(Parents, if you’re reading this, no, this isn’t just a not-so-subtle hint…)

The holidays are all about hanging out with friends and family, eating good food, and sometimes getting random gifts that you have no clue what you’ll ever do with. When you live in a van, you really need to evaluate the usefulness and versatility of pretty much every item that earns its place in your cupboards. Because of this scrutinous process, it can be really tricky to determine what’s actually a useful gift for a van lifer. Well, we’re here to help!

A few things to consider when evaluating a van life gift idea:

Size – this is an obvious one. Real estate is very limited so maybe hold off on that air fryer or bean bag chair for now (although having a bean bag chair would be pretty sweet).

Versatility – this is a huge sway factor for us whenever we’re buying something new. The more we can get out of one single item, the better (as long as it does everything well, of course).

Sustainability – most people have limited electricity from solar or a generator or no access to power at all. Power-hungry appliances or things that you’ll only use a few times probably won’t make the cut.

Quality – this is a key component of living a successful minimalist lifestyle. You only need a few good quality items to replace drawers and drawers of cheap gimmicky gadgets.

So with that, let’s dive into the best gifts for a camper van!

1. WOOL BLANKET

While this might seem obvious, a really good quality wool blanket might be the kind of thing that the adventurous van lifer in your life may not want to splurge on on their own. Wool keeps you super toasty while also helping to regulate your temperature because it wicks moisture and holds a pocket of air against your body. Wool is also mold and mildew resistant and is truly intended to last a really, really long time.

I’m personally a really big fan of Pendleton because they’re high quality, nicely designed, and are made in the USA. The Pendleton Yakima is a classic. There are lots of other lower cost options out there too, just be sure to look at the tag that it is 100% wool. A bonus with wool blankets compared to down blankets is that they’re versatile. They can still be used in the future on a bed or a couch and don’t look like a sleeping bag. What a future-thinking van life gift idea!

2. LANTERN BATTERY PACK

Yeah, headlamps are handy but this little green lantern that we got on Amazon for 12 bucks has been such a lifesaver for us in so many situations. It’s a flashlight-lantern-battery pack with a built-in hook and magnets so you can hang it up or even stick it to the side of the van! The battery charges by USB and always lasts a suspiciously long time when you’re just using it as a light. When you’re in a pinch, you can also charge your phone or other USB device from its internal battery. It’s not a huge battery pack but it’s great to give you a boost when you need it. They don’t sell the exact model anymore but this lantern is an even more compact version and there’s also a bigger version available if portability is less of a factor.

3. BACKROADS MAPBOOK

Remember paper maps? Everyone has been all about digital maps for quite some time now but at the end of the day, there’s nothing more reliable than a good ol’ paper map. In Canada, we have Backroads Mapbooks which are amazing spiral-bound books with in-depth maps of every inch of land that show forest roads, hiking trails, and topographic information. They also come in a waterproof fold-out format but the spiral-bound book is truly an adventure bible. It’s loaded with additional information like fishing regulations, trip itineraries, and local insight into the given area. Just like people used to take pride in their encyclopedia collections, we would LOVE to have a coast-to-coast Backroads Mapbook collection.

For our American comrades, there are a few different options out there. For starters, you can opt for the classic Rand McNally Road Atlas that will cover you from Washington to Florida AND will also include helpful maps of your dear neigbours, Canada and Mexico. If the van lifer in your life is all about chasing the next adventure, you can go for National Geographic’s Road Atlas: Adventure Edition. This puppy is all about getting you to the next National Park or recreation area and also includes maps of Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico! Finally, if you want to help take the guesswork out of your special van lifer’s trip planning, you can pick them up a MAD Map. These highlight awesome scenic drives and road trips on a state-by-state basis. Heck — get ‘em all!

4. LIFESTRAW

Beaver fever is a real thing and it is not fun whatsoever. Drinking out of a lake or stream might seem like the cleanest water out there, but you just never know what that water has travelled over before it got to you. With the help of a handy dandy LifeStraw, you can be sure that you’re drinking clean water that is free of waterborne bacteria and parasites — without the aid of harsh chemicals like iodine and chlorine. The best part is that there are no batteries to replace and it can filter A LOT of water before it needs to be replaced (4,000 litres or 1,000 gallons is a lot more than the recommended 8 glasses a day). This makes it an excellent gift idea for any van lifer’s toolkit. You can drink directly from the unfiltered water source with the classic LifeStraw or get one of their cool water bottles so you can continue filling up and staying hydrated all day.

5. NATIONAL PARKS PASS

This is arguably one of the best gifts you could get a van lifer. Treat them to a Discovery Pass if you’re in Canada or an America the Beautiful Pass if you’re in the USA. While Canada’s Discovery Pass covers all of your day use and extended camping or backpacking trips, the America the Beautiful Pass also gives you discounts on camping at certain recreation areas. We stayed at Aguirre Springs just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, a while back and were able to camp for $3 a night because of our parks pass — cha-ching! This makes a great gift for any camper van because knowing you have the pass definitely encourages you to check out more national parks. Especially the lesser-known ones that you might have otherwise passed by.

6. PACKABLE HAMMOCK

Really, who doesn’t want to relax in a hammock when you have the chance?! Instead of the typical braided rope hammocks with a wooden frame, try out one of these packable nylon hammocks that come in 1 or 2-person sizes. They’re made from super durable parachute nylon and are way stronger than they look. They’re also much more convenient compared to the old school woven ones because they pack into a small little bag and can easily be put up with the included straps, carabiners, and the help of a couple of sturdy trees.

