It’s that magical time of year again—Amazon Prime Deal Days are here! 🎉 Starting tomorrow, October 7th and 8th, the deals are rolling in hot, and we’ve rounded up our favorite van and bike camping essentials that are tried, tested, and totally loved. Whether you’re gearing up for winter camping or getting a jump on Christmas gifts (yes, it’s already that time), we’ve got you covered.
After fully transitioning from our trusty truck camper to our beloved Storyteller Mode LT Transit van—aka Goldilocks—we’ve spent a full year chasing seasons and soaking up the van life. Spoiler alert: she’s just right. We’ll gush about her in another blog, but today, let’s talk gear.
🧺 Van Life = Organized Life
When you’re living in a tiny space for months at a time, organization isn’t just helpful—it’s survival. We’ve tested everything from clunky plastic bins to heavy metal cabinets, and finally found our groove with these soft trunk organizers. They’re lightweight, easy to move, and roomy enough for everything from packaged food to our Berkey water filter.
These felt containers are our go-to for sundries, first aid, cooking gear, and snacks. They keep everything snug and rattle-free in the cabinets. And don’t get us started on these cabinet hooks—they’re the unsung heroes of van organization.
This paper towel rack is a van essential. Pro tip: add a clothespin to the end so your roll doesn’t unravel while driving. Trust us, it works.
We tag our bikes, bags, and anything we can’t afford to lose with Apple Airtags. Peace of mind, always. And when winter rolls in, this compact space heater keeps us cozy without overworking the van’s heating system. The first one we saw that has many great reviews and wish we got, the second we have its trusty, dependable and pretty inexpensive.
If you are like us and just not ready to pay for Starlink, we find our t-mobile with the Weboost we get reception in almost everywhere. A also nice for winter camping is this Southwest sherpa blanket it brightens up the space and is a nice snuggle for your bed. So you’re not fighting over it we like the 60×80 size and have twin Pendleton blankets with duvets on them.
📍 Apple Airtags: Never loose important and expensive items
We’ve been pedaling through some epic bike tours lately, and these storage organizers are a game-changer. They fit perfectly in panniers and your van cabinets, keeping clothes and gear neat and accessible. These are our favorite panniers waterproof, durable and on sale! Navigate trails and snap pics on the go with this sturdy bike phone holder. It’s a small upgrade that makes a big difference. If bike camping or in the van, that late night relief you need to see, these rechargeables are great head lamps.
We’ve included some shots of us using these items in action—because nothing beats gear that’s been road-tested by real vanlifers. Hope these picks help you save a few bucks and make your adventures smoother, warmer, and more organized. Happy Deal Days and even happier trails! We will be back for Christmas must haves soon. 🏕️🚴♂️🎁
After an incredible 2.5 years of traveling to National Parks, Monuments, and boondocking sites across the nation, we’re excited to share our experiences with the OVE Camp-M (now known as the Backcountry) lightweight overlanding truck camper. Let’s dive into what makes this camper great and where there’s room for improvement.
The Journey Begins
Our adventure started when we picked up our Camp-M camper from Big Sky RV (Bozeman, MT) in June 2021. As early adopters of the new version with an over-the-cab bed, we were eager to hit the road and explore.
Why We Chose the Camp-M and Toyota Tacoma Combo
Having previously traveled in the Winnebago Boldt for 1.5 years (and dealing with 13 rounds of fixes), we knew we wanted something simpler, smaller, and more durable. Enter the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck paired with the Camp-M camper. Here’s why we love this combination:
Durability: The Tacoma Off Road variant is a rugged companion, built for off-road adventures. Its narrow body allows us to explore even the most challenging terrain. The Camp-M is made from extruded aluminum, the interior is clean and tough.
Comfort: The Tacoma’s interior is surprisingly comfortable, making long drives enjoyable. Plus, the quiet cabin ensures a peaceful journey. The Camp-M
Off-Grid Capabilities: The Camp-M is designed for off-grid living. With its composite construction (extruded in one piece to prevent leaks), we can confidently camp in remote locations.
Winter Camping: Thanks to the Camp-M’s insulation and thoughtful design, winter camping is a breeze. No more shivering nights!
If you’ve never heard of OEV, they’re a branch of LITE Industries Inc., from Alberta, Canada, with a knack for turning any old pickup truck into a mobile home suitable for off-grid travels and life. The campers they produce are completed from composites, extruded in one piece to ensure no leaks and tailored to fit mid-size beds from 5 feet (1.53 meters) to 6 feet (1.83 meters) in length.
