After you’ve been on the road for a while, in my case 7 years, when it comes to nomad shopping you get a feel for what works for and what doesn’t. What someone else loves, someone else has ditched!
Over the years nomad shopping and the criteria for what I love and what I ditch has become pretty simple.
#1. Does it fit in the van? It has to be really special or useful for me to use up precious space. I make a habit of letting go of one thing if I add one thing.
#2. Do I really NEED it? Or can I duplicate it’s function in another way? (See shower pump below.)
#3. How much do I really use it? If it’s something I only dig out every few years, it’s probably gonna get ditched. Exceptions to that are tarps and shade cloths that sometimes don’t get used for a season. Eventually they get used for shade, privacy or cooling.
Here’s my shopping list.
(Most of these are affiliate links, if you make a purchase by clicking on them I get a VERY small commission. Thanks Amazon!)
Let’s start with one of my more recent purchases.
Phone Strap
LOVE! I’ve found this cross body phone strap especially useful for traveling. Every time I stop for gas, necessities, or just getting my morning coffee in the truck stops, I clip on my phone and little money holder and I’m good to go. No worries about leaving it behind in a rest room (I’ve done it) or fishing through a bigger bag for money, debit card etc. and it helps keep my stuff safe.
Fans.
Love. I’m in a mini-van without AC except the engine AC, so a small fan, and a larger fan are necessities. I’ve used a few different ones but these two are my faves. Both of them are running when it’s pushing 90 degrees in the desert! I’ve got the air flow mechanics down thanks to my parents who refused to have AC in the house until the kids were moved out.
Spray Bottles
Love. In my opinion, spray bottles are necessities for any nomad. I have two small ones, one with diluted Castille soap, one with plain water for rinsing, and a bigger one for other clean ups around camp.
Shower Tent
Ditched. The shower tent was a pain to store in the van, and was mostly used out in the windy desert where it had to be secured with rebar stakes and rocks. Along with the Clam shelter, it was just one more thing to put up, take down, and store. (See Clam below) I found most of the time I either paid for a shower, or if I want a field shower, rig up tarps off the back of the minivan and have a beautiful outside shower under the desert sun!
Shower Pump
Ditched! I know some nomads love the shower pump but I found it cumbersome. It has to be submerged in water to work, so you have to have a deep enough bucket. (Ahh, a bucket, something else I ditched!) It didn’t use up all the water in the bucket, and was also a waste of water with it spraying all over the place. For most monads, water is precious, and a good percentage of what sprayed out didn’t make onto my body. Not only that, with soapy hands it it became a slippery and comical challenge to push the button and get it aimed. My “field shower” wastes less water. Warm up water, soap up and rinse off by pouring it directly on your body.
Clips
Love! I cannot underestimate the importance of multiple clips and spring clamps. In multiple sizes for multiple uses. Kind of like bungi cords, you can never have too many! They help clip in my reflectix, clip snack bags, clip tarps, clip curtains shut, the list goes on!
Weather tarp
Love! I’ve bought this sun deflecting tarp twice, the second time after I just wore it out with constant use. It’s my go-to tarp for shade. It’s sold as a survival blanket but works great as a tarp.
Mesh Shade Cloth
Love! This mesh shade cloth, called Aluminet, is invaluable for bringing the temperature down in the van on hot days.
Hot water bottle
Love. When temps get down in the 30’s staying warm at night is tricky. This baby stays warm most of the night! Keeping extremities warm with a hot water bottle is one of the secrets to staying warm in cold temps.
Clam Shelter
Ditched. The Clam Shelter is another item some nomads love, and I bought a few over the years. Nice to have, but to secure it for desert winds it took 6 rebar stakes, three ratchet straps staked down, and piles of rocks on each stake. I learned all of that the hard way when a wind gust took out the clam shelter AND my entire kitchen, dumping every pot, pan and utensil into the desert dust.
Then there was the issue of shoving this 40 pound shelter into my little minivan for travel. I’ve made a conscious decision to not have extra storage like a roof carrier, to keep things as minimalistic and simple as possible. It ended up being too much effort for the return on usefulness, and when I gave it away to another nomad I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t miss it!
Water Filter
Love! I would consider this as a necessity for any nomad that doesn’t have a built in filter. Water supplies can be really sketchy, and carrying around a supply of bottled drinking water doesn’t make much sense for most minimalist nomads.
I started out with a Berkey filter, but it was cumbersome in my front seat and when discovered the Zero filter I was hooked. It filters faster than the Berkey and for my uses, works just as well.
Ice Bags
Love! These reusable ice bags are a game changer! Even with an electric cooler there were times I didn’t have enough power to run it, and had to resort to the melting ice/drowning food method. Now, no more food drowning!
Other items on my must have list are these:
Hot hands. Self explanatory!
Eye mask. After having a few sleepless nights at brightly lit truck stops, I found this surprisingly useful for my travels.
Insect Repellants
I used these candles and incense sticks this summer in the northeast and was pleased with how effective they were.
Step Stool
A step stool is a must, it’s multifunctional and easy to store! It’s a seat, it’s a stair, it’s a table!
Other purchases I’ve kept include a hatchet, collapsible rake, multiple jackknives, a battery jump starter, heavy duty suction anchor, 6×10 outside rug, folding tables and chairs.
More things I’ve ditched are a Rocket stove, collapsable bucket, wash bins, Coleman gallon jug, pack grill, Luci light, power inverter, fabric clothes storage bins, and a car vacuum.
Nomad shopping can be fun and economical if done mindfully with purpose. Have fun!
If you want to read more about my nomad life, get some practical tips and ways to navigate nomad life, my book Wild Women On The Road is a great read!
