Shopping for a thoughtful gift for that special van lifer can be challenging, especially if you don’t live the van life yourself. After living and traveling full-time in our van for the past year, we’ve compiled 51 van life gifts with budgets ranging from $5-$1,000+. We’ve organized this list of van life gifts by category, from kitchen to outdoor hangout items and everything in between.
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Van Life Kitchen Gift Ideas
Making delicious food and drinks in a tiny space can be challenging, but with the right equipment, it’s made a lot easier. We’ve compiled five of our favorite kitchen gadgets that make preparing, cooking, and enjoying meals in van life more enjoyable. These van life gift ideas are sure to be a hit.
AeroPress Coffee Maker
Making a good cup of coffee first thing in the morning is pretty much a requirement for any van lifter. We’ve been using an Aeropress Coffee Maker for over 10 years, so we knew it would come with us in the van. Depending on the van lifter in your life, you may opt for the AeroPress Clear XL, which is ideal for two people, or the AeroPress Go Travel, a smaller setup perfect for backpacking or tight living spaces.
Price $50-$90
Insulated Drink Ware
Since van lifers are always power conscious, having a few types of insulated cups for beverages during the day helps keep drinks cold or hot which helps without the need for power extra power We love these insulated 12 oz coffee cups for our coffee and tea in the morning because they fits inside a cup holder and keep our drinks hots for hours, which is perfect for early morning drives. We also have a hot thermos with a cup attachment, which we take on cold hikes and backpacking. Lastly, this 24 oz Owala water bottle keeps drinks cold and offers both straw and sip options, making it perfect for use on the trail or in the van.
Price $25-$55
Omnia Oven
The Omnia Oven is a great gift for any van lifer who uses a gas stove but no oven. The Omnia Oven can be used like a typical oven to bake, cook, and heat food. They also have a few accessories for $30 each, including a muffin ring, thermometer, and a perforated baking tray, which expands cooking options in a van. It’s the perfect gift for the van lifer with a gas stove.
Price $30-$170
Collapsible Kitchen Equipment
Since storage space is limited in a van, each inch counts. Collapsible kitchen equipment helps maximize storage space by collapsing, allowing each item to take up less room. Three of our favorite collapsible kitchen equipment are this Tea Kettle, Measuring Cups, and a Colander. We also love this cutting board, knife, and storage set since it can be used inside van or taken camping around a campfire.
Price $30-117
Van Life Outdoor Hangout Gift Ideas
One of the best aspects of van life is being able to spend time outside the van and enjoy the surrounding scenery. We’ve compiled a list of practical gear and accessories to expand the living space in a van and elevate van life to the next level. After having used and enjoyed many of these gifts ourselves, we’re confident the van lifer in your life will also thoroughly enjoy these gifts.
Camp Chairs
Camp chairs are the first, and maybe most important, item to have to enjoy the space outside the van. When we initially started van life, we didn’t have camp chairs for almost three months, but once we got them, they seriously changed the game of van life. We love these REI Flexlite Air chairs because they’re lightweight enough to be multipurpose when taking them backpacking. They also collapse down to a small size, but any lightweight camp chair will suffice. If your van lifer doesn’t have camp chairs, they’re a definite must!
Price $100
Eno Hammock
When traveling in heavily wooded areas, one of our favorite things to do is put up our hammock! This travel hammock with straps can be easily attached to two trees for a great hangout spot. The hammock is lightweight, collapses to a compact size, and can be easily taken on hikes. We’ve had our hammock for ten years and still love it today.
Price $55
Thermacell
This little device is a saving grace when it comes to mosquitoes. We used our Theramcell in South Florida when visiting the Everglades National Park and all the way in Alaska because the mosquitoes were ravenous. The Thermacell is battery-operated and has refillable cartridges to repel mosquitoes, making it a must for anyone in a van who wants to enjoy the outdoors and not be eaten by mosquitoes.
Price $20
Sand-Free Mat
If your van life friend is heading to the beaches in Florida or Baja this winter to escape the cold, then a sand-free mat is a must! This mat is perfect for setting up outside their van on the beach to trap and prevent sand from entering their van. Not only will it make their outdoor space feel cozy, but it will also help keep their van interior clean. They’ll be thanking you for this thoughtful gift for years to come!
