Packing for a Family Campervan Trip

Last Updated: May 29, 2023

Campervanning as a family is so much fun and is probably our favourite way to travel. There’s just something free and easy about the van-life.

But what you do and don’t pack into your vehicle can have a massive affect on the experience. Too much can leave you with little space for manoeuvre and too little can leave you wanting.

Of course a lot depends on the size of your van, a big motorhome can get a lot more in. But even for the bigger motorhomes you don’t want to cram too much.

We’ve campervanned as a family of four both abroad and domestically. With a 5 week trip in New Zealand and a month long trip in Scotland to name a couple of our adventures.

So as we’ve done a fair bit of campervanning, we’ve had a good amount of trial and error (or stress and arguments as we call it in our family!) on what and what not to pack for our campervanning trips.

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And we finally feel like we have a good streamlined list of things that we take and wanted to share it to help other families get to the end game without the squabbles in between (you’re welcome!).

Clothes

As with most of our trip types, we always advise packing as little clothes as possible and instead washing them more regularly and layering when possible.

Whilst we still apply that to our campervan trips, we can allow ourselves a bit more leeway for clothes as we tend to have a bit more space (compared to when we travel around the world by backpack). But still, no need to go overboard.

We only take one big coat each, plus one jumper/hoody each, then the rest is light clothes that we can layer when necessary.

• Shorts – 3 Per Person
• Jogging/Track Suit Bottoms – 3 Per Person
• Thin T-Shirts – 5 Per Person
• Thin Long Sleeve Tops – 2 Per Person
• Long Dress – 1 for Nadia
• Short Dress – 2 For Nadia
• Leggings – 2 For Nadia
• Pyjamas – 2 Sets Per Person
• Thick Hoody/Jumper – 1 Per Person
• Waterproof Jacket/Coat – 1 Per Person
• Walking Boots/Shoes – 1 Pair Each – We keep ours in the front of the cab to try to keep moisture out of the back after a long hike.
• Trainers – 1 Pair Each
• Sandals/Flip-Flops – 1 Pair Each – You’ll probably get in and out of your campervan a lot, but will want to keep the floor as clean as possible, so slip on flip-flops or something similar will make life easier here.
• Underwear – 7 Sets Each
• Ankle Socks – 4 Pairs Each
• Hiking Socks – 3 Pairs Each
• Swimming Trunks/Suit/Bikini – 1 Set Each
• Sun Hat/Cap – 1 Each
• Warm Hat/Gloves/Scarf – 1 Set Each
• Packing Cubes – Although not an actual item of clothing, we feel they belong in this section. If you don’t know hat they are they’re just basically material zip bags that you can put specific things in each one (underwear in one, T-Shirts in another etc.). They then essentially act as your drawers. A simple yet helpful organisation item!

Toiletries

Campsite and public bathrooms are common place in some of the best campervanning countries, so make sure to take the essential toiletries to keep you going.

• Deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Small Mouthwash
• Floss
• Electric/Manual Toothbrush – If you wild camp a lot you won’t always be able to charge things. So if you use an electric toothbrush it’s also good to have a manual toothbrush as well as a back up.
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Nail Clippers & Scissors
• Wet Wipes – The camper’s shower! (when you don’t have access to an actual shower). You can get biodegradable water based ones that can go in your toilet just like toilet paper.
• Travel Towel – Quick drying towels are good to have so you don’t fill your van with condensation.
• Shaver – If you like an electric shaver like me, then I recommend the Panasonic ER-GB40. It’s pretty cheap, but I manage to trim my hair and beard with this. And as it’s waterproof it can be used in the shower, which helps when using campsite facilities.
• Hair Brush
• Hair Products
• Moisturiser
• Makeup
• Wax Strips/Razor
• Tweezers
• Hair Accessories
• Soap
• Toilet/Toilet Roll – Depending on your vehicle you might have an integrated toilet. If not you may need to purchase a portable toilet if you want one. Some come with the chemicals, if not get some. And don’t forget the toilet roll!
• Water – If you have a sink then you will likely have a water tank, if not then just take your own portable one.

Health

Just like you probably do at home, it’s good to have a small medical drawer or cupboard. The basic stuff usually suffices with any additional specific medication you need personally.

