Products We Use and Love

I’ve been going back through some of the things I’ve ordered from Amazon that we’re using in our 2019 Leisure Travel Van TB and thought it might be helpful to other new owners to hear about how some of these items have worked for us.  We had almost a year’s wait for our LTV, so I had lots of time to think about things we already had from our old VW camper van verses things we would need for the new LTV.  I hope you find some of these things useful.


It has been brought to my attention that if you are using Firefox with tracking protection turned on or add blocking software, the images on this page will not show up.  It’s possible this might also be happening with other browsers that have tracking protection.  Since these are Amazon affiliate links, Amazon may be tracking where the clicks have come from.  If this is the case for you, just click on the title at the beginning of the description to get the full details.

Tools, Maintenance, and Parts



  • Onan Genuine Generator Maintenance Kit
    Your generator’s manual will tell you how often you should change the oil in the unit.  We change our’s about once per year.  For our propane powered Generator, this is the kit we used. It’s a fairly simple project to change your own oil in the generator and will save you a fair amount of money if you learn to do it yourself.





Portable Car Jump Starter (Up to 8.0L Gas and Diesel) 21000mAh Power Bank with Wireless Charger Car Battery Charger Smart Jumper Cables
Recently we went to leave home and our tow car had a dead battery.  Thankfully we had this Jump Starter and could get it running again and continued our trip.  So far we haven’t had to deal with a dead battery in the Mercedes Sprinter, but if we ever do we will need an extension  to make these cables long enough.  A nice feature of this unit is that you can lay your phone on it to recharge if you have a phone capable of wireless charging.





Sprinter W906 2013- Front Bug Shield Hood Deflector Guard
We really like the look of this deflector guard.  It’s our hope that it may save our windshield from some small stones hitting it, but for sure we think it will keep some insects from spattering the windshield.





Aero Cosmetics Wet or Waterless Car Wash Wax 128 oz
For many years we have used Griots car care products, so when we heard from other LTV owners about this product we were curious to see if we’d like it as well.  We find it works every bit a well as Griots at a much lower cost.  Carrying a bottle of waterless wash solution makes it easy to touch up our Unity while on the road and keeps it looking great.





Ultra-Fab Products 48-979011 4″ Ultra Swivel Skid Wheel
Like many LTV owners we sometimes worry about bottoming out on steep driveways.  We particularly want to protect our macerator which is a low point in the rear, so we purchased these skid wheels and installed them ourselves.  They were easy to install and came with all the parts needed to attach to the hitch. Note: these have a grease fitting which makes them more pricey than those that don’t.  Keep that in mind when shopping.





Cabin Air Filter PC9366 for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500
The cabin air filter might just be the easiest part to replace on the 2018 and older Sprinter vans.  Do yourself a favor and save a lot of money by doing it yourself instead of having a dealer do it.  It’s a quick slide out and replace.  And instead of wasting time looking for one at an auto-parts store, buy it here with a click of your mouse.





SSF-106-40 SumoSprings Front for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500/3500
We’ve read many forum posts about various different suspension options.  The Sumos get great reviews from many LTV owners and they are certainly the least expensive option for improving the handling of our vans.  We put them on after our two month southwest trip and boy are we glad.  We feel our van handles much better in curves and although the suspension feels a little stiffer, we love that the rig doesn’t rock and sway as much as it used to.





SSR-338-54 SumoSprings Rear for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500
See my description above.  I think the rear springs are even more important than the front, but we choose to install both at the same time.  We bought this model because we tow a car with our LTV.  If you’re not going to tow, then this model would be a better option: SSR-338-47





Hellwig 7254 Rear Sway Bar
Several people have commented that they felt the Hellwig Sway Bar added a great deal of stability to the LTV.  We had only installed the Sumo springs above and thought they made a big difference, but when friends told us they had added the Hellwig in addition to the Sumos and noticed a big difference, we decided the it would be worth the few hundred dollars to add it also.  Great choice.  A firmer ride with less sway.  I noticed it right away when taking curves at the posted speed recommendation and also less rocking when leaving our own driveway.





BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool
We keep this little diagnostic scan tool on board at all times in case of the dreaded check engine light.  Plugging it in gives us a readout of codes on our iPhone and also allows us to clear the codes.  Takes up much less space than a handheld code reader and is easy to use.





