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Mowgli Adventures

  • South America
    • All Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Paraguay Uruguay

      An epic guide to San Pedro de Atacama,…

      Uyuni Train Cemetery – a haunting resting place

      Everything you need to know about learning Spanish…

      Tarabuco Sunday market – the authentic Bolivia

      The complete guide to visiting Iguazu Falls

      Northeast Argentina road trip | Nature, culture and waterfalls

      Waterfalls in Argentina | Iguazu Falls & Beyond

      Utopia lost? Guaraní Jesuit missions of Argentina 

      Uyuni Train Cemetery – a haunting resting place

      Everything you need to know about learning Spanish…

      Tarabuco Sunday market – the authentic Bolivia

      Incredible things to do in Sucre

      The complete guide to visiting Iguazu Falls

      An epic guide to San Pedro de Atacama,…

      Driving Paraguay’s Trans-Chaco highway

      Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve | In search of…

      Itaipu Ecological Reserves, Paraguay | Free birdwatching safaris!

      The South American obsession with Yerba Mate

      Driving in Uruguay: a gentle introduction to South…

      Off the beaten track in Uruguay’s interior

      Uruguay travel itinerary – beaches & the gringo…

  • Europe
    • Lumsdale Falls: waterfalls, pools and ruins in the…

      1 week Netherlands road trip itinerary

      How to spend one day in Hamburg

      What things cost in the Netherlands & what…

      A brief guide to driving in the Netherlands

  • Africa
    • The 12 Best Things To Do In The…

      One week in Morocco – 3 perfect itineraries

      A week on safari in Tanzania

      Things to do in Marrakech | A short…

      Exploring the blue city of Chefchaouen

  • Travel resources
    • An honest review of our composting loo

      How to avoid bank fees while travelling

      A Guide to Wild Camping for Motorhomes

      North Coast 500 Packing List: camper van essentials

      How To Empty A Portable Camping Toilet

  • Build a camper
    • Camper van water system design

      Camper van layout design

      Camper van electrical design

      A guided tour of our 4×4 Sprinter van…

      How to register your converted camper van with…

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Here's a list of our van life kitchen essentials we can't (or won't) travel without. Becoming a minimalist doesn't mean doing without. #Travel #Campervan #VanLife Read the full article here: //mowgli-adventures.com/van-life-kitchen-essentials/

Van life kitchen essentials we won’t travel without

Van life kitchen essentials

One challenge of van life is making sure we eat well so we need a well equipped kitchen to prepare and cook our meals. With limited space indoors, having compact and practical kitchen accessories makes life easier, more organised and minimises the storage we need. To help you prepare for living in a van, this is a list of the van life kitchen essentials making our life on the road easier.

Van life cooking equipment

Wherever possible we cook outdoors because it helps keep down cooking smells and minimises water vapour. All of our cooking equipment (except the fitted cooker) is used both indoors and outdoors too so we don’t have to carry 2 of anything.

Diesel cooker

This is a new addition we’ve included in our Sprinter van conversion. We chose a diesel cooker to save space on storing a gas bottle. We’re still getting used to using it but so far, so good.

BBQ

When we had Mowgli with loads of storage, we used a portable Weber BBQ. However, it uses quite a bit of space and now we’ve downsized to Baloo, we’ve replaced it with a fold away BBQ. We’ve not used it yet but it take up a fraction of the space of the Weber.

Coleman’s petrol cooker

When we travelled for 2 years in Mowgli, we only carried the BBQ and had a gas cooker inside. In hindsight, we wished we packed the petrol fuelled camping cooker too. We’ve packed it in Baloo now and it will come in handy when we can cook outdoors but don’t want to BBQ.


Essential reading: have you seen our ultimate packing list for a road trip?

Dutch oven

Dutch oven cooking is one of the most rewarding activities on a camping trip. Dig a fire pit, put a few hot coals on the lid and we can cook cakes, bread and roasts too. Move over Ray Mears!

