The Best Campervan Accessories for Your First Year

The first year of campervan ownership is a series of small purchases — some brilliant, some never used again. The good news is you don't need to kit the van out all at once. Camp a few times, notice what annoys you, and buy only what solves a real problem. That said, a few items earn their place from day one.

Comfort essentials

• Levelling ramps (£30–£80) — the first thing you'll wish you had on an uneven pitch.
• A good mattress topper (£60–£150) — the standard van mattress is rarely enough for a full night's sleep.
• Curtains or blinds (£40–£150) — privacy and darkness, which you can't do without in summer.
• Windbreak and awning — a cheap windbreak (£30–£60) protects the door on blustery sites long before you commit to a full awning.

Buy the windbreak before the awning. It's cheaper, quicker and solves most UK weather problems.

Power and cooking

• A leisure battery or solar panel — if you camp off-grid even occasionally, 100W of solar (£150–£300) stops you thinking about power.
• A quality 12V USB hub and phone mount — your phone is your navigation, camera and entertainment.
• Good pans and a non-stick kettle — van hobs burn everything; decent cookware is worth the space.

Safety and storage

• A carbon monoxide alarm (£15–£30) and smoke alarm — non-negotiable in a sealed box with gas and heaters.
• Wheel chocks and a fire extinguisher — small, cheap, genuinely life-saving.
• Collapsible storage — folding boxes and hanging organisers turn a tiny kitchen into a usable one.

What to skip

You'll be tempted by gadgets, extra bedding and the third kettle. Skip the bulky single-purpose items and buy multi-use gear instead. A van is a small space; every item has to earn its place.

A sensible starter budget

A realistic first-year spend for the essentials above is roughly £400–£800, spread across a few months. That transforms a bare van into something you're happy to live in, and it's all gear that keeps its value if you sell later.

If you're still choosing the van itself, compare what's already fitted — many campervans for sale come with solar, awnings and blinds, saving you the shopping. For everything else, our accessories for sale page is a good place to start.