Mighty Mint Rodent Repellent Spray
When we were in the southwest we learned that packrats can be a problem in your engine compartment because a lot of our wiring is made from soy based material.  We learned to put solar rope lights around our rig at night (see below), but we also bought a bottle of this stuff to help discourage the little buggers from getting into our engine bay.  Rodents hate the scent of this natural peppermint and spearmint formula.but it won’t harm your pets.





Solar Rope Lights, 42.6 feet,100 LED
If you’re heading to the Southwest it’s highly recommend you take a couple strings of solar rope lights.  Many areas are prone to pack rats and other rodents that can do a great deal of damage to your engine wiring.  The best defense is to keep the critters out of the engine compartment completely and the best way to do that is to leave your hood of during the day so it stays light in there and then use light around the vehicle at night to scare them away.  We also spray a rodent repellent on all our wires. (see above)



 



Viair 40047 400P-RV Automatic Portable Compressor Kit
Probably one of the more expensive items we’ve bought for our LTV, but it’s something we feel we need to carry onboard  to keep our tire properly inflated.  It works great with our dually valve extensions and a gauge calculates the air pressure as you’re putting it in, so no need to constantly remove it to check pressure with a standard air pressure gauge.  It comes with hoses plenty long enough to reach all our tires. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s rugged, durable and well made.  I love that everything is contained in a well constructed bag.





Slime 1034-A T-Handle Tire Plug Kit
This is just one of those “Peace of Mind” things we carry but hope we never have to use.  The fact that we don’t have a spare tire makes me think having this and our Viair air compressor onboard is a good idea.





Kohee Tire Coveres for RV Set of 4
I guess we all know that UV rays will cause our tires to degrade and reduce tire life.  Since our rig was sitting out all summer we felt it important to protect our tires from the sun.  We bought a set of these to use when storing outside and also while camping.  They’re easy to put on and you don’t need to bungee them unless you’re in a windy area.  Be sure to measure your tires to get the right size.





VIAIR 90145 RV Winterization Kit
We bought this kit to use with our Viair Air Compressor to blow out our water lines for winterization.   The quick connect coupler makes it easy to connect and the pressure regulator prevents damage to our water lines.  A great expansion kit for our Viair Air Compressor.





Megapro Original NAS Driver
We’ll never find ourselves without the right screwdriver again since buying this bit load driver.  It comes with 7 double ended bits which gives you a hex driver and 14 of the most popular tips that tuck neatly  into the handle.  They include two flat heads; four phillips, four hex, and four square Robertson tips, including the #1 which we need for many screws on our LTVs.





Ken-Tool 30606 Lug Nut Cover Remover
We ordered our LTV with the Aluminum wheels.  The wheels have fancy lug nut covers, so we knew we’d need a way to remove those lug nuts from time to time without damaging them.  I read about this tool on one of the forums and ordered it.  So far we haven’t had the need to use it, but we’ll be glad to have it in the tool bag when that time comes.





KAIWEETS Digital Clamp Meter T-RMS 6000 Counts, Multimeter Voltage Tester Auto-ranging, Measures Current Voltage Temperature Capacitance Resistance Diodes Continuity Duty-Cycle (AC/DC Current)
My husband says everyone should have a multimeter onboard, and he likes this one because it has so many functions and it’s super easy to use.  The clamp allows it to detect voltage without making contact thus avoiding any chance of electric shock.  A light and an alarm sounds if it detects live voltage.





Heliar LED Road Flares Emergency Disc Roadside Safety Light Flashing Road Beacon for Car Truck Boat with Storage Bag (Pack of 3)
Breaking down on the side of the road is never fun, but if you do, you need to have a few safety gadgets to keep you safe – especially at night.  We bought two sets of these to use as traffic warning signals along with a couple reflective vests for ourselves in case we ever break down at night.  Even if we never have to use them, they will be worth the peace of mind knowing they are in a storage locker.   They’re small and compact, so take up very little space.





Key Lock Box 
We got this idea from another member of the LTV Facebook Group.  We put extra keys for our van and our tow car inside this combination lock and installed it in the service bay.  The way it’s installed, it’s almost invisible, yet it’s easy to get into if we need to.





