Gear Picks: Favorite Items for VanLife & Road Trips
I have received a lot of questions since getting back from our month long road trip, mostly about our time in the van and if we would do #vanlife forever. The other trending question I’ve have been receiving is what became our favorite gear for road trips and vanlife, a question I also had asked others before our departure. I decided it would be a good idea to create a post surrounding this. Below you will find the items that I felt made our trip a bit more comfortable.
1. THE PASS TO ALL THINGS GLORIOUS
…this is an absolute must…because you’re not traveling to look at the yellow and white lines.
Picking up an America the Beautiful pass is a must if you plan on visiting multiple national parks or federal lands. This pass more than paid for itself as it covered our entrance fees. They have several options pending on your situation, for example there is a Senior pass for anyone over the age of 62, access pass for those with permanent disabilities in addition to other selections such as a nice perk to our military members: A FREE PASS! Click the above link to learn more on options and pricing.
As listed on the USGS website:
The passes are valid at more than 2,000 Federal recreation sites where Entrance or Standard Amenity Fee(s) (Day use fees) are charged by the following agencies:
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) http://www.blm.gov
- Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) http://www.usbr.gov
- Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) http://www.fws.gov
- USDA Forest Service (USDA FS) http://www.fs.fed.us
- National Park Service (NPS) http://www.nps.gov
- US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) http://www.usace.army.mil
2. NAVIGATION OPTIONS
Technology is great, but be aware that it is not always reliable. We had a GPS unit on our trip but I was sure to have back up options as I knew that in some remote areas a GPS and especially cell phone mapping apps don’t always provide the best or most accurate directions. Below are the items we had on hand outside of our standard cell phone options
I can’t say enough about this atlas. It lives in my car at all times tucked between the passenger seat and console. As you can imagine, coming from National Geographic- this atlas is jam packed with useful information and detailed maps that are easy to navigate. It provides a profile of several US National Parks, marks campsites, and provides some mapping of Canada and Mexico.
This little dude was a gift from family as we headed out on our adventure and we had NO IDEA how awesome it would be. This bad boy was a obvious need since cell phones don’t work everywhere but it’s much more than just a GPS. The built in dash cam on this is awesome and we were able to not only shoot standard video but time lapse video of our journey on the road. Another feature that we never had to genuinely use was the incident recording feature. The unit will provide a video segment leading up to an “incident” or crash that is detected. The only time this activated for us was when the GPS dropped on the dash due to a dirty suction cup (keep that bad boy clean!!)
3. PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN
Ready for your close up? Some people are all about just taking in the moment and don’t want to be bothered with photography. I am not that person. I was raised by a photographer and I legit do not leave my house without a camera. Sharing photos of the places I have been or discovered is a love I have always had. I honestly feel that framing out my photos helps me connect with my surroundings in a deeper way, because I am paying attention to the details. Below are a few of the items surrounding this passion that came in handy.
I am actually currently shooting on a Sony NEX 6, however this model has been replaced by the alpha series (my gear is vintage and iconic… don’t be jealous). The Sony mirrorless cameras are pretty amazing, I have referred several friends in their direction and I have yet to have someone come back to me disappointed. Prior to owning one of these I was shooting on a Nikon DSLR which was wonderful…but very bulky and heavy to carry around everywhere. Once I made the transition to the Sony Mirrorless cameras I never looked back. The sensor on these cameras is unbelievable and the quality of the low light images I can take without a flash will rock your world. They are compact, easy to use and provide the feel of shooting with an old 35mm film camera. There are several models to select from by Sony that fall into the mirrorless category. Be sure to do your research so you can select the one that best suits your needs.
My tripod was used much more than I had expected. I brought it along so that I could make an attempt at Milky Way shots should the opportunity present itself, which it did. We also used it to take pictures together in front of state signs as we crossed state lines. This one is very similar to the one I use but has a key feature mine does not…a hook to hold a weight (like a backpack) in windy conditions. This is something I highly encourage you consider when shopping for a tripod, I certainly wish I had this feature the 1 night I could see the milky way clearly and the wind was whipping around like a bat out of hell.
4. SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB
Just because you are road tripping or living the #vanlife doesn’t mean you need to smell like a dirty hippy. These items helped us stay “so fresh and so clean, clean” on our adventure and helped ensure that we 1. wanted to still be near each other and 2. didn’t scare off any new friends.
A good pack towel is key! they dry super fast and get the job done quick. Not to mention they are super soft. I personally prefer to have one large enough to wrap around my body but these come in all different sizes. I do highly recommend that if you are looking at other options be sure to get one that has a hanging loop with some kind of snap closure. It comes in very handy when hanging to dry or being able to hang from a shower curtain if you have access to shower houses where you camp.
As mentioned above, sometimes you have access to showers at campsites… a lot of times you don’t- especially if you are camping on BLM land or other none developed areas. That my friends is where a solar shower comes in handy. The catch here is you need sun to get this bad boy toasty, so cloudy days may equal up to a cooler shower. Either way it’s nice to have around. Just be careful because this really can get water temperatures up there so be sure to “test the waters” before going for a full body soak down.
Wilderness Wipes are THE BEST, especially in situations where you may not be able to use your solar shower or have access to facilities where you are staying. There are several brands out there but one of the things I really liked about the Sea to Summit Wilderness Wipes is that they are compostable after use. I threw them away with the rest of our trash (Leave no trace) but I felt better knowing they would break down over time. I also love that these are pH balanced and they did not leave me feeling like there was a residue on my skin like other brands I have tried in the past.
5.LIGHTS ON LIGHTS ON LIGHTS
Several of the areas we camped/parked did not come with electric or were completely undeveloped. I cannot stress enough how important it was to bring lighting so that we were not killing the car battery. My favorite lights can be found below:
These little guys let out an impressive amount of light and deflate down flat for easy storage. They charge quickly and basically just lived on the dashboard charging when we were not using them. They have a clear, frosted and I believe a few color options. I personally preferred the clear option and just regulated how bright it was by which end was facing up and the built in brightness settings.
I’ve had my Black Diamond spot for years, and while there has been a redesign since I purchased mine I am still going to recommend this light. I have always appreciated the settings on this light and have used it for anything from night hikes, a quick run to the bathroom or digging through my trunk at night in search of that runaway item. You can’t go wrong with having a headlamp handy. I personally am a fan of the Black Diamond brand as I find them to be comfortable and appreciate knowing my gear will be reliable when I need it.
6. IT’S ALIVE!
Chargers…you have electronics… you’ll need to power them.
We have a few of these that come in handy from time to time on the road. If you live near an REI I recommend holding out until they have a garage sale and picking up a used one if you can wait. We haven’t paid more than $30 for ours.
Road trips mean long periods of time on the road…and lots of available time to charge up. We used a charger similar to this and appreciated the plug in options available.
*The charger I have linked is for several SONY cameras however RAVPower has several other options to accommodate other cameras. Be sure to find the one that is right for your gear.
Having extra camera batteries and a way to charge more than one at a time was HUGE for me. As mentioned before I am a photography fanatic. I LOVED this charger and having the additional batteries. The batteries do not last as long as the originals but they certainly do work and the charger charges fast. One thing to be aware of is that this charger comes with a USB cable that you will need to plug into something. I opted to use the wall plug from my phone charger as it takes any USB charging cable.
So that is a dip into my recommendations on things to consider bringing with you should you be venturing out on a road based adventure. Be sure to share your thoughts and feel free to make other recommendations in the comments!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means (at no cost to you!) I may get a very small percentage of any purchases. Thank you for choosing to support my blog. As always, all opinions are my own and unbiased.