51 Van Life Gifts for Someone Who Lives on the Road

1. Collapsible Bottle

Space-saving is an everyday objective for van lifers who live on the road. That being said, there’s a lot of wasted space in carrying empty water bottles that will need to be refilled again and again. The foldable Vapur Water Bottle is genius! They have various colours and sizes available; 0.5 litre or 1 litre.

2. Camping Slippers

Camping slippers are almost essential for him or her. This would especially be the case if the van isn’t carpeted as the hard flooring can be very chilly and off-putting in the mornings. Rab is a very reputable brand, but iBlueLover offers a cheaper alternative on Amazon.

3. Portable Fire Pit

Encourage responsible camping with this easily foldable fire pit. This van life gift is, by all means, not an essential but as a present, it’s perfect! It’s suitable for solo van lifers, couples or families. You could even include a pack of marshmallows or two!

4. Bamboo Toothbrushes

As they’re 100% organic AND biodegradable, this set of Bamboo Toothbrushes is perfect for the eco-conscious. With the bamboo case, they’re also easy, clean and neat to store for travelling. This is a pack of 4 brushes with a spool of charcoal mint dental floss.

5. The Boot Buddy

The Boot Buddy is a highly efficient boot and shoe cleaner. After all, nobody wants to bring any dirt from the outdoors into their van. This is particularly handy for van lifers who do not have a large supply of water. The tool is also capable of cleaning bikes, wheelchairs and prams.

6. Buff

Honestly, I’d be surprised if any outdoor enthusiast doesn’t already have a Buff! But… You can never have too many with the hundreds of colours, patterns and thicknesses that they have available for purchase.

7. Collapsible Food Containers

Maximise storage space in any kitchen cupboard with a selection of collapsible containers. They also make great lunch or picnic boxes to save some space in backpacks too.

8. Beeswax Honeycomb Food Wraps

With 100% natural ingredients, beeswax wraps are the perfect gift for van lifers living an organic or vegan lifestyle. As they are stored flat, they will certainly not become a pain in any kitchen cupboard or drawer. Very handy!

9. Travel Journal

Moleskine’s Travel Journal has been specifically designed to accommodate the scribbles, stories and notes of travellers who enjoy documenting their adventures.

10. Sun Visor Mirror

Sun visors can be utilised as a place to apply make-up with a universal vanity make-up mirror. This would be particularly handy for van lifers with smaller campervans that don’t have bathrooms or wall space for any kind of mirror.

11. Tech Accessory Organiser

With so many electronic devices to charge, tech accessory organisers make cable management much simpler and tidier.

12. Humidifier

USB humidifiers are small in size, lightweight, ultra-quiet, simple to recharge and fit neatly within car or van cup holders.

13. Waterproof Playing Cards

Save a van lifer the heartache of soggy playing cards after a spillage, some rainfall or an evening’s worth of sticky-bottom drinks. These waterproof playing cards can be washed under the tap so they’re perfect for taking to the beach, the bar, playing outside the van or keeping inside a camping backpack.

14. Nalgene

Believe me when I say that these are ‘virtually indestructible’ as I’ve personally tried to run my Nalgene over with a car! This durable water bottle is leakproof, produces no weird taste and is very easy to clean. It’s a staple item for every adventurer’s backpack (or van).

15. Portable Blender

It’s amazing what we can use on the go these days! This USB-rechargeable blender can provide up to 10-15 cups after 2-3 hours of charge. It also wouldn’t take up too much space in any cupboard; it’s about the size of an average sports bottle.

16. Inflatable Lounger

The inflatable lounger can be inflated in seconds without the need for an air pump. They are also sold with a compression bag with straps, thus making them very convenient for van lifers to store.

17. Scrubba Wash Bag

The Scrubba Wash Pack has multiple uses, with the main one being to wash clothes. The inside is textured like a washboard and the top closes to trap water for clothes to be swirled around by hand. This is the most expensive version as it includes straps for the bag to also be used as a dry backpack for outdoor activities.

