How to Outfit Your Minivan Camper
You want to know how to outfit your minivan camper conversion so that you’re ready for the next big adventure, right?
Then you’re in luck! In this post, I go over how to outfit your minivan camper with the most necessary pieces of gear to make your next adventure a success.
Here’s How to Outfit Your Minivan Camper
To ensure your trip is a success, you will want to have solutions for the following systems:
- Bed
- Power
- Various Lighting
- Kitchen/Food Storage
- Water Storage & System
- Shower/Bathroom Gear
- General Minivan Needs
- Office Supplies
- Navigation & Emergency
Your Minivan Bed
When you go camping in your minivan, you will definitely appreciate a comfortable bed. There are many options available. These are the items I use in my journey.
Green Tea Infused, 6-inch Memory Foam Mattress by Zinus- Zinus 6-inch Memory Foam, Green Tea Infused Mattress – I love my Zinus mattress. It has 4 inches of hard foam and 2 inches of memory foam. It’s soft yet firm which is what I like. The only downside is that you cannot cut this mattress to make it a custom size. I went with the narrow-twin size (which measures 30 inches wide by 75 inches long) because I travel solo. Hopefully, when I meet someone, she will have her own van/minivan and we can caravan together.
Wise Owl Hammock- Wise Owl Hammock – Lounging in a hammock suspended over the forest floor is one of the coolest ways to relax. Take a nap, read a book, listen to music or the sounds of the forest – it’s all better in a hammock. I keep this hammock in my travel kit in my minivan camper conversion.
Stansport Sleeping Bag- Stansport Sleeping Bag – You probably have a sleeping bag already if you’ve ever gone camping with your family or friends. If not, this 3-season sleeping bag is a great and affordable sleeping bag.
Fleece Insert for Sleeping Bag- Fleece Insert for Sleeping Bag – I previously had this fleece insert from my time camping with family and friends throughout Kentucky at places like Green River and Red River Gorge. This is a nice extra layer you can add to your sleeping bag for those colder nights.
Gel Pillows will Transform Your Sleeping Comfort- Gel Pillows – If you have not experienced a gel pillow, I highly recommend you try these. Super comfortable pillow.
Waterproof Mattress Cover- Waterproof Mattress Cover – I opted for this mattress cover to prevent any moisture from getting onto my mattress. The way I look at it, the mattress is an investment into my minivan camping experience and I wanted to protect it at all costs. Overkill? Probably. However, I’ve never had a problem with mold, mildew, or moisture on my mattress or bed platform.
Narrow-twin Sheet Set- Narrow-twin Sheet Set with Fitted Sheet, Top Sheet, & 2 Pillow Cases – To complete the minimalist bed set up for a solo traveler in a minivan camper conversion, I went with this sheet set for a narrow twin. Perfect fit for the Zinus narrow twin mattress.
Mexican Blanket- Mexican Blanket – This blanket is a staple camping blanket that everyone should have in their minivan camper.
How to Outfit Your Minivan with Power
Next up, power will be another important consideration for your minivan camper. Each nomad will have different needs depending on what type of gear and other equipment they use.
You will want to create a list of everything that requires re-charging. Then find out how many watts each item needs. Total up your watts for all your gear and you should be close to having an idea about how much power you need.
If items require batteries, try to use rechargeable batteries when possible. Also, having dedicated storage space and containers will help make life easier.
These are the items that provide power for my nomadic travels:
- Jackery Explorer 240 – Great for low-power needs. Has one 110-volt outlet (regular wall outlet type), two USB outlets, and one 12-volt outlet. With an inverter and battery monitor built in and three ways to recharge it, it was a no-brainer for me when I saw it go on sale for $199.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 – I dedicate this unit to power my 12-volt, compressor refrigerator, 12-volt oscillating fan, and interior LED lighting.
- 20,000 mah Solar Battery Pack – These solar battery packs are great to have when going on an excursion or hiking adventure. You can recharge your cell phone with it and it has a flashlight.
I use a braided steel cable lock to protect my investment from theft:
Your Minivan Lighting
When you are parked in your minivan for the evening, you may want to catch up on reading or prepare a meal inside your minivan camper. Having sufficient lighting will only enhance your nomadic life experience.
- 2 Rechargeable, Magnetic, LED Lights (I bought these at Home Depot)
How to Outfit Your Minivan Kitchen
Ultimately your diet and budget will determine what type and how much kitchen gear you have. Any minivan camper conversion kitchen will want to have a way to store, cook, and eat food.
Stove options
If you already have any type of camping stove, start there. If not, these are the stoves I use or have used. It’s important to have a backup stove because your fuel source may not always be available where you are. Whenever possible, opt for a stove with a dual-fuel option.
- Two-burner, Dual-fuel, Coleman Camping Stove – I started with this classic camping stove. While I did enjoy the two burners, wind blockers, and dual-fuel capability, I found that I did not enjoy messing with the liquid fuel. This stove uses what’s called white fuel or you can use unleaded gasoline. Either way, it’s liquid fuel which can be spilled, dripped, and give off strong fumes.
- Single-burner, Dual-fuel, GasOne Camping Stove – After my first year of traveling in Carol the caravan, I discovered I rarely if ever used two-burners. So before my second trip west, I invested in this single-burner, dual-fuel camping stove from GasOne. This stove will use the common, small propane canisters or butane cans. Simple to light and use and comes with a plastic carrying case.
- Butane, Single-burner Hiking Stove – This small single-burner hiking stove is super affordable and great for getting water hot for a cup of coffee in the morning. This stove was a gift and I use it very often. It features an easy push-button ignition making lighting this stove fast. Another pro is that it is extremely compact which is perfect for a minivan camper.
- Isobutane Fuel Canister – This is the type of fuel canister I use with the single-burner hiking stove.