7. CORDLESS VACUUM

There’s definitely a theme in these van life gift ideas and that’s practicality. As I mentioned above, space is so valuable in a camper van so every item needs to really earn its place. A broom is a staple in any van but you know you’re living large when you have a cordless vacuum. This handheld Black+Decker Dustbuster has a powerful lithium-ion battery so it will last longer and it only draws 15 watts to charge — music to the ears of those with less access to electricity. If you really want to get crazy, you can pick up a Dyson dupe for under $150 and vacuum your way into sweet, cordless heaven.

8. SOCKS

And lots of ‘em. Anyone who’s been on a multi-day camping trip or hike knows how amazing it is to know that you have another pair of dry socks with you. Wool socks are key for any outdoor adventure because they wick moisture, control temperature, and keep your tootsies nice and warm. While receiving socks for Christmas when living in the city can be a bit boring, getting good quality wool socks as a van lifer is actually a super awesome gift. An extra pair of socks is always good to have because you can use them as gloves and for many other purposes too. These Danish Endurance socks made from merino wool would be a dream but there are also great options from brands like Carhartt and Dickies.

9. DUTCH OVEN

A cast iron dutch oven is a beautiful piece of cookware in any kitchen. Why they work so well in a van kitchen is because most vans don’t have an actual oven. The dutch oven allows you to do cool stuff like bake bread or make a hearty stew. They work great on a gas or induction stove and even better on a campfire. You don’t need to swing for a quintessential Le Creuset pot (even though they’re really pretty) and break the bank either. There are lots of other options out there that make for a great investment, like this beauty from Crock-Pot that’s less than 100 bucks.

10. AUDIBLE OR KINDLE SUBSCRIPTION

Remember what I was saying about super limited space? Yeah, books tend to take up a bit of that and are also susceptible to feeling the effects of changing weather conditions. If you’re in a van in a place that gets cold, moisture issues are inevitable and books will be the first ones to show it. So in this lovely digital age, we can now access tons of books online and read them on e-readers or iPads and only need to think about storing that one skinny < 1 cm thick item. Gifting someone a Kindle subscription is a really cool way to have access to thousands of books without having to worry about physical copies.

Further, you don’t even need to read the books anymore — you can listen to them! Listening to a podcast or audiobook is an awesome way to spend a road trip, whether it’s hearing how a murder mystery unfolds or tuning into a spicy standup special. You can gift someone an Audible subscription for the ultimate this-literally-takes-up-no-space gift of all.

11. YETI RAMBLER MUG

When you’re busy hiking up mountains and flying through the backroads, you want some nice, hot coffee ready to be sipped on at any given moment. Stainless steel tumblers have been around for a long time but lots of them leak or don’t actually maintain temperature that well. We’re not big on needing brand name everything but when it comes to travel mugs with crazy good insulation, Yeti nailed it. The Yeti Rambler Mugs are perfect for camping because they’re super durable and actually keep your drink hot. There are also tumblers that are extra versatile because you can use them for cold or hot drinks.

12. GAS CARDS

Most people who live in a van do it to travel and let’s face it, gas is expensive. For us, having a gas-guzzling older vehicle definitely holds us back from exploring every inch of road that we can find. While newer vans are certainly more efficient, knowing that your next fill up is covered is always a good feeling. A $100 gas gift card could be all it takes to start planning an awesome little weekend adventure.

So there you have it, some awesome van life gift ideas for the adventurous minimalists in your life. The most important aspect of all of these van gifts is the thought that went into them. Although some might not understand this nomadic, minimalist lifestyle, it’s really nice when others take the time to do some research and make some really thoughtful choices. Of course, the holidays aren’t all about gifts but we always enjoy being able to tell people how much something they’ve given us has come in handy or gotten us out of a tough situation. A lot of the items we have are like souvenirs of people or places and we love being surrounded by things that tell a story. With that, Happy Holidays and keep on vannin’!

I think it’s safe to say that when I wrote our Pandemic Van Life blog back in April, we still had a glimmer of hope that we would all be able to wash our hands of this in a few months and resume a somewhat normal, albeit modified, way of life. Now, almost four months later, it’s clear that the world will never be the same and it’s going to take a very long time for people to feel comfortable travelling freely again.

So much has transpired this year that has made us extremely grateful for our health, our safety, and all of the adventures we were able to go on in the past few years. As much as we would love to be cruising up to the Arctic this summer like we had originally planned, we realize that these smaller communities cannot handle any tourists because they barely have the resources to supply their own residents. Towns like Whistler and Squamish begged Vancouverites to stay away and not add any additional stress to their already scarcely stocked shelves – especially when toilet paper was the new gold for a while there (why did that happen anyway..?). Without turning this into a rant, my point here is that now is not the time to be selfish. Yeah, it sucks that the travel plans that you’ve been working on for the past six months got spoiled but if that’s all you’ve got to complain about then you’re doing pretty damn good.

That being said, we’ve been getting messages here and there wondering how we’re doing and if we’re still living in the van so we wanted to give a little update on where we’re at in the midst of all this craziness. In our last blog, we were renting an Airbnb on Vancouver Island with hopes that it would only be a temporary situation. After a month there, we realized that this isn’t going to be over anytime soon so we started looking at more long-term options. We knew that the only way we could get through this would be if we were close to nature so we found a great little spot in Nanaimo that’s close to the ocean and a ton of hiking trails. We were hesitant to sign our lives away on a year-long lease but we knew we had to prioritize the ability to work and use the bathroom, as these were basic things that we realized we took for granted once they were no longer available to us.