Marshall Excelsior (MEGR-298) Excela-Flo Two-Stage Compact Regulator
We like feeling like we’re prepared for anything.  Our propane regulator has been working just fine, but we have read lots of stories about failed regulators.  For that reason alone, we carry a spare with us at all times.  I’m not sure we can replace it ourselves, but if we have to take it to a shop, at least we won’t be waiting for parts.





JCJ M-300 Mud Dauber Screen for RV furnace Outside Fitting
These little screens can save you a nightmare if you live or travel in an area where Mud Daubers could build their nests inside your furnace burner.  Mud Dauber is a common name for wasps that build their nests from mud and they love building nests where there is a propane burner.   We put these screens on our furnace vent to prevent the wasps from getting inside.  To learn more about the problem, watch this video.





Kohree Water Pressure Regulator Valve, Brass Lead-Free Adjustable Water Pressure Reducer with Gauge for RV Camper, and Inlet Screened Filter
Did you know you can blow out your water pipes if the pressure is too high when you hook up to the water in some campgrounds?  $40 is a small price to pay to keep that from happening.  This brass pressure reducer allows you to adjust to the pressure you desire before you hook up to your RV so you’ll know your pipes are safe.





Camco Water Bandit -Connects Your Standard Water Hose To Various Water Sources – Lead Free
If you’ve ever tried to hook your hose to a water source that didn’t have a threaded fitting on it, or the threads were stripped, then you’ll understand the value of this little gadget.  Slip the tappered end over the bad or missing fitting and then hook your hose up to the bass threads and you’re back in business.  Not for use under pressure.





zero-G Lightweight, Ultra Flexible, Durable, Kink-Free Garden Hose, 5/8 Inch by 25 Feet
We love these hoses.  We bought this one for non-potable water and for flushing out our black tank.  For drinking water, you’ll want the one below.





Teknor Apex 400625 Company 4006-25 Hose Zero-G 1/2X25 Rv/Marine

We decided to carry two 25 ft hoses for our fresh water hookups. Usually 25 feet is plenty, but every once in awhile, we have needed more, so having a second on in reserve has been handy and it’s much easier to work with just 25 feet most of the time, then 50 feet all of the time.  Be sure you get the Marine/RV blue hose for your drinking water.  We use the black one above for non-potable water when we’re flushing the black tank.





Bucket Boss AB30070 Cable Bag
Keeping things neat and tidy in the outside lockers can be problematic if you have loose hoses and cords floating around.  We solved that problem buy buying three of these cable bags in three different colors.  In our rig, black is for the electric cord, brown is for the non-potable water hose, and grey is for the fresh water hose.  We are using Zero-G hoses, so they fit nicely.





Camco Rectangular Collapsible Wash Bucket with Zippered Storage Case – Ideal For Large Wash Brushes, Perfect For Car, Truck, Boat and RV Washing, Easy Storage After Each Use -Holds 5 Gallons
We like driving a clean rig, so it’s inevitable that we’ll be faced with washing our LTV while on the road.  We carry a full set of washing materials and this 5 gallon collapsible wash bucket is an important part of the equation.  We love that it folds to less than 3 inches tall and stores easily in an outside locker.





Foldable Bucket Folding  Collapsible Water Carrier Silicone, Grey/White, 2.65 gallon
We have the bigger bucket above for washing the van, but we wanted to have a smaller bucket in the event we ever needed haul drinking water to the van.  I keep this one in a large zip lock bag to keep it clean and since it’s collapsible it doesn’t take up much room.





Camco TastePURE Inline Water Filter, Greatly Reduces Bad Taste, Odors, Chlorine and Sediment in Drinking Water (2 Pack)
I know that our LTV has a water filter built in, but I also like to filter the water we put into our fresh water tank.  These filters are cheap insurance against bad water that we’re bound to encounter somewhere along our travels.  I’d much rather filter out bad taste, odors, choline, and sediment before it gets into my tank than to just depend on the under-the-sink filter.





4 Pack Compatible for Flow-Pur 8 Carbon Block Filter Cartridge
Our LTV came with a water filter mounted under the kitchen sink.  Other models may have them under the bathroom sink.  Where ever they are, they are going to need to be replaced at some point.  We made the decision to change out our filters once per year.  Buying this 4 pack of compatible filters ended up saving quite a bit over the Watts FlowPur filter that came in our unit.





