Live Small, Support Small: 17 Best Etsy Gifts for Vanlife
*This post contains affiliate links.
Amidst all this Covid-19 chaos, it’s more important than ever to help support local businesses and small artists.
And no, we’re not just saying all this because we fall into that category… though while we’re at it, we’ll shamelessly plug our hand drawn vinyl stickers.
We thought it would be a good idea to peruse Etsy for any gadgets and camper van decorations made by such small businesses. We’ve talked about our favorite vanlife essentials in the past, now think of this as an updated version of that: Vanlife Essentials, Etsy Edition.
This list of Etsy items for vanlifers is organized into two sections: practical Etsy products to make vanlife a bit easier and decorative Etsy products to make your van feel a little more like home.
As we know, buying gifts for vanlifers can be tough. This list is a great way to surprise your minimalist and mobile loved one with something useful and yet unique. Even better if your gift is eco friendly, too. For that, check out this list of earth friendly finds on Etsy. Most of these are small enough to be suitable for vanlife, too.
Whether you’re buying for yourself or others, we hope this list of Etsy vanlife gifts is helpful.
Navigation for the Best Vanlife Gifts on Etsy
Practical Handcrafted Items for Camper Vans
Deadwood Oak Magnetic Knife Rack
Vanlife Stickers
Personalized Vanlife Enamel Mugs
Leather Coffee Mug Hanger Straps
Recycled Rope Can Cozies
Foldaway Aluminum Cribbage Board
Shelfie Magnetic Floating Ledge Shelf
Magnetic Spice Canisters
Hand Carved Spoons
Wall Mounted Fold Out Wood Drying Rack
Decorative Handcrafted Items for Camper Vans
Reclaimed Metal Succulent Wall Planter
Mini Macrame Car Rear View Mirror Plant Hanger
Vanlife Mini Embroidery Hoop
Woven Wall Hangings
“Home Is Where You Park It” Wooden Sign
“Van Sweet Van” Wood Wall Hanging
Geometric Wooden Wall Art Paint Kit
Practical Handcrafted Items for Camper Vans
Image credit Wind Break Shop
1. Deadwood Oak Magnetic Knife Rack
By Wind Break Shop
Storing knives in a perpetually moving home can be a little… precarious. Since magnets are some of the strongest things on earth, there’s no better way to keep your sharp edges safely in place. These beautiful knife racks are made with unique, deadwood oak (meaning no trees were harmed or cut down to make it- how’s that for a little way to make vanlife more sustainable?).
Behind the wood, you’ll find an extra strong magnet capable of holding even heavier kitchen knives, like a butcher’s knife. It attaches to any surface screw or nail free, via prefixed mounting tape on the back rated to hold 11 lbs. Choose between three different lengths capable of holding 5, 6, or 7 knives.
Image credit Yours Truly
2. Vanlife Stickers
By Various
What’s a camper van without some sick stickers on it?! And there are tons of small artists out there (myself included!) making unique and beautiful designs to jazz up your van.
Stickers are great because they add a lot of sass without taking up any space.
Image Credit ODYSEA
3. Personalized Vanlife Enamel Mugs
By ODYSEA
If there are two things vanlifers love, it’s coffee and unbreakable dinnerware. Hence these adorable enamel vanlife mugs with cute images of camper vans in a variety of settings.
They also come with personalization options. Buy a his and hers or just yours!
Image credit Small Truck Campers
4. Leather Coffee Mug Hanger Straps
By Small Truck Campers
Once you have your coffee mugs, you’ll need a place to store them. And since the artistry is so great, who wants to keep them hidden in a cupboard? With these snap straps, you can securely hang and display your straps from any wall, shelf, or cabinet bottom.
Handmade in San Francisco, California, they come in a set of two and are made of genuine leather and “good ol fashion American ingenuity”.
5. Recycled Rope Can Cozies
By Always the Adventure
What about a holder for the other kind of essential vanlife beverage?
By that we mean beer! Vanlife and beer goes together like, well, vanlife and beer!
So keep your beer cold and your hand warm with a recycled climbing rope can cozy. Made of 100% recycled ropes collected from local climbers, these cozies are functional and eco friendly.
But colors are always limited, so if you see one you like, order fast!
P.S. These also make great gifts for rock climbers!
6. Foldaway Aluminum Cribbage Board
By SarbeNC
It’s vanlife game night! Too bad most board games take up a ton of space. This travel cribbage board is perfect for vanlifers who want a little more than a classic card game but don’t have the space for anything else. It’s made of aluminum and breaks apart via a magnet connection into a compact little box that holds the deck of cards inside. So clever!
Image Credit Wood Spirit Arts
7. Shelfie Magnetic Floating Ledge Shelf
By Wood Spirit Arts
Save space and getting stuck with the same furniture arrangement. These beautiful walnut shelves are just wide enough to hold spices, decorations, small plants, and more.
Best of all, they’re fully moveable! Each shelf features a magnetic mounting system so you can swap them around as you see fit.
For vanlifers that don’t want to fully panel their walls, these would be perfect storage solutions.
Image Credit Custom Spice Co
8. Magnetic Spice Canisters
By Custom Spice Co
Spices are one of the hardest things to securely store in a van… and they’re also some of the most tragic things to spill. Keep all your spices secure, organized, and easy to access with a magnetic spice board (that looks nice to boot!).
