Campervan Gifts: What We'd Actually Want in Blue (and What to Skip)
If you're looking for gifts for a campervan owner whose van is already fully kitted out, this list is for you. It's the kit we've used over the years and keep coming back to. Most of it isn't the stuff people buy on autopilot, so there's a good chance your present gets a genuinely chuffed reaction once the wrapping paper comes off, rather than that split-second frown before the exaggerated, gritted-teeth smile.
By Martin· Nest Nomad & Beyond · Last Updated October 2026
We've had our VW campervan, Blue, for well over seven years now, travelling all over Europe with our two daughters, Eden and Ivy, and our Chow Chows, Nala and Storm. Everything here has earned its place in the van, and at the end there's a short list of what we'd skip.
If you want to get straight to the buying, use the table below.
Our campervan gift ideas at a glance
Gift | Best for | Roughly | Where to buy |
Dish drying rack with mat | Washing up in a small van | £11 | |
Lifesystems Intensity 300 head torch | Toilet block trips and late arrivals | £30 | |
Flextail Tiny Repeller S | Bite-free evenings under the awning | £31 | |
YETI Rambler 14 oz mug | Coffee that survives the van steps | £35 | |
The RidgeMonkey | Breakfast to dinner on one hob | £35 | |
Lifesystems Camping First Aid Kit | New van owners | £38 | |
FlexSolar 36W solar panel | Keeping phones alive off-grid | £38 | |
Gerber Suspension-NXT | The glove box | £45 | |
Kilos Rover Light X | One light that does everything | £85 | |
Kilos GrandPeak chair | Long evenings outside | £95 | |
OutdoorMaster Shark 2S pump | Air awnings and paddleboards | £113 | |
Outin Nano | Proper espresso off-grid | £139 | |
Nebula Capsule 3 | Film nights in the van | £399 | |
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | Off-grid power | £474 | |
EcoFlow Wave 3 | Warm in winter, cool in summer | £799 |
Campervan stocking fillers (under £30)
Small things that get used on every trip. Nobody buys these for themselves, which is exactly what makes them good stocking fillers.
Collapsible dish drying rack with mat
Folds flat into a cupboard. Around £11.
This is the least exciting thing on the list and one of the most used. Washing up in a campervan means wet, soapy plates with nowhere to go, and in Blue that used to mean the wooden worktop. This rack and mat fixes that, then folds down small enough to slide into a cupboard when you're done. It works just as well in a motorhome, caravan or RV.
Not glamorous, but it will be in use by Boxing Day.
Best for: Anyone who does the washing up in a small van.
Lifesystems Intensity 300 LED head torch
Rechargeable, bright and light. £29.99
You can never have enough torches in a van, and this is the one we reach for now. It charges over USB, so there's no hunting for AAA batteries, it puts out up to 300 lumens with an adjustable beam, and it weighs just 95g. There's a red light mode too, which is a kindness to everyone else when you're heading to the toilet block at 2am.
Lifesystems quote up to 38 hours of battery on the lowest setting. On full power it's more like two hours, so it's worth knowing which mode you're in.
Best for: Toilet block trips, late arrivals and anyone who has lost one torch too many.
Not sure what they need? If they drive a VW, a Just Kampers digital gift voucher lets them pick the part or accessory they've had their eye on.
Campervan gifts under £50
This is where most of our favourite kit sits. Everything here earns its space in a van, and space is the one thing we're always short of.
Flextail Tiny Repeller S
A bug repeller that doubles as a light. Around £31.
For those evenings sat out under the awning, you need something that actually stops the bugs. We've tried a few repellers over the years, and this is the one that stays in the van. It gently heats a small repellent mat to make a bug-free zone around you, with no spray, no smoke and nothing on your skin. We've found it takes the standard repellent mats you can pick up in supermarkets abroad, which saves hunting for refills.
It's tiny, as the name suggests, it doubles as a light, and most importantly, it works. The honest caveat: it protects the area around it, not you, so wander off or catch a strong breeze and you're fair game again.
Best for: Summer evenings outside without the midges.
YETI Rambler 14 oz stackable mug
A camp mug that survives the van steps. £35.
If, like Carina and me, the person you're buying for needs a lot of caffeine before they get going in the morning, this is a good one. It's not cheap for a mug, we know. But the magnetic slider lid means you can carry a full coffee from the van to the awning without wearing half of it, the double wall keeps it hot, and the ceramic lining means no metallic taste.
It's stackable and dishwasher safe too, which is useful in a van cupboard as much as at home. One thing to know: YETI call the lid splash resistant, not leak proof, so don't throw it in a bag full - you have been warned!
Best for: The coffee drinker who has lost one too many mouthfuls on the way to their chair.
The RidgeMonkey
The most washed-up thing in our van. Around £35.
This was one of the first things we bought when we got Blue, and it's still going strong over seven years later. It's our go-to piece of cooking kit, from toast in the morning to evening meals.
