Colby & Dharma of @anamericanroadstory

• The foot pump sink I built. It draws from a 7 gallon clean water tank and empties into a 7 gallon grey water tank, and I built it so the foot pump can be either stored inside the kitchen cabinet or on the outside of it for quicker use, just gotta give it a few pumps and water spits out into a waiting mason jar.

• Goal Zero 150W batteries (2) and 20W panel. I alternate the batteries I use and have yet to run out of energy to run my lights, or charge my camera batteries or my phone (or my buddies phone.)

• My banjo! When my buddy Anthony and I were living in Colorado in our buses, we would hurry down to Boulder on our days off from the campground where we were hosts at and get on Pearl street to busk, right outside of the Boulder bookstore. Check out: Sophie & the Midway Tanglers

Ryan of @ryanscurrie

• Propane Camp coffee maker

• Bag shower - building my own 12 volt powered outside shower. Stay tuned!

• Solar inverter set up for rainy movie nights

Lana, Dada & The Moon of @homeiswherethemoonis

• Our solar panels - we love being independent and never use RV parks to station our vehicle.

• Velcro! We love our velcro tape. We use it for many different things...to close cupboards and close closet doors when we drive, to store tools on the wall, etc.

• Fairy lights are stapled all around the inside of our home. There are times (like when it rains for 3 days in a row) when the sun doesn't charge our solar panels much, so that's when those lights come in handy just perfectly! They are battery powered and LED, so they last a long time!

Chelsea, lyndon & Norma of @mobile_millers

• Custom made motorcycle carrier on the back

• Our bed is an air mattress, so it makes it easier to lift it up for extra storage.

• We couldn't live without our propane gas stove, which this summer we went on a five week tent camping trip and my husband built a box for it to sit in so we could bring our stove with us!

Darian @dariansperspective &
Chad @good.vibes.livin

• All the storage (closet & drawers/shelving) that we built

• The table is on hinges so we're able to remove the pole and it folds down against the wall. It's awesome having the option to create a little more space sometimes, especially for yoga/working out if it's too cold outside.

• Our little cooking station. That's our most recent build project we started that's far from finished, but we were able to create a space for our small oven, double burner, and toaster. Once completed, it will also hold all of our spices and jarred cooking ingredients, and extra storage.

Clayton, Emily & Scrapper of @road_head

• We have a "sink" by building a drawer with a bowl built in that lives underneath our water container.

• Another thing we do is use spray bottles for washing dishesone with soap and one with water.

• We were also just very conscious of how tight van space was so we made sure to have storage everywhere possible—under the bed, below our seats—if anything can have a shelf on it we built one.

Harriet & Dan of @carpenteringram

• The chopping board that covers the sink. Not only is it a chopping board, but also a drainage board, a tray and somewhere to rest spoons while cooking. We would be lost without it!

• Locks on our cupboard doors. We only have locks, with no handles. This keeps the doors sleek, with nothing for clumsy people like me to walk into, and also keeps every door firmly shut when we are in transit. With expensive camera equipment in the van we can also take all of the keys out when we leave it anywhere suspicious.

• We can cook inside or outside, with a two way stove drawer. It is very difficult to explain how it works so I have included a picture showing both drawers half way open. They can both be opened simultaneously or individually. 

Guglielmo, Cameron & Monika of @solfoodcinema

• An almost professional kitchen with enough fire power to feed up to 15 people, gas, kerosene and charcoal stoves.

• Two car batteries connected to an inverter 5000 amp. We can charge laptop, cameras, and other little electrical tools necessary for the filming and documenting.

• A smooth, red leather, foldable double bed (so many adjectives) which turns into a climbing pad, to be free to boulder wherever we are. Our favorite location so far in India was Hampi, beautiful place.

Jo, westy & Abbey of @oz.ma

• My dog isn't really a thing but I can't imagine living with out him. I searched a whole year for the right dog and his story of coming into my life is pretty amazing. He's super cute, has a great temperament, and helps me exercise.

• Dr. Bronner's soap, seriously. I clean everything with it, my face, my butt, my hair, my dishes, my dog. My idea on most things people consume/use, the less ingredients, the better.

• Coconut oil, another everything cure. You can cook with it, bake with it, moisturize, wash your mouth, brush your teeth, make salves, condition pet fur, take off makeup with it, heck you can use it for lube. It's good for too many things!

Asu, Aschi & Werner of @asuhsworld

• The biggest one is simplicity of life. We don't need much stuff for living and surviving. This backpack full of junk is gone. I don't have to worry about unnecessary stuff. This makes me free.

