21 EPIC Motorhome & campervan gadgets to make Vanlife Easier
Looking for the best motorhome and campervan gadgets? I don’t mean essential gear (although we can help with that too), but things which just make van life that little bit easier.
Whether you live in your van or use it for occasionally, these motorhome accessories and campervan gadgets will make vanlife just that little bit easier (and more fun!)
Don’t forget to grab your FREE motorhome essentials checklist below to help you remember everything you need.
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Motorhome and Campervan Gadgets worth their space in your van
We all know there are certain items every van should have. (If you don’t, check out this list of the essential motorhome accessories you NEED to carry)
But what about the things which aren’t ESSENTIAL, but which make van living easier or more fun?
Which campervan gadgets are worth the money and payload they take up, and which… aren’t?
After several years of of touring Europe in our motorhome, there are plenty of things we carry onboard which we love.
We’ve also asked some of our vanlifer friends to give us THEIR favourite recommendations too- to get a range of useful accessories for motorhoming, campervanning, caravanning and road trips.
So, whether you want accessories for wild camping with your motorhome, power management, space saving or fun campervan gadgets, these are the ones we recommend.
Gadgets for campervans or motorhomes
I know there’s sometimes differences between motorhome living and life in a campervan, especially if you don’t have a bathroom in your van.
However, there’s also quite a lot of van life crossover between the two, especially in regards to space saving or security, so we’re covering both the best motorhome gadgets and the best campervan gadgets in one post.
Vanlifer recommendations
Don’t just take our word for it- see what other people in the motorhome and vanlife community rate as their favourite gadgets:
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Best campervan gadgets for van living
Here are the things we carry in our motorhome which really do make life in a van a little easier, even if you’re just away for the weekend.
If you’re new to van life, don’t forget to grab your FREE pre-trip checklists here.
Reversing/ Rearview camera
I genuinely don’t know how people manage to drive a motorhome without one of these. They are absolutely essential for visibility, especially when trying to park in a tight spot.
We have the one which clips over your rearview mirror and it has two cameras- one looking backwards and one looking down, which is really useful if you ever tow with your motorhome or carry bikes or a storage box on the back.
External Storage box
Talking of extra space, have a storage box on the back of our motorhome is a game changer. We’re able to put outside furniture in there without worrying about getting ants inside the van, and it’s the perfect place to store wet groundsheets and lights.
Here’s a round up of our favourite motorhome storage boxes or go straight to our favourite (which I have and love!)
Van Air Conditioning & Keeping Cool
If you travel a lot, particularly to southern Europe, you’ll find days where you’re desperately trying to cool your camper down.
This is one of the best solutions.
If you don’t have enough roof space or want something simpler, then try this amazing fan! My friend, who lives fulltime in her motorhome, has this and she says it’s a godsend during the summer.
Motorhome Cleaning Brush
Another essential accessory is a good cleaning brush. This is similar to the one we use.
READ MORE: How to clean your motorhome/ camper (and keep it clean!)
Best Accessories for easier van life
Van living is all about ‘minimalism’. But minimalism doesn’t have to be ‘bare’.
Choose a few products which do a great job, and you’ll find living in a small space (whether you’re living in a van full time or just for holidays) much easier.
12v hoover
I LOVE this hoover (or vacuum cleaner, if you’re feeling pedantic 😉 )
We’ve tried many 12v hoovers, both in our van and on our boats, and this is the best we’ve ever used, especially with a dog and my long hair.
Folding stool
I’m lucky. I’m almost 6ft tall and can reach whatever I need to in my motorhome. In fact, it wasn’t until I spent time travelling with my friend (who is a lot shorter than me), that I realised some people will have huge difficulties reaching cupboards or opening hatches in their vans.
If this is you, here’s the solution (and if you want a folding stool as an extra camping seat or table, these are GENIUS)
Window Vacuum Cleaner
This is one of the best motorhome gadgets we’ve ever bought! It keeps our windows clean inside and out in just a few seconds.
Can you spend time in a van without it? Of course- but why would you want to when it’s so much fun to use!
Best motorhome and camper kitchen gadgets
These things are SO useful in your van kitchen. Of course, you probably won’t have space (or payload!) for all of them, so pick and choose the ones you want wisely.
Gas Kettle
A gas kettle is an essential, and I love this one. It’s a decent size, but also has lasted us years without any issues. Definitely worth the money.
Induction Hobs
My friend SWEARS by induction hobs. She says it’s the best thing she’s ever bought for her van. Given that she cooks more than me, she might be right! Keep in mind though, these appliances are, on average, about 2000 watts – so will require a high amount of electric but this wont be a problem if you’re on hook-up on a campsite.
Air Fryer- an awesome campervan gadget.
If that’s not for you, maybe an air fryer might be! You can use this in your motorhome or campervan when plugged into electricity or using a Powerstation (see below.)
Stacking pans
We have more pans below for space-saving, but this set is perfect for van life. They use just two handles for several pans, making them much easier to store.
Nespresso Machine- essential campervan gadget?
Like a coffee? Sometimes, boiling a kettle can use more gas than it’s worth. A coffee machine might be just what you’re looking for.
My friend who lives in her campervan swears by this- I don’t think she can contemplate van life without it!
