🚐 Van Life: Storage Solutions, Ideas + RV Upgrades (Extra Space To Stowaway Non-Essentials)

🚐 Van Life: Storage Solutions, Ideas + RV Upgrades (Extra Space To Stowaway Non-Essentials)

🚐 Van Life Must-Have Essentials, Accessories & Upgrades for Extra RV Storage (outside & underneath)

If you’re struggling with van life storage solutions or looking to expand the storage space in your RV, then you’re in the right place. These are my Van Life Must-Have Essentials for adding extra storage—featuring the best accessories, upgrades, and space-saving RV storage ideas that have worked for our setup — outside and underneath the RV Van.

Whether you’re living in a van full-time or just taking weekend road trips, having the right gear can make all the difference when it comes to staying organized and maximizing your space.

🛻 Our RV Setup: Travel vs Stationary Living

If you didn’t know, we have two RVs:

Our RV van is a 2012–2013 Pleasure Way Excel TS (built on a Ford Chassis), which we use for traveling full-time with pets.
Our travel trailer is designed for stationary RV park living—it NEVER moves!

We live in our van along with 5 dogs and 1 cat, so having the right van life accessories to stay organized is crucial. It has taken us over a year and countless van life adventures to find, install, and customize everything to fit our needs.

And we’re still learning! We constantly test new ideas, find what works (and what doesn’t), and tweak our storage setup based on what we need at the time. This is actually our third RV van, and if we’ve learned one thing—it’s that every RV is different when it comes to storage capabilities inside and out.

For example, our Mercedes Sprinter RV Van had a tire rack on the back that made it difficult to use our favorite storage solution (the Stowaway) without modifying the original setup. That wasn’t something we were looking to spend time or money on.

🧳 Our Favorite Van Life Storage Upgrade: The Stowaway Cargo Box

One of the best van life storage upgrades we’ve made is adding an extra storage box (called the Stowaway) to the rear hitch of our RV van. This helps us store larger or seasonal items that don’t need to be accessed daily, keeping the interior less cluttered.

The Stowaway attaches to the rear hitch and features a swing-out arm, which means we can easily access the back doors of the van without removing it.

We even opted for an upgraded model with rolling wheels, so when we want to remove it, it’s easy to move or store off the van.

🔎 What We Store in the Stowaway (Extra Exterior Storage)

Here’s a peek inside our Stowaway cargo box—perfect for things we use occasionally but don’t want inside the RV every day.

🪑 Double Person Foldable Chairs by Eddie Bauer
🏕️ Camping Table (folds up for compact storage)
🔋 Battery Jumper / Air Compressor Combo
🧲 Metal Detector
🏖️ Pop-up Beach Tent
🔥 Smokeless Fire Pit (small, table-top version)

These are just some of the RV camping essentials we take on the road. They’re great for boondocking, tailgating, or relaxing at a campsite.

🚐 What We Store in the Trunk (Under the RV Bed)

Under the bed in our van is where we keep additional gear and larger items. This is our built-in storage trunk space that’s accessible from the back doors.

🐾 Double Decker Pet Stroller (perfect for our dogs)
🍕 Pizza Oven (yes, we really take it on the road!)
🔌 Toaster Oven
📦 Shipping Supplies (for running our online RV business on the road)

🛠️ How to Create Even MORE Storage Outside the RV

Still need more room? Here’s another RV storage hack: you can install the Stowaway on the front hitch instead of the back.

This leaves the rear hitch free for:

Towing a trailer
Adding a bike rack
Mounting a cargo carrier or other accessories (i.e. RV generator)

⚠️ Important Tip: Be sure to check the rules at venues or campgrounds. Some event locations prohibit ANYTHING mounted to the RV hitch, including generators, bike racks, or cargo boxes.

True story: We once had to turn around and leave an entertainment venue because they said we’d have to remove everything from the RV’s hitch before parking. We weren’t about to unpack our whole setup, so we just said, “Nope, not for us. BYE!”

🛒 Want to See It All in Action?

🎥 [TAKE A TOUR of My RV Van and See These Items in Use]
🛍️ [SHOP All Our Van Life Essentials in Our RV STORE]

🔑 Final Thoughts on Van Life Storage Essentials

Finding the right van life must-haves to stay organized can take some trial and error, but once you figure out what works for your space, it makes RV life so much more enjoyable. Whether you’re customizing a travel van or full-time RVing with pets, every square inch counts—and clever storage solutions are key.

By sharing our favorite van life upgrades and RV organization ideas, I hope to inspire you to find creative ways to expand your own RV storage setup!

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>> DOWNLOAD: My RV Essentials Checklist for all of these Must-Haves and More!

Get All My Van Life Essentials

Ultimate RV Checklist for Van Life: almost everything we keep in the RV van. All our Must-Have Essentials, Accessories & Optional Upgrades

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Updated: December 24, 2025

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November 20, 2025