Seth of @scarboroughaffairs

• Dog watering station. I love not having to bend over multiple times every day to fill up my pooches water bowl. I have the water coming out of a cool piece of driftwood mounted to my kitchen cabinet into the dogs' antique copper water bowl.

• Urinal/sink made from an antique fire extinguisher. This is great for men! I love it because I can stand up to pee and not leave a mess.... It also turns my bedroom into a true master and gives guest a little more privacy with separate baths.

• A convertible space. I designed the ability to remove/replace my 275 gallon on board cistern by making a partially removable wall as well as a sliding half wall/door. As a happy accident this also gives my tiny home two distinct modes: bachelor mode and guest mode. It then has three separate rooms/areas. Lots of my friends have kids and I wanted to make it more welcoming for them.

Aidan & Otis of @aidan.klimenko

Raphaëlle & Mark of @borealfolk

• Dickinson's propane heater (used as a furnace in sailboats - great to heat up small spaces)

• 780 watt solar panels mounted on the roof of the cargo trailer linked to our 6 golf cart batteries

• 180 liter water tank located on the roof of the trailer hooked up to a propane water heater

Chris of @christophari29

• I've got two 100 watt solar panels that charge two 6V golf cart batteries and supply me with ample electricity to run lights, sound, charge devices and power miscellaneous appliances.

• A Roadshower that is heated by the sun and pressurized via bike pump.

• And last but not least is my solar oven, great for cooking grains, baking squash and other items.

Victoria, nick & Manjula of @victoriascreativekitchen

• Refillable LPG gas - our journey revolves around camper van cooking! 

• Spices - not always easy to find on the road

• Solar panels - for off grid

Check out some of Victoria's vegan van life cooking episodes here and here.

Brian & Sierra of @coloradobackcountryadventures

• My Roadshower attached to my roof rack (heated with solar) used for outdoor showering, cleaning gear, and washing off my dog.

• Garmin/DeLorme InReach Explorer GPS with Two Way Texting Capabilities. I cancelled my cell phone 5 months ago and use this as my primary means of communicating

•MSR Guardian Water Purifier - this high volume water purifier can process up to 6 gallons of water in 20 minutes. I use it daily and it’s never failed me.

Paisley, Ryan & Mindi

• The first thing we did was build the storage which we call "floorage." We have our bed built on top of boxes that we keep our clothes and other items in under us for a more organized and less cluttered feel.

 • We couldn't do with out our five gallon water jug with a pump.

• The third thing we couldn't do without would be the reflective foils we put up in the windows at night to insulate and keep the sun out.

Pat & Sophie of @pat.devlin_

• Good mates, better to have someone to share it all with.

• My battery pack, (ArkPak) to keep everything charged up.

• And a kettle for tea and coffee. (Plus the Kombi manual in case anything breaks) 

Bryan, Sarah & Copa of @la_copacavana

• Guac table - this table extends from one of our side doors and has worked out perfectly as our outdoor table. Bryan hooked it up with a telescoping leg, making it level anywhere we park.

• 3 in 1 bed - 1) Using a climbing crashpad as our mattress (with a foam topper) makes for a cozy mattress along with eliminating the need to store a bulky crashpad elsewhere in the van. 2) The bed is also our couch. We brought a ton of pillows to prop us up into a comfy couch. 3) And of course, we sleep on it nightly. Plus the pillows get transferred next to the back doors for insulation. 

• Night light - from late night tinkle missions to stealth mode on city streets, our red nightlight has come in clutch, time and time again. It doesn't mess with our night vision and isn't noticeable from the outside.

Mimi & sophia of @boodabus

• COFFEE setup and good water filtration...Berkey to filter water and Mountain Maid Coffee

• Cozy, bright, beautiful quilts (and sleeping bags, too!)

• Blankets, journals, books, art supplies and each other

jane & Teeg of @rockmeetssoil

• Super comfy blankets and pillows so I can sleep like a champ no matter where I'm parked.

• Burlap coffee sacks! Little known secret..they work amazing as floor mats in the van helping to keep out dirt and mud as well as being perfect for laying on the ground around a campfire.

• My coffee setup. As a coffee roaster I really enjoy a fresh cup of joe in the morning. I have a Hario ceramic burr hand grinder, a V60 pour-over and a gooseneck kettle that all fit into a little basket. Oh and a killer travel mug from Contigo that keeps my drinks hot or cold for hours (and is BPA free and spill-proof).