Camping in your van is one of the neatest parts of trying out this lifestyle choice.  You get to drive into the wilderness or at least a national park and spend time in the quiet serenity of nature.  It’s a very relaxing way to travel and one of the most awesome aspects of van living.  If you’re planning to be successful with van camping, you’re gonna need a few pieces of quality camping equipment, as well as some basic supplies.  Here’s a list of basic equipment and I included a link to Amazon.com for each one so that you can price compare.

Camping stove:

Browse Low Cost Camping Stoves 

 12 Volt Cooler:

Browse 12 Volt DC Coolers

Camp Cooking Pans:

Browse Camping Cookware

Now, that’s a good selection of the equipment you might require for an extended week of camping, but what about supplies? I like to have the basic staples when I camp and plan to cook.  Here’s a list:

Canned foods ( just grab a variety of stuff that you normally eat like, beans, corn, green beans, sliced potatoes, etc.)
Pancake mix (homemade or store bought)
Peanut Butter
Drink Mix
Bread
Eggs
Milk (powdered is easier to keep)
Cheese
Boxed Cereal
Oatmeal
Bacon Bits
Canned meat (tuna, chicken breast)
Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Lunchmeat

That’s a good start.  Try to get enough supplies together to allow you some variety in your meal planning.  Plus, don’t forget that you will need either potable water at the campsite, water filtration for the avaliable water, or bottled water for many of these food items to be properly prepared.