Camper-van living 'is often not easy or picturesque, so you come to deeply appreciate the tools that help you make soup in the snow, sandwiches in a Cabela’s parking lot, and spritzes on the beach at sunset'
Photo: Ali Slagle Somehow the solution to a cramped Brooklyn apartment was for my boyfriend and I to fit our lives — and the cat’s — into a camper van. He spent last summer building out a Mitsubishi Delica with a couch, bed, table, and kitchen. For six months, we’d stop every so often to gasp at our big, wild country and then at Airbnbs so I could develop and test recipes from a full kitchen.
$12 at Little Green Bean Roastery Buy 12-Volt Car Kettle $57 $57 This kettle hasn’t caught fire like our first, so it can stay. While its diminutive size is great for storage, it only makes enough hot water for one cup of coffee. DTC outdoors brands: There is a serious need for a safe, efficient 12-volt kettle …
$17 at Drip Kit Buy Prepping Dometic CFX3 35 Powered Cooler $980 $980 This was the biggest splurge besides the van itself, but we knew having a fridge would really help morale — the frequent fast food and snacking on our last road trip made me very grumpy and my body pined for green vegetables. My boyfriend picked the Dometic cooler because it’s highly rated, power-friendly, and has an app to control technical things I don’t follow.
$100 at Sur La Table Buy OXO Good Grips Utility Cutting Board $19 $19 The cutting board I use every single day, even pre-van-life. While it has many perks — durable, doesn’t stain easily, gentle on knives — its greatest trait is the rubber feet that keep it from slipping around. $18 at Ace Hardware Buy Camp Chef Everest 2-Burner Propane Cook Stove $150 $150 This camp stove can do anything a house stove can do — and faster. Unlike some other camp stoves, the two burners can simultaneously cook at different temperatures and comfortably fit large skillets. But its heat is what is really stellar; I haven’t timed it, but it seems like it boils water in 90 seconds.