So there you have it, the end of full-time van life has come upon us. We have become involuntary weekend warriors after an absolutely amazing 2+ years. That’s not to say that we still won’t be travelling and going on road trips (still so many places we want to see!) but we will have a shower to come home to now, which is a weird but welcomed adjustment. We are so fortunate that we can afford to live in an apartment and still keep the van and we truly feel for those who live in their vehicle out of necessity and not leisure – this can’t be easy. So with that, I’ll leave you with some photos of some mini-adventures we’ve been able to go on while adjusting to this new normal. ✌️

Well, that was a short jaunt back on the road. When we left Alberta in early March in search of greener pastures, we were so excited to be back on the road, out of the cold and surrounded by nature. We spent a little while in Vancouver before boarding the ferry back to Vancouver Island, where we planned to stay until the summer. At the time, we were very much in the loop with the rapidly increasing global scare over coronavirus and the inexplicable toilet paper crisis that somehow came along with it. Although we weren’t blind to the fact that it could affect us in many ways even if we weren’t infected, it didn’t seem like it was going to throw much of a wrench into our lifestyle. Boy, were we wrong.

We spent a nice weekend in the woods, sitting by the campfire and forgetting the fact that Covid-19 exists. Our usual spots were undeniably busier than normal but we just attributed it to the nice weather and brushed off the idea of people starting to quarantine themselves in the woods. When we got back into cell service on Monday morning, we were greeted by a barrage of text messages from friends and family asking if we were ok and what our plan was going to be for stocking up on food and supplies. We didn’t dismiss those concerns but admittedly, we weren’t feeling too stressed about it. As the day went on and we were flooded with news from every angle advising everyone to “just stay home,” we started to realize that this was all for more than shock value.

So, how do you “just stay home” when you don’t have a home? I mean, of course our van is home to us but living in it requires that we have access to a network of public services and that we have a safe place to park it during the day and night. Sure, we could hole up in the woods for a while, but we need cell service and internet in order to work and stay connected to our friends and family. That meant that we had to spend a lot of time in public, whether we liked it or not. With coffee shops and libraries closed, we found parking lots with wifi that made for a half-decent home office – that was until the public bathrooms closed.

We immediately headed to the public pool to get showers before they shut their doors indefinitely later that day. We popped by McDonald’s to get breakfast and to use the washroom but the bathrooms were closed off and that’s when things started to get real. When you’re in the woods, you can go to a bush to pee or dig a hole to poop but when you’re in a busy parking lot, that’s not really an option. Even with our emergency toilet, having to put window coverings in just to go pee isn’t really ideal. I stopped drinking coffee in the day in hopes that I could hold my poo until we got out of the city at night (TMI?); we were practically dehydrating ourselves so that we wouldn’t have to drive to Walmart to use the bathroom (with the added possibility of having to wait in line just to get into the store).

As much as we so badly wanted to be on the road living freely and without a dependence on public services, it just wasn’t feasible. We had to prioritize work and being connected to the internet is the only way we could do that. Elon Musk, if you’re reading this, we will totally be guinea pigs for Starlink – having internet access in the middle of nowhere would be life-changing! Anyway, dreams aside, we started looking for a short-term apartment because the alternative of staying at an in-town campground or RV park didn’t seem like it was going to be a reliable option. Rightfully so as they officially closed National and Provincial Parks shortly after. That’s also when our sink broke, we found out that the truck stop wasn’t filling up propane, and we were reminded that we couldn’t fit into 90% of drive-thrus. Real winner of a day.

We ended up finding a spot that’s usually an Airbnb that we jumped on immediately. We’re going month-to-month and are really unsure of how long we’ll be here. Wishful thinking was a month but now the government is advising at least three. We’re not sure how the rest of the year will play out (is anyone?) but for now, we’re just happy to have a toilet and a shower. With all public facilities closed, we went nine days without showers and yes, there were a lot of baby wipes used.

All in all, I think everyone can agree that this is a super weird time to be alive. We’re happy that we made the decision that we did for peace of mind, especially when we heard that the provincial government had even shut down camping on public lands. I would normally try to load a post like this with useful links and resources but things are changing so quickly that I can barely keep up myself. For now, we’re just focusing on how fortunate we are that we have the option to rent an apartment because there are many people who don’t choose to be “homeless” like we do. With that, we hope that everyone is safe, healthy and sanitized and that people realize that we’re in this together and that that pair of shoes you want to go out and buy is probably not that important right now. I hope that others living in their vehicles have found a spot to park up and hibernate for a while, whether it’s at the dead-end of a forest road or in a friend’s driveway. Here’s to things getting back to “normal” in due time, whatever your “normal” may be.

And of course, a HUGE shoutout to all the healthcare workers, grocery store employees and everyone else working overtime right now to keep the world spinnin’.

I think by this point in #vanlife‘s jarring popularity, most folks are aware that living in a van isn’t always opening the back doors to a killer mountain view or half-heartedly playing the ukulele beside your supermodel girlfriend while she slices an avocado for your breakfast on the beach. There are a ton of extra daily hurdles that you just don’t have to deal with when living in an apartment and even though we love it, it undoubtedly is not for everyone.

Long time no talk! For those that didn’t know, we decided to rent an apartment on a short-term lease for the winter this year. Although making the return to being slaves to rent goes against everything we’ve worked toward over the past 2+ years, we made this somewhat reluctant decision for a couple of different reasons.

Initially, we considered spending the winter in Mexico but Pierogi (our pupperino) doesn’t do well in the heat and we didn’t have the time or resources to figure out an air conditioning solution. So, we figured it would be best to stay in Canada again – that way we have the freedom to travel into the states this summer without worrying about maxing out our visas. Last winter, we settled into the warmest year-round place in Canada: Vancouver Island. It was fantastic until February hit and we were stuck spending our nights at truck stops and rest areas because most of the forest roads were inaccessible with the heavy dumps of wet snow. Although the worst of the winter had blown over by mid-March, that month and a half of unpleasant conditions were enough to make living in a metal box outside not the most comfortable. Not to mention the mould….lots and lots of mould.