Absorbent Drying Mat
This is fantastic- takes up much less space then a drying rack.
Magnetic Glasses – cool motorhome accessories!
These magnetic glasses are one of my favourite motorhome accessories as they save so much space (plus they look cool!)
Again, I was certain they’d fall off, especially on bumpy roads, but we’ve only broken one after 4 years and that was my fault. 🙁
Put it this way, we’ve bought them for friends for gifts and put them up in our new van too.
Best motorhome accessories for power management
Power is one of the most important resources in any van, especially if you’re wild camping or staying off-grid with your motorhome. These are the best campervan gadgets to help you recharge and make the best use of it.
Portable Power station- essential campervan gadget
If you’re planning to spend a lot of time off-grid and wild camping, a portable power station is a great idea.
We’ve reviewed both the Jackery Explorer 500 and the Ecoflow River 600 to help you choose which is best for you, but this is my personal favourite.
Powerbank
If you don’t need something so robust as a power station, then a power-bank like this is a cheaper alternative to charge phones and iPads- make sure to check it is suitable for your devices.
Leisure battery & solar panel- best motorhome accessories
You DON’T necessarily need a second leisure battery in your van if you want to go wild camping or stay off-grid, but it’s important to make sure the one you do have is a good one- and that you look after it properly.
READ MORE: Complete guide to choosing and maintaining your motorhome leisure battery
Make sure you get a battery designed for leisure use, and get as big a size as you can- ours is 110amp.
Solar Panel
Another thing to add along with the leisure battery is a solar panel. If you have a good solar panel, one battery should be fine (just be careful if it’s raining/ very cloudy as things might not charge so quickly.
This is especially true if you’re wild camping with a motorhome in Scotland– it rains a lot up there!!
You can buy a solar panel cheaply from Amazon and fit it yourself, like this one. Make sure you add in a regulator and don’t just wire it straight to the battery.
If you’re unsure, I recommend paying for someone to fit it for you so you know it’s set up correctly.
Fresh water
Fresh, clean drinking water is essential. We highly recommend you clean your motorhome water tanks regularly.
We use one of these incredible Jerrycans to filter our water and ensure it’s safe before we drink it.
They also make fantastic outdoor showers- the perfect campervan accessory! Read our full review of the lifesaver jerrycan here.
Best motorhome gadgets for space saving
Finding extra space in your motorhome or camper is one of the biggest tricks of life in a van.
Here are some of our favourite gadgets and accessories to improve campervan storage.
Magnetic Knife Strip- space saving van accessory
If you have a spare wall near the kitchen in your campervan, here’s a great way to use it!
I thought the knives might fall off while driving, but we did over 20,000 miles and they didn’t move once.
Sodastream
If you prefer your drinks cold and bubbly, but don’t want to carry litres of drinks with you, a SodaStream is a great space saving accessory.
Collapsible pans- essential campervan gadgets
These are AWESOME for saving space. They stack really well when collapsed down and allow you to use much smaller lockers.
Folding colander
You can also get collapsible/ folding colanders.
Storage cubes/ clothes organising
We use these packing cubes to organise things like underwear and socks in the lockers.
Shoe storage and folding trolley
We have now turned a locker into a shoe locker, but before that we used one of these to store shoes.
They were especially useful if you were motorhoming in winter and had to deal with wet/ snowy/ muddy shoes. The box is also a trolley and VERY useful while touring and shopping.
We have lots of great motorhome storage tips to help you, including these:
Useful campervan gadgets
As I mentioned right at the start of this post, there are some things you’ll only really use in a campervan, especially one without a bathroom. Here are some of the most useful gadgets just for campervans.
Campervan Toilet
Here’s a great portable toilet for your camper.
While we’re on the subject, don’t forget toilet fluid.
We use a product called Solbio organic toilet fluid, which is natural and doesn’t contain harmful chemicals. It’s also safe to be disposed of in septic tanks or fosse, meaning we have more options to dispose of our toilet responsibly.
Camper shower/ toilet tent
A collapsible toilet or shower tent is one of those campervan gadgets that you buy, and then aren’t sure how you ever lived without it!
Luxury & fun Motorhome accessories & campervan gadgets
Here are a few more fun and cool motorhome accessories and campervan gadgets to tempt you…!
Ice Maker
If you like ice in your drinks, and have electricity supply, this is a great way to get it.
Travel Drone
We talk about the best travel drones here, but the one we use is the DJI Mini 3 Pro, it’s fantastic and will make all your van life adventures even better!
Portable Cinema Screen
If you miss going to the movies whilst travelling in your van, this might just be the answer!
Road Trip logbook
After spending 15 years living and travelling on boats, one of the things we love most is looking back through our old sailing logbooks.
We wanted to get something similar to preserve our memories while touring in our van, but couldn’t find anything on the market we liked.
So we created our own motorhome/ campervan logbook. Check it out here.
Other Campervan Gadgets we love
Whether you’re a Youtuber or not, you might find these useful. You can check out the full blog here for road trip gadgets.
Outside accessories and gadgets for caravans
Although we’re not a caravan blog, here are some gadgets and accessories caravanners might find useful:
I hope you found that list of the best campervan gadgets and motorhome accessories helpful. You might also find these posts useful:
Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.
Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.
If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.
Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
