Camping in a Minivan: The Stuff No One Tells You
My friend Brockie and I having fun in Texas.
In the summer of 2022, I spent a month traveling the USA and camping in a minivan with one of my best friends.
We had a fantastic time on our month-long minivan trip. Over the course of four weeks, we traveled about 8,000 miles, toured several cities, hiked in several National Parks, and explored as much as we could.
You can read all about our trip itinerary here on my blog.
Although you can bet we had fun, a lot of our friends were amazed that we could spend a month camping in a minivan. Honestly, it’s a bit crazy when you think about it.
Sure, camping in a minivan sounds really fun. But in reality? It’s dirty. It’s chaotic. It’s cramped.
So before you dive into outfitting your minivan for a month-long trip, read on. Today, I’m going to share about the not-so-glamourous side of minivan camping.
What It’s Really Like to Camp in a Minivan
When my friend and I took off on our cross-country trip, our minivan was neat and organized. As you can see below, we didn’t go through any fancy minivan conversion. (We are too lazy for that.)
But we were both happy with our simple setup.
It’s funny…we did take a tent, although we ended up not using it.
Our minivan camping setup looked pretty spacious. And the air mattress was just as comfy as our real beds. Overall, it was a big step up from tent camping.
But did our van stay like this? Absolutely not! So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty details of minivan camping.
Yikes. It looks like we had a mini tornado inside the van. Not sure how we let it get this messy, but we did.
It’s Messy
Surprise! When you are living in a small area and using it as a storage space and using it as your vehicle, things are going to get messy.
It probably didn’t help that neither my friend nor I are very organized. As a result, we let things get rather out of hand…
It’s Cramped
This goes hand-in-hand with the mess.
One person can comfortable live out of a minivan. But with two people, it’s a bit cramped.
My friend and I slept on a queen air mattress that we had laid down in the back after taking out the seats. However, the mattress was really too wide for the van. It popped up on the sides, so we tended to roll into the middle.
Unlike our tent, which is big enough to stand up in, there is no standing space in a minivan. And certainly no walking space!
Because the mattress took up most of the space inside the van, storing all of our gear was a struggle. At first, we tried to stack everything in the little strip of trunk space that was left open. Eventually, we just started tossing our bags onto the mattress before driving to our next stop. Yes, we were lazy. And yes, that contributed to the chaotic mess.
It’s Stuffy
Camping in a minivan is not like camping in a tent. In a tent, you have lots of screened openings and breathable fabric. When you are sleeping in a minivan, it gets stuffy fast.
While the extra insulation of a vehicle may be helpful in the winter, it’s not so great in the summer. During our stops in the southeast, it was commonly 80°F at midnight. Inside the minivan, the heat and humidity were suffocating.
Needless to say, we kept the windows rolled down each night.
Of course, if it rains—you’re out of luck. My friend and I were caught in a thunderstorm in Texas one night, so we kept the windows rolled up. Not only did it become very stuffy, but we woke up feeling very damp and icky.
It’s Not All Sunshine…
Camping in a minivan has its drawbacks, but you can adjust to the cramped space and the stuffy interior. We sure did!
What we didn’t anticipate were the occasional unexpected challenges. I wanted to share a couple with you, because they are great examples of minivan life. If nothing else, I hope these stories give you a good laugh!
The Air Mattress Problem
As I mentioned before, my friend and I slept on an air mattress in the back of the minivan.
Which worked great…until it started leaking about a week into the trip. Rather than buy a new one, we figured we could make it last through the trip.
So, every night we inflated the air mattress before going to bed. It would last through the night (although it was definitely squishy by morning.) Over the course of the day the mattress would keep sinking. It wasn’t a big deal, except that we typically threw our bags and grocery totes on the bed. By the end of the day, everything was collapsed into the center of the mattress.
Of course, this usually caused the grocery totes to fall over and spill the groceries onto the bed. One time, the mattress was so deflated that our bucket of kindling (which was usually wedged up against the foot of the mattress) spilled over. (It may also have been my crazy driving that knocked it over.)
Anyway, we had sticks and dirt all over the air mattress! Needless to say, we vigorously shook out the sheet before going to bed.
The Swarm of Flies
Sometimes we got unexpected visitors while camping in our minivan. Like flies.
Basically, one night we decided to minivan camp next to a lake in Arkansas. There was a small park by the lake open 24/7, with bathrooms and picnic tables. Plus, we thought it would be pretty to wake up next to a lake.
Well, our morning wasn’t quite as peaceful as we expected. We woke up to find that a whole swarm of flies had come in through the open windows, and they were making themselves right at home! The first fifteen minutes of our morning were spent hopelessly trying to shoo hundreds of flies out of the van.
I guess that’s what you get when you stay next to a lake.
As an upside, at least we were visited by a group of Canadian geese :)
Why Did We Choose Minivan Camping?
Okay, so now that I’ve turned your idea of minivan camping upside-down, let’s look at the flip side. Why did we choose minivan camping?
Because it’s awesome.
Camping in a minivan comes with a few unique advantages.
Freedom & Flexibility
My friend and I enjoyed the freedom and flexibility that comes with minivan camping. We drove when we wanted to drive. When we wanted to stop, we stopped. If we didn’t have a place to stay the night, we could stop at a rest area, a Walmart…anywhere really!
Convenience
Camping in a minivan is also extremely convenient. No setting up a tent or checking into a hotel. You just slide open those minivan doors and hop right into bed.
Furthermore, you don’t have to spend time setting up or breaking down camp. My friend and I could get up and be on the road in five minutes.
If you love minimalism and efficiency, you can’t beat camping in a minivan.
Cheap Cost
Minivan camping is about as cheap as it gets. Although my friend and I stayed in campgrounds for part of the time, we also spent several nights at rest areas, gas stations, and Walmart. Guess what? Sleeping at a Walmart is free. And you can do your grocery shopping in the morning without having to drive anywhere. It’s a win-win situation.
So, is camping in a minivan right for you?
That really depends on how you like to travel. If you love freedom and flexibility, and don’t mind the occasional sunken mattress or fly swarm, then you’re probably a born minivan camper.
On the other hand, if you don’t want to be stuck in a stuffy box every night, maybe look for another way to camp!
For more camping tips, head over to my blog on what to include in your camping kitchen box.