Camco Wrap Around Step Rug- Protects Your RV From Unwanted Tracked In Dirt, Works on Electrical and Manual RV Steps – Extra Large (Gray)
One of the first things we bought after ordering our 2019 was to order this carpet step cover.  It fits perfectly and we really like that it helps keep some of the debris out of our van.  Be sure you get the right size – 23″ was right for our van.





303 Rubber Seal Protectant and Conditioner for Weather Seals – 3.4 fl. oz.
This product is great for preventing drying and cracking of all the seals on your vehicles.  We bought this particularly to protect the seals on our LTV’s cargo bays, but we use it on our cars as well as our RV.





Kwikee Products Co 905069000 Kwiklube Spray Grease 11 OZ
We bought this spray to lubricate our step, but it can also be used to lubricate  slide outs and awnings.





New and Improved Eva-dry E-333 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier
We are not able to store our LTV in a heated garage, so we are concerned about moisture building up inside.  We’re using a couple of these and they seem to be working great.  When the crystals inside turn from yellow to green, we just bring them inside and plug them in overnight and they’re ready to go again.  We’re using them in tandem with the item below.





Davis Instruments Air-Dryr 1000 Dryer
This is the other item we use to help prevent moisture from building up in our LTV.   We keep the van plugged into shore power and then we plug this unit into an interior plug. It’s a very low voltage safe device that we don’t worry about tipping over.



Miscellaneous



Elbow Friend Jumbo Automotive
I sure wish our front seats had two arm rests, but since they don’t we’ve found the next best thing.  These jumbo size arm rests are perfect for attaching to the door armrests in our Sprinter vans.  We find it raises the level of the armrest just the right amount and gives a comfortable place to rest our arms.





Car Neck Pillow with Adjustable Strap for Therapeutic Support, Car Seat Attachment
Since we use our front seats to watch TV,  we wanted to make them as comfortable as possible.  These work great as a cushy headrest for both TV watching and for the passenger seat when traveling.





VIOFO A119 V3 2K Dash Cam

Dash cams are becoming more and more popular in the USA.  They record your journeys and let you review places you’ve been, but more important they also record accidents or near misses, which can become very important for insurance purposes when filing a claim.  We choose this one because it’s a simple, inexpensive design and has a GPS module that records your exact location at any given time.  The images it produces are fine for our purposes.





Amazon Fire TV Stick
We find the Fire TV useful even though we have smart TVs in our LTV because every time we turn off the inverter, the smart TVs forget our Netflix password and we have to log in again every time.  The Fire TV remembers our passwords and gives us lots of apps to choose from like Prime, Netflix, Stars, and HBOMax.  If you don’t have a smart TV, it’s essential for steaming TV.  When used in conjunction with our Winegard Connect 2.0 and a  data plan for the Winegard, we have all the TV we could possibly watch.





Deconovo Blackout Curtains Rod Pocket Curtain Panels Thermal Insulated Curtains
These are the curtains I bought for separating the cab from the rest of the RV.  They are both blackout and insulated so they help to keep the heat in and the cold out.  They come in a variety of colors.





Recmar Plastic Curtain Track 8 ft.
To hang our curtains, I purchased an 8 foot piece of plastic curtain track and 3 yards of sew in Tailslide tape.  The track can be purchased at Amazon, but I only found the tailslide tape at Curtain-Tracks.com. Amazon is a better place to purchase the track because they charge about 1/3 of what Curtain Tracks charges for shipping.  I saved on shipping costs by going together with a friend who wanted to do the same project in her van.  Update: a friend ordered his track from Amazon and it came curled up in a regular box.  It was unusable.  He called Curtain Tracks and they sent him a new one in an 8 ft tube.  If you order from Amazon and it is bent into a box, send it back.  They have been instructed to not ship them that way.  I hope this won’t be an ongoing issue, but I wanted you to know about it. For complete instructions on how I made our curtains see my write up on the LTV Mods page.





Juegoal Window Hummingbird Feeder, 8-Ounce
I love hummingbirds so when we travel I wanted a way to attract them to our campsite.  I like this little feeder because it just uses suction cups to attach to one of our windows and then you can watch the little critters from inside the van.  Although we’re never in one spot long enough to develop an ant problem, there is a water moat around the feeder to keep ants out of it.