Anyway, with our options limited, we decided that hunkering down in an apartment for a little while would be a good opportunity to save up some money and not have to worry about things like heat and water. We settled on Calgary because we knew we had to be here for the Christmas holidays and it’s a very affordable place to live. We signed a 6-month lease, wrangled a ton of free furniture from Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji and moved on in.

Now that our six months are coming to a close, we’ve reflected on what we’ve enjoyed about being in an apartment and what we really miss about being in the van. So, behold our personal list of pros and cons of van vs. apartment living.

VAN

Pros

• No rent – This one is obvious. When you’re in the van, you can spend as much or as little as you need to on gas based on how much travelling you plan to do. All your annual fees coming due in the same month? No big deal, just stay stationary for a little while.
• Flexibility – Storm coming? Annoying neighbours nearby? Move on! In a van, you have the flexibility to chase the sun, follow a touring band or hit up every National Park; you’re not tied to any one place (that is, assuming your work allows for it).
• Owning your own home – When you live in a van you’re not subject to any landlord or building rules to hold you back from painting all of your walls pink if you so choose. You also have all of your possessions with you all the time and going on a road trip without having to worry about packing a bag is pretty great. Also, road snacks when you have a proper fridge and stove are always that much better.
• Living outdoors – A lot of people always ask us, “how do you survive in such a small space?” The truth is, we spend way more time outside than we do in the van. Depending on the weather, it would be more accurate to say that we live outdoors and sleep in a van. In any case, we don’t really need to tell you how spending time in nature is a positive thing, but we will say that when friends come to visit, it’s a lot more memorable to drive to a mountaintop and camp than it is to sit on a couch and watch Netflix.

Cons

• The bathroom/shower situation – This is an obvious one. I don’t care how down to earth you are, most people would rather pee in a toilet than into a plastic jug. When you’re in the woods and can relieve yourself outside, it’s no big deal but when you’re trying to be stealthy in a parking lot and all the nearby shops are closed, say hello to the piss jug. We bought a portapotty when we first hit the road (and love it) but we reserve it only for #1 emergencies – #2’s can stay in a 6” deep hole outside or in public washrooms. The lack of a shower speaks for itself. Yes, we have a portable solar shower and no, it’s not the same.
• Keeping up on fuel and power levels – Running out of propane in the middle of the night and having your furnace click off is never fun. Having to run the van because your batteries are low and the sun hasn’t poked its head out in days is also not fun. We’re well aware that that’s the trade-off with off-grid living but it’s still nice to not have to think about those things when you’re on city power and water.
• Tight quarters – Your quality of life in a van is largely dependent on the weather. Life is always what you make of it but after a few consecutive days of rain when you’re stuck inside a 70 sq foot space, things can get a little tight. It’s human to need a bit of space or private time regardless of how close you are with your partner or travel buddy. We treat the driving area and the bed as two separate “rooms” and that usually works for us but keep in mind if someone farts in the next “room,” it doesn’t have very far to travel before it hits your nose.
• Inevitable mechanical issues – Shit happens. Stuff goes wrong in houses and vehicles but you’re a little more on edge when your vehicle is your home. We’ve been stuck in places we had no choice but to stay the night at because the van wouldn’t start. You don’t have a workshop or a garage to go to when you want to make upgrades or repairs so you’re sometimes living in an active worksite.
• Security – Although having everything you own with you is great when you’re in the van, when you leave the van for the day/night, it can be a little nerve-wracking. We’ve heard so many break-in stories where people snatch up expensive camera gear or laptops with a quick smash of the window.  It’s wise to have a bolted-down safe or some sort of security method along with keeping really important things like your passport and cash with you at all times.

APARTMENT

Pros

• Plumbing – Toilets, showers, hot water – you’ve got it all and you don’t even have to think about it! We’re never advocates of being wasteful with water but when it’s freezing out and you can fill up the bathtub or stand in a hot shower for a while, it’s pretty darn nice.
• Space – Even in a studio apartment, you have space to spread out and can achieve some division in your area. Everything in the van is multi-purpose, which is great for achieving a smaller footprint, but not having to constantly shuffle things around to make space for other things is definitely a perk. Admittedly, it’s been really nice having counter space and not having to play fridge Tetris every time we get groceries. Also, if I want to go to bed early and Justin’s still up, we can be in separate rooms and not disturb each other whereas, in the van, this would involve some climbing around and a definite need for headphones.
• Predictability – The “where are we sleeping tonight” thought can be exciting sometimes but a bit of a dread at other times. Knowing where you’re going to be sleeping every night is pretty nice and you never have to think twice about ordering pizza or Amazon packages. To this same point, you never have to worry about being stuck somewhere because your house won’t start.
• Ability to entertain – We’ve had plenty of friends over in the van but it’s obviously a lot easier to have people over for dinner or to host a party when you have the space for it. You can also cook stinky foods freely and not have to worry about being suffocated by the smell as you sleep. And you more than likely have an oven! Ovens rule – you can bake stuff or heat up a quick frozen pizza. If you’ve got a couch, you can even have people crash at your place, unlike the van where friends are more than welcome to stay in the guest house but that guest house is a tent.

Cons

• Rent – Duh. Paying rent sucks.
• Being stuck in one spot – Sure you can take weekend trips but for the most part, the place you live is the place you live. If that place is surrounded by cool stuff (like Campbell River), then it’s all gravy but in a place like Calgary, when it’s -30° out, you’re pretty stuck.
• Neighbours – We majorly miss the peace and quiet of being alone in the woods and not having to hear the people across the hall blast music at 3 AM. The noise doesn’t even bother us all that much compared to people’s disrespect for shared spaces; leaving stinky trash bags of kitty litter out in the hallway and vandalizing the elevator is just not cool.
• Having to rely on others – The more time we spend on the road, the more self-sufficient we get with repairs, maintenance, etc. Being in an apartment building means that we have to call a guy when our heat stops working or when the batteries die in the keyless door lock while we were out (yes, this happened and yes, we were locked out for a couple hours the day after Christmas). You also have no control over when they decide to test the fire alarms or shut the water off.

