The Kit We Use & Trust
A practical family campervan kit list for surf and open water swim adventures.
Here’s the kit we actually use for family campervan trips, surf sessions and wild swims. We haven’t tested every product on the market, but after eight years of vanlife we’ve figured out the setup that works best for us — simple, reliable and road‑tested in all weathers.
Some of the items we use — like the folding table stored inside the sliding door of the VW California — are factory fitted and not available to buy separately. We’ve noted those below so you know what’s standard and what’s added.
Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you buy something through them, at no extra cost to you. Gifted items are marked with gifted and affiliate links with affiliate link. A few items were gifted with no obligation to feature – where that’s the case, we say so. We only include gear that has genuinely earned its place in our van or kit bag. We will never recommend something we wouldn’t buy ourselves.
Don’t own the kit yet? Hire it.
Not everyone wants to commit to buying surfboards, SUPs, wetsuits and camping gear before they’ve tried a trip. If you’re testing the waters, Adventure Kit Hire (affiliate link) rents quality outdoor and adventure gear across the UK — useful if you’re going on a one-off trip or want to try kit before buying.
Campervan Gear We Rely On
The boring-but-essential stuff. After a few close calls over the years, we don’t leave home without any of these.
A note on van compatibility: Our van is a VW California T5.1 SE (2010). Some of the kit we recommend — particularly for awnings and solar — is specific to our model. Always check dimensions and specifications against your own van before buying. What fits our California may not suit a T6, a T4, or a non-VW campervan.
- Fiamma levelling ramps (affiliate link) – Non-negotiable on uneven pitches. We also have the carry bag and they slot nicely between the underbed drawer and cupboards in our California.
- Portable tyre inflator – RING TYREINFLATE 1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator (affiliate link). It saved us more than once
- Fire extinguisher – 1Kg Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher (affiliate link) – keep it accessible. We once saved a forest fire from starting on a campsite in the Vendee when a fellow campers bbq got out of control – true story!
- First Aid kit – We have this St John Ambulance Kit (affiliate link). Nothing fancy, just stocked and ready.
- Thetford Porta Potti (affiliate link) – the 335 fits neatly under the back shelf in the California and has been a genuine game-changer for our trips
- Shower – Colapz Portable Rechargeable Travel shower (gifted / affiliate link). We use this in a few different ways:
- Post-swim rinse — perfect for rinsing wetsuits, washing sandy feet and gear before it all ends up inside the van
- Outdoor shower — we use it in conjunction with the Colapz Utility Bag for a proper cold outdoor shower after a swim or surf session. Bracing, but effective
- Water top-up — one of our most practical uses is filling the van’s onboard water tank directly from the utility bag without having to reposition the van. A small thing that saves a surprising amount of faff on site
- Note: the Colapz Utility Bag we use alongside this is currently unavailable — worth checking the Colapz site for updates as it’s a genuinely useful item.
- Solar Panels – from Solar camper solutions 200w VW California T5/T6 Solar Kit with Victron 75/15 MPPT charger. Keeps the fridge and devices happy on non‑hook‑up days.
- Awning – With teenage boys, space was getting tight so we caved and bought a driveaway awning. We find the Vango Kela Pro is the perfect size, and was surprisingly robust in the recent storms. Accessories include the driveaway kit, carpet, ground sheet protector, and coat hanger, and we furnished it with an inflatable double mattress and sofa (affiliate links).
- Bike rack and wind out canopy are VW California factory fitted.
- Fairy Lights – Not necessarily essential but nice to have. We love these retractable rechargeable string lights (affiliate link).
- Mattress topper – We use a memory foam topper from Comfortz Leisure, custom size for different van models – the single biggest upgrade we’ve made to van comfort.
- Air cooler – We use the Evapolar Evachill (gifted), evaporative air cooler powered by a power bank, a laptop, or a power socket. A lifesaver on hot nights in Spain and France.
- Packing cubes – I bought some from Aldi once which fell apart on the first use. These Bago packing cubes (affiliate link) are very robust – and even better if you can colour code for each family member.
- Utility tent – Our old Quest tent is discontinued, but the Colapz Ensuite Tent is the closest match: rigid poles, sturdy in wind, easy to pack down. Colapz Ensuite Shower and Toilet Tent (affiliate link).
Surf Gear We Use as a Family
Cold‑water tested, teenager‑approved surf kit that survives British beaches.
- Adult wetsuits (4/3 or 5/4)
- Kids’ wetsuits. I mean, both the boys are bigger than I am now, and they’re still growing fast so buying new for every trip isn’t an option. The eldest is wearing Dan’s old Gull suit, and the youngest is wearing a black neck zip one that I was kindly gifted from Sistr. Just don’t tell him it says Sistr on the back.