Arizona Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas
Benchmark makes a whole series of state Atlases; primarily for the western states.  We like these atlas books because they are very detailed and have many of the free camping options in national forests and BLM lands marked.  I keep our set spread out under my bed in our Twin Bed model.





Photographing Washington, Oregon, California
If you’re a photographer, these are great books to help you find the great places to photograph in the west.  The author of the Washington and Oregon books is a member of a photography club I’m in and he drives a VW van, so I’m a bit biased, but I think his books are great.  There are also three books in this series for the Southwest.





FMU LED Tactical Flashlight S1000 [2 PACK]
I got these on a lightening deal from Amazon, but even at regular price they are a great price.  I keep one in the top kitchen drawer and one in the top nightstand drawer of our Twin Bed.  It’s nice to always know where to find a flashlight when you need it.





Motion Sensor Closet Lights, 10 LED Wireless Rechargeable Under Cabinet Lighting
Some cabinets in our LTV are just a bit dark.  I bought these to light up some of the unlit cabinets in our Unity TB.  It’s great to have a little extra light when looking for a pot in the dark cavern under the sink or a particular pair of shoes in the cabinets under the twin beds. These lights use a two face tape to apply a metal piece to the cabinet wall or ceiling and then a magnet on the light attaches the light to the wall, so they’re easy to remove when needing recharging.  They recharge via a standard mini-USB cord.





Light Blocking LED covers for Routers, Electronics, Appliances and more
The first couple nights we slept in our LTV we realized there was a lot of light pollution coming from the various light switches and USB ports in the van.  I ordered these little black dots to cover over the offending light sources and I now sleep much better.  I’ve also used a dot on my computer’s camera just to be sure no one is spying on me through my camera.



Kitchen and Bathroom



H2ofloss®Travel Water Dental Flosser Rechargeable and Cordless
On our first long trip in our Leisure Travel Van I didn’t have a portable water pik.  My next trip to the dentist confirmed that I had made a mistake not using an oral irrigator for 2 months.  So I went to Amazon and found this cute little travel size flosser.  It works great and I love that it’s cordless.  Just plug it in to charge once in awhile and you’re good to go.





Maxxair 0007000K MaxxFan Deluxe Fan with Remote
When we bought our LTV, we knew we wanted these fans for the kitchen and bathroom.  We didn’t order the Fantastic Fan rain sensor option, but ordered two of these instead.  As soon as the van got here, we got up on the roof and took out the stock fans and installed these, and we love them.  They have a hood so we can run them in the rain and there is a remote control that comes in very handy since I’m too short to reach the controls on the original kitchen fan.





Over-the-Sink Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack 18 inch
I think we can all agree that counter space is scarce in our Leisure Travel Vans.  This handy device fits over my 16 inch sink and allows me to run water to wash vegetables, etc, while also providing a flat surface to place a cutting board or even a hot pan since it’s made from heat resistant silicone.  When I’m not using it, it fits perfectly over my stove and serves as a protector to the glass top.





Two Tier Metal Bread Basket Storage Display Stand
Although the kitchen counter space is sparse in our Unity TB, I don’t tend to use the very back portion against the window and I do need a place to store fresh fruit and a few other things.  This attractive basket serves that purpose well.  I use some of the clear gel tacky material to hold it in place while we’re traveling.





mDesign Modern Kitchen Over Cabinet Strong Steel Double Towel Bar Rack
One thing that seemed to be missing in our LTV was a place to hang kitchen towels.  This little double towel bar clips over a drawer or in our case, over the spice rack in the kitchen of our Twin Bed.  It’s a simple solution.





Fengbao 2PCS Kitchen Sink Strainer – Stainless Steel
I love these little stainers in my kitchen sink of the LTV.  I find them much more effective at catching little bits of kitchen debris and since I don’t use the full sink for washing dishes, I don’t mind that they don’t work as a stopper.  I can always pull out the original stopper if I need to fill the sink, but I generally wash dishes in a smaller bowl set inside the sink.





