Our Favorite 12 Boondocking Essentials for Van Life
Boondocking, or finding free campsites on public land, is a wonderful way to enjoy the great outdoors without the sounds of other campers. Here are our favorite items!
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We can’t get enough of boondocking, or finding free campsites. We’ve done this in both our Chevy Astro van and Sprinter van, and love finding beautiful campsites far from other people.
However, you’ll need some boondocking essentials to take your rig off-grid. It’s important to have enough water, food, and power and a way to stay clean and comfortable.
Over our months of boondocking, I’ve come up with the top boondocking gear we use in our campervan, and can’t imagine camping without.
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Not sure what boondocking is? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Boondocking here.
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Buy on REI.comThis is the two-burner camp stove we now use in our Sprinter van, a wonderful upgrade from using a one-burner stove. This stove from GSI has better simmer control than most camp stoves we've seen and is really easy to clean and use. Highly recommend for outdoor cooking.
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Buy on REI.comWe absolutely love our Camp Roll Table from REI. The legs detach and it folds down into a rectangular bag, really easy for storage. This is an upgrade to a much smaller table we used to own, and it makes all the difference. Not only can we fit our two burner camp stove, but also cutting boards, plates, etc. The perfect size for camping!
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Shop on REIWe finally upgraded to these larger, but still very packable, camp chairs from REI. These have made a HUGE difference in our comfort while we're outside enjoying the morning or an evening happy hour.
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Shop on Amazon.comWe keep two of these 5-gallon jugs in our Sprinter van, and we fill them up whenever we find a filtered water station. These are typically found outside grocery stores and gas stations, and are easy to find using the Primo water filling website. We love our filtered water!
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Shop on Starlink.comStarlink has been a game changer of us and plenty of other nomads who work remotely. You can choose a Regional or Global "Roam" plan to use Starlink wherever you travel. We've been using Starlink for one year, and find that it offers very fast, high-speed internet as long as you aren't parked underneath trees!
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Buy on REI.comWe love this particular solar shower from Sea to Summit. It folds down tiny for easy storage, and holds enough water for one shower. Our only complaint is that the flow is pretty slow out of the nozzle, but that helps the shower last longer!
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Buy on TheBugWall.comThe Bug Wall has been a total game-changer for our Sprinter van. Before, we were opening and closing the side door constantly to keep bugs out while we cooked outdoors. Now, we just leave The Bug Wall up all the time, which also creates wonderful airflow inside the van. The Bug Wall also offers a little bit of privacy if you're in a crowded area with the side door open.
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Buy on REI.comI've been searching for the right outdoor blanket for months, and finally stumbled on this gem at REI. What I love about this blanket is that it has a fully waterproof bottom that resists dirt, sand and water. The mat also rolls up, keeping the dirty bottom on the inside and the colorful pattern on the outside. This ensures our van stays clean. We are so grateful we stumbled on this mat and now use it everywhere - it's even perfect for a yoga mat or two!
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Shop on Scrubba.comWe just love this "Scrubba" laundry bag. A super easy way to wash a few articles of clothing when in our campervan or on our sailboat.
The Scrubba features a flexible inner washboard to give your clothes a wash as good as any machine can do. You just fill the bag with water, add your clothes, and roll the bag against a hard surface. The bag can also double as a dry bag or storage bag!
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Shop on Amazon.comWe just started using this retractable clothesline and it's really handy both for van life and international travel. It comes with its own clips so you can easily hang clothes without carrying around clothes pins. It's easy to hang and stuffs down small to store.
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Buy on Amazon.comI'm not lying when I say this portable refrigerator from ARB totally changed my life while living in my van. I no longer have to deal with food ruined by melting ice, let alone race to a store to grab new ice.
A portable refrigerator should be on your van life packing list as it allows you to go off-grid for days. The best thing is this 12-volt fridge is energy efficient, too - mine only comes on for about 10 minutes per hour.
You can connect it to a portable solar generator, an inverter tied to your solar system, or a cigarette lighter.
It's pure bliss accessing cold drinks and food after a long hike.
What items do you think are essential for boondocking? I’d love to hear about them!
HI!! Where did you take the title photo with the cacti?? I’ll be head to NM in the spring and would really love some recommendations for spots to camp!!!
THANKS!!!!
Hey Justin! That is a stock photo so I don’t know where it was taken, sadly. I have also never been to New Mexico before! You may want to check out the boondocking guides I mentioned in this post – one of them has campsites all over New Mexico. Have fun!
looks a lot like early morning in Quartzsite (somewhere)
Hey Kristin, first of all – great list overall. Wanted to ask if you guys using any self defense for your trips(i.e bear spray/ccw, etc). And if so – how do deal with travelling through states? Did you have any issues with it? Thanks in advance(currently thinking of getting a micro Sig Sauer for self defense in a gun safe for my van, but not sure about all of the issues that comes with it).
Hey Jim! We have bear spray and a loud air horn, and that’s about it! Bear spray is fine to carry through states. I think guns have extra rules and laws – we don’t have one of those.