15 Must Haves For a No Build Minivan Camper
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We have camped in our mini van from california to maine and everywhere in between
What do you need to turn your minivan into a comfortable no build minivan camper? This is a list of 15 things you must have to create a functional camper inside your minivan without actually building or altering anything.
All of the things listed will help you stealth minivan camp - meaning you can park anywhere and no one will know you’re asleep in there! Just because you want to adventure in a campervan, does not mean you need a complicated van build. Not everyone can afford a fully built out campervan, so use these 15 van life essentials to create your dream camper in the car you use everyday!
So let’s get started on your amazing DIY minivan camper!
Be sure to also check out my guide to How to Easily turn your Minivan into a Camper.
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Minivan camper in acadia national park
1) A Water source: I use a 5-gallon water jug with a battery powered pump. This has proved to be priceless while we are camping or exploring the National Parks. We always have access to clean drinking water! The pump is battery powered and lasts for a very long time. Having running water is an absolute game changer for a no build camper van. This is one of my all time best minivan camping hacks.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
our camp site in indiana dunes national park - our jackery charging the ipad, camera, and fan at once
2) An external power source: We own a Goal Zero and a Jackery 500. These are both powerful portable power stations that can charge electronics, power your air pump, and even provide light with their built in flashlights. These are a must because you won’t want your van running all night. Both the Goal Zero and the Jackery have solar panels to recharge or you can use the cigarette lighter charger to charge them while you drive. This leaves you with plenty of power when you need it at night. Our Jackery can charge my phone and iPads all night and the power station lasts for several days on one charge. If you’re only out for a night and need to charge your phone, grab a smaller solar powered power bank.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
Our jackery charging our ipad abd phone during a movie night.
3) A Camping Pad: Minivan sleeping is tight, but we’re going to make the perfect minivan bed. Depending on if you’re sleeping with one person or multiple people in the van will determine which kind of camping pad you like. We absolutely love our Exped Duo camp pad. We use a very small pump to inflate it each night and in the morning we open the valve and roll the pad back. This pad is extra durable and is made for any weather. We’ve minivan camped in snow and summer heat.
We comfortably camp with 1 adult and 2 children on the pad, but it is made for 2 adults. (The Exped is pretty pricey, so check out this similar Hikenture pad which is more budget friendly) If you are camping in a minivan by yourself, check out the single INVOKER camping pad that is made of memory foam and packs away tiny! A good camping pad is a must for any minivan camper conversion.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
We used (and still use) the exped duo) - Its comfy for 2 kids and 1 adult OR two adults
4) Window Coverings: Window coverings are one of the top van life essentials. These provide insulation and privacy. It took me several weeks of web sleuthing to find affordable custom window coverings for a Chrysler Pacifica, but I found them!! Weather Tech makes a full set for a reasonable price. If you only need a few of the window coverings, you can buy them individually too. They also make them for other van brands like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. I personally like to put window shades on with the black side facing out and the silver facing in. This makes it brighter in the van and more stealth for anyone trying to look into the car.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
5) Roof Top Storage: I don’t think we could have been living in a minivan for so long without our roof top cargo storage box - for us, it was essential for our minivan conversion. We have the basic SportsRack Vista XL from Amazon and love it. We’ve driven over 25,000 miles with this thing at all speeds and weather. It keeps water out and your gear safe! It’s so light I can install it and take it off by myself. To give you an idea of how much this holds, we brought 2 scooters, 4 camp chairs, our awning, food, all the bedding, all of our homeschool supplies, helmets, the window coverings, a toilet, all of our food, a 5-gallon water jug, and luggage for 4 months (3 seasons). The SportsRack Vista’s capacity is incredible and I like to store the HiFold Booster Seats up there at night when we aren’t using them. There is only so much storage in the back of van, so there will be so much more storage space with this!
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
Roof top storage is an absolute must if you’re using your minivan as a camper
6) A Flushable Toilet: You read that right. We camp with a flushable toilet in our minivan. We use the Thetford Porta Potti 135. It is the perfect size to fit in the van. Both my children and I use this toilet constantly on our road trips. My kids rarely go into gas stations to pee, they usually just use our toilet. When we are camping in the minivan, we put the Porta Potti toward the back of the van so if anyone needs to go at night, we don’t have to leave the minivan. The toilet has a fresh water holding tank and a black water tank that holds 2 gallons of waste. It’s so small, I can dump it into any toilet! I was willing to forgo the privacy in order to have a minivan camper with bathroom! (You will need the RV toilet treatment pods to drop into the waste tank to prevent smells) People are always amazed at our flushable toilet in our DIY minivan camper!
If you’d rather have extra privacy, you can get a tiny one person collapsible pop up tent to cover the toilet outside the van.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
7) Food Storage: I have tried many ways to store food in the van and keep it easily accessible. The absolute best way we’ve found to organize and store food while traveling and camping in the minivan is a 3 drawer storage. This helped me store the food in a more organize and space saving way. I use a plastic 3 drawer system.