Price $115
Collapsible Outdoor Table
This small, collapsible table is the perfect addition to any van’s outdoor space. The table provides space to set down drinks or food, play games, or set up a projector. This outdoor table is a small item that goes a long way in elevating the van’s outdoor space.
Price $90
Moonshade
This collapsible shade gives the van lifter in your life an extra 63 sq ft or 108 sq ft of outdoor shaded space. The MoonShade is suitable for not just vans, but also trucks, SUVs, and Campers since it attaches to the vehicle with suction cups. MoonShade comes in two sizes: the OG, which is a 7 x 9, which we have, or the XL, which is a 9 x 12, depending on how much shade you’re looking for. It’s a great van life gift idea for van lifers who don’t have a permanent awning and enjoy spending time outside their van.
Price $525-750
Solar String Lights
These 18’ solar string lights are perfect for making the exterior or interior of a van more cozy and fun. We love that these lights are compact, shatterproof, water-resistant, and powered by either solar or USB ports. The lights can be multi-colored or soft white. They’re such a fun way to elevate van life!
Price $55
Portable Projector
This is the portable projector we have in our van. It’s a bit big, but it creates a beautiful picture and can auto-adjust to the wall space we’re projecting onto to provide a level picture. For the van lifer who loves compact equipment, this Nebula portable projector would be great. One of our favorite memories from van life was spending time with friends and playing Mario Party on our projector in Utah. A project is great for cozy movie nights in the van or fun activities outside the van!
Price $500
Cozy Van Life Gift Ideas
As the seasons change, van life can easily go from fun in the sun to cold and uncomfortable. We’ve compiled a few van life gift items that would make any van lifer warm and cozy in their tiny home. These gift ideas are sure to make them appreciate your thoughtful gift for years to come.
Warm Blankets
Depending upon how the person’s van is set up for heating, a warm blanket really goes a long way. We have a Pendleton Wool Blanket and absolutely love it! It is made in the USA and is a 100% wool blanket, making it super warm. Pendleton is known for their quality and durability.
Price $300-500
Another great option for van life blankets is the original Rumpl Puffy Blanket or the Rumpl Down Blanket. Rumpl makes great blankets for inside the van, around a campfire, or for an early morning sunrise hike.
Price $100
Lastly, this 12V heated blanket is a great option for any van lifer who tends to be cold. The 12V is low power, so it allows the van lifer to use it at night without running their alternator and draining their battery.
Price $250
Slippers
When we were first moving into our van, one of my must-have items was my slippers. Since we don’t have heated floors in our van, I have worn my slippers countless cold mornings to keep my feet toasty warm. We highly recommend getting the van lifer in your life a pair of warm slippers like these Men’s Teva Slippers or Jen’s favorite L.L.Bean Slippers.
Portable Heater
This liquid propane portable heater radiates 4,000 to 9,000 BTU per hr, making the interior of a van super cozy. The Mr. Heater is small enough, but mighty enough to make a difference in interior van comfort. It’s a great option for any van lifer who doesn’t have heat in their van and is sure to make them warm and cozy!
Price $125
Van Accessories
There are a few van accessories that are more premium, but are totally worth it in our opinion. They really elevate the living space in a van and make it so much more comfortable. We’re confident, getting these van accessories as a gift would bring a large smile to your vanlifer’s face.
High Quality Bug Screens
One of the best parts of van life is being able to open your sliding door and back doors to take in the views. We’ve loved having these high-quality bug screens to prevent bugs from entering our van, which is a lifesaver for our sanity. Our rear door bug nets cover our garage, which we love, so people can’t see our messy garage. We also love our side door bug net because it’s magnetic, which means our dog can easily go in and out.
Price $370-600
High Quality Window Covers
These high-quality window covers are magnetic to windows, super tight to provide blackout darkness, and provide insulation. We considered making our own window covers during our van build, but are glad we didn’t because these Mercedes window covers fit perfectly with our windows and saved us a headache making them ourselves. They’re easily our favorite “van accessory!” If the van life person is in the middle of their van build, or has made their own window covers and isn’t quite satisfied with them, getting these window covers would be a wonderful gift!
