We absolutely love our 17 inch Blackstone griddle! Very portable. We cook just about everything on it, including cinnamon rolls! Hillary's chair wins for us.
Excellent video! Hillary's chair wins. I love all the practical tips. Weber makes a portable grill that uses a small canister of propane. It works great!
I'm a little late to the party here, but I veto both those chairs, as too bulky or too tricky to put together. We got a couple of Cliq chairs AND Cliq Lounges. They go together in a flash and pack up very small. We got the two chairs for something quick to set up if we just wanted to stop somewhere for lunch, and we also got the two lounge chairs so we could stretch out and lean back and watch the stars. We carry a couple of stools that we can put our feet up on. And the one stool is actually our dog's elevated bed, so it has dual use. Cliq just finished its 20% off Memorial Day sale, but they tend to have major holiday sales. (or reach out to them and see if they give you a couple for free is "influencers") That's where I got mine last year. They aren't in the stores so you have to buy direct, and they're pricey-ish, but they have a very generous free return, free shipping policy. And their customer service is great. When I was still holding out and couldn't make up my mind about whether I wanted a Lounge for myself or not - my husband loved it, I was on the fence - they gave me an extra month and they even contacted me to see if I needed extra time! Nice people. As for the grill-stove, I had the same one and I just gave it away last month. We bought it in 2015 and quickly found that it wasn't very useful. I don't grill meat and the little burner on the left side isn't big enough for a skillet without putting the windscreen down. It's really made for grilling plus a side sauce or something. Ours worked fine and I used the little burner quite a lot through the years, but we only used the grill once and that was in 2021 when someone gave us a vacuum, sealed, frozen filet mignon that was accidentally included in their delivery of fresh vegetables. We tossed it in the freezer and took it to Big Bend national Park, and I grilled it up for my husband. He eats steak I don't. And it was like Coals to Newcastle importing a steak into Texas! But I decided to get rid of the grill and gave it to a young friend of ours who's just starting camping. We also have a Blackstone grill that we've never used because it's just so bulky. If we ever cross paths, I'd be glad to bring it to you! BTW, Bob thought that he could plug the Coleman into the outside propane system. I don't know if that's possible. All I know is that I bought ours with that idea in mind when we bought our little A-frame trailer… only to find that the propane system on board was high pressure and the Coleman was low pressure. I don't know if in the intervening seven or eight years they've change the pressures to make them more compatible, but I can tell you that they aren't always compatible. (The FIT RV just did a quick video about buying the Weber Q 1200 because it was compatible with the pressure on their EKKO. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WQ2VBDJGzRo.html ) And I'm totally with Hillary on the electric blanket!
I couldn't get my coleman camp stove to light in 31 degree weather ! Neither could my dad! He & Mom took it back & got me a Winchester Trailblazer camp stove ...worked great!!! That was 1975 & I still have my Winchester!
Volcano grill/ stove. Runs on wood, propane or charcoal. Packs up very small. Chair- both! Having one smaller one makes it so Hillary has room for her bigger one 😊
Hello from Tucson, I have a Scope and love it. My electric blanket is a must too! Definitely Hillary’s chair and the TST drop ins another must. My friends I camp with have a Blackstone, it is awesome.
@@Vancaskeys Tucson is awesome but I love coming your way too. Who am I kidding, anywhere, anytime! ❤️ …with my electric blanket Bob! Can’t believe he wouldn’t put it in the top ten!
Hello Bob and Hillary 🤗 I heard the blackstone Grill works good .. thats the one we would like to get. Between the two chairs ..for our van ..Bob's chair would work best for us. YES.. to the electric blanket!!! 👍 And I love the baskets' good price too👍Wanted to share ..We bought to put in our van ..A Thermo Pro digital temperature and humidity monitor room thermometer (Amazon). We also bought a handle.. to place in the opening of the sliding door to get in and out much easier !!! Thanks for sharing your great ideas !!! Good night 😊😁❤️🙏
Nice selection, have all 10 of your top 10 (different brands). One other essential is a cordless blower. I use it to blow out sand & dirt from the van and outside camp area.