This company sells the prelabeled jars only, in different colors and sets depending on the spices you use. Just mount a sheet of metal on the wall and the extra strong magnets will take care of the rest.
We love our spice board, though we Went DIY on it. But let me tell you: getting enough magnets in place to properly hold them was not an easy task. If I could go back, I would have much rather had these and saved the hassle.
Image Credit Indiana Wood
9. Hand Carved Spoons
By Indiana Wood
We love cooking in our van and we love using wooden spoons!
They don’t scratch our limited cookware and are far more eco friendly than plastic and silicone alternatives. Plus they don’t melt if we accidentally leave them on the frying pan too long….
These particular wooden spoons by Indiana Wood are absolutely gorgeous and come in all sorts of different unique designs and sizes. Choose between three different finishes: raw, oil, or beeswax and oil.
Image Credit Grammy and Grampys
10. Wall Mounted Fold Out Wood Drying Rack
By Grammy and Grampys
Another great space saver that has tons of utility in a van.
This fold out rack can be used to dry laundry, towels, and even dishes.
Or you can place a sheet of wood on it and turn it into a fold out desk to table. It could even fold out of the doors to be an outdoor bar or cook station. The possibilities are pretty much endless!
When it’s folded up, it takes up practically no space.
These are especially great gifts for van builders since they’re still in the stages of being able to ideally incoroprate this into their van build plan.
Decorative Handcrafted Items for Camper Vans
Image Credit Andrews Reclaimed
11. Reclaimed Metal Succulent Wall Planter
By Andrews Reclaimed
To all those who think van living isn’t conducive to having plants, think again! These adorable securely wall mounted planters make growing a container garden in a camper van super easy and mess free. Since they feature no drainage hole (just a heavy bead of aquarium chalk and a cedar disk deal) watering will never result in a messy van. It does just mean you need to be careful about what plants you house there. Stick to cacti, succulents, and dry loving herbs like basil.
Plus they’re made in the USA from recycling discarded farm sprinkler pipes!
Image Credit You Had Me At Maui
12. Mini Macrame Car Rear View Mirror Plant Hanger
By You Had Me At Maui
If you spend a lot of time driving and want some fresh air up in the cab, you can even put a plant there!
This cotton cord macrame plant hanger can hold any small pot, tin, or jar so that you can look at a happy little succulent swaying as you sail off toward the horizon.
Image Credit Jennan Handmade
13. Vanlife Mini Embroidery Hoop
By Jennan Handmade
If you’ve ever tried hoop embroidery (like I have), you’ll know it’s maddeningly difficult and time consumptive.
So if you don’t have the patience to try your hand at it yourself, Jennan Handmade will make an adorable camper van hoop embroidery for you. It’s a cute way to brighten up any small wall space in your van and support a talented hand crafter at the same time.
Image Credit Natasha Emily Weavings
14. Woven Wall Hangings
By Natasha Emily Weavings
Similar to hoop embroidery, weavings is a tricky art, but boy can it create some truly amazing things. Wall weavings are practically endless in their aesthetic, with different yarns, colors, textures, and more. Plus, we love the incorporated salvaged sticks and drifwood that add a touch of nature.
Natasha Emily has all sorts of creations, so you’re sure to find some color scheme that perfectly matches your van. You might even send her a message for a custom creation if you don’t find anything that quite fits your van.
No better way to add a touch of softness and comfort to your walls!
Image Credit Hoppywood12
15. “Home Is Where You Park It” Wooden Sign
By Hoppywood12
Sometimes, vanlife can be a little rough. The realities aren’t always the way Instagram leads you to believe so it’s important to do two things: maintain proper self care while on the road and remember why choose to do it in the first place.
For us (and most vanlifers) the vanlife mantra “Home is Where You Park It” is a pretty good summary. Vanlife is great because it means you can call absolutely anywhere home, and this sign is a cute and simple reminder.
Image Credit Daisy Designs
16. “Van Sweet Van” Wood Wall Hanging
By Daisy Designs
Another wooden wall hanging option for those who prefer the rustic look.
Hand painted on a sturdy live edge tree trunk disk, bark and all, this little decor is for all those who really love their little log cabin on wheels (like us!).
Image Credit Montana Sass Boutique
17. Geometric Wooden Wall Art Paint Kit
By Montana Sass Boutique
If you want the option to get a little crafty without getting in too deep, Montana Sass Boutique’s wood panel wall art paint kits might just be for you.
Choose between those that are painted already or those that are unfinished so you can paint your own. DIY versions come with paint colors of your choice and instructions.
You can also choose between several different designs, depending on whether you’re a mountain or a beach lover.
Before You Drive Away….
There you have it folks: all kinds of small businesses that are making crafted items perfect for your van. Are you a small business on Etsy who makes something for vanlifers but didn’t find yourself on this list? Let us know! It just means we didn’t find you because Etsy is MASSIVE. Just shoot us a comment or message and we would love to add you.
If you can’t tell, we’re big fans of supporting small. After all, we’re technically small business owners ourselves. Heck, Amber even designs and sells her own rock climbing and vanlife stickers. You can support us by ordering them right from our website store or shooting us a message on Instagram.
**This post contains affiliate links to support the continued creation of these van life guides. This just means that if you purchase something from one of the links above, I get a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Read more here or reach out with more questions.