It's also, by some distance, the most washed-up item in the van, which tells you how often it gets used. If someone has a campervan and doesn't own one of these yet, this is the gift.
Best for: Anyone cooking in a small van kitchen.
Lifesystems Camping First Aid Kit
Built for the bumps and burns of camping. £37.99.
If you're camping or travelling in a campervan, this is the first aid kit we'd point you to. It's designed around the accidents that actually happen when you're away: burns from the stove, cuts, grazes and blisters. There are 40 items inside, including burn gel, sterile saline wipes, eye wash, tweezers and dressings, with a quick-find layout so you're not tipping everything out in a panic.
We've trusted Lifesystems kits for a while (our eldest took one on her Bronze DofE expedition). It's the gift nobody buys for themselves until the day they need it.
Best for: New van owners, and anyone whose first aid kit is a few plasters in the glove box.
FlexSolar 36W folding solar panel
Pocket-sized solar for phones and power banks. £37.99.
This folds down to roughly the size of a large phone (about 19.5 x 13cm) and weighs around 770g, so it lives in a door pocket rather than a cupboard. Clip it to the van, a tent or a backpack with the built-in carabiner, and it charges over USB-C, USB-A or DC. It's IP67 rated, so a downpour won't finish it off.
Be realistic about what 36W does. It tops up phones and power banks nicely, but it isn't going to refill a big power station, and a grey British winter day will slow it right down.
Best for: Wild campers and walkers who want to keep a phone alive.
Gerber Suspension-NXT multi-tool
The tool that lives in our glove box. Around £45.
I feel like I talk about this multi-tool all the time, but it goes everywhere with us in the van. From the tin opener to the spring-loaded pliers, which work one-handed unlike a lot of multi-tools, it's a small beast. The tools lock into place so they don't fold onto your fingers, and it's slim enough for a pocket.
It won't replace a proper toolbox for van jobs, but for the hundred small fixes on a trip, it's a must for any glove box.
Best for: The fixer of the family.
Campervan gifts under £100
Proper kit that gets used on every trip, without the big-present price tag. Both of these come from Kilos Gear, and both have full reviews if you want the detail.
Kilos Rover Light X
The Swiss Army knife of camping lights. Around £85.
If we could only take one light away with us, this would be the one. The mast extends to just under a metre, so instead of lighting the middle of the table it lights the whole pitch, and four separate panels angle wherever you need them. It puts out up to 600 lumens, has coloured ambient modes, a torch on the end and a magnetic base.
On our 16 night trip to the Italian lakes, it ran eight evenings on one charge and still had 11% left. The niggle: the power bank output is USB-A only, and it's an emergency top-up for a phone rather than a charger. Read our full Kilos Rover Light X review.
Best for: Anyone who wants one light for the table, the awning and the walk to the toilet block.
Kilos GrandPeak high-back chair (gifted)
The comfiest camping chair we've owned. Around £95.
These are the comfiest camping chairs we've ever owned, and they still pack down to 54 x 14 x 15cm at 2.17kg. The trick is in the legs: each one has three height slots, so set the front legs long and the back legs short and you get a recline with no mechanism to break. There's a detachable padded headrest, the seat wraps around you, and it comes with a five-year warranty.
We used ours for a week in the Lake District, including after a day on Scafell Pike, and getting out of it was the hard part. Our one criticism is the cup holder, which won't hold a big steel bottle. Read our full Kilos GrandPeak review.
Best for: Long evenings outside the van.
The big present (£100 and over)
These are the bigger spends, and honestly, they're only worth it if they fit how the person camps. So each one comes with a line on who should skip it.
OutdoorMaster Shark 2S electric pump
Sets the pressure and stops itself. Around £113 direct.
We've had this for over two years and it hasn't missed a beat. It inflates our air awning, paddleboards, kayaks and airbeds, and it deflates them too, so airbeds actually fit back in their bags. You set the PSI on the front, press go, and it stops exactly where it should. It cut inflating our two kayaks from around ten minutes to five.
It charges over USB, and we've taken it away for two weeks without needing to charge it. Skip it if they don't own anything inflatable. We have a 10% OutdoorMaster code for members, in the sign-up box near the top of this page.
Best for: Anyone with an air awning, a paddleboard or inflatable Kayak.
Outin Nano portable espresso machine
Proper espresso from cold water, anywhere. Around £139.
This one still surprises people. Pour in cold water, press one button and it heats it to brewing temperature in around three minutes, then makes a proper espresso with real crema. It takes Nespresso original-style pods or ground coffee, it's about the size and weight of a full water bottle, and it charges over USB-C, so it tops up from the van.
Expect around five shots per charge when it's heating cold water, and far more if you start with hot water from a flask. The honest caveats: it makes a short shot, not a mug, the battery drains faster in the cold, and it's not cheap for what it is. For a couple of nights away we'd take coffee bags. For a week or two, it's a brilliant coffee lover's gift. Read our full Outin Nano review.