Conclusion

All in all, both dwellings have their pros and cons. The biggest takeaway I got from writing this is that many of the things we considered cons of the van can be fixable. We could install a hot water boiler and a pressurized shower. We could build in an oven. We could get a bigger van or upgrade to an RV or a schoolie to relieve the space issue. Ultimately, there is still plenty of room for improvement in our mobile-tiny-living-dream that involves striking a better balance of living modestly while still having modern conveniences. We love the freedom and flexibility we have in the van but at the end of the day, we still love pooping in a toilet. There are so many basic things that you take for granted while living in a house or apartment that we have a completely renewed appreciation for.

Staying in one spot for this long has definitely been tough in some (read: most) respects but it has also been helpful in others. Namely, we’ve been able to do some much-needed repairs and upgrades to the van that should allow us to hit the ground running once our lease is up (two more weeks – yay!!). Our plan is to head back to Vancouver Island from here to wait out the rest of the cooler months and then embark on a very special adventure after that. Let’s just say we’re heading to a very cool spot (pun intended) that’s been a long time coming…

So the main reason for our trip back down to the states was for a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre that we and friends of ours in Toronto had bought tickets for way back in November. We don’t really plan all that much so we like to have these sort of set-in-stone anchor points to work around and just fill in the blanks in between. It’s also fun to have something to look forward to that always feels like it’s ages away then have it quickly creep up on you. We made our way to Denver the day before our friends arrived to do all of our necessary preparations for having 4 people in the van and of course, do a Planet Fitness shower run. The gross weather was following us and the mountains were nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t exactly the most hype-inducing start to exploring a city that we’ve heard so much about but that wasn’t going to hold us back from getting out there and making the most of it.

Fast forward to the next day when the baseball game we had tickets to got cancelled because of the weather so we led ourselves on a grand brewery tour instead. We hit a few good stops like Great Divide and Jagged Mountain before the rest of the night became a blur and we replenished ourselves with a heavenly pie at Ian’s Pizza. We scored a campsite for the next day at Bear Creek Lake Park – 5 minutes away from Red Rocks – so we headed toward Morrison before the show to do the loop around the grounds as the rain turned to snow. Not exactly ideal weather conditions for an outdoor concert followed by camping in a tent but what can ya do.

The grounds at Red Rocks are super cool and the acoustics of the show were mind-boggling-ly amazing (we saw Vulfpeck and Khruangbin) despite the winter-like temperatures. In search of some warmer weather, we made our way south toward Colorado’s elusive desert after another snowy night in the mountains. We checked out Great Sand Dunes National Park which was one of the coolest places we’ve ever been to. Think White Sands meets the Sahara Desert – but with Rocky Mountains in the background. The Dunes are deceivingly rounded out and make for a pretty scenic workout, especially when Pierogi was having the time of her life and ran the entire time.

The views were spectacular and surreal and didn’t stop when we camped the night at the foot of Blanca Peak, one of Colorado’s tallest mountains. Our wishes for sunshine were also granted in full force and we certainly had the sun burns to prove it. We also got a chance to explore Garden of the Gods Park and the Paint Mines outside of Colorado Springs. Both super cool and super unique.

We spent our last day in Denver soaking up the sunshine, eating Voodoo Doughnuts and drinking beers in the park (because you can) before spending a quick night in a Bass Pro Shops parking lot near the airport with a full house in the van. We’ve never slept 4 inside but now we know it’s possible! Bear in mind I said possible, not necessarily comfortable… After cruising past Blucifer again to drop our buds off at the airport, we made a complete 180 from the beginning of the week and were dying from the heat. Just as we were resenting it a few days earlier, we caught ourselves wishing for a breeze of that cool mountain air. We spent a day working in Boulder and were kind of disappointed by how douchey and clean-cut it was compared to Denver. The Flatiron mountains were pretty beautiful though so that made it all worthwhile.

We drove past hoards of pale, rich high school kids gathered along Boulder Canyon for some sort of let’s-skip-school-and-drink-Bud-Lights gathering before reaching the 9000’+ elevations that were sure to cool us off. We didn’t go into the actual town but hung out around Nederland, which many had told us was a very RV/van-friendly area. Unfortunately, it might be a little too well-known for its friendliness because the whole Roosevelt National Forest seemed to be full with boondockers and people who have clearly made a permanent home for themselves amongst these mountain tops. In such a large area, we’ve never had so much trouble finding places to camp that weren’t completely full on a random weekday afternoon. On the Wednesday and Thursday, we had to scope out 3 different spots before eventually finding a mediocre place to set up shop for the night. We’ve heard awesome things about Colorado and all the places to camp but it’s just a little too saturated for our taste and dare I say, a little overrated. Maybe we’re just late to the party.

All in all, we had a great time exploring around Colorado and would still go back in a heartbeat to cross more things off of our list (for example, the roads weren’t open to cars in Rocky Mountain National Park yet) but camping was honestly a bit of a nightmare. With seemingly so many options, everyone and their brother is already in those options and the ones beside them. I can only imagine it gets even crazier in the summer but early May was definitely a bit of a shitshow. Before we head to the Midwest, we have only one piece of advice for people that think Colorado is awesome: go to Canada. Sorry guys, but your mountains ain’t got nothin’ on ours.

