Vanlife accessories: always have the right things with you!

"Things that make your adventures better" perfectly describes the value of good camping accessories. Because it's all about things that are both practical and beautiful, so you can feel as comfortable on the road as you do at home. To give you some direction on what you can use for your camping vehicles, we are happy to contribute a few ideas.

No matter if you enjoy vanlife for a camping weekend, plan a big trip or live in a van: it always depends on the right accessories. Because missing important everyday items or practical equipment complicates your camping considerably. But the shame of van life is to travel minimalist and simple.

Therefore, we have focused in this article on the camping must-haves that make your adventures even better.

#1 Vanlife Accessories: Basics of clothing and shoes

Whether in a camper or in a motorhome, storage space is limited. Therefore, you should make sure to take clothes and shoes that are multifunctional. This means that you can wear the individual clothes and shoes on several occasions.

Shoes: These three categories have proven themselves

• Hiking shoes: suitable for hiking and as shoes on cold days

• Sports shoes: are perfect for jogging, shopping and everyday life

• Sandals: on sunny days, as slippers and for showering

Clothing: Prepared for any weather

• rain jacket

• fleece jacket

• pullover

• shirt/blouse

• Long trousers

• Shorts

• dress/jumpsuit

• T-Shirts & Tops

• underwear + bras

• stockings (thick & thin)

• pajamas

• swimwear

• UV shirt (as sun protection when snorkeling or surfing)

• sunglasses

With this small list you are equipped for all cases. So you have first ideas what you should take with you on your trip. Depending on when and where you are traveling, you will need more or less warm clothes.

Once you have decided on the clothes, the question remains how you want to wash and dry them.

#2 Vanlife accessories: washing and drying laundry on the go

So that you can continue to "smell good" in the van, a bout of freshly washed laundry always does you good.

• Water,

• a wash bowl,

• biodegradable soap and

• a clothesline

are all you need. The advantage of the environmentally friendly soap is that you can simply pour out the water outside.

In order not to waste valuable storage space, a foldable wash bowl is suitable for washing clothes.

To dry your clothes, you can stretch a simple line between the camper and the tree. Or you can buy a multi-row clothesline that you can attach directly to the window of your van using suction cups.

#3 Vanlife Accessories: Showers

If you travel by van, you will be on the road without a bathroom. You can always go to campsites and shower there, but with your own camping shower you are more flexible.

Taking a shower outdoors is quite simple with a shower bag. You fill it with water, use the sun to heat the water and shower off with the hand shower.

Again, a biodegradable shower gel and shampoo is mandatory because the water goes straight to the bottom.

💡Tip: Look around for all-in-one solutions. This way, instead of taking many individual products with you, you can combine shower gel, shampoo, detergent and dishwashing liquid in one.

#4 Van Accessories: Sleep as good as at home

In order to simply relax and enjoy the most beautiful places during your road trip, a good night's sleep is indispensable. After all, no one wants to feel constantly "tired" on the road. Therefore, a good mattress is one of the camping must-haves that should never be underestimated! What is important when choosing a mattress??

• Good mattresses support your shoulders and pelvis so that your spine does not sag and you get up refreshed in the morning.
  

• Pillows and four-season duvets increase the sleeping comfort in addition to the mattress. Which pillow you take depends on your personal taste. As a rule of thumb, however, the wider your shoulders, the higher the pillow should be.
  
  To have the right bedding in your camper all year round, we recommend a four-season comforter. This you can, when it is colder, simply button together with the second blanket.

#5 Vanlife accessories for the kitchen

Everything tastes better outdoors! The simplest dishes taste like 5-star cuisine. And it's wonderful to make a coffee on the camping stove in the morning while enjoying the view of nature.

Apart from the standard cooking accessories, we've picked out three gadgets that you might not have thought of right away.

1. Grill basket

With a grill basket you can grill everything - fish, meat, potatoes and other vegetables. And you can do it easily over the campfire without the need for a complicated construction. Two large stones are all that is needed to place the grill basket over the fire. Quick to use and especially space-saving compared to other grills.

