NOTE: I travel all over this great country we call America in my converted cargo van, so I speak from experience.
Camping in this day and age isn't what it was just a few years ago. Sure, camping enthusiasts backpack into the wilds carrying all their gear on their backs and camp in tents. Some still go to paid campgrounds and camp in tents and some use tents on dispersed camping lands. However, there is a huge movement of van dwellers that want more comfort than sleeping on the ground. These are the campers I will be discussing in this article.
Most of these van dwellers opt for non-paying campgrounds as there are numerous places in this big country where one can park their van and camp and / or sleep for free.
Camp grounds today can be just as expensive as a good motel. There are plenty of apps that will direct you to great, free camping sites.
In this regard, you want to have a comfortable and safe space in which to sleep, cook and eat. Most of the van dwellers I come across are minimalists and carry only what they need and this applies to their kitchen as well. Setting up your kitchen is easy as long as you know what gear is most important.
STOVE
A portable stove is a must-have. There are many types and I've gone through a few over the years, but my favorite and the one I now use is called "Gas One."
There are 2 versions; one can use propane or butane. That's the one I use for this reason: You may be out camping and run short of fuel and not all stores will carry butane and not all stores will carry propane, but since the one I have uses either, I've never had an issue finding fuel when traveling. The other version only uses butane. and is about half the price of the one that uses either. These stoves are available on Amazon or Walmart to name a couple. You can choose to cook your meals over a campfire but that calls for longer cooking time and not all places you might want to camp allow open fires.
COOKING GEAR
The goal when packing for a camping trip is to pack light, again, think minimalism. Even in my van, I carry the bare minimum. I carry one skillet, 1 pot with lid and a tea pot for heating water for coffee and tea and to heat water for washing dishes. I also carry a spatula, a ladle, a couple of knives, cutting board, colander, measuring cup, food storage bags, garbage bags, a bowl, a plate, a cup, a glass, corkscrew and flatware.
REFRIGERATOR
I have a Dometic refrigerator that I purchased on Amazon for about $500.00 and it's well worth it. It has a small footprint, but can hold enough food and drink for me to last a week.
It operates on DC power and has settings just like your home fridge. When driving, I plug it into my DC power (cigarette lighter) and set it at 37 degrees and it will hold at that constant temperature. When I park for camping in the mountains or desert or the beach, or basically anywhere, I plug into my house battery. For those of you who aren't familiar with a house battery, it's an AGM, sealed, deep cycle battery designed for boats, motor homes and the like. When driving, my vehicle battery and alternator keep my house battery charged. When in the mountains, etc, I keep it charged with my solar panels. I've camped in the desert, the mountains and the beach for up to a week at a time with only my house battery and I've never had any issues and my fridge still maintains the 37 degrees.
LIGHTING
It gets really dark when off-grid in the mountains or desert, so lighting is necessary. Sometimes, if permitted, I will build a campfire and that provides a lot of light in total darkness.
Further, my house battery powers LED lights inside my van, so I never need more light, even when reading at night. I do carry a lantern in my van but rarely use it. It can get very dark in the forests and the desert and some beaches, so some sort of lighting is necessary.
Source: Most of the photos in this blog are provided courtesy of pixabay.com.
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