Essential Van Life Kitchen Gear for the Ultimate Roadside Meals
Van Life Kitchen Gear
Van Life Kitchen Gear is the most used gear in my minivan camper conversion setup. These are items that make life inside your minivan camper conversion or full-size van conversion just a little more comfortable. In this post, I’ll share 9 Van Life kitchen gear favorites.
#9 Stainless Steel Spatula
- Stainless steel construction prevents rust while a plastic handle provides comfort
- 13.5 inch length provides enough distance from the pan to prevent getting burnt while also enough control to flip foods easily
- Thin, angled edge slips under food easily when cooking for an optimized experience
- Dishwasher safe provides quick and easy cleanup when cooking with any foods
- Constructed without welding points to create strength and durability to the turner
I was able to pick this up for $6.43. A great tool to flip eggs, pancakes, or quesadillas while out cooking in your minivan camper.
#8 Short Metal Clam Shell Tongs
- Stainless steel construction
- Ring prevents tongs from opening in drawer
- Scalloped edges won't pierce food
- Dishwasher safe
- Great for serving and indoor cooking
I’m biased because I worked for 20 years in the restaurant industry. I know how valuable a great pair of tongs can be.
However, if you are not familiar with using tongs, I highly recommend you try these short, metal, clamshell tongs. Especially if you plan on cooking on a grill for a lot of people.
I consider them to be an extension of my hand and they allow me to quickly turn, flip and adjust foods that are hot on a hot grill without getting burned.
#7 Lodge Griddle Scrapers
- Each scraper has two sets of teeth designed to fit any modern Lodge Grill Pan
- Straight edges and curves for flat and curved areas
- Durable polycarbonate grill pan scrapers
- Heat resistant to 275-degree F
- Dishwasher safe
As part of my kitchen setup, I decided to invest in this Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron reversible grill/griddle 16.75″ x 9.5-inch griddle and knew I would need a way to scrape them off so I got these griddle scrapers that are also made by Lodge.
#6 Silicone Dish Scrubbers
- High Quality Materials: Dish sponge is made of high quality food grade silicone sponge. The shape of the bone makes the hand easier to control and more flexible to use.
- Double-sided Cleaning: Silicone sponge is double-sided design, easy to clean and easy to operate.
- Ease Of Use: You can safely use it for kitchen tools because the brushes on the sponge are soft and scratch-free. And it won't stick to the oil! No matter how much oil you wash, as long as you wash...
- Convenient Suspension: With hole design, fast dehydration suspension, easy to hang anywhere to dry.
- Uses: Food-grade silicone scrubber can clean everything from utensils to dirty pots, and it is also very suitable for washing dishes, fruits and vegetables.
I learned about these from an Italian van life YouTube channel called LeAw – Leave Everything And Wander, Sara & Luca are amazing human beings that have traveled extensively throughout North & South America as well as Italy!
They mentioned these silicone dish scrubbers in one of their videos and it caught my attention because they said these little scrubbers do not mold!
#5 1.3 Gallon Collapsible Water Container
- FOOD-GRADE ODORLESS GREAT TASTE: PE plastic made with highest quality USA raw material. Environmentally friendly non-toxic, No BPA PVC or DEHP, No plastic PVC odor and water taste will not be...
- LIGHT, COMPACT, PORTABLE AND REUSABLE Foldable space saving design store away easily. Remains soft and flexible even when cold yet retains shape and is easy to fill, dry, drain and reuse. Soft molded...
- WORRY-FREE AND LEAK-PROOF Custom made lid and spigot with gasketless design means no leaks or parts to replace. Good spigot water-flow. Thicker lid to withstand heavy pressure. Easy on/off spigot with...
- EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DAILY USE Enables you quickly and safely store all the water your family needs in the event of an emergency or natural disaster like hurricane, tornado, earthquake, fire,...
- SATISFACTION GUARANTEE AND EBOOK INCLUDED If for any reason within 30 days you're not satisfied, simply return for a refund or replacement. THANK-YOU BONUS: Cubey wants you and your family to Be...
