Last Updated on April 30, 2024 by Nikole

Hello, Nikole and Clark here! About a year ago we purchased our first small campervan. After traveling to Arizona and Hawaii we figured there was a cheaper way to travel aside from hotel and airfare.

We were super excited to start our new life on the road and explore new things! However, this new life of ours came with some learning curves.

We’ve had moments where we forgot the lighter to light a fire, forgot water jugs and had to conserve what little water we had, and unknowingly drove through someone’s back yard (more of that story later on). So let us show you how to live the full campervan experience without all the frustrations.

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Organization

Organization should be first and foremost your priority when thinking about campervan hacks. Yes this is a hack because most people (like us) are unsure of how to keep everything organized. You will easily lose your mind without organizational skills… I know this from experience.

1. Bins During our first trip, we packed and unpacked our Ford Transit Connect at least 5 times trying to find things. Since then we have invested in packing cubes and bins. This has made all the difference and saved us time and hassle. I would even go so far as putting bins, inside of bins, inside of bins.

2. Labels Oh, and don’t forget the labels! Especially if you have similar bins for everything. Clear bins are a great option too because you can see everything inside of it instead of digging through it all.

3. Order One of the most frustrating things for me is digging through a fully packed campervan just to find one necessary item, and then having to put it all back. Packing your van requires alot of thought and time.

So when you are getting ready for a trip don’t rush the packing process. Instead, think of things you may need during the traveling part of your journey and put them in easily accessible areas of the van.

We like to put our easily accessible items in the overhead storage above the driver and passenger seats of our campervan.

Read more about Necessary Accessories for Small Camper Vans and get more organizational ideas.

Utilize space

There are a limited amount of spaces in a small campervan, so it’s important to use up any space you possibly can within your motorhome.

Click here for more tips and tricks on organizing your camper van space.

1. 1.Roof Top Carrier We use the roof rack for storing our 12×12 shelter and our paddleboards. If you don’t carry those, you could use a rooftop carrier for your bulky items such as chairs, tents, or tables. Keep in mind these are just our recomendations.
3. Wherever you think specific items are easier to access is where they should go.

2. Hitch Mount Carrier we own a hitch-mount bike rack for our mountain bikes, and it looks similar to this one. It works fairly well, and I will be doing a review on this later, as it is the easiest bike rack we have owned so far.

If you don’t fancy bike riding you can also purchase a hitch-mount rack for more storage out of the back of your campervan.

So far we haven’t needed more storage space, we have been able to successfully store most things within the van and some items on top.

Living Outside the Van

Living in a small camper van is quite a bit different than living in a big campervan with a lot of living space. We have a van that is too small for a kitchen or a bathroom, so those things need to be done outside.

In fact, if you want a small camper van, most of your living will be done outside. The only thing done inside would be sleeping, and in our case watching some tv.

We purchased a 12 x 12 Ozark canopy from Walmart that will protect us from the rain when we are cooking.

On our first trip, it was a hassle trying to find an area for cooking when the rain wouldn’t let up for several hours. We ended up under a tent the camp owners set up for woodcutting. Nothing like some wood shavings to flavor your food!

Good Hygiene

Like I said our small campervan is too small for anything other than storage and a bed. This is possibly one of my favorite small campervan hacks because it takes a little bit of thinking and figuring out.

1. 1. Showers For taking showers we use a small fort-like canopy (like the one pictured above) and a portable shower head. If you don’t like freezing cold water you could try leaving the water in the sun or even heating some up in a pot and adding it to some of the cold water. (make sure you test the water so you don’t burn yourself.

If you don’t have the means for a shower in your campervan there are plenty of other options. You can learn more about showering on the road here.

2. Toilets As for a toilet, well, so far we have mainly been camping on campgrounds because we don’t have a portable toilet option just yet. I typically use the go girl cup for the middle of the night peeing.

We do have something similar to the picture below for free camping. But we mainly camp at campgrounds, so we rarely use this item. If you need to find the perfect toilet read our post about pottying on the go.

Have a Plan and a System

The first night we went camping with our van, we had no clue what we were doing. Should we eat first? Set up the fire? or just go to sleep? We kept taking stuff in and out of the van constantly. It felt like all we were doing was looking around for things and reloading and unloading the van.

