Campervan Essentials Packing List

Oh, campervanning. Our first experience was renting a Jeep Wrangler and driving for 12 days around Iceland, and that trip changed the way we travel completely. We had an absolute blast in our rental, and the freedom was the real revelation — pulling up to any campsite we wanted without rigid plans, driving further or less on any given day without needing to cancel accommodation.

Travelling in October (shoulder season, read more on why that works so well) meant most campsites were nearly empty too. This is exactly the plan for future road trips as well.

Campervans vs Motorhomes

Campervans

Campervans are usually smaller than motorhomes — often a van, or in our case a Jeep Wrangler, with a bed in the back and some cooking equipment. Some have a toilet and shower; ours was essentially a bed with equipment stored underneath, which meant cooking and cleaning outside and using petrol station toilets along the route.

You can bring your own cooking equipment, sleeping bags and pillows, or rent everything through the campervan company — the option we chose, and would choose again if you don't already own your own gear.

Motorhomes

Considerably more luxurious by comparison. Motorhomes tend to include a toilet, shower, indoor cooking facilities and a dining area that converts to a bed. Bedding and equipment are usually provided by the rental company here too, with the option to bring your own if you prefer.

Booking Your Campervan Road Trip

Browse a few companies to compare rates, and check review sites to confirm the company is reputable. Most small campervans suit couples well. Prices run a bit higher than a standard car rental — worth remembering that you're booking transport and accommodation in one, plus the freedom to explore at your own pace.

Most rental companies offer camping packages that include bedding (sheets, blankets, pillows) and often full cooking equipment — burner, pots, pans, gas, plates, cups, a coffee maker, even a cooler. Extras like tables and chairs are usually available too.

Check the daily mileage allowance included in your booking — most set a limit by default, upgradeable to unlimited. If you're planning to cover significant ground, unlimited mileage is worth paying for.

Campervan Essentials for an Epic Road Trip

Everything worth packing, from absolute necessities to small comfort items — kept as lightweight as possible since we travel with backpacks only.

Beyond your driving licence, passport and wallet, a few things earned their place quickly. Downloaded music or podcasts covered any stretch where signal dropped, and offline Google Maps became essential — read our full guide to using Google Maps for travel planning for exactly how to set this up before you go. Protein bars and Skyr yoghurt got us through three days of genuinely terrible Iceland weather when cooking wasn't an option, and a solar power pack genuinely worked, with the built-in light proving bright and handy at camp.

• USB car charger → — a genuine necessity for charging devices on the drive
• Protein bars → — a real bad-weather-day lifesaver
• Solar power pack → — genuinely works, with a bright built-in light
• Spare USB cables → — you can never have too many

A good mirrorless camera makes a real difference on scenic road trips, backed up by extra SD cards and an external hard drive to back up photos each evening — cards fail, and losing a week of Iceland photos is not a risk worth taking. A tablet for evening movies turned out to be genuinely one of the best parts of camping, snuggling up to watch something and stargaze afterwards, alongside a small torch (your phone works in a pinch too) and a small speaker for cooking-dinner music.

• Extra SD cards and hard drive → — back up photos each evening
• Tablet for evenings → — genuinely one of the best parts of camping
• Small torch → — for outside camp when the phone's better used elsewhere
• Small speaker → — good for music while cooking

A small foldable backpack turned out to be one of the most useful things we carry — you don't want your full pack for short hikes away from the vehicle, and a basic first aid kit rounds out the essentials category.

• Foldable day trip backpack → — for short hikes away from the van
• First aid kit → — the essentials, kept accessible

Clothing and Personal Items

A comfy sweater or fleece and comfortable pants or leggings cover most evenings — our clothing choices here largely follow the cold weather packing list if you're heading somewhere similarly chilly. Turkish towels are quick-drying and genuinely useful for whenever you actually find a shower or hot spring along the route.

• Reusable water bottle → — saves buying bottled water throughout the trip
• Foldable coffee cup → — for coffee shops en route or a morning coffee before the drive
• Wine or beer opener → — a genuine necessity for evenings we always seem to forget to pack

Sunglasses and a good hat round out the everyday personal items, small but easy to overlook when you're focused on the bigger camping gear.

Toiletries

An eco-friendly toothbrush and natural toothpaste are simple swaps worth making, and for hair I make my own shampoo bar — read the DIY solid toiletries guide if that appeals, or use silicone travel tubes instead of hotel-sized toiletries if making your own isn't for you. Bar soap lasts noticeably longer than liquid soap; opt for something eco-friendly like castile soap if you can find it.

• Shampoo bar or silicone travel tubes → — either works, whichever suits your routine
• Bar soap → — lasts longer than liquid soap

A safety razor carried without a blade (grab a pack on arrival) and natural deodorant round out the basics — or make your own deodorant using the same DIY toiletries guide. Hand sanitiser and hair bands are easy to forget and always needed, and a refillable perfume container means you can bring your favourite scent without carrying a full bottle.

• Safety razor → — carry without a blade, grab a pack on arrival
• Natural deodorant → — or make your own with the DIY guide above
• Refillable perfume container → — fill with your favourite scent and hit the road

A menstrual cup and cloth pads are genuinely the best option for road trips, given how infrequently you'll have easy bathroom access to change anything else. Beyond that, keep antihistamines, Imodium, paracetamol and plasters on hand — none of it exciting, all of it exactly what you'll want on the one day you didn't pack it. Finally, bring proper RV or campervan toilet paper rather than standard toilet paper — the standard kind clogs the system.

• Menstrual cup → and cloth pads → — genuinely the best road trip option

Related Posts

• Iceland Road Trip Itinerary — 12 Days
• Google Maps for Travel Planning
• Cold Weather Packing List
• DIY Solid Toiletries for Carry-On Travel