If you plan to do extensive travel in your van – especially if you plan to go off-road or into remote locations – you need to carry a variety of van life recovery gear. Life in your vehicle is freeing, but it comes with its own set of challenges and caveats. You need to be prepared for adverse conditions and potential safety hazards.
In this article, we’ll look at the absolute must-have safety gear and emergency equipment that will keep you safe on the road.
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Why Do You Need Emergency Gear?
If you don’t van life in extreme weather, thinking you don’t need emergency gear can be tempting. But don’t skimp on van life recovery gear and emergency equipment! Having a basic recovery kit on hand reduces stress when you’re living on the road, no matter where you are.
9 Must-Have Van Life Recovery Gear Items
Let’s dive into our top recovery accessories. We’ve compiled this list to include recovery tools for all types of adventures and terrains: sand, snow, mud, gravel, and rocks. We’ve also included our picks for personal safety devices like GPS and satellite phones.
1. Shovel
If you don’t plan to spend time in the snow, you may think you don’t need a shovel – but a good shovel will help you out in many types of terrain, including mud and sand. A shovel has many uses, from digging out your tires to moving snow drifts and sand dunes out of your way, to digging pit toilets, to setting up camp.
Besides, it’s a good bet that most van lifers will end up in the snow at some point. Even if you’re not a ski bunny, the idea of exploring snow-capped peaks by van is one of the most attractive parts of van life for many people.
We love Yukon Charlie’s collapsible snow shovel because it’s lightweight, durable, and easy to store.
2. Recovery Boards
After a shovel, recovery boards are your next top piece of road recovery gear. These help you get unstuck from snow, sand, mud, or slush. Simply wedge in front or behind the tire to help the vehicle gain traction in difficult terrain.
The most popular brand of traction boards are made by MaxTrax. MaxTrax boards are on the pricey side, but the cost is worth it for what you get. The boards are tough and durable, and come with a lifetime warranty. They last longer than the majority of the other boards on the market without cracking.
3. Garmin InReach
A GPS device should be a critical part of your off-road recovery kit. This device allows you to send an SOS signal and even basic text messages in areas where there is no cell coverage or WiFi. If you plan to do adventurous offroading where cell service is spotty, or even if you just plan to hike into remote places, you should plan to carry one with you.
We like the Garmin InReach Mini 2 because it’s compact enough to fit into a pocket, offers TracBack routing to guide you back to your previous location, and allows you to share your location in real time. You can also sync it to an app on your smartphone for detailed topographical maps and trip planning.
4. Tow Strap Recovery Kit
Hopefully, you never have to get towed out of a sticky situation, but if you do, having your own recovery strap ready to go is a game changer. You’ll save a ton of time by having it set up ahead of time if you make a call to someone to pull you out, and passersby in other vehicles are much more likely to stop and help stuck vehicles if they see you’ve got the right equipment.
The Metoware Tow Strap Recovery Kit comes with a rugged 20ft by 3-inch strap, 4 D-Ring shackles, and a convenient carry bag.
5. Tire Chains
Tire chains are a must for all vehicles planning to spend time in the snow, especially in mountainous regions. Getting stuck in the snow is a serious danger, especially when water and batteries run low. Tire chains can mean the difference between life and death if having them means you won’t get stuck.
Our favorite tire chains are from FlySwan. They come in several sizes, so make sure you size your tire chains correctly and always practice installing them before heading into a potentially treacherous situation.
6. Jack
Anyone who has ever driven a car knows that a jack is an essential piece of gear. For van life, a good bottle jack or hi-lift jack will save you a lot of headache when it comes time to change a tire. We can’t recommend any specific jack without knowing what type of vehicle you have, but we do recommend that if you do use a bottle jack, consider also using a Bottle Jack Buddy to make things easier.
7. Tire Deflator
Deflating your own tires sounds like the last thing you’d ever want to do to your van, but in some off-road situations, it becomes necessary. “Airing down” allows tires to grip difficult terrain better, whether that terrain is sand, mud, rock, gravel, or snow.
Grit Performance makes great automatic tire deflators, including this kit.
8. Tire Repair Kit
In the unfortunate event that you do get a flat, a quick patch will sometimes have to do until you can make a full repair. A tire patch kit is an essential part of your offroad recovery kit. The Autown Tire Repair Kit is a comprehensive set of tools that includes everything you need to plug and patch even the toughest tires.
9. Winch
A winch is not an attainable piece of equipment for everyone, as it costs thousands of dollars to add one to your van, but serious adventure seekers might want to add it to their wishlist of upgrades. As long as you can find something sturdy to attach the other end to, like a tree, it can get you out of some hairy situations.
Don't Leave Without Your Crucial Van Life Recovery Gear
Thinking about recovery gear is certainly not the most fun part of planning for van life, but doing the work to prepare upfront will make the trip itself more fun.
Putting together your own van life recovery gear kit will give you peace of mind to Find Your Outside™ and save you time, money, and stress headaches down the road.