We’ve been wanting a little bud forever and we finally got one! Pierogi is a Brussels Griffon and is going to be the best travel companion.

Stay tuned for her adventures as she grows up on the road! ♥

So, flashback to the summer when we spent a week in Vancouver fully embracing the stealthy habits that come with city camping. We had an awesome time relishing in city life while still having our humble abode to come home to. Now, fast-forward to November where it gets dark before 5PM and it’s just cold enough to not want to sit outside. You seek refuge in bars, restaurants and coffee shops blending in with all the other city dwellers who want to get out of the house while the dollar signs add up and your wallet starts to get thinner and thinner. Alternatively, you can sit in the van parked on a residential street trying not to make noise or run the lights or furnace – delightful. By no means are we asking for sympathy since we’re well aware that it’s been our choice to live in our vehicle and fortunately, we could live in a traditional apartment if we wanted to. We balance out these less enjoyable times with crazy adventures and a very flexible lifestyle that most people don’t have. In any case, I’m still going to proceed with sharing the hardships of city camping in the winter while you slide the bow across the world’s smallest violin.

Vancouver is an amazing place with a really nice balance of city and nature that makes for a great launch pad to the mountains, the beach and plenty of forested areas. Over the years, many people have caught on to how nice it is and consequently, a lot of people want to live there. Rental and housing prices are sky-high and there are plenty of restrictions on overnight parking yet there is a whole community of people who live in RVs and campers around the city. Very similar to Portland, we always favour parking in the Kitsilano area because the quiet streets are littered with Westfalias and no one seems to care. In the summer this was awesome because we could spend the evening at the beach or the park and only head back to the van when it was dark and we’d probably be going to bed soon anyway. Although the temperatures were still undeniably mild, it’s still not the most comfortable to sit on a cold, wet log on the beach in the dark while it rains and hovers around 0 degrees (32°F). Naturally, we didn’t want to make a racket cooking and doing the dishes so we’d spend time at bars and restaurants and end up spending more eating out than we’d like. It almost felt like part of the money we were spending on that beer or that burger was just for a place to sit and a bathroom to use. Not to mention that there are a ton of great restaurants around Vancouver that made it hard to say no…

Even trickier than the evenings was the daytime when we’d finish up a coffee shop workday early and just want to hang out at home but the van was cold and dark and the volume at which you could hear pedestrians passing by made it clear how well they could hear you too. Again, not a sob story but it was the first time we really felt out of place. Sure, we have friends around the city who we’d frequently hang out with but you can’t rely on living room-hopping every day. For once, we struggled with feeling “at home” inside of our own house and that’s certainly not a great feeling. We even ventured around pockets of North Van and Commercial Drive where somewhat derelict RVs that haven’t moved in months line the industrial streets and give a clear indication that no one’s going to bother you for sleeping in your vehicle and still just didn’t feel comfortable. So why didn’t you just leave you might ask. Well, we had some scattered plans and work-related things to do in the city while counting down the days until some friends from the east were headed to town for a couple days before catching opening day in Whistler. On that note, let’s switch gears and focus on the positive experiences we had outside of feeling like complete vagrants.

We ate a ton of delicious food and probably got our season’s worth of ramen (is there ever too much?) while getting a chance to catch up with some friends we haven’t seen in a while and don’t get to see often. We checked out Queen Elizabeth Park, which was way nicer than we could have anticipated and it also had a very van-friendly street bordering it that we called home for a few nights. We finally bit the bullet and invested in some new batteries which took a hit on the wallet but were well worth the expense. With the change in seasons and the need for more lights and more furnace, our old battery really fell short. Check out our updated solar set-up post for all the technical deets.

Finally, once our cross-country buds arrived, we had a great time hanging out and parted ways always wishing we had more time together. As our time in the city came to a close, we felt equally excited and a tad nervous to venture over to the Island and truly begin our winter. Needing steady internet and conveniences like showers and groceries in the mildest temperatures we could wrangle, we figured we’d stay around Victoria and Nanaimo and hoped that our feelings of discomfort after being in the city for so long in Vancouver wouldn’t just carry over to new streets with different names.

Whether it’s through Ontario or through Minnesota, the drive along Lake Superior is pretty spectacular. Granted it’s a huge lake, it’s pretty disorienting since its shoreline looks so much like the ocean. We drove the American side, which is full of cute little cottages and waterfront restaurants with views that will make your jaw drop. We found a spot to camp near Tufte, in the Superior National Forest, where we were surrounded by towering trees and of course, plenty of bugs. As much as I love summer, I detest that it’s synonymous with bug season – guess we can’t win ‘em all.

We continued to hug the “coast” down through Duluth, which is a really cute scenic town filled with beautifully preserved old houses with storybook-like gardens. For some reason I always thought Duluth was a heavily industrial town but the lake views and mature trees definitely trumped any factories to be seen. We made our first American grocery stop after being away for a while and asked ourselves again how people aren’t drunk all the time – we bought a 24 of beer in Kenora, ON for $41 and got the exact same beer in a 30-pack for $12 here. Land of the free, man.

We started making our way closer to the city and stayed a night in a town called Bruno. Despite being in a slightly more open area than the forest, the bugs were even crazier. So much so that I barely slept between being woken up by the sounds of buzzing swarming my head and going full-on Rambo trying to eradicate the problem. Whether I was successful is debatable but at least I managed to catch a few hours of sleep between swatting and bathing myself in peppermint oil. Before hitting the Minneapolis city limits, we spent a night in the Rum River State Forest where, to our luck, the bugs were so bad we had to stay in the van. We roasted while playing cards before a Forest Ranger pulled up and knocked on the window. That’s generally not a very good sign but this guy saw our Alberta license plate and just wanted to chat about his upcoming trip to Canada. To many people, Canada is like a mythical place so we’re always happy to chat with Americans who are genuinely interested in visiting and don’t just rule it out because you can’t carry guns.

