If you are considering renting a campervan for your next holiday, we strongly recommend embracing this experience. It is one of the best holidays we have taken together, and we cannot wait to do this across different destinations worldwide. However when renting a campervan it can be a task daunting as you may have no idea how to pack a van for the first time or even what comes included in your van.
How to prepare for your Campervan adventure?
The first campervan we hired was to explore Scotland for two weeks, through Indie Campers. For our full NC500 guide see our complete 7 Day Itinerary here.
When we hired the campervan we paid extra so that we were able to have Indie Campers to provide us with basic kitchen utensils which included plates, cups, cutlery and a pan as well as basic bed linen and bedding. This meant that we didn’t need to bring any large items with us on our journey and that we only need to stock up on smaller things that we could find on the road.
We also opted to get our own gas bottle refill which worked out around the same price as getting a spare from Indie however we didn’t want to have to carry it around with us for the two weeks.
For our second campervan adventure we went on a van relocation for Apollo Campers in Australia.We took this campervan for 5 days from Perth to Adelaide. This van came with all the utensils and essentials that we needed however we knew from our last trip that it was worth also bringing along some luxuries to make the trip more enjoyable.
Essential Items:
*Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.
1. Aeropress
Seb and I absolutely love our coffee and the thought of waking up in a beautiful scenic location without our morning cup was such a horrible thought for us. We had been using this Aeropress at home for quite a while and knew it was going to be an absolute essential for the campervan. Its very durable and compact which makes it a better option than say a plunger, as bringing glass into the van is risky.
If you are really concious about the space that you have when packing, there is also the option of the Aeropress Go, an even more compact version of the classic Aeropress.
2. Good Pillows
This was one mistake we made while being away which we quickly rectified at the first chance that we could as a bad nights sleep in the campervan is the last thing you want before a big day of driving. Had we known we would have brought pillows from home however we managed to find decent ones on the way and would recommend for everyone to take good pillows as the ones provided aren’t great.
3. Cigarette Lighter Adaptor
As the hirer will explain to you when you hire your camper van, during the day when you are driving your campervan will use the driving time to recharge the vans batteries. At night when you are then stationary and not connected to power you will then begin to drain the vans battery.
We used the cigarette lighter to charge all our essentials such as cameras, phones and battery packs during the day as we were driving so that the only things using the power at night were the lights. This allowed us one less thing to have to stress about as we were not connected to power for multiple days at a time. The Anker Car Charger is the perfect item to get the job done.
4. Portable Charger (Battery Packs)
This is a real no-brainer. We would make sure to charge these during the day along with our phones from the campervan while driving and we would no issue at night when parked up to keep everything topped up. When looking for battery packs, look for the Wattage that it delivers power from the charger. The higher the wattage is, the quicker it can top up your devices. Again, we have used this Anker battery pack for a while now and they’re perfect.
5. Physical Maps & Apps
Before heading off on your adventure I would recommend getting a physical map to use to plan and plot your trip as well as to use while you’re out driving. We used our map every night as we were barely in reception to be able to see where we wanted to aim for next. If you are travelling in the UK, you can purchase these maps from Ordnance Survey they have maps available from all levels of detail depending on your needs.
Ordnance survey do have a iOS app available as well for a paid subscription. We found this very useful as the satelite view is a higher quality than what you can see on Google Maps. We used this to scout possible parking locations and walking trails the night before to play our day ahead.
During both our trips we also found apps such as Wikicamps and Park4Night very useful to find potential parking spots for our overnight stops, all available for download offline . It is important you download the areas you need offline before heading off otherwise they will not work during your trip. Also remember if you are wild camping please be respectful leave no trace.
6. Downloaded Songs/Audiobooks/Podcasts
Don’t make the mistake and stock up on lots of things to listen to on your drives. Who knows what you’re feeling so make sure to have lots of different things downloaded offline. If you’re looking for Audiobooks make sure to check out Audible that gives customers access to the world’s largest selection of audiobooks, as well as podcasts, exclusive originals and more.
7. Travel Mugs
Since this trip we have also purchased Kinto travel mugs for our morning coffee’s to work and would highly suggest getting one to have with you on the road to keep your coffee warmer for longer. If you’re looking for not only coffee flasks but also larger water bottles we recommend Ocean Bottle. For every bottle sold it is the equivalent of 1000 plastic bottles.
8. Microfibre towels
Both Seb and I own Microfibre Towels large enough to be used as bath towels, however they pack away small enough to fit in hand luggage. These have been great not only for this trip but on other trips and are a worthwhile investment. In the Campervan you also don’t always have the window open in the shower/bathroom area which means being fast drying is very effective for being in the camper van.
9. Board games
Ok so this is kind of an item that comes under essential non-essentials this list also included other things like our tofu press and wine glasses. Board games are something that we also pack on a holiday regardless how long or how far and it was a great way to spend our evening as we did not have any reception most nights. Its also one of our favourite but simple date night activities. Our favourite two player games are Monopoly Deal, Hive, 7 Wonders: Duel, Uno and Phase 10.
10. First Aid Kit
Last, but potentially the most important for your travels, is a First Aid Kit. As being out on the road and spending your days among nature is slightly more high risk than a holiday spent by the pool, I would highly suggest that you bring a First Aid Kit. Even if it just a really small one, you never know when it might come in use. (To be honest, I’m not sure if Seb even realised that I brought one with us for our trip).
*Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission.
