Living or travelling in a van, a small space, means gift giving can be a bit of a minefield in terms of 'useful' gifts, so we've compiled a list of vanlife gifts we know people will find useful!

1. Vanlife tee

Designed by us (The Indie Projects), we think this has got to be top of any van enthusiast gift list!

2. Hozelock Camping Shower 

We recently purchased one of these bad boys and they are AMAZING! We boil one kettle of water and mix with remaining cold water to create a comfortably warm temperature to wash your body with. The pressure is dependant on pumping the top, and we can confirm that one 7L bottle is more than enough to wash long hair, your entire body, and shave your armpits and legs if that's what you want ;)

Get your portable shower here.

3. Ridge Monkey 

Not having an oven in a van can be a little sad at times, which is why this amazing device has flown in to save the day! Acting like a stove-top oven you can cook a variety of food in this little gadget including chips, nachos, pizza, cookies, burgers, roast potatoes...the list is endless!

If you’re curious about ovens for campervans and the alternatives available, read this blog post where I go in-depth on what’s available.

Grab a ridge monkey here.

4. Fairy Lights 

Battery-powered fairy lights can create such a cosy atmosphere inside your van, and the brilliance of battery power means you don't need to worry about your leisure battery being drained with excessive fairy lights being used. This is something we swear by. Add some fairy lights to your life by clicking here.

5. Portable Speaker

Music ambience goes hand in hand with fairy light ambience, and this fantastic portable speaker can be charged via 12v and produces a wonderful sound. We love our little Sony bluetooth speaker, it packs a punch, especially with the extra bass mode. You can pick one of these small but mighty speakers here.

6. Mega Cosy Slippers

5 years ago Theo purchased a pair of these immensley comfortable North Face slippers, and they are excellent. Even though Theo has feet almost double the size of mine I'm not ashamed to say I wear these regularly (Hobbit mode engaged). Theo has ones with proper soles, which means he also wears them out as 'regular' shoes. This is not embarassing, at all. Get some here.

7. Dual USB Charger

Power is key. Repeat after me: power is key. Charging ports like this are fantastic for keeping phones, kindles, cameras, power banks etc... nicely charged so you don't have to go without your beloved electronic devices. Buy one here.

8. Kindle 

It took me a good couple of years to finally convert to a Kindle, but after downloading the free Kindle app to my phone many years ago, I finally caved and got one in 2012, which I still use daily. I have hundreds, if not thousands, of books on my Kindle. Quite a few paid, but quite a few free as there is just such an amazing selection. Travelling in a van, or living in a tiny space, or just trying to have a more minimal life means a Kindle fits in wonderfully, especially as it means you can have thousands of books at your fingertips but taking up pretty much no space. Win! I’m a big fan of Kindle Unlimited, which gives you a number of different books to read per month on a subscription basis.

And, if your eyes are too tired to read, or you just feel like listening instead, then Audible is a wonderful way to chill out with a good book in your ears instead. Click here for a free trial!

9. Hot Water Bottle

If you don't have heating in your van, like we don't, then these can really add a touch of warmth to those cold winter nights. Grab a bottle or two here.

10. Drying Mat

This may seem like a mega mundane gift, but this honestly changed my (van)life. In a small space, especially one where you don't have space for a drying rack, items such as these are genius! Washing up has become a little bit more bearable for me since I got this, and wow, it really is the little things in life. Check them out here.

Hang on, I thought this was a top 10?!

11. Scrubba

Ok ok, so I have stretched this into a top 11 but you'll love me for it. This handy device (which I'm yet to try but have heard rave reviews) is essentially a dry/wet bag with ribbing inside to enable you to agitate your clothes enough to give them a thoroughly wash your clothes - all in one handy bag! Sadly it doesn't dry them, but I guess that's what the sun is for :)

We hope you've enjoyed this little article, I can safely say we've had a lot of fun making it! If you do purchase anything through these links then we do get a tiny (and I mean tiny) percentage of the profit, which goes towards keeping this website and the rest of The Indie Projects going.

Thanks gang!

Check out our Van Life Gift Guide for 2019 below.