We left the woods and headed to the city where we stayed with Justin’s cousin and her family for a few days (yes, Justin has a lot of family scattered throughout North America). We spent a few days drinking, boating and floating among catching up on work and of course, showers. Minneapolis has got a ton of great breweries around town and we did our part to check out several of them. If you ever find yourself thirsty, be sure to check out Uteplis for beer, Sociable Cider Werks for cider and Tattersall for amazing cocktails. On the weekend, we were lucky enough to be in town when Target was putting on an epic fireworks show for the Aquatennial. Yea, I didn’t know what that meant either but in short, it’s a week of events celebrating the lakes of Minneapolis with a huge grand finale party. We’ve both seen some pretty great firework shows in our days, but this one blew all the others out of the water. Basically, it was 30 minutes of solid grand finale-level fireworks. We watched from Nicollet Island and had an awesome view of the explosive colours lighting up the city.

After another top-notch day floating on one of Minnesota’s many beautiful lakes, we left town on a high note and headed toward the town of Red Wing, where the company Red Wing Shoes is based out of. I’m a bit of a nerd for quality heritage apparel so the fact that the factory store also has a (free) museum was pretty awesome. They trace back the history of the boots and how they’ve evolved over the years and even have a massive leather boot that’s fit for a giant. It took ages to make and definitely used more leather than a couch – they call it a size 638 ½. It’s a super cool spot to check out, even if you’re not that interested in boots. Outside of the factory, the town of Red Wing is really pretty and is oozing with character. It’s right on the Mississippi River and has got lots of historical buildings and local vendors selling farm fresh corn and other veggies.

We continued along the Mississippi to another State Forest where we camped a night and prepared for a lot of driving in the coming days. As I mentioned in the last post, the drive through the US from Thunder Bay, ON to Niagara Falls, ON crosses through 8 states. We were one down with seven to go so a good night’s sleep was essential.

Alberta is where the van magic started; our van is from here, we renovated it here (in the dead of winter I might add) and we started our 6-month long drive (and counting) from here. As cool as it was coming back into Canada through BC, entering Alberta was a pretty big milestone for us. We’ve done and seen A LOT of stuff since we’ve been away and it’s pretty great to know that we, and Clementine, have made it successfully without being dead broke or, just dead.

You’d be hard pressed to find a boring or dull route into Alberta from BC since you’ve got some pretty special mountains to pass through. As mentioned in our last post, we took the Crowsnest Highway the whole way through BC until we reached the crazy gorgeous Crowsnest Pass in Alberta. Crystal clear lakes and snow capped mountains surround you as you drive and try to feverishly take it all in since in a matter of minutes, the landscape changes to the good ol’ prairies – yawn. Anyway, not far from the border is the town of Frank, which is a pretty interesting place to stop. Basically, hundreds of years ago, a crazy rockslide completely buried this little town and it was left as a field of rubble. They say there’s gold and all kinds of things under those rocks since the slide destroyed banks and other important buildings but I think the no-digging policy is pretty firm. Bummer.

After catching up with some friends and family, we made the voyage to middle-of-nowhere-ville, Alberta for a music and van festival. Yes, I said van festival. It’s called Vantopia and is where people from Western Canada and elsewhere bring their crazy souped up vintage vans to hangout and party. I think we could easily say we were some of the only ones that actually live in our van because most of these other ones definitely stay in the garage for most of the year and only come out to be shown off. We’re talking full white polar bear interiors, custom wooden rims and even fully operational bars, all in 70s and 80s vans in the most pristine condition. It was a farmer’s field full of vanners and it was wicked. We set up our matching awnings with our friends’ van and made a giant van complex but were too busy getting wasted to take a photo of it – oops!

We spent the next couple weeks hanging out with family, eating good food and catching up on some repairs and maintenance. We were so stoked to borrow a timing gun from a friend and fix our ongoing engine issue in minutes. We can now go up hills without having to go logging truck pace and all just in time for us to embark on the flattest part of our journey through the prairies– perfect timing! Ha. As great of a time as we had with the humans we hadn’t seen in months, the highlight of our time in Calgary was definitely meeting Justin’s brother’s new puppy, Banjo. This is totally unrelated to anything travel or van related but he’s just too damn cute not to acknowledge. He’s a little border collie and is an absolute wildman. But you can’t stay mad at him because he’s just SO CUTE!! (Photo evidence below)

Just as we were getting ready to leave Calgary, we noticed that our fridge had decided to stop cooling. We had propane, it was getting a steady flow of power and we always make sure to keep it level so this became a real headache. Long story short, we ended up being able to replace what was causing the problem with a $7 part from an electronics store and were back in business. This was really frustrating and stressful and delayed our departure by a few aggravating days but all in all, we got it sorted and were finally able to buy groceries again, yay! RV fridges are really expensive and finicky so I wrote a very detailed post about what happened to our fridge and how to troubleshoot if you’re experiencing issues with yours. All that and more here.

With a cold fridge full of overpriced Canadian beer, we were ready to hit the road again and keep truckin’ east. We made a stop not far from the Saskatchewan border in Sunnynook, Alberta at a lovely free campground on a dam reservoir. It was all fine and dandy with the exception of the playground that’s so rusty that it makes horror movie-level sounds as children play on it. Swings that sound like creaky shrieks and children’s laughter just don’t go all that well together when you don’t want to have nightmares. Aside from that, we enjoyed our last peaceful night in Alberta before exploring some new ground (for me) in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Our next commitment is to be in Northern Ontario for the beginning of July so we have about two weeks to drive 19 hours, which is more than manageable and will give us plenty of time to get lost in all those canola fields. Oh yeah, we borrowed a camera from Justin’s mom so we’ll be stepping up our photo game on our blogs and camping directory. Be sure to follow along as we uncover new spots all the time!