Food Storage
- Iceco, JP40, 12-volt, Compressor Refrigerator – This Iceco refrigerator is amazing! I have had ZERO issues with this fridge. It can be either a freezer or a fridge, but not both. It has a removable basket, an LED light that comes on inside when you open it, and comes with its own custom-fitted/vented case. I power this with the Jackery Explorer 1000 and a Rich Solar 150-watt monocrystalline panel. Perfect setup for a minivan camper conversion.
- Collapsible Dish Basin with Drain – This sink is great for a minivan camper because it saves space by collapsing down.
- Collapsible, Silicone Food Storage Containers – These storage containers are not terrible. Not so air tight I’ve noticed.
- Collapsible, Pour-over Coffee Dripper – Simple and effective pour-over coffee dripper.
- Nonstick Pot and Pan with Removable Handle – After my first year on the road, I upgraded to this three-piece set. Easy to clean and use. The removable handle is perfect to be able to store this in a minivan camper with limited space.
- Magnetic Paper Towel Holder – Because I do have a kitchen cabinet/chuck box in the rear of my minivan camper, I bought a two-pack of these magnetic paper towel holders to use outside the van.
- Silicone Dish Washing Scrubbers – Mold resistant dish scrubbers.
- Campsuds Outdoor Soap – Biodegradable soap.
- Sportneer Folding Table – At the time, they offered a black one and it’s a nice little table to have beside your camp chair to place drinks on.
- 9-inch Clam Shell Tongs – Tongs for picking up hot food to turn or flip on the griddle.
- Stainless Steel Spatula – Pancake flipper.
- Lodge Pre-seasoned, Reversible, Cast-iron, Grill/Griddle – After my first year on the road, I decided to leave this piece behind during my second year of travel because I just didn’t use it. And with limited space in the minivan camper, I think it was a good call. I never missed it the second year even though this is an awesome piece that I still use at home.
- Lodge Pan Scrapers – Cast iron safe scrapers for your Lodge cast iron.
- Commercial Grade, Stainless Steel Scraper – Can be used to remove hot grime and dirt from the griddle.
How to Outfit Your Minivan Water System
It’s important to have water storage and some type of pump to access the water when you are living the van life in a minivan camper conversion.
Shower/Bath
- Wall-mounted Double-sided Vanity Mirror – Perfect for when I need to trim my beard.
- Youphoria Microfiber Travel Towel – Microfiber towels are excellent in a minivan camper conversion as they take up less space than traditional towels. Plus they dry quickly.
General Minivan Needs
- Fire Extinguisher – In case of fire.
- 50-foot Outdoor Extension Cord – Gives you a way to plug in your Jackery while parked near an electric outlet.
- Set of Two Telescoping Tarp Poles – I plan to use these poles along with a tarp to create a DIY awning.
- Magnetic Cell Phone Mount – My favorite cell phone mount that allows me to get my phone out of my hand ASAP when I get in the van.
- Adjustable Blind Spot Mirrors – Allows you to get the best angle to see who is in your blind spot.
- Stainless Steel Marine Grade Snap Button Kit – I used this DIY snap kit to hang my blackout curtains between the cab and back area of the van.
- Thermal Insulated Rod Pocket Blackout Curtain – Ultimate stealthiness unlocked with a blackout curtain between the front and the back.
- Drop Stop Seat Gap Filler – There comes a point when you get tired of dropping your phone between your seat and the console. That moment came for me and I ordered these and have never experienced that problem since. Love it!
- Textured Blue Faux Grasscloth Contact Paper – Simple way to change the color of furniture pieces while adding texture at the same time. The best part is, once you tire of it, just rip it off and go with the next color.
- 3-strand Lightweight Synthetic Rope 1-inch Diameter – I used this as a decorative accent along the ceiling and my header piece that the blackout curtain attaches to.
- Fleur-de-Lis Drawer Knob – This is the perfect drawer pull for my custom-designed and built kitchen cabinet in my minivan camper conversion.
- 2-inch wide x 15-feet Heavy Duty Velcro Tape with One-wrap Cable Ties – Velcro has so many uses and the bonus cable ties come in handy to keep cables organized.
- 48-inch x 10-foot Double Bubble Reflectix – My window covers use Reflectix on 2 of the 5 layers.
- Fiskars Hatchet – Perfect for splitting wood for the campfire.
- Folding 11-inch Hand Saw – Great piece of gear to have in your kit to cut down longer pieces of wood.
- Wireless Weather Station – Discover what the weather is without having to look out your windows. The perfect way to check the weather while remaining stealthy in your minivan camper conversion.
- Traceless Super Sticky Gel Pads – These sticky gel pads are great at keeping things from sliding around while you drive.
Office Supplies
- Thank You Cards Set of 100 – Thank you cards always come in handy. I use them to send to my YouTube channel members.
- Kimwipes Glasses Tissue Wipes – Excellent to use with a cleaning spray for your glasses. Won’t scratch your lenses.
- PNY Pro Elite 500 GB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C Portable Solid State Drive – Super fast hard drive to back up all of the photographs and video footage I create while traveling in my minivan camper conversion.
- External Hard Drive Carrying Case – This case keeps my hard drive safe.
- 8-inch Cable Ties pack of 150 – These can come in handy when things break or to help keep wires organized.
- Grab-A-Card Outdoor Business Card Holder – Simple way to have your business cards available when attending meet-ups and events in your minivan camper conversion.
How to Outfit Your Minivan for Navigation & Emergency
- Rand McNally 2023 Road Atlas & National Park Guide – Learn about your favorite National Parks and have a way to navigate when you lose cell service.
- Ferrocerium Alloy Rod Fire Starter & Striker – Start a fire anytime with this set.
FREE Nomadic Life Starter Kit:
