Campgrounds

Denver West/Central City KOA – Central City CO
Fireside Resort – Jackson WY
Steamboat Springs KOA – Steamboat Springs CO
Dark Sky RV – Kanab UT
Hells Canyon Park – Hells Canyon ID

Van Gear/Build

Momentum Vans

Brian and his team at Momentum Vans are a big part of the reason we’ve been able to do #vanlife so successfully. They built us an amazingly high quality van, and have also been there along the way to be a calm voice of reason when we do things like… freeze our water pump and need to replace it in the Home Depot parking lot. You can checkout our full van build video here.

Strawfoot Window Covers

These are a MUST for every person that plans to spend the night in their Mercedes Sprinter Van!!! The offer complete coverage, are magnetic (expect windshield), and the people who run Strawfoot are incredible nice and helpful!

2007-2018 Sprinter Vans here (they also have other models)

Mountain Biking

Trails – At this point our favorite mountain biking trail list is pretty long. But not to worry! We have a whole article dedicated to “Our Favorite Mountain Bike Trails“.

(Disclosure: Please note that these are an affiliate links, which means that we do earn a commission – at no extra cost to you – Thanks! If you have any questions about it, please let me know.)

Joe’s Favorite Riding Gear
Backpack – USWE Flow 16 – https://amzn.to/3rsRT2t
Gloves – Fox Ranger Gel – https://amzn.to/3JbLtuQ

Emily’s Bike
Evil Following GX Build – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/ORL2eP
Frame – Evil Following – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/yRxdqG
Drivetrain – SRAM GX – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/qnGbWg
Forks – RockShox Pike Ultimate 130mm – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/VyjqOM
Rear Shock – RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/Xx5D4b
Wheels – Industry 9 Enduro S – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/jWjoRZ
Pedals – OneUp Aluminum- https://backcountry.tnu8.net/e4xVnQ
Grips – Lizard Skins Charger – https://backcountry.tnu8.net/7mBjbd

Emily’s Favorite Riding Gear
Pack – Osprey Seral 7 – https://amzn.to/3uHcIcv
Gloves – Fox Ranger Gel – https://amzn.to/3O1MdGy

Ski/Snowboard

Resorts

Steamboat Springs Resort – Steamboat Springs CO
Grand Targhee Resort – Alta WY
Aspen Snowmass – Aspen CO
Copper Mountain Resort – Frisco CO
Snowbird Resort – Snowbird UT

We love these ski/snowboard resorts for many reasons. Including snow conditions, access for van lifers, crowds, places to work nearby, and overall feel (#coolness).

Make sure you checkout our post on camping near IKON Pass Ski Resorts. For you snow chasers!

Snowboarding Gear

Emily
Snowboard: Hel YES.
Bindings: RIDE
Boots: Burton Felix with Toaster Liners
Jacket: Patagonia Snowbelle (EVO)
Pants: The North Face A-CAD FUTURELIGHT™ Bibs

Joe
Snowboard: LibTech T. Rice Pro
Bindings: Union Atlas
Boots: Burton Ion
Jacket: Buron [ak] GORE‑TEX Cyclic
Pants: Outdoor Research Bibs

National Parks

Big Bend National Park – Website
US Virgin Islands National Park – Website – Blog Post
Grand Teton National Park – Website – Blog Post
Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park – Website
Gates of the Arctic National Park – Website

Van Screen Door / Bug Netting

We found this on Amazon and it works great! The outside is Velcro (part that connects to the van) and the middle is magnetic. AND this is WAY less money than the companies that are selling “custom” screen doors for Sprinter Vans (at $700+).

Caframo True North Electric Space heater

If you are plugged into shore power, having an electric heater is a MUST! Why burn through the diesel with your Espar heater if you don’t have to… and you better have an Espar heater because they are 100% worth it!

Instant Pot

The Instant Pot has possibly been the BEST thing that we’ve done to make Van Life easier and healthier.

This goes hand in hand with Trader Joe’s! We buy the pre marinated meats with sweet potatoes (or rice) and veggies, cook up all of our lunches and dinners for the week, and store in Tupperware in the fridge. No spending extra money on eating out. No getting overly hungry when you can’t find a place to eat. No eating junk! A lot of our Instant Pot recipes can be found on Joe’s fitness blog by clicking here.

Workout Gear

Rogue Fitness Dumbbells

When living in a van full time, you’d be amazed how much you can do with just 2 dumbbells. I have 2 and Emily has 2, and we are in fantastic shape doing The Get Better Project workouts (our workout program).

Joe Bauer Working out with Rogue Dumbbells

Rogue Fitness Kettlebells

Just slightly behind dumbbells as the most small and effective workout tool is the kettlebell. If you know your strength you can get one kettlebell that will work for dozens of highly effective, fitness producing workouts!

Clothing

Patagonia Nano Air (men’s/women’s)

We both have multiple of these. As do our brother-in-law/sister (in-law). They are the coziest, comfiest, most versatile, nicest looking jackets we’ve ever had!

If you need something to wear to a casual dinner, snuggle in on a Sunday afternoon, or layer on the mountain… these are the BEST for all of that!

Rocking our Nano Air’s while avoiding bugs during a backpacking trip 🙂

No Cow Protein Bars

We consume No Cow Bars almost every morning as our first meal of the day. They provide a great source of plant based protein, and are very low glycemic. Meaning they don’t spike your blood sugar

Perfect Bars

These have become our after dinner treats. Nothing like some nuts, honey, eggs, and other goodies to get you excited for something delicious! 🙂

Groceries

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market’s have (in our experience) the fastest, most reliable internet around the country.

They also have some of the best selection of high quality food in the business, with all kinds of fun perks.

And the environment that Whole Foods creates is absolutely fantastic for hanging out, working, having dinner, getting coffee… it’s really great!

Trader Joe’s

Just the best low priced, high quality food around!

Panera Bread

The should really change their name from Panera Bread to just Panera! For years I avoided them because of the word “bread” in the name. But little did I know they have the best fast food salads I’ve ever had! The is by far our most traffic’d fast food stop!

More to come!

Affiliate Disclosure
(Disclosure: Please note that these are an affiliate links, which means that we do earn a commission – at no extra cost to you – Thanks! If you have any questions about it, please let me know.)

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