At the beginning of our multi-month trip, I only had one of these storage units, but bought a second one for the clothing we used on the road. It helped keep some of our clothes easy to access so we could dress before leaving the van in the morning. The photo below, you will also see shelf drawer I found at Target and some open plastic storage bins I used as a catch all for larger food items.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
8) Rechargeable Fans: If you’re camping in the summer months, you absolutely want to have fans that can run all night long. I use these fans and hang them on a bungee cord that goes from handle to handle in the van. These fans have hooks built in to make them easy to hang too. They also have multiple levels of flow and a built in flashlight. Another great asset that goes along with good air flow are window screens! I have these screens to go over the front windows if it’s too hot inside the van at night.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
9) A Really Good Chuck Box: A Chuck Box is a portable camp kitchen. I found the best way to store all of my cooking tools was by using this crafting box. I store my skillet and pot in the bottom with a few spoons and a cutting board. The top is for utensils, seasonings, and smaller stuff. I recommend a craft box to anyone trying to organize their kitchen ware in their minivan camper. I also keep a Coleman camp stove with us. It folds up small and has two burners for cooking.
Things I like to keep in my Chuck Box:
Small condiment sachets
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
A few meals we’ve made on our camping trips: Italian sausage and tortellini, ground beef with sauce, steak with chimmichurri
10) Collapsible Camping Chairs
When we camp, we always bring our own chairs. However, space is limited when you’re packing into a minivan. We camped with 2 low profile collapsible chairs and two taller camp chairs. I prefer to keep low profile chairs for the kids so they don’t accidently tip into the fire ring. The key here is to use chairs that collapse down tiny into bags for easy storage. We stored ours in the roof top storage when we weren’t using them.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
Low profile collapsible camping chairs are must for children
11) Foldable Awning
I chose to create my own awning for the van using 3 different items. First, I bought the awning itself, then grabbed a set of telescoping poles to hold up the far side of the awning, and then I used suction hooks on the van to brace the other side. For me, I wanted to be able to use awning while attached to van and as a stand alone. Camper awnings are expensive, but I was able to put this together for cheap and it works so well!
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
the awning as a stand alone in needles outpost in utah — perfect to cover our picnic table, especially when it rained
I wanted to be able to set the awning up either attached to the van or as a stand alone
12) Battery Powered Fairy Lights
Something I wish I had done from day one is having fairy lights inside the van at night. We camped a few times before I added them, but they really made a huge difference when we were in the van at night. Honestly, the batteries last forever because these lights are LED.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
You can see our fairy lights hanging across the van. They were the perfect light!
13) Bungee Cords
In the image above, you can see how I had 2 bungee cords strapped across our ceiling using the handles above the doors. I used these to hang the fans at night and to hang some of the fairy lights. Another use for bungee cords is strapping things down in the van while you drive and also I use them to flip the table cloth over my items on the picnic tables during the day. This keeps items protected from rain while you’re out exploring. (ONLY in NON BEAR territory)
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
You can see some of my extra bungee cords hanging over the seat!
14) Small Cooler
I use a very small cooler when we are camping in a minivan. They sell a variety of coolers that plug in or are huge or are even smaller than this. I don’t usually need a ton of cold things when we camp and typically can pop into a store for meat or yogurt at least once a day. I also liked having access to my cooler in the front seat when I was driving, so I could have a cold seltzer or iced coffee without stopping. Your needs will determine your cooler! There is no perfect camping cooler because all campers need different sizes and length of chill. My parent’s camp with the Yeti Hopper and I have used it on some short road trips — I like it a lot but found the zipper to be a bit tricky if opening while driving. This RTIC camping cooler is very similar, but way cheaper.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
Here was a camp set up on out second night at dinosaur national monument - you can see my small cooler!
15) Collapsible Step Stool
I used my collapsible step stool a ton when we camped. It was a life saver during the minivan to camper conversion. The top of the van is tall and trying to get items into and out of the roof rack and to attach the awning to the top of the van was cumbersome while standing on the tires. We also used it as an extra seat if we ever had any extra campers around.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
A collaspible step stool made getting into my overhead storage easier!
Random Bonus: A portable vacuum:
This is not one of the necessary minivan camping accessories, but it does make minivan camping a little more enjoyable. When you’re switching from a driving van to a minivan camper, the floor and seats can get messy! We use a small car vacuum that can plug into the van to keep the space as clean and neat as possible. It doesn’t take up much room but is way easier than finding a car wash.
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
Check out my suggestions on the Best camping Gear for tent or campervan!
When you’re planning your minivan camping conversion, keep it as simple as possible. We felt so comfortable in our set up without ever building anything. We had running water, cooking supplies, a flushable toilet, and a really comfy bed.
I hope my minivan camper ideas inspire you to take a minimalistic approach to your minivan and create some amazing memories quite literally in your very own back seat! As you turn minivan into camper, let me know what worked for you or if you have any other ideas for creating the perfect conversion minivan!
the kids and i in rocky mountain national park on our minivan camping trip
***Remember, you do not need all of these items and you can always purchase second hand or a cheaper model of what I have listed. This should not break the bank! The goal is to be able to use your Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odessey Dodge Grand Caravan, Kia Sedona Minivan or whatever van you have day to day and also camp at night!
These 15 essentials for a no build minivan camper not only simplify your travels but also enhance your overall campervan experience. From cozy bedding to versatile storage solutions, these items are your ticket to comfortable and hassle-free adventures on the open road.
exploring acadia national park on our 4 month minivan camper trip
So, pack your gear, hit the highway, and embrace the freedom of van life with confidence, knowing you have everything you need for a memorable journey. Bon voyage, fellow nomads, and may your minivan adventures be filled with endless excitement and cherished memories!
Before you head out to start your van conversion, check out my guide to How to Easily turn your Minivan into a Camper and Tips for Road Tripping as a Solo Mom.
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