We got the Toyota Tacoma TRD Dual Cab with a 6-foot bed. When driving the camper closed with dimensions 122″Lx77″Wx61″H closed and a nice 83″H when open for camping. The interior dimensions when open while camping is 118″L x 72.75″Wx81″H making it comfortable for those as tall as 6’6″. The dry weight is only 925 pounds! The 2021 OEV Camp-M has 20-gallons of freshwater capacity, and no grey tank just empties out the side we just put a collapsible bucket and use Dr. Bronner’s soap when doing dishes and washing hands so it is okay for the environment if boondocking, if at a campground you just can pour out at the kitchen waste disposal. As you all know, we would much rather boondock and go off the beaten path than go to a campground, so we wanted something that could handle a week off the grid.
The Camp-M is great off the grid and has features to make your off the grid experience more comfortable including (this is a mix of what is included and options we selected for exact list visit their OVE Camp M website): a Truma Vario w/thermostat and AquaGo instant water heater, multi-speed MAXXfan roof vent, 20-gallon (91-liter) freshwater tank, and interior propane connection for a portable cooktop. A beefed-up electrical system is also in place and features everything from dual USB ports, a 12-volt auxiliary connection, a Redarc charger, lithium battery and 200 W solar panels. The screen door is a wonderful feature to keep the bugs out but get better cross ventilation and fresh air on those hot summer days and nights! It has a 10-pound propane tank for your heater and cooking needs. We loved the outside instant hot water shower and found standing on your tailgate to shower made it easy and kept your feet clean! Compared to many campers the electrical and plumbing are clean and organized and easy to follow. The extruded aluminum construction makes it very durable, lightweight and long lasting with no wood to fail. The composite panels have the same automotive gel coat finish as a fiberglass boat or Corvette. The aluminum extrusions are powder-coated white. If you are in a good sunny spot and near a stream for additional water, we were able to boondock a week when we were in Red Lodge, MT.
As you know we like to do a lot of winter camping as we go searching for the powder skiing. The soft walls are rated R-4, made from a coated nylon on the exterior, a thermal fill for insulation, and a fire-rated canvas on the interior. The nylon they chose has the highest UV rating on any exterior-purposed nylon product on the market. The exterior nylon is dark grey for the highest UV block. The interior canvas is light cream to brighten up the interior. The sidewalls are designed to breathe. That prevents the sidewalls from retaining moisture. With the heater going all night and you breathing we found there was a lot of condensation, we crack the side window to help with that.
Inside the Camp M, sitting above the cab, you’ll find the bedroom with a 4″ memory foam queen mattress with an extender and additional memory foam to make it a King bedding suitable for two guests plus a four-legged friend or small child. (The new version has storage under the bed). A dinette sits at the foot of the bed. This dinette can also be converted into a sleeping area ideal for another smaller occupant and has storage under the seats. The cushions are made from marine grade fabric that is 4” medium-density foam. At the entrance of Camp M, you’ll find the kitchenette with a countertop, sink, faucet, gas connector for your stove, more storage and the tray for your cooler style refrigerator. We purchased the dependable, efficient Truma C63. The vinyl flooring is pretty indestructible, easy to clean and functional. The dimmable LED lights are one of our favorite features, especially as you wake up in the morning and don’t want to get blasted with a bright light right off the bat.
On the outside you have plenty of lights on the back and side, MOLLE racks to add additional Rotopax water we store 2, 2 gallons. They use a Sigiva (Bullfinch) outside shower connection. It’s a single-point hot-cold port (the Aquago is an on-demand water heater system). Storage for your outside shower hose, hose to fill water, we store our Jetboil cooking system, shovel, ax, soap, etc. It has a beefy rack for you to hang an awning of your choice, we got the Alu-Cab shadow 270 coming from Australia it is fantastic and bomber! It can handle rainstorms and the wind. It comes with (4) Manual Rieco Titan Camper Jack and we can say these are tough! As we were building out our property, we lived in the Camp M for 6 months and had no issues living in it on four blocks with these Jacks. It is pretty easy to put on and off the truck bed. It also has (4) Torklift Anchor Guard Derringer Tie-downs, that are very strong.
Improvements:
Cooking- If the Four Wheel Camper Fleet can fit a two-burner propane stove why can’t OVE fit at least a one burner? They give you a low-pressure propane connector, but all camp stoves are high pressure, we could not find a connector to work. We tried 5 different camp stoves, and nothing worked. We did find one at Camp Chef but it was too big and too high powered that it would set off the carbon monoxide detector. In the end we gave up on cooking in the inside and just bought the JetBoil System with its own propane tank and it fits perfectly in the outside storage compartment and works fabulously.