Whedon Products SU6C Delux Swivel Super Spray
The sink in our LTV is a great size, but the faucet is not capable of spraying around the surfaces of the sink.  This little attachment replaces your regular aerator with a swivel spray or a steady stream and has a lever to reduce the stream to a small trickle.  I do wish the lever would turn off the water completely, but even at the small trickle, it’s a good water conserver and I love that I can now spray the entire sink bottom and sides when cleaning.





Cutlery Tray (1 1/2″H x 12″L x 7″W)
This is a small item, but will come in very handy if you own one of the LTVs with the little 7 inch wide kitchen drawers.  These fit perfectly in the drawers of our Twin Bed model.  One holds our full set of cutlery in the top drawer, and the other is used in the second drawer for other utensils.  It’s about the only option for these narrow drawers that I’ve found.





Fridge Monkey – Bottle Stacking Mat
This little silicone mat allows me to stack 7 bottles of beer or soda pyramid style (4 on bottom, 3 on top)  without worrying about them rolling around in the fridge which made my hubby very happy!





Silver Mesh Open Bin Storage
I bought 4 of these bins for our refrigerator.  I love how they keep my fridge space organized and 4 of them fit in there perfectly.   Now when I want to make sandwiches, I know all the sandwich making supplies are in one bin and I can access what I need and get the door shut quickly.  Same thing for putting the things back.  Since they are mesh on the sides and bottom, they allow for good air flow as long as you don’t pack them too tightly.





SensorPush Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer for iPhone/Android
I learned about this little bluetooth temperature sensor from a woman on YouTube who was having refrigerator problems.  Our refrigerator is working great, but I love this little sensor because it keeps a record of the temps and shows you a graph on your phone.  I have it set to alert me if the refrigerator goes over 40° or under 33°.  It’s pricy, but I think it’s worth it.





Chef’n VeggiChop Hand-Powered Food Chopper
There’s no way I’m ever going to pack a full size food processor in my LTV mini kitchen, but I do like to cook, so having this little chopper/processor onboard is a great help when I need to chop onions or purée some tomatoes for salsa.  No electricity required – just a few simple pulls of the string handle and you’re done.





OXO Good Grips Large Silicone Drying Mat
This little mat may not seem like anything special, but for us LTV owners it’s especially nice because it fits perfectly over the glass lid of our kitchen stoves.  I love the fact that the soft silicone protects the glass and it makes a great non-skid drying surface for dishes.





Cusimax Gooseneck Electric Kettle Variable Temperature, 4-Cup Pour Over Kettle, 1 Lt
In my search to find a tea kettle we could use on our 1000 watt inverter I found this little 1000W kettle.  We love the gooseneck for making “pour over” coffee or coffee in our AeroPress.  Look to see if there is a coupon on the page.  As of this writing, there is a $15 off coupon, making the price more like $41 which is less than I paid.





Presto MyJo Single Cup Coffee Maker
At home we use a Keirug to make our coffee, but I’ve resisted buying one for the Unity because of the space they take up.  Instead I opted for this little hand-press single cup press that uses K-cups.  This has turned out to be a simple to use, inexpensive way to make a single cup of coffee.  We heat our water with the electric kettle above.





Asobu Insulated Pour Over Coffee Maker 32 oz.
Sometimes when we’re busy I like to make a full pot of coffee all at once.  For those occasions I’ve come to love my Asobu Pour Over Coffee Maker.   The heat resistant borosilicate glass top holds a stainless-steel micro mesh filter, so no filters are required.  I still opt to use a paper cone filter which makes cleanup a snap.  I love that the thermos bottom keeps our coffee hot and fresh for hours.





Magma Nesting 10-Piece Induction Compatible Cookware
Our kitchens are tiny and storage for cooking utensils is at a premium.  I bought these NESTING Magma pans because of the way they store in less than 1/2 cubic foot of space and also because they are induction compatible.  I love these pans!  They’re quite heavy and very non-stick.  I think they’ll last a good long time.





Duxtop LCD 1800-Watt Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner
Here is why I got the induction compatible pans above.  Anytime we’re hooked up to power, cooking with electricity instead of propane is practical, but someday we hope to upgrade our battery and solar so that cooking with the induction cooktop becomes our normal.





AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
Over many years of van camping in our VW Westfalia we have tried a variety of non-electric methods for making coffee.  Our favorite is hands down, the AeroPress.  It’s a bit like a French press, but without the mess.  Besides the excellent coffee it makes, the next best thing is the easy cleanup.  Just pound the end of the press with the heel of your hand and it ejects the coffee “puck” out into the trash.  Then you’re ready to start making the second cup. Our AeroPress is a permanent fixture in our LTV thanks to the great caddy below.





Blue Horse Caddy for AeroPress Coffee Maker
We love our AeroPress, but there are lots of parts to the system to keep track of.  This caddy keeps everything perfectly organized and actually rides on my countertop in my LTV kitchen because it has rubber feet to keep it from sliding around.





Asobu Ultimate Stainless Steel Ceramic Mug
These double walled insulated mugs keep the coffee piping hot, and the ceramic lining doesn’t add any odd metallic taste to your coffee. They are comfortable to hold and they have a lid to mitigate spills. They’re available in a bunch of colors.





Zojirushi SM-SC36AV ugug
Another coffee cup option.  I carry a set of these for when we want to take our coffee with us on a walk, or for when we’re driving.  They fit in the MB cup holders and they have a safety lock that makes them leak proof.  You can tuck into a backpack without worry.  It’s amazing how long these keep your coffee hot.  Be careful to not burn yourself!  We bought the 12 oz size, but they also come in 16 and 20 ounce sizes and in lots of pretty colors.





Cup Keeper Adapter expands Car Cup Holders with a 2.5″ diameter to 3.25″ to Hold Mugs
We found the cup holders on the dash of our 2018 Mercedes cab to be too shallow to hold anything.  We bought two of these and now they can hold our Zojirushi thermos cups or a bottle of water easily.  Newer Mercedes and Ford models may not have this problem, but they sure will come in handy for older models.





Govino Shatterproof Stemless Wine glasses, 12 Ounce, Set of 4
I discovered these Govino wine glasses years ago at a wine store in Port Angeles, WA.  I’ve since found them on Amazon and often give them as gifts to friends who like to camp.  They come in 12 or 16 ounce sizes, and we’ve used both, but I’m now liking the smaller 12 oz size.  Take these anyway because they are shatter-proof, but don’t pour boiling hot water over them or they’ll melt!  Ask me how I know!





Tortilla Warmer 10″ Insulated, Microwaveable Fabric
We eat a lot of tacos and fajitas when we’re on the road and I love being able to heat up flour or corn tortillas in our microwave and keep them hot for up to an hour.  I saw these being demonstrated at the big tent in Quartzite and they said you could even steam vegetables in them, but I haven’t tried that yet.  Hand washable.





Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Qt 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
I’ve been using a 6 quart Instant Pot at the house and thought it would be great for the LTV, but it’s pretty big in size and the voltage was a bit high.  This smaller 3 quart is perfect for the two of us and is only 700W.  I use it for every thing  from steel cut oats in the morning to a hearty chili for dinner.  It’s great for outdoor cooking as well when you plug into your outside electrical outlet.  (One tip – if you’re cooking inside and you need to instantly release the pressure, do it outside or put a towel over the vent to prevent moisture from getting into your van.)





Dyson V7 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
I did not have to buy a new vacuum for our LTV because I already had this vacuum in the house.  But I find it’s very easy to just take the hand held portion out to the van whenever we’re going to be traveling.  I don’t  bother with the long tube because I have a broom I can use when I need to sweep the whole floor, but the hand held tools are great for quick cleanups.





Genuine Dyson Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Charger, Power Supply Adapter
Taking our Dyson in the LTV was a bit problematic because the only way to charge ours was to put it into the wall mounted charger.  So I went looking for a charging cord to use while traveling.  This is a genuine Dyson product and does an excellent job of charging our little vacuum in the van.  I pug it into any socket when we’re on shore power, or I put it into an inverted socket with the inverter on while we’re driving to get the vac charged up.





  • Slipper Floor Cleaning Mop
    This item may make you laugh!  I have a Swiffer mop for our LTV floors, but since I bought these crazy slippers the Swiffer is now getting used more by my husband for cleaning the solar panels than it is for the floor .  Now I just spray some Mrs. Meyer’s Multi Surface Spray Cleaner on the floor and then mop with my feet.  It’s so easy!  The fuzzy bottoms come off for rinsing and they dry fairly fast.





