When winter comes around, we don’t chase the sun, or the warmth… we chase the snow. And we don’t plan on leaving until it isn’t worth skiing anymore. Over the past 2 winters that we have spent in our campervan, we have learned A LOT about moisture control, warmth, and must haves for winter van life.
This guide is dedicated to the items that we keep on board our campervan because they make our experience in below zero temps for 3+ months easier. We will address moisture control, and build considerations next.
Merino Wool Base Layers
Merino wool base layers are great for keeping you warm on the slopes, backpacking, or any other physical activity. However, we also wear them as an “everyday” layer for winter van life. Why? Because merino wool is the PERFECT van life material. Hear me out. It is lightweight, moisture wicking (less sweat on skin = warmer), not itchy, and has antibacterial properties.
Why is merino wool perfect for winter van life?
Because of the way merino wool is structured it does two things that are extra great for van life: doesn’t smell easily, and needs washed less. It doesn’t smell because it is hard for bacteria to lodge in between the structure of the fibers. And, the huge van life perk: it needs washed less because the protein molecules present in the merino wool fibers, keratin, break down odor forming bacteria that may become present as you sweat.
Okay! Enough of the nerd-ing out. We love merino wool!
Some of our favorite Merino Wool Base Layers
We recommend having at least one bottom and one top merino wool base layer before venturing into winter van life. And, honestly, because of the self-cleaning and moisture wicking properties mentioned above, this is probably enough. We personally love KUHL for our base layers, in the pictures we are wearing:
Extra Water Containers
Filling up a fresh water tank in your campervan is difficult in the winter if you are in a cold climate because most spigots are winterized. The first way we combat this is by extending the length of our 32 gallon fresh water tank. The longer it lasts… the less we have to stress about filling up.
To extend the life of our tank, we fill up our two 32 oz Nalgene bottles, and a 3 Liter bladder inside a grocery store, ski resort, or rest stop at least once a day. This is a small hack that will make a world of difference! The trick here is to a get a large water vessel that can compact into your pocket such as the 3L hydrapak pictured below.
3L Hydrapak
Off Grid Water Filtration System
The second way we combat winterized spigots is by having a system that allows us to fill up from running fresh water sources (rivers, and streams). Personally, we use a BluTech MRX+ Open Water Filtration system that can pump water from any source, filter it down to .2 microns, and dump it into our tank.
We have an entire guide dedicated to how we do this, so we will leave it at that!
How To Refill Water Off-Grid
Extra Blankets + 12v Heated Blanket
This one sounds a little *obvious* but we promise it is worth it! Of course, blankets are good for warmth, but it is also good to have them in case you notice any insulation weak points. When you are in below zero temps, anywhere you may have skimped, or missed, insulation becomes incredibly obvious, incredibly quick.
Re-insulating is the best choice, but in the time between, we shove a blanket in the area. Additionally, we have seen people wrap their water lines in blankets if they are leaving their van at an airport, or something similar.
Lastly, heated blankets are popular for winter van lifers. However, we would suggest getting one that does not require AC power as keeping your inverter on overnight will drain battery quick. We found this 12V car heated blanket.
Down Slippers for Winter Van Life
I debated buying down slippers for about 6 months, and let me tell you, I am SO glad I pulled the trigger. 5 days a week, I go straight from the slopes, to sitting at my laptop in the van working for 8 hours. Being able to put down slippers on right away is key for allowing my toes to thaw out and stay warm throughout the day. In general, your floors are going to get cold because they are sitting on a metal sheet with cold air flowing beneath them. Some people choose to install 12V heated floors, others, like us, choose to get cork floor + down slippers.
Insulated Window Covers
If you follow us on the ‘gram, you know that window covers are one of the few things we DO NOT recommend DIY-ing. In extreme cold, and hot, having a perfect seal of your window covers on your cab windows is incredibly, incredibly important.
We did DIY our window shades in our first rig, and I can personally tell you that the amount of time, and frusturation I spent, was not worth it because in the end, they were not perfect, so they didn’t work as great as we needed them too.
We highly recommend Van Made Gear locally made in Portland, Oregon.
Tow Straps
We actually have not had to use these, but, we have seen a car in a ditch almost everyday since being immersed in winter van life. For that reason, we recommend carrying tow straps to your vehicle rating so that you can minimize the time you are in said ditch.
Rhino USA
Heater
We debated adding this because we are going to dive deeep into heaters in our winter specific van build post; however, our heater is a massive factor in our comfort during the winter.
When it comes to having a heater in your rig there are a few important notes:
- Your heater needs to be a DRY heat, else, frozen moisture is going to be a pain.
- Your heater needs to be installed CORRECTLY. Any mis-install will be highlighted in freezing temps, and altitude. A couple of issues we have seen: fuel pump angled wrong, wrong standpipe size for fuel intake.
Winter Van Life Summary
Winter van life is a challenge; however, if you love snow, cold temps, and if you make a few changes to prepare for this season, it will be so worth it. For us, the pros of winter van life truly outweigh the cons.
If you have any questions about winter van life, feel free to drop them in the comments!
Thanks for being here! Happy building!
Eric + Colby
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