Van life made easier

So yes, I know that the idea behind living in the van was to downsize and get rid of stuff. However, there are still some things that have definitely made living in a van a bit easier.

1. The fan. Now I know what all the fuss was about when Mike installed this. Getting air flow into the vehicle when we are parked (air in). Having air flow through the vehicle when we drive (air out). I think Mike mentioned in a previous post that we don’t have air conditioning. Since arriving in BC it hasn’t been as big of an issue as when we were driving through the hot prairies as the days have been warm (not hot) and the nights are cool. But it is only June. I am sure hot temperatures will meet us somewhere. It has also helped having the fan running when we leave the dogs in the car. We close all our blinds, put the cover over the front of the van and blast the fan at 70% to keep it nice and cool for them.

2. The lunch box. Purchased about a year ago, it allowed us to cut some veggies, add some broth, throw in some vegetarian protein and have a stew halfway through our drive from Thunder Bay to Kenora (rather than stopping at a fast food restaurant). It plugs into the cigarette lighter and heats up to about 275 degrees Fahreheit. We have used it twice so far in the van (for dinners) if we are going to be driving more than an hour in between destinations. If we are plugged in at a campground, I have been making banana loaf (needs to bake for about 1.5 hours but has turned out pretty good!).

3. The bike rack. Mike did many hours of research on this one (what doesn’t he spend hours researching?) and I think he made the right choice. Super handy to swing out the way when accessing things out the back doors (dog food, kitchen box, shoe box). And the mountain bikes are definitely getting some good use here in the mountains .

4. Shower bag (a Christmas gift from my in laws – thanks Deb & Gord!). This has been a great little tote to store my shower items and bring them to the campground showers. Because Mike still hasn’t convinced me to try the “Free camping” locations, this is also getting good use (about a twice/week).