2. Compressor cool box

With this camping accessory you can always look forward to a cool beer and store your quickly perishable food. Anyone who has tried different coolers knows that this is not always guaranteed.

Simple insulated coolers, which you fill with ice packs and ice, will only last for a weekend trip. Therefore, they are out of the question for longer trips.

Coolers that run on electricity, gas or your cigarette lighter can cool a maximum of 20 degrees compared to the ambient temperature. That is, if you are at the beach at 40 degrees, then your food and beer are only "cooled" to 20 degrees.

A compressor cooler is independent of the ambient temperature and is a vanlife accessory that no one who has tried it would want to miss.

3. Unbreakable crockery

Between enamel cups and plastic tableware, there is still shatterproof glass. This way you can combine the aesthetics of glass with practicality. Because enamel and plastic dishes discolor and quickly look nasty. With shatterproof glassware, you can drive over potholes or drop plates without breaking your dishes.

#6 Vanlife accessories: chillout area

One of the camping classics is the hammock. Many hammocks are made of parachute silk, which is why you can store them extremely compact again. So this chillout accessory does not take much space in the camper, but allows you to let your soul dangle everywhere.

#7 Vanlife Decoration: Fairy Lights and Co.

Different light sources combined make a beautiful mood. That's why fairy lights increase the feel-good factor enormously.

Dimmable camping lights are also a useful accessory. Because they shine brightly, which is worth its weight in gold in some situations, but dimmed they provide a cozy ambience. So they directly fulfill two functions.

#8 Tech Camping Accessory: Solar Panel

With a solar panel you use the sun's energy to charge your electric toothbrushes, computer and cell phone batteries. You can either install the panel permanently on the roof of your camper or you can use a mobile solar panel that you can take to the beach.

#9 Van Accessories: Toilet

If you are longer on the road with the van, then you definitely need your own toilet. The thing with the spade and bury in the woods you can do times, but there are situations where that is impractical. Also just during Corona when sanitary facilities were closed, all campers had to be self-sufficient. That is, their own toilet on board was a prerequisite. And let's face it, at night and when it's raining like cats and dogs, you just don't want to walk miles to finally do your business.

What are the options?

You can use a mobile chemical toilet. This uses chemicals to decompose leftovers. This gives a foul-smelling broth and emptying it is unpleasant. Not to mention that chemicals are harmful to the environment.

With our BOXIO composting toilet, we offer you an environmentally friendly and odorless solution that works completely without water. In the handy format of 400 x 300 x 280 mm (L x W x H with lid) you will find space for this toilet everywhere - in every trunk, in every bus.

How exactly does the composting toilet work?

In the stylish Euroboxes are two different collection containers. One is a leak-proof canister that collects urine and the other is a container for the "big business". We recommend that you first line this container with a compostable bag so that you can dispose of everything even more easily. A handful of litter in the bag and off you go. You use the toilet like any normal one. You can throw in the toilet paper in the waste container, put odor-binding litter over it and you're done.

After eight to ten toilets you can close the bag and simply dispose of it in the trash. The urine canister you pour into the next toilet or pour it diluted with water in the forest.

What are the advantages of the composting toilet?

• Odor formation: Almost no odor is formed in the composting toilet. How is this possible? Precisely because large and small are separated from each other, the formation of smelly ammonia is prevented. In addition, the litter removes moisture and binds odors.

• Sustainability: We already make sure to use only recycled plastic in the manufacturing process. Since the toilet works completely without chemicals and the natural waste materials can also be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, we have a sustainable concept here.

Travel lighter with camping accessories

Vanlife accessories are designed to make your adventures better. In what way? In order for you to continue to enjoy living and traveling in your camper, it must not be too complicated. Everything you need for everyday life on your travels must be simple and space-saving. That's why we rely on well thought-out solutions.