Pre-trip planning
Welcome to Naturheit Vans, we are so excited for your family/group to experience an amazing adventure!
Camper van trips are unique as they combine the comfort and security of an RV with the agility of a rugged 4x4 vehicle, thus allowing for amazingly cathartic encounters with nature.
There is one downside: Space is very limited! So the general rule for packing is: LESS BUT BETTER!
What does that mean? Try to pack items that you can wear/use more than once and with multi- functional use, eg 1-2 anti-odor merino wool t-shirts (instead of 5 cotton tees), 1 pair of adventure sandals / versatile sneakers (instead of 3 different pairs of shoes), etc
Another great option to make more out of less is to leverage the vast network of campgrounds and RV parks along the way (even if only to freshen up, take a shower, dump your trash and do your laundry).
Below are a few packing suggestions based on our own learnings:
CLOTHING / ACCESSORIES
Light, comfortable clothing for travel and during the day. We recommend clothing that is easily washable and not super fancy / formal as it is likely to get dirty exploring. Southern Utah red sand will stick to anything :).
A set of warmer clothes for the evenings in the desert, where it often gets chilly after sun down. Again, make sure that clothes are easily washable, they will likely smell of camp fire smoke afterwards.
Hats and beanies for everybody
Flip flops or adventure sandals for campground bath rooms and open air showers
Hiking shoes or solid profile sneakers
Sun screen
Personal hygiene items
Any medication you know you will need. You will likely be in remote stretches of land with limited access to specialty pharmacies, so plan ahead. We do provide an exhaustive first aid kit with the van.
So where do you store your clothes/accessories? We recommend that you unpack your bags and transfer your clothing into 2 hanging shelves we provide, which can be mounted in the rear storage area while you are driving and then can be hung in the front cab on both the driver and passenger side while you are stationary at camp. Again, space is limited… so less is more :). You have the option to store your suitcase/bags at our place.
KIDS
Of course, with kids, it is impossible to be completely minimalist. However, it is a really fun exercise to involve them in the adventure and ask them to identify their ‘can’t live without’ items and only pack those.
Kids clothing with extra pants, tees, sweaters (they are likely to get dirty out in the wild)
Diapers & pacifiers / personal hygiene items
The van comes with a mini library of kids books about the area, wild life, dinosaurs, etc
What not to bring: Tons of toys. We have found that our kids ignore almost anything they bring and instead enthusiastically embrace nature and the wild, climbing on rocks, digging in the desert sand, building forts under trees and bushes, etc
ELECTRONICS
Honestly, you don’t need much in terms of electronics when you are out adventuring.
However, your phone will come in super handy for pictures/videos, navigation and music. The van has a USB-C connector in the center console to connect via Apple Car-Play for Google Maps, Spotify, etc.
You will be able to charge your electronic devices in the van via regular inverter outlets, that said, we recommend starting the trip out with fully charged devices.
It is likely that you will spend time in areas without cell coverage, so plan ahead (see below).
Cell phone.
To make navigation easier when you are out of cell phone range, pull up a map of the areas you want to visit in Google maps, scroll to the right on the bubbles at the bottom (Directions, Start, Save, …) to get to ‘Download’. Refine the map area you need and hit download. This will make the map content available on your phone, GPS will work regardless of cell coverage.
Download some playlists/albums in Spotify or audiobooks from Audible to have them available when you are out of cell coverage… otherwise, the van has Sirius satellite radio.
Ipads/tablets with downloaded kids content. Netflix and Google Prime apps allow you to download content in advance, which will help to keep the kids busy on boring stretches of road without cell coverage. Our screen time rule on trips is that they can use them while we are on boring highways, no screens in scenic parks or at camp.
We recommend a headset/earpods for each child to safeguard parents' sanity ;)
We provide a bluetooth speaker to connect your phone to when you are at camp.
OTHER
Sleeping bags for those sleeping on the bottom bed (the top bed has fresh covers /comforter). [We do offer freshly washed cotton/flannel sleeping bags for rent at $10 / sleeping bag]
Booster/child seat [We do offer booster/child seat options for rent at $10 / seat]
Adventure journal. We love documenting our trips while sitting around the campfire at night, using a simple hand written journal.
Towels. Some campgrounds / RV parks provide towels but you should not rely on that and if you plan to use our camp shower, you will definitely need your own. We recommend microfiber towels, which take up much less space and dry more quickly.
