What to Pack for a Vanlife Trip? Essential Items for Your Campervan or Motorhome

If you are a beginner vanlifer, or perhaps renting/borrowing a motorhome, campervan, or travel trailer, and wondering what vanlife essentials to pack for your trip, this post will give you helpful packing tips & a clear campervan essentials checklist for your next caravan road trip!

Essential Campervan Packing List for a Road Trip

Vanlife gear doesn’t mean packing your entire household. In fact, living the vanlife way means traveling light – but making sure you have the right campervan accessories with you. If you pack wrong, your vanlife road trip can quickly turn into something very different from what you imagined.

On our first trips, I packed our motorhome essentials as if we were preparing for the end of the world. These days, my campervan packing style has become more minimalistic. Instead of “what if we need this?”, I now ask: “is this absolutely necessary?”

And if a crisis does come along, a solution usually appears. For example, our family once faced a stomach bug in Italy in the middle of a European road trip – not planned at all, but we survived with what we had. You can read more about that incident here.

What to Bring on a Vanlife Trip

Here’s a nearly mandatory vanlife checklist for your campervan:

• weather-appropriate, layered vanlife clothing and shoes

• plates and dishes

• cutlery and cooking utensils

• cooking gear and washing-up items

• campervan bedding, pillows & blankets

• towels

• laundry supplies

• first aid kit

• personal medicines & toiletries

Don’t forget matches or a gas lighter (if your campervan stove doesn’t have ignition), and a gas bottle (unless you use diesel heating). Plus, always pack some long-lasting food supplies.

On a vanlife trip, the best campervan essentials are very basic, light-weight, easy to clean and versatile in use.

Vanlife Clothing: What to Pack for a Campervan Trip

Vanlife clothing essentials should be versatile, layered, and easy to combine. In a country like Finland, the weather changes quickly, so careful planning helps and makes road tripping more comfortable.

Our one-week campervan wardrobe usually includes:

• underwear x travel days + 2-3 extra
• t-shirts/tops x 2
• long-sleeves x 2
• hoodie x 1
• sweaters x 2
  
  
• shorts x 1-2
• jeans/linen pants x 1-2
• outdoor pants x 1
• walking shoes for the nature trails x 1
• walking shoes for the city x 1
• sandals for the city x 1
• sandals for the beach/shower x 1
  
  
• pajamas
• wool socks
• light jackets x 1-2
• swimwear
• hat & sun glasses
• sun protection

👉 Pro tip: choose natural fabrics like wool, linen, hemp, or merino wool. High-quality vanlife clothing stays fresh longer and can simply be aired out – super handy when a washing machine isn’t available on the road.

Campervan Towels and Bedding

Good vanlife bedding is priceless. Breathable, moisture-wicking merino wool bedding guarantees good sleep even when your campervan has changing temperatures and humidity. Quick-dry linen towels keep both kitchen and bathroom fresh.

We usually pack into our campervan:

• merino wool pillowcases

• merino wool double duvet cover (used with or without a blanket depending on season)

• merino wool sleep sacks

• hamam-style bathing towels

• tea towels and hand towels

Merino doesn’t hold odors, dirt, or moisture, so woolen campervan bedding can often just be aired out while traveling, and doesn't need to be washed after every trip. Plus, we can leave the bedding in the car between trips. Saves a lot of time, energy and effort!

When it's time to wash, we simply give the merino wool bedding a light spin at home in the washing machine. 30 degrees Celsius and a wool wash program. Btw, you can read more about how to care for merino wool bedding here.



Merino wool bed linen refreshes on the go by airing it out, and you can leave them in the car between trips, because wool naturally repels moisture and odor. They're perfect for a nap, too!

Vanlife Kitchen Essentials

Your vanlife kitchen setup doesn’t need to be complicated but should be practical. Our campervan kitchen essentials always include:

• forks, spoons and knives x 4
• bowls x 4 (perfect for everything: pasta, porridge, yoghurt, etc.)
• mugs x 4
• wine glasses x 2
  
  
• wooden cutting board x 1
• kitchen knife + two smaller ones
• cheese slicer
• peeling knife
• wine bottle opener
  
  
• spatula x 2
• scoop
• dish cloth x 2
• small kettle with a lid x 1
• bigger kettle with a lid x 1
• frying pan x 1
• coffee pot
  
  
• scissors
• matches
• can opener
• biodegradable dish soap and a dish brush

👉 Remember: pot lids are crucial to prevent turning your campervan into a steam sauna! A cheese slicer on the other hand is not a mush, if you choose to buy cheese slices. Then again, a wine bottle opener is a must, since it's really hard to replace!

Other Useful Vanlife Gear for Your Motorhome or Camper

In addition to clothing, bedding, and kitchen items, there are many other vanlife accessories and road trip essentials that make life easier:

• non-parfymed detergent (almost impossible to find in Europe)
• clothesline and pegs
• eco-friendly cleaning supplies
• a first aid kit
• a gas detector
• nails clippers and tweezers
• medicine for headache, allergy and to balance your stomach
• medical cream like Bepathen
• lip balm and moisturizer
• sun cream and after sun cream

• multitools
• duct tape and cable ties
• jumper cables

• a flashlight
• reflective vests (for all the passengers)
• fresh water canister
• sweeping tools
• environmental-friendly detergent, wipes and sponges
  
  

Off the Road linen towels are of perfect size 40 x 40 cm for vanlife kitchens and bathrooms. Our favorite coffee pot is never taken away from our van, because it makes the best coffee ever!

Sometimes, when there's still space, we also like to pack playing cards, Uno-cards, books, paper & pens, picnic-quilts, a barbecue, a fishing kit and inflatable toys for the beach. We've also had a hammock and a small tent with us for outdoor sleeping.

With these vanlife essentials, our family of four fits comfortably into one campervan - at least in the summer. In wintertime, space is more limited due to the size of winter clothing, but no beach toys or tents are needed then.

Hope this helps you pack your motorhome to meet your needs on the go!

👉 Did we miss one of your favorite vanlife accessories? Share your must-have gear in the comments! :)

— Hanna