“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir
Regardless of your preference, you want your camping experience to be comfortable and enjoyable.
For this article, let’s look at a converted van; not the Class-B type van with all the amenities of home, but a converted cargo van. This type camper gets you off the hard and sometimes wet ground and out of a tent and into a comfortable bed that can keep you dry in inclement weather but with few other amenities.
I started camping with my family when my kids were small. We camped in a tent and enjoyed it, but as the kids grew and left home for college then marriage and their own families, I still wanted to camp but not in a tent. I tried the motor homes and being a solo camper, found they weren’t for me. I then settled on a cargo van and converted it to a camper. This affords me a comfortable bed, a small table for when the weather is inclement, a house battery to power my small fridge and to charge my batteries for my camera, phone and laptop. Since 99% of my camping is off-grid boondocking, I do appreciate having some power.
So regardless if you’re in a tent or in a converted van, the needed essentials are basically the same.
I have a small camp stove that works on propane or butane. I carry both type cannisters with me. I prefer butane but if you do a lot of cooking, it gets to be more expensive and seems to burn much faster than propane.
You may prefer cooking over a campfire and that’s fine, but it’s not always legal to have a campfire when boondocking. And then you have to carry firewood. I boondock primarily in the desert or National Forests and it’s not always legal to have a campfire and it’s illegal some places to gather wood. I find a stove is much more convenient.
Traveling and camping in a van has taught me to become a minimalist, therefore, my cooking gear is light and few. I carry a teapot for heating water, one pot for cooking and a skillet as well as other small items that are necessary when cooking. Items such as flatware, measuring cup, spatula, knives, cutting board, a plate, bowl and zip lock bags for storage and other small items that you may prefer.
I mentioned I have a house battery in my van to power my fridge. It’s a dometic refrigerator that works on DC and AC. While traveling to a destination, my van battery will keep my house battery charged. When boondocking for several days, I use my portable solar panels to keep my house battery charged. With a small fridge, I have no worries about my food spoiling or trying to find ice in the desert or forests. Even with this small fridge, I can carry enough food for a couple of weeks while camping off-grid.
When I’m boondocking in the desert or forests, it can be very dark. No light pollution for me when I go camping. In this regard, it’s wise to carry a good lantern. If I do have a campfire, it will provide enough light along with the lights inside my van, powered by my house battery. If I’m not in an area where a campfire is allowed or feasible, I have a lantern to augment my inside lights if I’m cooking in the dark or washing dishes, etc.
Whatever type of camping you choose, I wish you well and hope you have as good a time out in nature as I do.
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Until next time…