Pressure cooker

Although the pressure cooker is quite bulky, it rewards us by saving loads of fuel because food cooks so much faster than in a normal pot. We have a 3 litre pressure cooker and it’s a perfect size for 2. We always get a meal each and leftovers for the next day too. And it’s not just for stews wither. We cook rice in 3 minutes in ours.

Collapsible saucepans & kettle

We did away with our kitchen saucepans because they had silly fixed handles making storage so awkward! These collapsible saucepans pack away inside each other and save so much precious space! We’ve even invested in a collapsible kettle.

Camper van food preparation accessories

We all need a few for preparation accessories. We could get by with less than we use or have in the drawer but a few choice accessories make preparing meals so much easier. Here’s a list of the kitchen utensils we wouldn’t travel without:

Knives (sharp ones) and a sharpener too
Chopping boards – one each for meat, chicken & veg/fruit
Tin opener – ring pulls aren’t common everywhere
Oven gloves – fantastic for the dutch oven or any of the hot pots
Grater – this one saves on the mess
Mixing bowl – we use this as a salad bowl too
Colander
Tongs
Peeler
Stirring & serving spoons
Spatulas
Measuring jug

Preserving food in your van or camping car

Unless you plan on spending 1 or 2 nights away, you will need a way to preserve food in your camper van. A fridge is an expensive investment but one to make your life simple. And isn’t that what van life is all about it? Take a look at this article on how to buy the right 12v fridge.

And don’t forget to invest in useful food storage boxes too. You can use them for dry foods like rice or to keep food in the fridge. Never buy round boxes either because they take up too much unused space.


Have you packed all the essential travel documents you need?

Camper van dining accessories

Cutlery

Now let me be really clear. There is no need to use plastic cutlery. No need whatsoever! I don’t want to live my simple life feeling like I’m on a kiddies camping weekend. Would any self respecting van dweller really use folding forks or plastic spoons? We take 4 knives, forks, desert spoons and teaspoons and we’re set.


Essential reading: our essential guide to buying a 12v fridge.

Cups

We used to carry a couple of thermos cups but we don’t bother with them anymore. We use proper, crackable, chippable mugs now. I accept the risk of breakages and carefully wrap them in a tea towel when we’re on the move. I just prefer to drink my coffee from a proper mug than a tin cup. And in 2 years, we only lost one mug so not bad going really.

Plates & bowls

For years, we had melamine plate/bowls. They were highly practical because we didn’t need to pack plates and bowls. They worked just as well for dinner as they did for our morning cereal. But I missed a proper flat plate to eat my dinner from so much. I know it sounds weird. And even as I’m writing this I think I sound like a snob. But I don’t care really. After 2 years of eating my dinner from a bowlplate, I now enjoy my evening meal from a proper plate. It’s still plastic though.

Glasses

Now wine is my thing and while I’d love to have decent wine glasses actually made from glass in the van, even I know they wouldn’t last 5 minutes. While I will drink red wine from anything, I always prefer a glass and these plastic glasses look just the part. They’re no replacement for the real McCoy but they’re far better than using a mug (or swigging from the bottle!)


Are you looking for the ideal gift? Take a look at these ideas for travellers.

Corkscrew

This is self explanatory really but make sure to pack a good quality one. There’s nothing worse, nothing, than being unable to open the bottle just as you sit down to eat.

Table mats

Just a little hint of luxury perhaps but they take up so little room and protect our table top so why not?


Planning a road trip? Check out our planning guide here

Those are our van life kitchen essentials

We do carry a few extra bits and pieces sometimes, especially on shorter road trips. But this is a list our van life kitchen essentials we wouldn’t travel long term without. Have we missed anything from our camper van kitchen? What do you pack for your camp kitchen we’ve not listed here? We’re always looking for ways to make our van life just a little bit easier.

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Here's a list of our van life kitchen essentials we can't (or won't) travel without. Becoming a minimalist doesn't mean doing without. #Travel #Campervan #VanLife Read the full article here: //mowgli-adventures.com/van-life-kitchen-essentials/


Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and make a purchase, we will receive an affiliate commission. But don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you any extra.

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