I have seen several people mention these, however, when Ray from VanLifeRocks suggested them, I was sold. For those that don’t know Ray, he has over 3 years of experience living in his van so I value his opinion!
These are collapsible water containers that allow you to carry more water and then collapse down for better storage in your minivan camper.
#4 Small Shelf Tote
I picked up this wire ‘Small Shelf Tote” basket from Meijers in Louisville, Kentucky. Less than $10 and I plan to spray paint it to match the other green in the build.
#3 9.8 foot USB Extension Cable
- IN THE BOX: 9.8-foot USB 3.0 A-male to A-female high-speed extension cable
- CONVENIENT: Extends a USB connection from a computer; ideal for printers, cameras, mice, and other USB computer peripherals
- GOLD-PLATED CONNECTORS: Corrosion-resistant, gold-plated connectors for optimal signal clarity
- PROTECTIVE SHIELDING: Shielding protects against noise, minimizing interference for a clear signal
- USB 3.0: Uses less power, but has increased power output (up to 4.8 Gbit/s); 10X faster compared to USB 2.0
Super handy to have and you never knew you needed it! This USB extender adds an additional 9.8 feet to your USB outlet. I use this for a small set of LED lights that are too short to reach.
#2 Ferrocerium Rod & Striker
- HIGH QUALITY FERROCERIUM RODS: The fire steel rod is the perfect balance between softness & durability, consistently outperforming the leading fire starters. Will ignite a 5,500º F shower of sparks,...
- START FIRE ANYWHERE: This ultra-durable flint fire starter works in any weather conditions - rain, snow, high-altitude. With the rust-free ultra-strong ferro rod those fire lighters are suitable for...
- EASILY GRIP: Ergonomic handles on the fire starter allow use by even the most frozen of fingers! This fire starter kit is easy to hold. Easy to produce showers of sparks.
- COMPACT & LIGHTWEIGHT: More reliable than matches or lighter, weighs less than 2 ounces, only 4" long. Included is a strong 550 paracord lanyard that is long enough to carry around your neck.
- WHAT YOU GET: 2 5/16 Inch thick ferro rod, 2 multi-purpose steel striker, 2 23 inches long 7-core paracode lanyard.
I think every nomad should carry one of these in their kit and even those who are out camping. This Fero rod and striker will allow you to start hundreds of fires.
#1 Silicone Gel Sticky Pads
- 【Multi usage】Do you want to have a magical gel pad? Stick anything anywhere and also can be fidget toys to release yourself. The magic soft gel pad can meet your multi usage purpose.It is a...
- 【Super sticky pad】Made by durable nano material, this gel adhesive pad has strong stickiness that can hold many small items in the place. Also it is heat and cold resistant (-4°F~248°F). Easy to...
- 【Washable & reusable】When the anti-slip pad gets dirty, you can wash it with water and let it dry, then it will become sticky as a new one. You can reuse this fixable gel pads about 1000 times.You...
- 【Pay attention】This sticky gel pad is very easy to use in seconds. Please notice that it is suitable on the clean and smooth surfaces. When you want to stick something on it, please press it...
- 【Interesting life assistant】When you go to wash your hands and found wet around, you can use this removable gel pad to hold your phone on the wall, keeping your phone clean and freeing your hands....
I learned about these sticky pads from Adventuring With Amanda’s YouTube Channel. She is also in a minivan camper conversion except hers is more of a no-build approach. Still very cool and she has lots of great ideas!
Like this one! Love these for keeping things in place while I drive! I have used it for my indoor weather station display and a Buddha statue that’s also a candle holder and neither item has moved since I have used these pads. Highly recommend!
I hope you found some value in these 9 Van-Life Hacks Under $10 Revealed or maybe I pointed you in the direction of something you hadn’t thought about. If you did enjoy this blog post, please consider sharing it on Facebook, Pin It to Pinterest, or leave me a comment below!
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Last update on 2025-01-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
