Lovely Annual Park Cross
An America the Beautiful National Park Pass permits you to entry to over 2,000 federal recreation websites, together with nationwide parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and extra, making it a wonderful benefit for van lifers who like to discover and spend time in nature.
Moreover, the move can prevent some huge cash in entrance and tenting charges, which might add up rapidly when you’re visiting a number of parks. The move is legitimate for one 12 months, so when you plan to go to 3 or extra Parks, this move is the perfect deal.
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Gerber E-Device Folding Spade
Instruments for Leaving No Hint whenever you go to the toilet are important items of van life gear. I’ve not had a everlasting rest room put in in my final 2 vans, so this begs the query, the place do you go #2?
With a purpose to ensure you are following Depart No Hint when pooping exterior, that you must dig a cathole utilizing a trowel (a shovel) and pack out any used rest room paper. I just like the Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade as a result of it could double as a shovel for digging your self out when you get caught or placing out campfires. Because it folds down, it’s simple to retailer in your van.
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Nationwide Geographic Street Atlas Journey Version
Google Maps tells you the quickest technique to your vacation spot, however when you’re trying to take the scenic route, it’s good to have a paper atlas in your van. This National Geographic Road Atlas exhibits aspect roads, public lands, tenting, and different websites of curiosity to van lifers and is one other good device to have when you’re out of cell service.
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What are your favourite van life gear must-haves? Or what questions do you may have about van gear? Depart a remark beneath and tell us!
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