Best for: The coffee lover who dreads the instant sachet.
Nebula Capsule 3 projector
Movie nights in the van. Around £399.
We've owned Nebula projectors for five years across two models, and we bought this one ourselves. It's Full HD, about the size of a drinks can, and throws a big picture onto a screen, a sheet or a wall, so a rainy night in the van becomes a film night.
Two honest things: at 200 ANSI lumens it needs dusk or darkness, so it's not one for a bright garden, and the battery lasts about one film, so plug it in for a double bill. Read our full Nebula Capsule 3 review.
Best for: Families and couples who love a movie night.
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 power station (on loan for review)
Off-grid power for the whole trip. Around £474.
We had this on loan for a week in the Lake District with no electric hookup, and it ran our 60W camping fridge for 13.5 to 14 hours on a single charge. It holds 1,024Wh, puts out up to 2,000W, recharges from a wall socket in about 49 minutes and takes up to 600W of solar.
At 11.3kg it's a van power station rather than one to carry far. Skip it if they always camp on a pitch with electric. Read our full Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 review.
Best for: Anyone who camps off-grid.
EcoFlow Wave 3 air conditioner and heater
Warm in winter, cool in summer. £799, or £1,299 with the battery.
The biggest present on the list, and the one that has made the biggest difference to how comfortable we are in the van. The Wave 3 heats as well as cools, so it kept us warm at 6°C in Switzerland and cool at 30°C in Italy. With the add-on battery it runs for up to eight hours in Eco mode with no hookup at all.
It's big and heavy (around 25kg with the battery), it needs a slight tilt to drain properly on uneven ground, and it's a serious spend. This is only for someone who camps a lot and feels the cold or the heat. Read our full EcoFlow Wave 3 review.
Best for: Year-round campers who feel the cold.
Thinking about a power station as the big present? Our portable power station comparison sets out which one suits which kind of camping.
Campervan gifts for him, and for her
Gift guides love a for-him and for-her split. Honestly, everything here gets used by both of us, but if you want a shortcut:
For him: the Gerber Suspension-NXT, the Kilos Rover Light X and the RidgeMonkey toaster.
For her: the YETI Rambler mug, the Kilos GrandPeak chair and the Outin Nano.
Campervan gifts for couples
The Nebula Capsule 3. A film night in the van, with the doors shut and the rain on the roof, is hard to beat.
What to skip
These are the gifts that look good in the shop and end up in the loft by spring.
Slogan signs and cushions. Space in a van is precious, and anything that doesn't do a job gets taken out after the first trip.
Novelty mugs. No lid means half the coffee ends up on the van steps. A mug with a proper lid gets used every day.
Personalised prints. Lovely at home, but there's nowhere to hang them in a van.
Gadgets that only work on hookup. If they camp off-grid, a mains-only kettle or heater is dead weight. Check how they camp before you buy.
Cheap versions of good kit. We put up with the manual pump that came with our awning until we were thoroughly sick of it, then bought the Shark. The cheap version is often the one that gets replaced.
Frequently asked questions
What do you buy someone who already has everything for their van?
Go for an upgrade of something they use every day: a better mug, a better light or a better chair. Most van owners buy the cheap version of these when they start out and never get round to replacing it. If you're really stuck, a Just Kampers digital gift voucher lets a VW owner choose for themselves.
What is a good gift for a new campervan owner?
The basics every van needs and new owners forget: a proper first aid kit, a rechargeable head torch, a multi-tool for the glove box and a drying rack for the washing up. Our picks are the Lifesystems Camping First Aid Kit, the Lifesystems Intensity 300, the Gerber Suspension-NXT and the dish drying rack, all under £50.
Are power stations a good Christmas present?
Only if they camp off-grid. If they always pitch up on a site with electric hookup, a power station will spend most of its life in the garage. If they do go off-grid, it's one of the most useful things they can own, and our portable power station comparison sets out which one suits which kind of camping.
What are useful campervan gifts under £50?
From our list: the Flextail Tiny Repeller S (around £31), the YETI Rambler mug (£35), the RidgeMonkey toaster (around £35), the Lifesystems Camping First Aid Kit (£37.99), the FlexSolar 36W panel (£37.99) and the Gerber Suspension-NXT (around £45). Every one of them gets used on our trips.
When should you order campervan gifts for Christmas?
As early as you can, and by early December at the latest. Amazon is usually the quickest, while brand-direct orders can take longer, especially from brands that ship from overseas. Check each retailer's last order dates, which most publish in late November.
Do Just Kampers do gift vouchers?
Yes. Just Kampers sell digital gift vouchers, which you can buy online or by phone. They no longer send physical gift cards, and the vouchers can't be exchanged for cash.
The kit that's earned its place
Everything on this list has earned its place in Blue, and most of it has been with us for years. If you've got a campervan gift you swear by that we've missed, tell us in the comments. We'd genuinely like to hear what's in your van.
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