• First Aid Kit
• Pain Killers
• Sun Cream
• Vitamins
• Sanitary Products

Bedding

You’re going to be sleeping in your vehicle, so bedding will be required. If you’re hiring a vehicle this is often provided, but not always. And if you’re buying a campervan then you’ll need to purchase your own.

So you’ve got a first big choice to make here. Duvet or Sleeping Bag? Both have some pros and cons.

Sleeping bags generally take up a lot less room and can usually be tightly rolled into their special bag. So a big plus in terms of storage. It also means that making up the bed is quicker. You can basically just roll it out of the bag, lay it down and get in. And you won’t need a sheet to lay down on the bed so another storage bonus.

Having said that, duvets are just more comfortable and cosier. They also feel less constrictive, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about it.

We travel with duvets. There’s just something we love about getting under the duvet on a rainy day to watch a film.

So, make your choice…

• Duvets/Sheets or Sleeping Bags – Make sure you get the right size for your bed layouts.
• Pillows/Pillow Cases – Pillows are also important. Whilst it can be tempting to minimise this for space saving you need to make sure you have the right amount to get a good night sleep. It’s the one thing we won’t sacrifice for space as we think it’s so important to get a good rest.

Laundry

Many campsites have washing and drying facilities so it’s good to bring some of the basics to assist with this.

• Washing Powder/Liquid – You can get a nice big box if you have the space. Try to avoid buying them at actual campsites, the prices are usually massively inflated.
• Srubba Wash Bag – When campsites don’t have laundry facilities or if you’re wild camping, the Scrubba Wash Bag is a great little invention that can make hand washing clothes a breeze.
• Washing Line – If no drying facilities are available, a portable washing line can be handy. It’s best to dry clothes outside, try to keep anything damp out of your living area to avoid condensation.
• Laundry Bag – Get a purpose made laundry bag, don’t just use a plastic bag, they make clothes stink!

Cleaning

Whether you’re using your own facilities or a campsites you’ll usually need some cleaning equipment.

• Washing Up Liquid
• Sponges/Scourers
• Surface Wipes
• Washing Up Bowl
• Tea Towels
• Dustpan & Brush – As much as you might try to keep out dirt/leaves/grass etc. out of the van, it will inevitably find a way in. So have a small pan and brush to give it a clean when needed. If you really want to go all out get a hand vacuum, but remember you’ll need to charge this!

Kitchen Equipment

How much cooking equipment you take and need will vary on your vehicle size and the facilities you have. Most have at least a hob, but some might have a small oven/grill or microwave as well.

But even in the bigger motorhomes there’s no need to go crazy, just get what you need. We just take one saucepan and one frying pan an it serves us fine. But if you want a little extra then go for it!

• Saucepan/Frying pan(s) – You can just get normal ones, or you can go for compact sets that are great space savers.
• Spatula/Serving Spoon/Ladle
• Sharp Knife
• Small Chopping Board – Or you can just one of your plates if you don’t want to take one of these.
• Glasses – When we say glasses we actually mean plastic glasses (there’s something about that sentence that’s not quite right). When you’re driving a sudden bump can cause a crack or shatter quite easily then, you will likely have to empty out your van at the next stop to ensure you get rid of any fragments. So staying away from smash-able materials is a good idea.
• Plates/Bowls/Mugs – Similar to the above, china might not be the best idea. Although it can be done if you have the right sort of storage solution. We’re not a big fan of plastic crockery, that’s just personal choice as we don’t like the feel. So we go for enamel crockery as a nice in between.
• Knives/Forks/Spoons
• Kettle – A kettle to use on the hob is a nice addition, you can just boil water in a pan though if you want to save space on this.
• Small BBQ/Coal – Nothing’s better than cooking outside on a summer’s day. The one time use throw away ones are pretty rubbish and not great for the environment. But you can get small compact BBQs that are great instead.

Tech

Getting away from tech might be the reason you’re off in a camper, so this can be ignored if that’s the case. But some might still want to take a little like we do. We really don’t use our tech much and our kid’s don’t really have any, but a few of the basic things we would suggest are here.

