Van life and road trips: the 25 accessories that are absolute must-haves for your van

The basis of any successful adventure is staying hydrated so you can keep up the pace and enjoy it. So for your road trip, we advise you to take along three basic pieces of gear to stay hydrated.

1. A water bottle: vital for both adventurers and the planet! You can use one in your kitted-out van and during your hikes and treks. If you’re travelling in summer and plan on going on long hikes, take at least two one-litre water bottles per person. To reduce waste, fill your bottles with drinking water found in the villages and towns along your route, rather than decanting water from a plastic bottle.

2. Insulated water bottle: hot drink lovers, don’t forget to bring your insulated water bottle so you can drink your coffee whenever you want or take a tea break during a hike.

3. Mugs: whether on the road or in your hiking backpack, mugs are always practical when you’re travelling in a group!

Cooking out in nature is very much part of the van life or road trip experience! Whether you have a kitchen inside your van (or camper van) or not, we advise you to go well-prepared. This will allow you to fully enjoy delicious meals, out in the great outdoors!

1. A cookset: this kitchen accessory comprises several utensils (a frying pan, a saucepan, a colander, cutlery and plate sets, etc.). With a cookset, you can both cook and eat: the essentials are all in. We recommend you take a cookset with you so you can do nearly everything. The bonus? Some very compact formats can be carried in your backpack for an improvised outdoor cooking session during your hiking break.

2. A stove: because although having a cookset is all very well, being able to use it and cook food inside, is even better! And to do this, either your vehicle has a kitchen and a means of cooking inside it, or you need a stove (standard or "wood-fired"). Are you the type to generally spend all of your summer evenings around a barbecue? Our Quechua portable 4-person camping barbecue comes in three modes: traditional barbecue, stove or brazier. A very nifty 3-in-1 accessory to tickle your tastebuds!

3. A multi-function knife: whether for a day-trip, a multi-day expedition or a week-long trek in the mountains, the multi-function knife is the basic utensil every adventurer needs!

4. A coolbag: if you don’t have a refrigerator in your vehicle, but you still want to eat fresh produce from time to time, a coolbag is the essential accessory for your trip. You’re spoilt for choice in terms of equipping yourself: in classic or backpack format to take along your day picnics, with a 10-, 20- or 30-litre capacity... And if what you’re interested in is for your coolbag to keep your food fresh for as long as possible, our 30 L flexible electric Quechua model will allow you to keep it cool for 96 hours.

💡 Handy tip: go shopping regularly to prevent having too much food to store and place it in hermetically-sealed boxes or high-lying storage areas. This will ward off any surprise guests who come to nibble away at your biscuits or other little titbits! Not sure how to go about cooking during your trip? You’ll find all our tips in this article! And don’t forget to take along some rubbish bags so you don’t leave any waste behind.

During a van trip, the question of showering comes up regularly. How do you wash and stay clean, while trying to avoid camp sites as far as possible? Here are three little accessories that will allow you to take your showers with ease.

1. A portable solar-heated shower: for washing outdoors or rinsing your belongings. Leave it to heat up during the day, and you’ll be able to use it by the end of the day. However, don’t forget to take a small ground mat, a bowl to put your feet in and wear flip-flops during your shower. This prevents you from getting knee-deep in mud if you’re in the great outdoors! Some solar-heated showers have been designed so you can use them with whatever set up you find yourself in. This is the case of our 10-litre Quechua camping model, that’s hung from a height or can be used on the ground, whichever suits you best.

2. A portable shower cabin: although it’s a heavenly experience to wash outdoors, above all, we don’t really want others to see us or the wind giving us goosebumps. So to give you some precious alone-time, you can use a shower cabin. And for added compactness and convenience, we’ve developed a 2 Seconds shower cabin model based on the same technology as our famous instant tents. You can also use it as a place to change or to go to the toilet if you’re opting for folding dry toilets (we tell you more about this below).

3. A bowl: this is the multi-purpose utensil you absolutely can’t do without! Your portable bowl can be used to put your feet in while you shower, do the washing up or laundry, to save water. Also, here are our 6 tips on how to do the washing up when camping !

4. Soap: either solid either solid by transporting it in its box; or liquid and multi-functional if you also want to use it to wash your clothing or do the dishes out in the open.

5. Microfibre towels: whether a bath or beach towel version, shower towel for your feet, or to dry your hair, microfibre towels are a must-have. The benefit of this? Even if you take many of them along, they take up little space and dry very quickly! You can also use a small size as a kitchen cloth.

Resting well between days of driving and adventure is important for you to get the most out of your trip! So the priority is to build yourself a snug, comfortable little night spot. In terms of its layout, here are three vital items of equipment.

1. A mattress: to ensure it becomes an ally in your restorative nights in an equipped van, rooftop tent or camper van, opt for a thick and comfortable one, like our ULTIMATE DOUBLE COMFORT self-inflating model. But take note: before choosing your mattress, carefully check the space you have available in the vehicle as well as the mattress dimensions. It would be a great pity to realise, too late, that you’re actually not able to sleep inside!

2. A pillow: the basic accessory for all-comfort sleep! If the storage space in your van is limited, choose a compact pillow to gain precious storage centimetres. 

3. A sleeping bag: to get a good nights’ rest inside your equipped van, rooftop tent or camper van, without taking along your bed frame (which would take up way too much space). For this model, it’s up to you to see, depending on the expected temperature on your trip, and your needs. There are one-person models, one-person models that merge to form duos, or double models (as is the case of the Quechua 0° COMFORT DOUBLE sleeping bag).