Camp Chef Everest propane stove has worked great for us. You can also buy a bag custom made for it so it stores away nicely. I use with the 1lb propane tanks, so no clue on connecting to your propane, but I'm sure that info is out there. As for chairs, I vote maximum comfort - ours are the plush puffy fold ups similar to Hillary's but with much more padding. Ahhh!!
hi, do you travel with the propane on your van because I read that You shouldn’t do that, so I’m just wondering because I also have a small stove with a bunch of 1 gallon Attachments of propane
I'm from South Africa and I have just found you guys... Subscribed because I love your Energy... Hillary your chair is prime for sure👌. I look forward to seeing more of your videos ❤️
@@Vancaskeys in South Africa we aren't able to travel like you guys can. Its just not safe. I see channels like yours and allow myself to dream... So I'm afraid I'll be living through you and your adventures if you don't mind. 😁😉👌
Agree on TST orange drop ins! Work great! The cloth baskets are great, too! Hillary’s chair wins, although I have one like his!😂 Jane in SC❤🙏🏻 Yes on electric blanket!
Thank you for the video 😂 Totally on point. I just bought a Thor Sanctuary 19P. You honestly cant beat the size and the ease of driving. Im trying to figure out how to make the toilet/shower experience better 😂
We have an induction stove inside the van, but also have a single burner propane/butane dual burner with the 1lb refillable Flame King propane bottle if we want to cook outside for whatever reason. Refilling that from my 20lb BBQ tank costs 90 cents, and about $1 when refilling it at U-Haul. I HIGHLY recommend buying one of those because you can always top off before you leave and not worried about bringing multiple single use tanks because you dont know if one is empty or not.
We have the Cadac Grillo Chef 40 BBQ, it comes with its own carry bag , the grill allows you to use a frying pan if you wish there great comes to bits in seconds , great video cheers Chris.
Bob's chair. We have two! They are comfy...and they take up such little space. I'm sure Hillary's chair is super comfy. We have a Solo stove, the Ranger. It fits in the garage. But, needing wood and the concern regarding transport of wood between states, we are looking for a small propane fire ring instead.
Yeah anytime you can put your feet up it's usually more comfortable. They make a tabletop version of the Blackstone propane grill/griddle ? I want one myself.
We have used a Weber grill for 30 years, love grilling outside almost all of our meals we grill outside. Don't want a stove for outside as it duplicates what the RV already has. I am not a fan of folding bag chairs as when you are older and need the arms to help get you up they break. And yes I have an electric blanket on our bed and wouldn't be with out it, no power fire up the generator for 30 min and you have a warm bed to get in to. I hate being cold.
I just got the Coleman 4 in 1 cooking system and will be using that for all my cooking needs in my van. It comes with a grill, griddle and a wok so that helps to save a bunch of space.
Ditch the Coleman stove & get yourselves a 17" Blackstone with hood. You wont regret it. P.S. where did you get those little tiles that spell Vanlife under the BMPro? would love to get some for our Tellaro.
That’s a hard one…I like Bob’s chair because of the compact size and Hillary’s because you can truly lounge. So whatever works for you BOTH. Camp Chef Everest series is amazing. Do you have an outside table? The iPad holder is clever! Heating blanket🤣. With the folding step stool I was thinking ..both 6 ft what do you need to reach? 8 in mattress on top of the bed..princess and the pea! You guys in AZ? No red rocks so it isn’t Sedona!
I actually installed a tv with dvd player in the bedroom area. Although I’m always on my IPad. So thinking about removing the tv which I never watch and getting that iPad holder. Great idea.
I love my camp chef single and double burners but they do take a lot of space and best use with 5lb propane tank. For compact, take a look at Jetboil Genesis basecamp dual burners folding stove. It takes very little space and popular with campers, Jeepers but little expensive
Use a wok on a NJ propane burner. ( Stainless steel gas stove 1, 2, 3 or 4 flame propane gas camping stove turbo burner + gas area incl. gas hose, 50mbar pressure regulator )
I like my Eureka SPRK Portable Butane Grill for VanLife. It comes with a grill top and you can also get a griddle topper. It replaces my Weber and Blackstone I used to carry when we had our travel trailer and truck and you know... room!
Good advice. I also really really like my electric blanket, it's winter. Now as far as outdoor cooking goes I highly suggest you look at the Country Smoker. It uses wood pellets (set it and forget it) and is the size of the smallest propane grill. It's the perfect size for a few people and your dinners will taste so much better. Can be used as a grill too, I like reverse searing my meat for a few minutes after smoking an hour or two.
Well done video. Great links. We use baking soda in our porta potty. We spend winters touring mainland Mexico in our van and baking soda for odor control is cheap effective and everywhere. PS I’m getting Hillary’s chair for my wife.