Talking about the carbon monoxide detector, we highly recommend you installing a quick release (thanks to the guys at Techniquevo in Bend, OR)! Because the area inside is so small, the carbon monoxide detector is very touchy and the carbon monoxide from your breathing can set it off if you don’t crack a window or the vent in the winter with your heat going. Three times we had it go off at 2AM and were those campers in a campground you do not want to be. Having to pack-up and drive off in the middle of the night and try to figure out how to stop your alarm is not fun. (We fixed this issue in our camper.)
The lock on the front door is plastic and wears out easily, with everything being bomb proof you would think they would install a stainless-steel door lock and handle. Again, thanks to the guys at Techniquevo in Bend, OR for installing a great stainless steel door handle and lock alternative for us!
As you can see, these are very minor issues and issues we resolved with our friends in Bend (highly recommend Max and team at TechniqueOVE). If you want a great overlanding camper that fits on a Tacoma, so you can go anywhere –consider the Camp M or as it is called now BackCountry 5.85. We’ll see you in the wild.
So many of my friends ask how to do know what to pack and how much to pack when living full-time tent camping? Then how to figure out what’s needed once you move from a van to a little truck camper. So this post is dedicated on how to pack, what to pack and how to downsize! I have learned, we typically pack more than needed to be comfortable. Here are my tips and tricks for packing and keeping it as minimalistic as possible! First, you need good weatherproof storage bins. I found these at home depot to be great and perfect for stacking and not too heavy if you pack them fully. You can also get them at Costco and Amazon. Four to Six should be plenty for two people, I suggest don’t go over four if you are trying to not have too many items to fit in your mid size truck camper. There is very little storage! Here is what we have decided to take with us to live for the next year.
We used two bins for food garlic, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, shallots (I put all these in a plastic bag with holes I got from a farmers market potatoes bag-I have reused this for 15 months and it is still going strong), storage spices (I buy spices in bulk and use little ziplock bags for each spice and one large ziplock to hold all of them makes it easy for storage in small space), tin foil, one pot and two cast iron pans, 6 cup espresso maker, coffee beans holder and grinder, collapsible Tupperware, utensils, plates, bowls, cups, canned foods (coconut milk, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cream of mushroom, artichoke hearts, canned tuna, pastas, noodles and rice. One bin for camp chairs, hammock, backpacks, yoga mat, headlamps, walkie talkies, duct tape, first aid kit, hiking poles, bug spray, bear spray and candles. The last bin is full of our clothes packed in compression bags. I suggest using these from Amazon and REI . Do not pack too many clothes you really will only wear a couple of shorts, 2-3 t-shirts, 1-2 tanks, 2 long sleeve shirts, one nice pair of pants, convertible hiking pants, a capri leggings and a long leggings, swim suit, couple of underwear, 1 set of long underwear and one nice set of clothes to go out on the town (I have a nice sun dress and Greg has a nice short and long sleeve button down shirt to wear with shorts or jeans). We have a couple of sleeping bags, sleeping pads and pillows that all fit in this great REI duffle bag. Reusing old duvet and sheet bags to store your shoes, sandals, hiking boots and extra jackets (we have puffy down jacket, rain shell, a fleece, beanie hat and gloves). We also use an old sheets bag for games like travel scrabble, Farkle (aka 10,000 a fun dice game), chess, and rummy. These bags are great to ensure things stay clean, organized easy to find and compact!
When living in a very tight space, organization is critical. When we got our new Overland Explorer Camp M and started unpacking our items and repacking, we learned we needed to get rid of our big plastic bins that could fit in the truck bed to small plastic organizers that could fit in the small storage spaces. Don’t forget to bring a small pack with sundry items, (I cut our hair so we have an electric razor), we use Dr. Bronner’s for shampoo, body wash, hand wash, clothes wash and washing dishes as it is biodegradable and doesn’t hurt the environment and won’t make you sick if you eat on accident from not rinsing off your plates well enough. This way we could stack and have dry items, canned items in one area, snacks in another, breakfast items in another, cooking utensils in another. Below is our new organization.
People ask what items are your favorite must haves, here are our top 5:
Berkey Water System (this is great when you are boondocking and have a near-by stream to get water or to ensure you always have good water out of your water tank).
Having a nice durable outdoor rug to sit on, exercise, save your camp spot, or take a shower when its dirt all around you. This mat has lasted more than 1.5 years for us so far.
Okay, I’m adding a six item- we do laundry everyday or other day and just a few items then we don’t have to go to the laundromat. We love the scrubba, works great and really helps to pack less clothes!
We hope this is helpful. Next blog, we will discuss our new Overland Explorer Camp M truck camper and our experiences with it so far in Montana visiting Bozeman, Red Lodge, the Beartooth Highway and Northeast and Northwest Yellowstone.
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Encouraging the Minimalist Life 