First Time Van Life Tips

Ready to take your new camper van out for its first real adventure? Here are our first time van life tips to make it a smooth and enjoyable trip.

For many of our customers, we’ve found that they are not only new to van life, but also new to camping and RVing. This creates an awesome opportunity! Get ready to learn about everything from the systems in a van/RV to what to cook. And how to pack for a successful trip.

There are many styles of van life. Weekend warriors, multi-day road trippers, those who prefer a state park with hot showers and those that want to find the most remote boondocking experience out there. Regardless of what style of van life you are seeking, there are a few tips that help make that first trip a success. Read on to learn more!

Tip #1: Camp in your driveway for the first night! 

You heard us right… don’t leave your driveway! Erica’s dad, who has 40+ years of experience in the RV industry, shared this valuable tip for first time RVers and van lifers. 

• Load up your van with everything you think you will need for a weekend away and stay put. Can you avoid going in your house for 24 hours?
• Keep a list of all the things you wished you had packed. Then you have your list for what you need to now include. 
• This prevents a lot of last minute stops on your first adventure. Nobody wants to spend their first weekend of van life in Target! 

So load up your van! And see if you can get through 24 hours in the driveway without missing anything.

Tip #2: Be prepared for the learning curve. 

While we have found traveling in a van not as much of a learning curve as an RV, it still has components you will need to learn about. Similar to buying a house, you will need to become familiar with all the new systems, components and maintenance. Here are a few things to get familiar with before you hit the road:

• Using your van’s portable toilet including how to maintain it and properly dispose of waste
• Solar power and electrical systems, including shore power if you plan to use it
• Water system, including how to dispose of your gray water safely and respectfully
• Using the heating system
• Van life safety – CO2 and fire alarm, chains if traveling in winter without AWD/4WD, 1st aid etc.

Tip #3: Pack fewer clothes!

Not only will traveling in a van limit how much you can bring, it also represents a simpler way of traveling. You likely bought a van to get away from civilization. So embrace the great outdoors and don’t worry about your outfit! 

We love to travel with clothing items that are easy to hand wash and don’t hold odor, such as merino wool products. We also make sure to bring layers. Weather can change quickly especially when traveling in the mountains or at a higher elevation than back home. What’s most important is being dressed for the weather and the activity, not having a change of clothes for every event. So bring the necessities, don’t forget your swimsuit and enjoy the open road!

Tip #4: Plan easy meals

We love to cook. But we don’t want to spend our entire time on the road cooking and cleaning. We want to enjoy the adventure and leave behind the chores! So we make sure we plan ahead for our meals, whether that is grabbing takeout from a local deli along the way, or prepping our meals ahead of time.

On a recent road trip to a mountain bike race, we found a great BBQ restaurant tucked away in a local gas station. Traveling in our van has led to many local foodie discoveries as well as learning how to cook meals in the van that are simple, quick and easy to clean-up using the essential items we keep in our van kitchen.