I've set up and dismantled van kitchens more times than I can count. I've bought gear I regretted, kept gear I love, and learned — slowly — what the difference is. Here's what I'd do if I was starting from scratch.
Start with your actual workflow
Most van kitchen mistakes start with buying kit for an imaginary cook. The question isn't "what would be nice to have" — it's "what do I actually make, and how often?" If your answer is coffee and porridge 80% of the time, you don't need a three-burner setup. You need a small, reliable single burner and a good flask.
"The best van kitchen is the one that takes up the least space while covering everything you actually eat."
The non-negotiables
After talking to about 30 long-term van lifers, there's remarkable agreement on the core list:
- A reliable heat source (stove, not multi-fuel unless you know what you're doing)
- One good knife, one decent chopping surface
- A flask that keeps things hot for at least 8 hours
- A pan that nests and has a lid
- A way to clean up without running water
What to avoid
The list of things I've bought and regretted is longer than I'd like to admit. Some common pitfalls:
- Specialist gear for one use case. That egg cooker isn't coming on the next trip.
- Gear that can't be cleaned without a tap. Cast iron is great at home. In a van, it's a liability.
- Cheap gas canisters. They leak at the connection. Spend the extra pound on quality connectors.
The repairable principle
Van kitchens take a beating. Things get dropped, get wet, get knocked. The only gear worth packing is gear you can fix on the road. Before I buy anything for the van, I ask: if this breaks, can I repair it with what I can get from a hardware shop? If the answer is no, I look for an alternative.
This is why I rate waxed canvas over nylon for bags, stainless over aluminium for cooking vessels, and why I always make sure spare seals are available before I commit to any product.
A note on spares
Haven stocks spare parts for everything in our range. The gasket that failed on your flask 18 months in? £1.50, swapped in five minutes. See what's available.