• GPS – Most smart phones suffice now as a GPS system. But some people still prefer the purpose built ones.
• Mobile Phone – Any old smartphone will do, but one key thing that will help with campervanning is a fast charging and long lasting battery, this helps a lot!
• Laptop – If you’re working while you travel like me, or even if you don’t, you might want a laptop to do research etc.
• Chargers – Whatever you need for your phones/laptops.
• Power Banks – We have a few power banks, then whenever we hook up to the mains we, charge them all which means we can wild camp a lot longer without power.
• Headphones
• Car Phone Charger – Get a fast or super fast one with a couple of USB ports if you can. Means you can charge whilst moving and don’t have to worry about hooking up and charging your phone off the mains all the time.
• Car Laptop Charger – These are great if you use your laptop a lot. Again it helps not having to charge it off the mains when we can whilst driving and they work extremely well.

Entertainment

When not out and about, you will need some things to entertain the kids (and you). Whilst the tech can help with this it’s good to have some other options as well.

• Small Card/Board Games – We’re a family of board game geeks so this is a must for us. Big board games might be tricky due to the size of them. But some smaller games are just as good as the larger ones. We feel continuously entertained with our collection and they really don’t take up much space. You can head over to our top travel board games page for a look at some of our favourites.
• Colouring Books/Paper
• Crayons/Felt Tips/Stationary
• Home Educating/Activity Books
• Small Toy Figurines/Cars/Toys etc. – Try to keep this to a minimum. We have one little cupboard for each of the kids and when it’s full, it’s full!
• Small Cuddly Toy
• Reading Books – Unlike when we travel by backpack, we take quite a few books when we go off in the campervan as we have the luxury of not having them on our backs. And our kids love to read.
• Outdoor Games – The idea of going off in a campervan in to be in the great outdoors. So you’ll want to take some outdoor toys. Balls, frisbees, rackets, you get the picture…

Outdoor Furniture

Whilst you might have a sitting and eating space inside your vehicle, it’s also great to have outdoor furniture as well.

This can get a bit bulky, but eating outside on a sunny day or sitting in your chair and gazing up at the stars is what campervanning is all about. So worth the sacrifice if you can squeeze some in.

• Camping Chairs – There’s a variety of different chairs you can get from big loungers to small stools or the basic in between ones. Just try to get the balance right between space and comfort.
• Camping Table – We would suggest getting one of the very compact types that fit into a bag. The ones with the flat rigid top surface can be a massive pain for storage.

Vehicle Maintenance

As with all types of driving you should always carry a few things to ensure that your vehicle can be maintained to it’s best quality.

This is even more important when going off campervanning for a long time in remote rural areas, as you may not have garages or shops within close proximity.

• Engine Oil
• Water
• Screen Wash
• Tyre Pump – If you’re tyre goes flat this can be great. Ensure the spare is there as well!
• Jump Leads
• Voltmeter – This can help if you get an issue with your leisure battery. You can see where the voltage is low and it might be an easy case of changing a fuse.
• Spare Fuses – Get the right sort for your electrics, ask an expert before trying anything for the first time!

Miscellaneous

• Backpacks – If you want to do a lot of exploring you’ll need a day pack or two. We recommend the Osprey Daylite and the Osprey Jet for kids.
• Water Filter Bottle – A water filter tap can help on any trip type, including campervanning. If you’re wild camping and you have a nearby water source then filters can help keep your drinking water supply as clean as possible. There’s a few to choose from, we use the DrinkSafe Travel Tap on all our trips and we love it.
• Duct Tape
• Scissors
• Compass
• Lighter
• Pens
• Pencils
• Notepad
• Head Torch – Great for walking to the toilet or anywhere else in the dark.
• Lanterns – If your leisure battery goes flat it’s good to have a backup of light
• Fairy Lights – Not only can these help brighten up any dark spots in your van, they’re also a nice bit of decoration that the kids will like. Get battery operated ones so you can use when not hooked up.
• Debit/Credit Cards
• Cash/Coins – Lots of campsites only take cash. And lots of facilities such as washing machines and showers need coins to operate, so have a descent supply.
• Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Alarm – These can give you some piece of mind with the gas etc. if you need it.

Family Campervan Trip Packing List – Free Download

So that’s it for our list! One final piece of advice is make get your set up right from the start.

Make sue you’re able to actually move around as you please and that it’s not a huge task moving from driving to living to sleeping states in your camper. Otherwise what was meant to be a fun trip can become a tedious one.

If you like our list then you can download our printable check list below and then tick off your items as you load them into your vehicle.

Happy Camping!

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