Sailing into Horseshoe Bay on a warm May evening made for a pretty spectacular welcome back onto mainland BC. All of the smaller islands surrounding Vancouver Island and the luxurious shacks that sit atop them sparkled in the setting sun as our ferry docked about 15 minutes north of West Van. We didn’t want to deal with driving through the city after a long day cruising across the island so we headed north toward Squamish to hunker down for the night. Highway 99, or the Sea-to-Sky Highway, is kind of like a continuation of America’s Pacific Coast Highway that skims the rugged coastline all the way to Squamish before surrounding you in mountains as you head into Whistler. BC is full of scenic drives but this route in particular is pretty special.

We found a spot just off the highway with a glorious view of the islands (think Canada, not Galapagos) and the seemingly calm waters that separated us. Being so close to Vancouver, this was a fairly popular spot to camp with a small “village” of vanners forming as more people set up shop for the night. We’re not big fans of waking up early so luckily most of the folks had already set out for the day by the time we rolled out of bed and we had the views all to ourselves.

Over the next week, we got our fair dose of city life as we caught up with lots of friends and family in Vancouver. In fact, we experienced the ultimate Vancouver dream: living on a swanky street in Kitsilano lined with multi-million dollar houses while being steps from the beach and tons of bars and restaurants – oh and, for $0 in rent. City camping is not for everyone and definitely gets old pretty quick but it made for a great way to keep our expenses down while spending our days wandering around a big city. It can seem a little daunting at first to pick a spot where you’ll actually be able to sleep the night and not be woken up by relentless street noise or the fear of police knocking on your window in the middle of the night, so here are a few tips we’ve learned for successful stealth camping:

• Arrive after the sun goes down and already be ready for bed. This way, you don’t need to exit the van to go to the bathroom or have lights on to see your toothbrush. We like to stay in a public parking lot, like a grocery store or city park, and do all of our bedtime duties there so we can keep pretty low-key once we arrive at our spot. With this method, we’ll head out in the AM so folks might not have even noticed we were there at all.
• Otherwise, park the van in the day, put all the curtains down and leave. Leave for the whole day. People seem to be much less sketched out by a van in the daytime that seems to just be “forgotten” by nightfall. Nothing says CIA like a cargo van with a fake florist company’s logo rolling up at 7PM and not moving. In Key West, we parked near a hotel and left for the day to be tourists and didn’t return until after midnight – this made the van seem more like any other commuter vehicle than our house.
• Don’t let anyone see you enter/exit the vehicle. In line with previous points, you either leave for the day and don’t return until people go to bed or you arrive when people are already in bed. Don’t make it seem like your van is your home base and that you’re quite obviously living out of your vehicle.
• If possible, opt for a spot that’s not directly in front of a single-family home. We like to park in front of apartment buildings or be across the street from churches or businesses so it seems like it could be anyone’s vehicle. Are the folks in unit 2A having visitors? Who knows? Also, who cares? By the time anyone actually pursues it, you’ll be gone.
• Finally the obvious ones: Don’t make excessive noise. Use minimal lights. Make sure people can’t see your stuff when you’re gone for the day but make sure that what people can see is clean and tidy. Essentially, fly under the radar the best you can. No need to draw any extra attention to your rig or become the eyesore of a neighbourhood with take-out containers and receipts filling the dash. Also, decreasing the likelihood of getting broken into is always the name of the game so don’t have anything worthwhile visible – we even make it a point to not leave spare change on the front console.

We spent the week working while eating good food, hanging out at the beach and catching up with old friends. We even dabbled in “vegan chicken wings”, AKA cauliflower wings, that were way tastier than we would have ever imagined – and that says a lot coming from two devoted carnivores. Being such an expensive city to live in, we were pretty lucky to bring our accommodations with us and have nice enough weather to walk EVERYWHERE. That is one thing that I love about cities, an hour walk to meet up with your friend turns into an adventure in itself with all the interesting things to see and colourful folks to people watch (in the least creepy way possible). Of course the main downside about being in the city is that you can’t help but spend money – how can you turn down a fresh bowl of delicious ramen when all you have in the van is Mr. Noodles?! That being said, we’ll just focus on the money we saved in accommodation and transportation and not the money we spent on food…

The time finally came where we were sick of the city and desperately wanted to be back in the woods. We left the sky-high Vancouver gas prices behind and drove past Chilliwack to Hope, BC where we found ourselves a spot on the Skagit River. Given the season, the rivers were quite high as the snow from the mountains was in prime melting time but this had to be the fastest moving river I’ve ever seen. It looked like someone put this river on fast-forward and just left it. Anyway, it felt good to be back in nature until we took a look around the campsite and it was covered in trash. California was bad for litterbugs but this was downright disgusting – the previous campers had attempted to burn all their unneeded camping gear so the fire pit had an ashy camping chair in it while wrappers and beer boxes were scattered throughout. The kicker though, was that they left two chicken cutlets on a cooking grill on the fire pit. You don’t need to be all that “bear aware” to know that that’s not a good idea – ever. So we cleaned it all up and finished their botched burning job to leave the spot as a campsite instead of a pigsty.

Coastal BC has been amazing so we’re stoked to head into the mountains and start exploring the interior. Summer is upon us and Canada is full of what we call Crown Land (similar to BLM lands in the States) so we’re gearing up for a few months of amazing free camping. Follow along on our new Camping Directory where we’ll continuously share all the hidden gems we uncover. Shoot us a message or leave a comment with any must-see spots anywhere from BC to Newfoundland – we’re doing it all!