Packing for a camper road trip was actually not an easy task, especially if you had never been on an extended camping drive before. Not being limited to a backpack, it seemed all too tempting to bring things along that were not really necessary. So figuring out which items were actually really needed and worth driving around through Europe, was the main challenge.
At last we probably brought more than we had to, but overall most of the items we used a lot during the entire road trip and we even had to buy a few that were missing. The things that were absolutely useless are displayed at the end of the packing list, as is a little reminder of what would be nice to have for the next trip. And as the final point, you will find the one item that turned out to be absolutely invaluable during our entire Homemade Campervan road trip.
By the way, this packing list was made for two people.
Camping Car Items with Clothing, Toiletries and Electronics
General Camping Car Items
- Two foldable mattresses 70x195cm
- Sheet, pillows and blankets for sleeping
- 14 Liter cool box with 12 volt connection
- Foldable curtains for the windows
- 1 Liter bottle for brushing teeth
- 5 Liter drinking water canister
- 5 Liter cooking water canister
- 5 Foldable storage boxes
- Small plastic trash can
- Camping floor tarp
- 2 Foldable chairs
- Laundry bag
- Road maps
One Personal Box per Person
Clothing and Shoes
- 5 T-shirts
- 3 Pairs of socks
- 5 Pairs of underwear
- 3 Short pants
- 1 Pair of Jeans
- 2 Fleece vests
- Thin fleece sweater
- Thermal shirt
- Wind breaker
- Swim shorts
- Cap
- Sneakers
- Trekking Sandals
- Flip-flops
Toiletries
- Toiletry bag
- After shave
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Shaving cream
- Shaver and blades
- Sarong as towel
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Hair wax
- Tweezers
- Nail clipper
- Small scissors
- Contact lenses
- Contact solution
- Hand sanitizer
- Toilet paper
- Sun lotion
Electrics and Electronics
- Digital camera
- Spare camera batteries
- Charger for camera, 12V and 220V
- Charger for Laptop, 12Vand 220V
- Skype headphones with mike
- Power adapters
- Thumb drive
- Card reader
- Alarm clock
- Flashlights
- LED lamp
Kitchen Items, Food and Cooking Gear for the Campervan
Kitchen Items
- 4 Plates, bowls and cups
- 4 Spoons, forks and knifes
- Salt and pepper dispensers
- Container for cutlery
- 2 Ceramic tea mugs
- Big sugar dispenser
- Honey dispenser
- Swiss army knife
- Dish washing soap
- Sponge for dishes
- 2 Dish towels
Packaged and Fresh Food
- Old fashioned Oats
- Crunchy Muesli
- Milk powder
- Tea bags in a tin
- Jar of instant coffee
- Instant cappuccino powder
- Packaged whole wheat bread
- Cans with pickled fish
- Multi vitamin tablets
- Cereal biscuits
- Marmalade
- Nutella
- Bread, rolls or baguette
- Hard and soft cheese
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Yoghurt
- Fruits
Everything for Cooking
- Portable gas stove top in plastic suitcase
- 12 Butan gas bottles, each 227grams
- 2 Aluminium pots and 1 pan
- 1 Aluminium water kettle
- Cooking spoon and fork
- Small cutting board
- Sharp cutting knife
- Quick boiling pasta
- Instant noodle snacks
- Salt and pepper
- Herbs, spices
- Onions
- Garlic
Campervan Equipment with Cooking Gas and Laundry Utensils
Laundry Utensils
- Foldable, standing drying rack
- Octopus drying rack
- Inflatable hangers
- Liquid detergent
- 12 liter bucket
- Cloth pins
Equipment for the Van
- Car first aid kit
- Warning triangle
- Neon safety vests
- 5 liter canister with petrol
- Matching spare tire
- Manuel car jack
- Tire iron
- Flashlight
- Towing rope
- Tire repair spray
- Small tool set for cars
- Loose ends for fixing things
- Spare care lights and fuses
- Reflecting car sunshade
- Touch up paint
- Parking Disk
Added on the Road
- Sowing kit
- Road maps
- Clothes line
- Baby wet wipes
- 5 liter water canisters
Useless Items that were not Worth Packing into the Van
Useless Items
- Small backpack
- 12 volt indoor fan
- 12 volt water boiler
- Thick warm sweater
- Lonely Planet guide books
- Foldable water canister 25 liters
- Clothes drying rack for car windows
Items to buy for the next trip
- Water filter
- Folding table
- Proper sleeping bags
- Tent pegs for the floor tarp
- Shovel as emergency toilet
- Candles with wind protection
- Wedges to level the campervan
- 25 liter cool box with 220 volt connection
- Extension cable and 220 volt outlet for the van
Most useful item during the trip
- Navigation system
Interestingly enough, but the most useful item of the entire road trip ended up being something that I didn’t even consider taking in the first place. Luckily my dad not only offered, but actually insisted that we would take his mobile navigation system and it proved to be a real blessing. Being normally annoyed by the constant talking, in a foreign country where it was hard to read or even find any street signs, the talking was all of a sudden much appreciated.
But the best feature of the navigation system was clearly the “avoid toll roads” setting that not only saved us a lot of money, but also some potential trouble with the authorities. Surprisingly useless on the other hand were my old Lonely Planet books. Focusing mainly on transportation, accommodation and restaurants, all three of them were covered already with our Homemade Campervan. And the usual tourist destinations were exactly what we tried to avoid, while rather visiting smaller villages.