18. Packing Cubes

Even if the van lifer already has a set, in my opinion, you can never have too many packing cubes. There is always a use for more, especially if they include the compression zipper too. However, variations without the compression zipper are much cheaper.

19. Polaroid Camera

Instantly capture and display memories with an Instax Mini 11 Camera. There are many campervans cutely decorated with walls of previously printed polaroid memories. They are a great way to mark a moment and remember the best times during van life.

20. Apple AirTag

Apple AirTags help keep track of the items that matter most. Whether it be a backpack, a pet, keys, or the device can even be hidden inside any van as an additional security precaution. This gift would suit van lifers with iPhones (which are compatible with AirTags), as opposed to Samsungs or Google phones.

21. Swiss Army Knife

With twelve (or more) functions, a Swiss Army Knife comes in handy to any host who is in need of a bottle opened, the outdoor enthusiasts, fishermen or those who don’t happen to have any kind of tool for any job.

22. Towelling Changing Robe

Changing Robes allow watersport enthusiasts to change in and out of their wetsuit or swimsuit with ease and privacy wherever they are. They are great for both adults and children.

23. Yeti Wine Tumbler

Are you buying for a wine lover? The Yeti Wine Tumbler is the perfect companion for the more adventurous happy hours or wind-downs at sunset.

24. Hammock

Finding the perfect park-up could become even more perfect with a hammock to enjoy the new view of the outdoors. Covacure’s Hammock is a favourite of mine in particular, as the extra netting helps to guard those laying inside against the Scottish midges or any mosquitos.

25. Crackling Candle

The Woodwick Crackling Candle is the winter alternative to a portable fire pit. Most van lifers may not have a stove included in their setup, but this candle with a crackling wick will give the impression and ambience that they do.

26. Roadside Emergency Kit

A Roadside Emergency Kit may not be the most exciting present to open up on any occasion, but it may be the item any van lifer was hoping to buy but was procrastinating spending money on it themselves. It’s particularly handy for those looking to drive through Europe in the near future.

27. Binoculars

From the mountain wildlife to the sea life and boats, planes and buildings that van lifers are bound to find themselves squinting to identify; most van lifers will wonder how they lived without a pair of binoculars once they’ve had them stored on their dash for a week or two.

29. Kindle eReader

Van lifers tend to be too conscious of weight to carry a library of books. Therefore, Kindle eReaders are the perfect gift to enable them to keep as many books as they can possibly read whilst only carrying an extra 150-200g.

30. Personal Water Filter

LifeStraw® protects against 99.999% of bacteria, parasites, micro-plastics, silt, sand and cloudiness. Therefore, it doesn’t matter where the campervan ends up, the driver will never be short of some clean and harmless H2O.

31. Puffy Blanket

Puffy blankets are water and odour-resistant, plus light and packable, which makes them the ultimate outdoor blanket for van lifers. They are perfect for beach go-ers, bothy sleepovers, a snuggle around the campfire or simply to keep warm inside a cold campervan.

32. Camping Stove

This compact and lightweight setup is perfect for any grab-and-go adventure. The Highlander Blade Fastboil packs down into one pot and self-ignites, so there’s no worry in remembering to take a working lighter.

33. Portable Folding Chair

Personally, I was pleasantly surprised at the compatibility of Vango’s Micro Tall Chair. It’s smaller than half the size of a standard folding chair. Plus, it’s relatively easy to assemble and disassemble.

34. Aeropress

This is the perfect gift for any van lifer whose day cannot begin until they have their cup of coffee. The Aeropress Go uses pressure instead of electricity to brew a coffee in a matter of minutes.

35. Mini Midge Protector

The Thermacell Halo Mini Midge and Mosquito Protector is cordless, portable, odourless and produces no messy spray or oily lotion. This is a must-buy for anyone who is planning a trip to any remote part of Scotland.