    Camp Chef Explorer Double Burner Stove
    This is our favorite setup for cooking outdoors at home and on the road in the LTV.  We added some accessories that make it the most versatile cooker we’ve found.  We bought the griddle accessory for one burner that makes it function like the popular Blackstone Grills, and we bought the BBQ grill box accessory for traditional grilling.  Either can be easily removed to expose at regular burner for use with your regular pans.  We bought storage cases for all the pieces and store them all in the pass through compartment of our twin bed model. You’d want to take careful measurements to be sure it would fit in your LTV model.  They do make a single burner model if space is an issue.  Visit the Camp Chef website for more information.

    You’ll need the hose listed below and this adaptor to run the Camp Chef stove off your LTVs low pressure propane port.





  • DOZYANT 12 feet Low Pressure Propane Quick-Connect Hose
    This is the quick-connect hose we bought to connect our BBQ to the LTV low pressure propane supply.  We really enjoy not having to keep a supply of small propane bottles on hand.  It fit perfect and has a safety shutoff valve.





  • Coleman Pack-Away Portable Kitchen
    When the weather is nice and we’re going to be staying in one place for a while, we like to set up an outdoor kitchen to do most of our cooking.  This little kitchen folds up really small and fits in our storage nicely.  When opened up it provides a surface for our Olympian grill (above) as well as an induction cooktop and some prep space.





    Cuisinart CGS-134T Grilling Tool Set with Grill Glove, Teal and Stainless (3-Piece)
    On our first trip out we realized we didn’t have any BBQ specific utensils and the ones I have in the kitchen are plastic, so it became evident very quickly that we’d need a set of metal outdoor cooking utensils to use on the grill.  We ordered this set because we didn’t really need  more than just a couple pieces.  Many of the other sets had 19 pieces.  This just has 3 plus a hot mitt.  They are the perfect size for our needs.




    GCI Outdoor Pico Compact Folding Camp Chair
    We did a lot of searching to find comfortable lawn chairs that didn’t take up a lot of space and cost an arm and a leg.  We finally settled on these Pico chairs because they’re not only comfortable, but they are compact when folded up and also very easy to assemble.





    Trekology Portable Camping Side Tables with Aluminum Table Top: Hard-Topped Folding Table in a Bag
    Having a small end-table next to your lawn chairs is a great convenience, but you don’t want one that’s heavy and takes up a ton of space.  This light-weight aluminum table sets up in minutes and is just the right height for between our lawn chairs.





    Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repellent
    It’s never fun to cook and eat outside if you’re being swarmed by mosquitos.  We love the way our Thermacell keeps the little buggars out of our campsite.  I protects about a 15 square foot area with no spays or scents and it’s really easy to use.  Just insert the little blue pad into the top and a butane cartridge in the bottom.  Light and enjoy your evening.  I





    mDesign Slim Plastic Rectangular Small Trash Can Wastebasket
    I wanted a small trash bin for the bathroom, so I bought this one and then realized it would work great in the main living area as well, so I bought a second one.  They come in multiple colors and fit perfect for us.





    Silicone Waterproof Toothbrush Holder
    I bought these to hold our electric toothbrush and water pic heads.  The cool thing is they are made from a cling gel material that easily sticks to the mirror in the bathroom.





    Cuisipro 13.2-Ounce Foam Pump
    Here’s a simple little thing that makes life easier in our bathroom.  It has a suction cup on the bottom so we can leave it on the counter even while traveling and mixing a small amount of liquid hand soap with water makes for a nice foamy hand soap.





    TubShroom Ultra Revolutionary Bath Tub Drain Protector
    One thing I always worry about is clogging up the drain in the shower with hair.  This little device drops into the drain and you’d be amazed at how much hair it catches.  It’s a bit gross to clean it out, but when I do, I’m grateful that hair didn’t get down into our pipes.





    Happy Campers Organic RV Holding Tank Treatment – 64 treatments
    I just hate those putrid smelling toilet chemicals.  When I drove tour bus we called them blue bombs.  They were convenient, but they really stink.  We’re now using this odorless powder that uses enzymes to break up waste in the black tank and eliminate odors. It’s biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and septic tank friendly, which makes us Happy Campers!