Price $1,200 for a full set of 8 window covers
Van Life Safety and Emergency Gear
Whether your van lifer is living a less conventional life on the road or just enjoys taking smaller adventures in their van, there are certain safety and emergency gear that can come in handy if a situation arises. We’ve included a variety of gear, ranging from general safety equipment to emergency gear, tailored to their level of adventure.
Car Battery Starter
This Portable Jump Box with a Power Bank & Jumper Cables is great for any van lifer who plans on driving in remote areas. It’s a great safety tool to have in case they’re in the middle of nowhere. This portable jump box will give their dead battery a boost so they can continue on their adventure.
Price $100
Tire Plug Kit
This flat tire repair kit includes 30 plugs to easily repair your flat tire until you can safely replace your tire. We carried this kit with us throughout Alaska and Canada’s remote roads and were glad we had it when we saw other RVs and vans pulled over on the side of the road fixing their flat tires. It’s a small piece of gear that goes a long way to give a big piece of mind.
Price $16
Tire Deflator
Part of the fun in van life is going off-roading to explore, but nobody loves the constant shakes in a van while traveling down a bumpy road. This compact tire deflator is great when we want to deflate our tires for a more comfortable ride. Also, ensure you have a way to inflate your tires afterward, such as an air compressor mentioned below.
Price $22
Air Compressor
An air compressor can be a valuable safety tool when changing a flat tire or simply for added comfort when refilling tires after a bumpy road. We used this air compressor more times than we expected in our first 6 months on the road, including when driving up to Cathedral Valley to visit the iconic Temple of the Sun and Moon in Utah, on McCarthy Road in Alaska, and traveling to the Arctic Circle in Canada. We deflated our tires on the long dirt roads filled with washboards and potholes to provide a smoother and more comfortable ride. The air compressor was crucial to filling our tires after we returned to the paved road.
Price $90
Recovery Boards
These Recovery Traction Boards are great for any van lifer who loves to go off-roading. They’re a piece of safety gear in case the van lifer in your life gets stuck in sand or dirt to help give extra traction to lift the vehicle out of the soft area. We would recommend this gift for anyone who loves driving on the beach, going off-roading in sand or soft dirt, or taking the road less traveled.
Price $150
Collapsable Shovel
When preparing for our winter in Baja, Mexico, we bought this collapsible shovel. Gerber products are made in Portland, Oregon, where they produce high-quality, handcrafted knives, tools, and equipment. A shovel can be extremely convenient if trapped in snow or needing to dig out tires when off-roading.
Price $85
Snow Chains
If the van lifer in your life is planning on visiting cold environments with snow during winter, help them be prepared with snow chains for their tires! These chains can be easily attached to the tires, giving additional traction on icy roads. They’re a small piece of gear that provides a big piece of mind.
Price $107
Dash Cam
Nothing is worse than getting into an accident while living in a van, especially if it’s your full-time home. Adding a Dash Cam to your dash and rear can give your van life person peace of mind. It’s a small camera that can connect to your phone and record all throughout the day and night to give your van lifer peace of mind.
Price $120
Housekeeping
We’ve compiled a list of housekeeping items that help make van life easier, from recycling to washing clothes to staying comfortable in the van. This list includes some of our most used vanlife items to items that are also on our very own van life gift wishlist.
Plastic Free Cleaning Supplies
When traveling in the van, we’ve found it challenging to maintain our usual environmental practices. We try to reduce our plastic consumption, so using non-toxic cleaning supplies and laundry detergent in biodegradable packaging is a great choice. We have been using the Clean Essentials Kit, Dish Soap Starter Set, and Laundry Essentials Kit for two years now. We love the scents and quality of each product, and the biodegradable packaging makes finding recycling facilities a non-issue, allowing us to keep our plastic consumption low.
Price $20-40
Scrubba Portable Wash Bag
Sometimes on the road, we’ve needed to wash a few items but aren’t quite ready for a trip to the laundry mat. That’s where the Scrubba Portable Wash Bag has come in handy! It allows us to quickly wash a few items without any electricity and minimal water. It’s great for the van lifer who needs to quickly wash some clothes on the go.