36. Spare Tyre Trash Bag

This gift idea is particularly for overlanders with a spare wheel on the back of their vehicle. All-Top Spare Tyre Trash Bag is basically an outdoor vehicle backpack to store waste, as opposed to having it kept inside. It also doubles up as a gear bag.

37. Omnia Stovetop Oven

The lack of an oven is one of the bigger disadvantages of living a life in a tiny home on wheels. The Omnia Stove Top Oven is a game-changer; it’s a compact “oven” that works with any gas hob. They’ve become very popular amongst the van life community. Just note, that they cannot be used on induction hobs.

38. Flameless Lighter

Spare any van lifer the helpless moment of running out of matches or lighter fluid with a water and windproof USB-rechargeable flameless lighter. This gift idea may be particularly exciting for anyone who is interested in cool gadgets.

39. Tyre Inflator

Whether the tyre inflator is left at home or stored in the van in case of emergencies, a tyre inflator is always going to be handy. Personally, I’ve had great experiences with this model as it’s portable, has a carry case and also suits bicycles, footballs and inflatables.

40. Solar String Lights

Pretty, practical and portable. As they are 100% solar-powered, this 18-foot string of lights provides up to 20 hours of light on a single charge. Luci Solar String Lights have enough power to be your ‘sun on a string’ and set the perfect romantic van life ambience.

43. Portable Projector

Give the gift of entertainment for any van dweller’s rainy days; Viewsonic’s Mini Projector will turn any van into a mini movie theatre. This gift would be great if paired with a Netflix voucher too!

44. Drone

The DJI Mini 2 is the smallest of the most reputable brand for drones. Weighing less than 249g, this addition to any tech bag will transform how memories are captured without the worry of much additional weight in the van.

45. Mobile Router

In my opinion (and many other van lifers’), there is only one real answer to a decent internet connection in campervans. The Netgear Nighthawk is the crème de la crème, but it can be a pricey investment. Gift this item to any van dweller who is struggling with the internet. It will make their day!

46. Insta360 One RS

The Insta360 One R is the only action camera that can take both 360-degree and wide-angle action shots (albeit with a lens swap). This double-capability makes the camera a perfect companion for any level of outrageous adventure.

47. Stand-Up Paddle Board

Stand-Up Paddle Boards travel hand-in-hand with campervans, especially if you are passing the beautiful beaches and lochs of Scotland’s North Coast 500. They’ve become so popular within the community, that you’ll be feeling left out if you didn’t bring your own.

48. Folding eBike

Some places are simply inaccessible with a van, camper or motorhome. Having an eBike folded up in the garage of a van increases the number of adventures that can be had from a park-up. Instead of looking at points of interest within walking distance, a larger proximity of land suddenly becomes available.

49. Jump Starter

It can be problematic having to rely on others to help jump-start your vehicle, especially in other countries or remote locations. The NOCO Boost 12V Jump Starter solves exactly this problem. It’s the perfect gift to save anyone from a sticky situation!

50. Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

Shark’s Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is ideal and nimble enough for quick clean-ups in awkward and small spaces. Although keep in mind, that this van life gift is only suitable for those with an electrical system capable of charging 240-volt appliances.

51. Amazon Gift Card

Give a van lifer the gift of choice with an Amazon Gift Card. eGift vouchers are great to gift to any van lifer who you will be unable to see in person or is without any address, as they are sent via email. However, physical gift cards are also available.

The alternative van life gift to any of the above is a consumable like alcohol, coffee or food. That way, there will be no concern as to where the item will be stored long-term as it will surely be consumed within a matter of days or weeks.

We hope that this Van Life Gifts Guide has aided your search and impressed the van lifer you know and love. If any fellow van lifers happen to have made their way to the bottom of this blog post, please feel free to add something to the wish list in the comments below. The more-suited and mindful our gift-giving is, the less waste we inevitably create in this beautiful world of ours.