We recently spent a few days and nights living out of a van as we crewed for our friend Karen, and I’ll be honest, it was not our healthiest few days. We were extremely busy with helping her complete 900 kilometers of trail, and yes, we both ran and hiked a ton in addition to crewing, but I think it’s the lowest on vegetables I’ve ever been! If we were planning another van life camping/training/crewing adventure in the near future—we are, actually, as of this Saturday—there are a few things we would add to our packing lists.
RELATED: Our Camp/Van Food Box
Salad Spinner for Laundry
Cuts down on the amount of kit you need to bring, plus lets you rewear those favorite shorts. You can’t do big loads of laundry, obviously, but you can wash a couple of things at a time. Also great for washing underwear/bras. Not ideal for bigger clothings, but for athletic gear + underwear, it’s a fast way to clean and wring out clothing in a pinch.
Greens Powder
I’ve gotten away from a greens powder on a daily basis since we’ve been home more and more and I actually eat tons of veggies on a daily basis, but on this particularly busy trip, that wasn’t happening. I was starving, so when we get food brought to the van by people coming to help pace, it was often pizza. And we didn’t keep much in stock since we were focused on getting quick calories to Karen (and me—I wasn’t doing 100km days like her but I still put in solid 20-25 mile days!). So, bringing back my love of a good greens powder to hit the nutritional bases. I’ve always liked the Amazing Grass Green Superfood Organic Powder (and get it in Canada here).
RELATED: Long Drive Packing Strategies for Stuffed Cars and Vans
Protein Powder
Peter does love a tin of sardines—so does DW—but sometimes, that’s just not realistic or easy. So, having some protein powder on hand is essential. One we really like is Kaizen Naturals in vanilla or chocolate. (Get it in Canada too.) Super tasty on its own, and mixes in water really well. And we only get protein/supplements that are NSF certified, so we were stoked that this one has that designation. Good protein powder isn’t super cheap, but it’s worth the spend to know you’re getting third-party tested, decent ingredients… and it’s not that pricey at $30-40 for a big tub! Trying to stick to vegan options? I do like Vega’s Sport Protein as well, and it’s also NSF-certified. (Canadian link here.)
A Towel for Yoga
I also got away from my morning yoga routine thanks to 5AM wakeups after 1AM sleep time. But I could have done my yoga during the day if I’d been focused on it, and it’s something I don’t want to skip in the future. I just got two Turkish-style beach towels for Peter + DW + I and I’m obsessed with them for travel. They feel like cozy blankets, they’re super absorbent as towels, they make a cute wrap if it gets chilly and you’re going out to dinner or chilling by the fire, and they’re perfect for yoga on the grass. Mats are great but once they get wet from dew, they tend to be super slippery, so I actually prefer a towel for outside yoga. I just got this one and I love it. (Similar one in Canada here.)
Big-Ass Water Bottle
We had jugs of water and a couple of cycling water bottles (that were old and leaked if they fell over), but I really missed an easy-to-sip bottle that I could keep with me all day to check how much I was actually drinking. You can’t beat a simple Nalgene for that and I won’t forget mine next time. I love the 48 ounce one for having on me all day. Get it here (and in Canada here).
Other critical must haves for trips like this:
- Sweatpants that are both ultra-comfy but also won’t fall down or get wet if walking in wet grass. I had comfy ones with a tapered ankle, but they stretched on day 1 and I couldn’t wear them without constantly pulling them up.
- Comfy sleep clothes. I did have this until my big tshirt got lost in laundry at a host-house on day 2. I really, really missed it after a day in a sweaty sports bra!
- A laundry bag just for your stuff. If you will have access to laundry but not great access, I suggest a mesh bag that can actually just go directly into the wash with all of your stuff in it.
- Small electric kettle. We had a small propane stove, but the van actually had solar power / we were at campsites with power hookups, so if we were doing this again, I’d bring our electric kettle for ease of making tea, coffee, oatmeal, cups of noodles, et cetera. Propane stoves are fun to use, but not in a hurry!
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