Price $60
Rechargeable Hand-Held Vacuum
A van can get dirty quite quickly, but it can also get clean really easily. I vacuum our tiny space about 3x a day and absolutely love our compact car vacuum. It’s a non-negotiable before we jump in bed to vacuum so we can wake up with clean floors. If we were to do it again, we might upgrade to a heavier-duty vacuum to help against all the pet hair, but both get the job done!
Price $50-415
Portable Shower
Does the vanlifer in your life have a shower in their van, or have they been roughing it? If they don’t have a built-in shower, consider gifting them a portable shower. The RinseKit: 3.5 Gallon Portable Shower is a great all-in-one portable shower. It’s 12V, so low power for most vans, RVs, and SUVs. It has a 3.5-gallon capacity with 5 spray settings, making it a great option for vanlifers who want to enjoy the luxuries of an outdoor shower. A second, and more budget-friendly, portable shower option is the Sea to Summit Pocket Shower. This 10L (2.6-gallon) black bag can be set out in the sun to heat up and features a simple twist design to turn off and on the water flow. It’s a great, low-cost option for van life showers.
Price $50-$300
Portable Power Station
This Anker Portable Power Station would make a great gift for any vanlifer who doesn’t have a large electrical system (an inverter with 120V power). This battery has 3,000 battery cycles over a 10-year lifespan, ensuring it will be a product they can rely on. It has 6 wall outlets and 4 USB chargers that will surely fill their needs for power.
Price $500
Guzzle H20 Water Filter
Our Guzzle H2O filter is easily one of our favorite build accessories. We have the Stealth Carbon Built-In Water Filtration System built into our plumbing system. If the vanlifer in your life is open to van projects, we highly recommend this filter! It makes our water taste great and can give us peace of mind that we’re drinking clean, filtered water no matter where we fill up.
Price $215
Another option, albeit an expensive option, is the Overland Bundle, which allows your van lifter to fill up their fresh water tank from any stream, which is really cool! The Guzzle H2O Overland Bundle would be a great gift for any van lifer who plans to travel in really remote places or complete the Pan American Highway.
Price $1,098
Fans/Air Conditioning
Being hot in a van can be pretty uncomfortable and the least thing from a fun experience. One of the best ways to cool down a space is by moving their air with a fan. We love these battery-operated clip-on fans as an inexpensive way to cool down a van.
Price $15
A more expensive option is to gift a portable air conditioner. The EcoFlow WAVE 3 Portable Air Conditioner is a great option and would make a really cool gift for the van lifer in your life.
Price $800
Personal Gift Ideas for Van Life
If your vanlifer has a completely tricked-out van, here are a few van life gift ideas to elevate their personal everyday van life experience.
Kindle
This might just be our all-time favorite gift on this list. A Kindle e-reader is a must for anyone living in a small space who loves to read. Keeping physical books in such a small space is challenging to justify, but an e-reader is compact, can be easily read in the sun, and can be linked with your library card to access digital books through Libby and Hoopla.
Price $160
TheraGun Mini
There’s nothing quite like being sore after a long hike or backpacking trip and using our TheraGun to work out our muscles when we come back to the van! This portable massager helps to relieve sore muscles with three adjustable speeds. This travel-sized version features a travel lock to prevent accidental activation during transport. We’ve had our TheraGun for 3 years and love it. It would make a great gift for any vanlifer who loves to challenge themselves outside!
Price $220
Instant Camera
This instant camera makes the perfect gift for any vanlifer who loves to capture the moment. Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant is a compact camera that prints pictures instantly, allowing them to post photos around their van. This gift is sure to bring a smile to their face.
Price $90
Packing Cubes
Keeping clothes organized in a van can be challenging. We’ve loved using packing cubes to help us keep our wardrobes neat and tidy by organizing similar clothes in each packing cube. Packing cubes are lightweight and can be multipurpose when traveling outside of the van as well.
Price $50
Portable Speaker
A waterproof, portable Bluetooth speaker is one of those gifts that will surely make the van lifter in your life smile. We’ve had our portable speaker for over five years and love it. We use it both inside our van and also outside when we enjoy sundowners.
Price $45
Walkie Talkies
This may seem like a relic from the ’90s and early 2000s, but walkie-talkies are the perfect gift for any van lifer who enjoys traveling with friends. In remote areas where cell phone signals aren’t strong, walkie-talkies allow them to stay in contact with their van convoys. These walkie-talkies are more budget-friendly, as their range is approximately two miles; however, there are plenty of other models that support longer distances.