I would recommend the LotusGrill (don´t know if its available outside Europe?) for van life. Uses a small amount of charcoal and the surface walls doesn´t get hot, easy to clean and you start it up in just 5 min with the integrated usb fan. We used it for 5 weeks travelling Europe and wouldn´t go anywhere without it. You need the lid though! (extra accessorie)
Morning, neither chair, Bob's has no arm rests-Hillary's chair the front legs force your legs together when not using the foot rest. Yes on the step stool, I use mine to reach the backs of the high cabinets inside and as a step for the front door when camping, both of you are tall, I'm short. No on the electric blanket, when they get dusty they hold the dust, and I'm with Bob, uses too much electricity, if you need some warmth, snuggle, that's why there are two of you! Yes on the scented toilet tank treatment in a van, I agree on the camp stove, I'm thinking of getting a propane marine style BBQ grill, could hang on the side of the van, they have heating cubes about the size of a Bricket that disperses the flame so it's a more even heat across the underside of the grill, and no sparks.
Just google "boat bbq" they're 16in in diameter and I'd have to custom make a bracket to hang it on the side of the RV but I used one of these on our boat for a long time and liked it.
I really like my Eureka Ignite 2-burner. They come in a couple sizes, I have the smallest one (light green color) and it's been really great to cook with. I used one for almost 2 years in my last build, and bought another one for my current van :) Great video!!
Hillary... I like your chair...as fir electric blanket....Amazon sells a 12 volt electric blanket... also for ambience...Amazon sell 12 inch high miniature electric fireplace...no fire involved. Battery-powered! 3 c batteries and the flame looks realistic
Thanks for the great tips! We have a lot of the same items in our van Maxine. For outdoor cooking I love my Blackstone Griddle. I wasn't a "griddle" guy before we started camping but one good smashburger has made me a convert so much so I bought a griddle insert from my Webber grill at home. Those blacktank pods are a great product for sure. just toss one in and you are done like you said. Cheers and happy camping.
We had that exact same grill and realized very quickly it was to big and bulky and was a pain. We ended up going with 2 of the off brand jet boils and bought the attachment so that we can use them with the small and large fuel tanks. We can use our skillet or griddle on top or use the boil pots they came with to boil water or make noodles. They take up very little space and we don't miss a grill at all. We have thought about getting a small portable rack that allows you to cook over the fire pit at some point just for fun but we LOVE ours. We also love watching your videos and love our van. We have a Jayco Swift. We are also here in AZ. Keep up the great work and amazing videos.
Good Morning! LOVE. LOVE, LOVE your videos. We pick up a new 2023 Thor Rize 18A (similar to the 18T with sky bunk but with bathroom and less storage) tomorrow and I've been stressing BIG TIME if I bought the right van too. Few questions please...big difference to driving the 18T to your Tellaro at 20plus feet? gas mileage much different? do you miss the smaller van? Glad you went bit larger? This is my 3rd attempt at convincing my husband to do road trips and it does get expensive to make mistakes. Love to hear your answers and thank you in advance. Few back to you that I found watching other videos....#1Beddy's which is all the bedding in one, #2 nstapot now has a mini air fryer that also bakes, roasts, etc. it's small and hoping works great. and #3 Roadtrippers app and website which you probably know already. what a fabulous app I learned even better watching videos. My fingers are crossed for tomorrow's pickup. we live in FL and New Mexico. sons flying here today to drive van back to NM for as the van was $13k less here in Florida. Again, LOVE your videos. Safe travels to you both!!!
We have the same van!!! We love it We use the Weber grill it has worked great for us it’s the Q 1200 hooks up really easy to the propane with a quick connect We have a question we want to carry a spare tire what kind is your setup?😊
Hi really enjoy your videos 🥳 I have the same van! The bed size is kinda weird that I couldn’t find a mattress size that fit. I wonder where you get yours mattress. Any pointers is much appreciated!
Awesome! We bought two mattresses and cut one to custom-fit it. We also put a mattress topper over it so that it smoothed it out. We bought the Simmons 8" Medium Gel Memory Foam Mattress from Costco. They are foam mattresses and, therefore, can be cut. We bought a twin and cut that one, and bought a full size. Hope this helps!
Weber Go-Anywhere Gas Grill $89 at Ace Hardware or buy online (I guess, what can't you get online?) I used to have one of these years ago for car camping it was great. Left to outside my car (it was hot) after tailgating at a Bills game. Went to the game came back and went "Oh no my Weber grill is gone! Rats!"
Great Video Guys! I dont have a van but have an Overlander! Tundra Alu Cab.. Your tips are still very useful ! Thanks! Gadget # 2 Chair.. Can't stand the fold out chairs that squeeze your but cheeks together! LOL I like the fold out! Way more comfortable! I have had the Woods fold out now for over 18 years and still Love it!
