Turning a normal van into a camper (on a budget and without building a thing!)
So maybe you fancy trying vanlife but you don’t want to spend weeks, months and thousands of pounds building a beautiful conversion before you can get out exploring? Or maybe you have access to a work panel van that needs to be able to stay a work van when you’re not travelling? Or perhaps you’re just not sure how to plan your build and use your space and fancy spending some time in it first?
Whatever your reason, it’s entirely possible, cheap and practical to kit out a van as a camper, without building a thing!
After buying my van I cleaned her out and removed some old ply wood that had been built in previously, but then I just wanted to get off exploring and hit the road. I also wanted to spread the cost of my conversion out over time. So she will look stunning and picture perfect eventually! But I’ve still enjoyed so many beautiful places with her just how she is.
Things don’t have to be instagram or Pinterest worthy for you to get out there and explore!
Here are the essentials you need to hit the road –
Somewhere to sleep
If you’re travelling alone a single mattress will obviously take up much less space than a double, I went for a double as we had an old fold out futon sofa in the shed that fit perfectly between my wheel arches. If you don’t have a spare mattress lying around look out for one on the secondhand sites like Freecycle, Gumtree and Facebook. Often people give them away for free or very little.
You can also get fold out beds like this one on amazon for less than £50 which are good value and take up very little space. Temporary mattresses are never going to be the most comfortable thing in the world but when layered with a topper or a couple of duvets they can still be pretty cosy!
Something to cook on
I cook everything on my portable butane stove. They’re cheap to buy and run and mine has served me well for many years worth of camping trips. It’s very handy for boiling water to wash up or make a hot water bottle as well as cooking and the water boils surprisingly quickly.
You can pick up a decent stove like this one on amazon for as little as £14 and a funky coloured kettle for around £10.
Somewhere to store things
You’ll need a place to store the usual day to day things like crockery, a washing up bowl and your food. I use an old wooden trunk that I had in my house, they’re the kind of things that (like the mattress) you can often pick up on secondhand sites or you can buy one new for £43.99 on Amazon. The one I’ve linked has a flat lid which is much more useful than the rounded ones, I use the top of mine as a kitchen surface to do all my cooking.
Somewhere to keep food cool
I have an old camping coolbox that I use to keep all my perishable food. I don’t tend to purchase meat unless I’m going to use it the same or very next day (I’m one of those food poisoning paranoid types if I’m honest…) but it’s useful for storing things like veg, butter and milk until I build my kitchen and put in a 12v fridge.
A toilet to use if you’re desperate…
This ones more optional and not everyone has a toilet even in their permanent van builds. Personally I feel more comfortable having one with me, particularly as I very rarely use campsites and sometimes need to stay in built up areas where a wild wee is not always possible! I have a Thetford Porta Potti, they cost around £100 but I felt it was a worthy investment as I will use the same toilet in my permanent build. They don’t smell or take up a lot of room and mine just tucks away nicely in the corner on the majority of days that I don’t use it.
Somewhere to store your water
I carry two water tanks with me, they’re a decent enough size to keep me going for over a week but also small enough that I can carry them to a tap to refill. It’s always best to overestimate a little on the water front as it’s not really something you want to get stuck without! You can get a set of two 25 litre containers for £22.80 and again I’ll build these into my permanent build under my sink so they will always be useful.
Something to cover up your windows
If your van has side windows like mine you’ll want some kind of curtain to cover them at night as well as to stop unwanted nosey passersby having a peer inside during the day. I use some light material I had spare in my house pinned into the carpet panels that are above my window. If you don’t have carpet or a surface on your walls that you can pin into then sticky velcro squares (like these) are really handy. They stick to most lightweight materials (or you could sew them for a little extra security) and they stick securely to the van. I use them for the wall hangings I have covering the sides of the back half of the van at the moment just to give my interior a cosier/more homely feel than having bare walls!
I don’t have a bulkhead in my van so I use a fitted sheet stretched across the front for added privacy from the windscreen. I always put my curtains up when I’m out hiking or leaving the van for a while.
That’s really all you need to hit the road!
Not forgetting your usual things like towels, toiletries and clothes of course…
Below I have included some non essential things that I find very useful and have been grateful to have with me:
Solar shower – a great affordable invention that is so handy for when you’re at the beach or out in the wilds for a while and need some way of washing. I use mine a lot for washing the dogs off too when they’re muddy or sandy so that they don’t bring it all into the van. It’s essentially a large black bag with a shower head attached, I put mine on my dashboard to soak up the sun and the water gets really warm. I have a highlander one like this which is £8.95.
Candles – As well as smelling nice and making everything feel warm and cosy candles have been so handy to have at night for lighting!
Fairy Lights – Battery powered fairy lights as well as being pretty are another great source of lighting before you install your electrics. I have the copper wire lights that run off 3AA batteries.
Books – Reading is not something I did a lot of before I started travelling but I find it a really relaxing therapeutic thing to do in the evenings or on rainy days.
Bluetooth Transmitter – Many vans don’t have the best or most modern stereos, having a bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the cigarette lighter allows me listen to any podcasts or music I like and charge my phone via usb whilst I’m driving. I have a transmitter with two USB charging points similar to this one.
First Aid Kit – Okay personally I think this ones pretty essential! I have a small outdoor first aid kit (like this one) which contains all the basics but is still small enough to have in my backpack whilst I’m out exploring.
Tick Remover – On the subject of first aid (and especially when travelling with dogs) I have had to use a tick remover on my travels this year a lot more than I would like to admit… They’re really not the most pleasant of creatures and some areas, particularly Exmoor, seem to be inundated with them at the moment! Thankfully I’ve only had them on the dogs so far and none on myself personally. The removers are inexpensive (this ones only £2.49) and worth having with you, particularly if you’re planning on spending time in areas such as Exmoor and Dartmoor.
A Phone Holder – If you’re travelling to new places, you’re going to be using your sat nav ALOT. It’s no fun having it in an awkward place where you can only hear it and not see the guidance. When you’re a large vehicle having to make quick lane changes can be very stressful and something I do my best to avoid! I have a magnet on the dashboard which I can mount my phone onto, it’s strong enough to work even through my phone case unlike some makes and is super handy. I have this one made by YOSH.
The more time I spend typing this, the more I realise how many things I could add that I’ve been grateful for! I might do a full blog on ‘little things that have made my life so much easier’ soon.
I hope that’s given you an idea of the basics you might need to hit the road and start enjoying the freedoms of vanlife!
It really doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming to kit out a van.
I’m setting myself aside periods of time to do each part of my build, whilst enjoying travelling and time on the road in between. So far I’ve built my floor and today I have picked up the timber ready to build my bed frame this week.
Don’t forget to follow my social media channels for updates on my build!
If you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to drop me a message or comment below.
Disclaimer – All the products mentioned above are things that I use myself in my van (or if they’re things that I’ve had a long time, the nearest possible match I could find!)
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