Fully packed VW Campervan before the Road Trip around Europe
Overall this camping trip was very different from my previous travels with a backpack and here things like Jeans, Swiss army knife, or flashlights were actually much-needed items. Consequently, this list turned out to be very different from the Packing List for a World Trip. Only one thing was obviously true here as well, that this list was something organic and subject to constant change, depending on where the road or the navigation system would take you…
Have you ever packed for a road trip? Which items were most important to you?
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Find more Campervan Information here:
Homemade Campervan Conversion of a VW T4
The original Army Van
Campervan Preparations
Interior Fit-out and Furniture
Finished Homemade Campervan
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21 great Reasons to Use an Army Van as Camper
General Advantages,
Specific Advantages and
Surprising Advantages of
Using an Army Van as Camper
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How to Prepare a Campervan for Winter Storage
Step by Step Guide
Preparing and Winterizing
Putting the Van in Winter Storage
How to treat the Campervan Registration
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Dennis you almost took a mini house hold items with you!, at this rate you would need a big trailer camp van, I am sure that will happen too, when you would find this present camper van too small!
Happy driving!
You are actually right Srinivas, the campervan was in fact our house for three months! Considering that we took everything we needed and tested what was useful, the trip worked out really well The van turned actually out to be the perfect size for two people and everything on this packing list…
One of the reason I like roadtrips and car camping so much is that I can take all my stuff around with me! Though I’ve never been on a trip as major as yours.
Jess recently posted…Summer 2014: Part 1
I totally agree with you Jess, not being limited by a backpack is quite a nice feeling. Also being able to pack everything into a campervan and being completely independent was a really great travel experience. Mayor or not, I would definitely recommend any kind of road trip, it’s such a great way to see a little bit of this big world…
Awesome tips! You seem to be a well-organised guy when it comes to packing. Something I can’t handle right now, but I’m doing my best :-).
Agness recently posted…Moving To Amsterdam: Finding Accommodation And Housing Rights
Thanks Agness, I really tried to pack as nicely as possible, at least for the photos
The reality of life in the campervan looked somewhat different, but it’s definitely good to organize everything at least sometimes when the space is so limited… 😉
Love the way you pack. Nice and tidy and very efficient. Taking the ‘rough’ out of travel.
Maria Falvey recently posted…Wordless Wednesday – Bookie Tip?
Thanks a lot Maria! Unfortunately, no matter how nicely I packed, the ‘rough’ somehow always found its way into the campervan. Living in a tight space really is a constant work in progress… 😉
Ahhhh so great, I am saving all these links for future reference 😀
Sammi Wanderlustin’ recently posted…Discovering the Golden Circle with Time Tours Iceland
Great to hear that you can use the packing list for your future trips as well, Sammi! And now that you have a driver’s license, I actually hope to see you soon in your own campervan…
Quite a sophisticated list. Love the “tuned” interior of that van
Thank you very much! We actually spent quite some time matching all materials and colors until the campervan looked comfy and cozy. Actually the carpet helped a lot to do the job… 😉
Nutella
Ha ha! That must be on the list.
To be honest, Nutella wasn’t originally on the list but somehow it found its way into the campervan and instantly became an invaluable item…
I aim to do something like this across the United States someday … thanks for giving me a good idea of what is handy to bring along!
David recently posted…Discovering A Welsh Mountain Town: Top Tourist Attractions In Brecon
David, a road trip across the US would be great! I did it once, but unfortunately in a small rental car instead of my own campervan. Please keep me posted if you are getting closer to fulfilling your aim and also if you have any questions regarding the packing…
Hi Dennis, thanks for the awesome list!
I was just wondering, what’s the brand and model of the camera you are using and how durable is it for your round the world trips? Thanks! (:
Thanks a lot Melissa, I am happy to hear that you liked my packing list! In terms of cameras, I have actually been using different ones, because they either broke, got lost or were stolen. But the last two models I was using were Canon S100 and Sony A6000. As you can see I am not a big fan of packing and carrying a big DSLR…
Wonderful…..and where is your labor of love now residing???? Would love to buy this from you, or use it, for, ah, a couple of years???
The lovely campervan is actually in winter storage at the moment, Francesca! Initially I meant to sell the van after the summer, but after spending so much time fixing it up and then driving around with it, I really couldn’t sell it anymore… 😉
Hi Dennis,
What a great list – we have just bought a VW T25 and a ticket on a boat to Spain next week – we’ve never done this sort of thing before and I think your list will be invaluable! Our van has already got some creature comforts including a fridge, so we will have to adapt it a little bit!
Thanks massively!!
Maudie
Maudie recently posted…maudie.made Morphs into The Book Hut
Hi Maudie, thanks a lot! It’s great to hear that my packing list came in handy for your campervan road trip. I actually had to look up what a T25 is, and as it turns out, in Germany it would simply be a T3. That is exactly the kind of VW bus I wanted to buy, until I found a really good deal on a T4. Both make perfect campervans for a drive around Europe and with a little personal adapting the trip is going to be even better! Spain would probably the destination of my next road trip as well. Enjoy and catch you some day on the road maybe…