Van life essentials: the kit we use every day

Better to have one and never need it than not have one when you do. You can pick one up at Bunnings.

It's important for safety that we have one, especially with a diesel heater and a gas cooker on board. Hot tip: don't cook near it, they don't like steam!

We've got one, and we hope we never need it. Bunnings and camping stores sell them.

Something you should always have alongside first aid in Australia, and you can pick them up in Bunnings.

Our emergency tool for a slow puncture. We also use it to keep the tyres topped up on long trips away from a servo.

Every van needs a tool kit. It was a great starter kit, we've added to it since, and it's saved us more than once.

We use these every time we park up. They've lasted over two years and live under the seats in the cab, so they're easy to grab. We don't carry recovery gear apart from these. We're a 2WD van, so we keep it sensible, but they did get us out of a rough spot once, and we learnt our lesson!

We carry a full-size spare under the van. We don't have a tyre repair kit yet, but seasoned travellers have recommended one to us, so it's on our list.

We've never needed them, and they're still sitting good as new inside their bag, just in case.

We carry an extra 25-litre fuel jerry can. We filled it for the trip up the Stuart Highway, and we never needed to use it!

For filling up with drinking water. Ours is from Bunnings, and it's a camping essential!

Ours came from Bunnings, where they're readily available. Another camping essential! The Karraway Caravan 15A Extension Lead at Anaconda is a good option, not our exact one.

Some campsites without toilets require you to have one, and it's saved us on the odd occasion. It's easy to empty at a dump point.

We learnt the hard way how strong Aussie breezes can be. Now we hold our Thule awning down with heavy-duty screw-in anchors and bungee cords.

“It's been essential for us.” Every now and again we need to get on the roof, and the ladder makes cleaning the solar panels or the roof simple. We once used it to help a stuck caravanner who'd taken part of a tree with him, and he loved it so much he wanted one.

It comes out every time the awning does, and folds so small it takes up almost no space.

We went for the first ones we saw when we got to Australia, and they've lasted, so we haven't replaced them. They aren't anything fancy, but they work for us.

We really recommend these fairy lights. They're the perfect addition to the awning: they recharge, which is great, store easily, look great and have different settings.

We filter all the water coming into the van with a simple inline filter.

We use it mainly for washing up and washing ourselves, and buy boxed water from the supermarket for drinking.

A great rinse after the beach. Most of the time we use public showers. Most beaches have them, and so do the campsites we book.

“Tried and tested for two years, and we'd build one into any future van.” A full weekly shop fits in one half.

“There's nothing better than quality coffee in the middle of nowhere.” It draws a fair bit of power, so you'll need a decent inverter off-grid.

Our everyday cooker off-grid. “It's never failed us, and it even makes toast!”

Our diesel heater keeps us warm and has never let us down. Change the fuel filter every now and again.

“Not just a van life essential. It's a life essential.” The washing-up liquid goes in the handle, so you don't get your hands wet doing the pots. Most supermarkets sell it or a similar brand, and the heads are replaceable, so a worn one is an easy swap.

Ours came with the van, but there was no way to attach it, and the previous owner had given up on it. Stick-on magnetic tape from Bunnings fixed that. “It hasn't failed, and we can have the doors open while keeping the pesky flies out!”

Our little kitchen shelves are actually IKEA BEKVÄM spice racks (aspen), and they keep everything nice and secure. Next to them, an IKEA NEREBY rail (birch, 40 cm) with plenty of hooks lets us hang up all sorts of things.

It keeps the heat out of the cab and gives us privacy when we're parked up. Ours came with Ron and wasn't made for the van: “a custom job, folded and taped to fit, but it works.” Tip: van-specific shades can be expensive, but any thermal windscreen shade can be folded and taped to fit. For the other windows, Ron came with some amazing built-in blinds, so we don't need anything extra for privacy.

“We are English, so we always make sure we have a way to make a brew.” This kettle was perfect until we found the Bambino, which now does the kettle's job too. We also carry a camping gas kettle, just in case.

Space is tight in a van, so these keep our clothes separated and tidy.

Night trips to the campground toilets, surprise mechanical jobs, or finding something under the sink. It comes out far more than we expected.

Both made the quick-fire list of extra essentials in our 12 van life must-haves video.

We recommend them for van life. You won't believe how useful it is to have things stuck down. After lots of bangs in the back while we're driving, sticky pads save the day.