1. 1. Have a System It’s great to have a system and a plan of who does what the moment you get to your campsite. for example, when we get to our site I will start the cooking while he sets up the hammocks. Or I’ll wash the dishes while he puts up the leftover food.

2. Communication Communicating will help everything flow much smoother, and you will both get to eat faster. Hopefully, this will help you avoid the hangry stages of the evening.

Follow us on Facebook and see where we take our van next.

Ease of Mind/ Emergencies

Breaking down happens to just about everyone, it’s unavoidable. There are however some campervan hacks that will ease your mind during your trips, just in case you do break down.

It’s always great to have a small emergency bin. Having a Jump Starter kit, a spare tire, and AAA will help ease your mind on the road. We usually use Youtube as our mechanic, but that’s not always the best idea. We don’t always have the right tools for the job. Using AAA will help you get out of a tight spot when you are in trouble.

Dealing with Dead Spots

Before we even got a small camper van we would travel to Michigan from North Carolina. We ran into several areas that didn’t have any reception. We would always lose reception for several hours and have to keep the maps up, otherwise, we would lose the route. and we did lose the route and ended up traveling an hour more than we needed.

Now Google maps have it to where you can download the map so you never lose your way.

Where to Park Your Camper Van

Our first attempt at free camping was after we went to purchase our van. The plan was to pick the van up in Charleston South Carolina and free camp in a national forest on the way back. It wasn’t what we expected. I’m not sure how but after an hour of driving on a gravel road to nowhere we found ourselves in the back yard of an old lady’s house with her little chihuahuas chasing our van to the street.

Traveling without knowing where you are going to sleep can be interesting at times. You can’t just park on the side of the road and hope for the best, you may be parking illegally. It’s a great idea to do some research before you set out on your road trip. Check out my post about a “Beginner’s Guide to Free Camping“.

We have stayed at many campgrounds, and we love the amenities. The only problem is some of them are booked up and won’t accept last-second reservations. There are Some apps that may help you find a place to stay which include The Dyrt (paid app) and also Park4night (free app).

Eat Before you are Hangry

We always travel with a cooler full of snacks and food. Stock up on the snacks, even if you think you will be fine because odds are you WILL get hangry. Being hangry on the road can lead to fights with your partner, missed turns, and lousy trips. Take this small campervan hack as a top priority.

Sometimes we will be out in the middle of nowhere for a very long time without a snack, then when we find a place to park we have to spend time cooking while we are already hangry. That’s just asking for a bad mood and a bad time.

Don’t Always Eat out

Eating out can be fairly pricey and unhealthy. We usually keep eating out to the minimum. Both of us have extremely sensitive stomachs, and if we want a pleasant trip that’s not spent constantly in the bathroom, then we have to watch our diet.

We enjoy our trips much better when we are eating healthier. We try our best to eat as little meat as possible (we still eat some, just not as much as your average person), and using Happy Cow helps us find nearby restaurants with healthy vegan options.

Pay Attention to the Weather

This is probably one of the biggest small campervan hacks I would like to point out because the rain has ruined our travels on many occasions.

It is extremely hard to prepare for a trip around weather because the weather has a mind of its own. All I can say is go prepared. I’m talking ponchos, rain jackets, rain boots, umbrellas, awnings or canopies for your van, and maybe some rain shields for the windows. All of these have been super helpful to us when trying to beat the weather.

Hotel Stays

I’m just throwing this out there, take this campervan hack or leave it! Sometimes when you find yourself on a long road trip staying at a hotel can help you get yourself together. Pots get dirty, showers get scarce, and things start to smell.

You can wash your dishes, do your laundry, and take a shower all in one place. Plus who doesn’t like that tad bit of luxury in their lives?

You can find some great deals on fairly decent hotels at either Hotelopia or at Booking.com.

Bedding and Comfort for your Small Van Hacks

Sometimes all it takes to feel at home is some comfortable bedding. Whether you have a murphy bed or a slat bed, you can always find a way to make things look more homie.

Believe me when I say, sometimes you will get homesick when you are on the road for long periods of time. Having a comfy living space can help alleviate that a bit.