Price $18
Binoculars
Binoculars are a great option for any vanlifer who loves watching for wildlife. We usually use our long camera lens to view wildlife, but this would make a great gift option for those who are not photographers. Binoculars vary deeply in quality and price, so we have a low-budget binocular, a mid-budget binocular, and a high-budget binocular.
Price $35-700
Key Chain
This van life key chain is a small yet cute gift for the van lifter in your life. It’s small but a constant reminder of the thoughtfulness of your gift.
Price $5-10
Van Life Sticker
These van life stickers are the most affordable item on our list. They can be placed just about anywhere, from a water bottle to a laptop or on the van itself. It’s a great way to rep van life when out and about.
Price $5
Custom Map Wall Art
We’re a big fan of map wall art! We love maps and seeing a map of the United States, the National Parks, or another custom map wall art is a great way to spice up the interior of their van while also providing travel inspo. Living in a small space, there’s not a lot of wall space, which means each inch counts. Utilizing that precious space for something like a map strikes a balance between wall art and practical travel planning.
Price $18-85
Travel-Sized Games
Living in a small space doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy games. However, being mindful of the size of games is important. Some of our favorite vanlife-sized games include Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Phase 10, and Five Crowns.
Price $10-20
Best Gift Cards for Van Life
Gift cards are a great option when you don’t know exactly what your vanlifer will like, you want to prioritize gifting experiences over things, or just need a last-minute gift. You can gift state and national park passes to provide year-long access to their favorite parks, or memberships to overnight camping locations and emergency assistance. The options are just as thoughtful as any of the gifts mentioned above.
America the Beautiful pass
If your vanlifer loves visiting National Parks, getting them an annual National Parks pass will surely make them smile. The America the Beautiful pass is valid for one year and gets them into any National Park site for free. Once they sign their name to their pass, they will be required to present their ID to verify that it matches the name on their pass.
Price $80
REI Gift Card
A gift card to REI is always a hit with any one who loves the outdoors. They can choose what item best suits their needs on their own timeline. If your vanlifer is anything like us, then receiving an REI gift card always feels like a kid in a candy store.
Price varies
Harvest Hosts
Gifting a Harvest Hosts membership allows your vanlifer to stay at almost 10,000 unique host locations with no camping fees in return for supporting the local business. We love Harvest Hosts and the variety of unique hosts across the United States, from breweries to wineries to farms and attractions. It breaks up the average campground stay with unique locations that they’re sure to write home about next year.
Price $99-179, depending on the plan
Guided Tour or Activity
One of our favorite things to do when traveling is to take a local tour. From Pink Jeep tours in Utah to Rafting tours in Glacier National Park or Boston Freedom Trail History Tours, there are countless unique experiences around the world. We recommend a Get Your Guide Gift Card or Viator Gift Card so your vanlifer can pick the experience that most interests them.
Price varies
AAA
AAA is a roadside assistance company that can help your vanlifer if they ever need assistance from their car not starting to a dead battery. This would be a great gift for anyone who drives an older van and wants peace of mind while doing so. As an added bonus, AAA members also receive fuel savings when visiting participating gas stations.
Price $82
AllTrails+ Membership
If your vanlifer loves to hit the trails, then receiving an AllTrails+ membership would be a wonderful gift! AllTrails+ allows users to download trail maps to their phones (no cell phone service required on the trail), receive off-trail notifications, and access up-to-date condition reports. We love using AllTrails+ and consider it a must-have when hiking.
Price $35
Campervan HQ Gift Card
If your van lifer is currently building out their van or has some major renovations on the horizon, a gift card to Campervan HQ is a great option! We ordered several items from Campervan HQ during our van build and loved their customer service. This gift card will surly help them towards completing the van of their dreams.
Price $50+
State Park Annual Pass
Gifting a state park annual pass would be a great gift for any van lifer who tends to take more weekend or local trips. State Parks are less busy than most National Parks, making them more accessible, with sometimes just as incredible natural beauty.
Price varies by state
More Gift Guides
- Gift Ideas for Boaters
- Gift Guide for Hikers
- National Park Gift Guide (coming soon!)
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