- Boots, gloves, hoods – Essential for winter surf.
- Surfboards – Claire uses a Softech Roller 7’6”. Dan’s on a Odysea 6’6” Skipper from Catch Surf.
- Ear plugs – Important to protect your ears from cold water. Surf Ears are great as are Happy Ears (gifted).
Wild Swimming Kit We Love
Our go‑to kit for safe, joyful dips — from tow floats to warm‑up essentials.
- Wetsuit – Claire wears a Huub Aegis X
- Neoprene vest / gloves / boots /cap – Various stockists but Claire swears by this thermal vest from Zone3 for an extra layer underneath the wetsuit for those long lake swims, and these Heat Tech boots (affiliate link) – I call them my swimming Laboutins!
- Tow floats – For short training swims Claire uses this Dry Bag from New Wave Swim Buoy (gifted). For long distance and marathon swims then this tow float from Boya Buddyswim Hydrastation PRO (gifted) was perfect. In addition to great visibility and buoyancy, allows the swimmer to hydrate quickly and effectively thanks to the external hose with bite valve connected to the 1 liter bladder housed inside the buoy. The external mesh pocket allows quick access to energy bars or gels.
- Goggles – I tried a LOT of goggles, but the ones I keep going back to are the Zone 3 Attack goggles (affiliate link) for comfort, seal, and minimal eye bags.
- Changing robe – we use Dryrobe — blue light discount available if you qualify
- Towels – We love these microfibre towels from Dock & Bay (affiliate link). They pack small and dry fast.
Cold water recovery — When we’re not swimming from the van, the Urban Ice Tribe round ice bath (affiliate link) is what we use at home for cold-water training between trips. UK-made, and built to last. If you’re training for marathon swims or just easing into cold water, having consistent cold dips at home transforms how prepared you arrive at a swim.
Campsite Kitchen Essentials
The things that make van cooking easy, quick and actually enjoyable. We’ve stripped back over the years — less is more.
- Stove – We found the CampinGaz Partygrill to be very compact and portable, but now use the Cadac 2 Cook 3 Pro which packs flat and is perfect for cooking for a family of 4 (affiliate links).
- Collapsible kettle – We use an outwell stovetop kettle usually. But sometimes when we’re on hook up we’ll use this Quest collapsible electric travel kettle (affiliate link)– this is the one we take on the ferry with us!
- Coffee kit – We wouldn’t be without our Bialetti Stovetop Coffee Maker (affiliate link).
- Water carrier – Colapz water carrier (gifted / affiliate link).
- Pots and pans – We haven’t found the perfect camping cookware set yet, but one item we wouldn’t be without is our Ridgemonkey Connect (affiliate link) sandwich toaster.
- Tumblers and Mugs – We use these insulated mugs and tumblers from Yeti (affiliate link).
Tech and Photography Kit
The tech that helps us capture the chaos!
- Drone – We use a DJI Mini 3 (affiliate link).
- GoPro with floating handle to capture all the underwater action (affiliate links).
- Tripod (affiliate link).
Entertainment
The things that keep us entertained.
- A few compact family faves – always have these in your bag if your hike is likely to wind up in the pub: Dobble, Uno Flip, Pass the Pigs, Yahtzee (affiliate links). We also picked up an original retro version of Mastermind on eBay – the codebreaking pegs game – which comes with us everywhere.
- Projector – This is a real luxury but it’s superb for a van movie night. Ours is the XGIMI MOGO 3 (affiliate link) – shop around for a good deal on price.
Planning Tools and Apps
The digital tools we use for tides, weather, surf and route planning.
- Google Maps
- OS Maps
Ferries to Spain and France — We sail with Brittany Ferries from Plymouth to Santander (affiliate link) for our Spain trips — it’s our favourite way to start a campervan adventure. The 21-hour overnight crossing skips the slog through France entirely. Also worth comparing routes via Portsmouth, Poole and Cherbourg depending on where you’re starting from and heading to.
- Water Quality – For water quality alerts around the UKs coastline check Surfers Against Sewage
- Surf Forecast – Check Surfline for live surf reports and surf forecasts
- Weather Apps – Wind is the enemy for campers so Windy: Wind map & weather forecast is an essential
- Campsite Booking apps – Park4night is an essential resource.
- Our own downloadable packing checklist
- Swim training – For swim training plans and technique videos I highly recommend Catch swim (affiliate / gifted). Use code CLAIRE15 for a discount on Gold membership.
Got a question about any of this kit, or something you think we should try? Drop us a message and we’ll get back to you.
Last updated: May 2026