Take extra fuel, especially if the van gets low mpg. There are some long stretches of road without any gas stations and it’s very easy to run out if you miss a turn or something like that. Even in the summer, the desert can be cold at night so it’s smart to bring a light jacket.

For the southern states, some way to prevent mosquitoes from eating you alive. If you plan to sleep in the van at all, nets for the windows and an electric fan (or a bunch of them). If you’re far enough south it’ll still be 80°+ and humid af at night

Might be obvious but I’d make sure you’ve got everything to swap out a flat! Like prole said there’s a lot of empty space between towns out here.

Electronic, magnetic road flares, keep them in the glove box. I tire plug kit and a cheap air pump. Make sure you have your oem jack and tire iron and that you know where to place it on the frame. Jumper cables. Cheep flashlight, booboo kit (bandaids, ointment etc.). Ginger pills for nausea if you get car sick. An eye mask and a camp pillow for napping while someone else drives. If you have a small hammock I’ve used those at rest stops for an afternoon nap on road trips. If you use Google maps, pre download the regions you’ll be traveling through in the “offline maps” section of the settings. Get yourself an Anker car charger for your phone, they’re like $10 and put out ~50 watts via usb c and a plugs. Be safe my friend!!

In the southwest, if you’re on roads that have at least 2 lanes each direction there should be cell service on the road, but it’s less guaranteed for smaller roads. Not sure about other parts. Bring water, and remember to drink it a lot. Sometimes there are hills on a freeway where the sign says to shut off your AC when you’re going up. It’s probably a good idea to follow those unless you’re very confident in your van not overheating. If your vehicle is going to overheat, turning on the heater increases airflow to the engine and can make it not overheat.

When I was a kid, I had a water spray bottle with a fan that was really nice for the summers, though I think this only applies in dry heat? A spray bottle + a separate fan works great too, or even just the spray bottle. But the combined form factor is nice if you’re walking around outside at all.

Roads also might have signs saying “last gas for [x] miles”, check your fuel whenever you see one!

Enjoy! The southwest is beautiful in its own way.

Toothbrush

Oh, comrade, its hot and humid as fuck all the way up to the north western parts of “The South”. Bring extra shoes (or sandles), socks and underwear to keep your bits and peices from being destroyed by fungus. Maybe some anti fungal cream and foot powder.

Do it yourself “Gatoraide”:

In a

• 32 oz container

Add-

• 24 oz of water
• 8 oz of juice

Mix in-

• A shake or two of salt (probably something like 1/16 tea spoon)
• Some extra sweetener (sugar/honey/sugarfree sweetener) to help with the taste.

Depending on how much you’re sweating, drink a few of these during the day seperated by several containers of plain ol’ water.

(Adjust the juice part if you’ve got shelf stable juice concentrate or elminiate it completely if you’ve got some powdered drink mix.)

If there’s space in the vehicle, get an Igloo water cooler (or a 5 gallon water jug) and whenever you get near a larger Walmart, check to see if they have a “fill it yourself water dispenser”. You’re supposed to pay but nobody is going to check if you get some cheap road snacks but “forget” to add the water when you go through the self checkout.

A small mesh bag with a strong lanyard will help when you need to dry damp socks/underwear. Underthings go in the bag, tie the bag to something on the outside of the truck and be on your merry way. Socks and undies will be dry and mostly aired out by the time you make your next pit stop. (Try to put it someplace it can be seen and occassionally check its still safely secured. Bring everything in when it gets too dark to see.)

Isopropyl alcohol makes a pretty good underarm and foot deotorant. (I find its a bit too harsh for the groinal region though) A few bucks should get you a 16 oz bottle just about anywhere that has a pharmacy or personal care department, if you’re lucky you might even find a sprayer that will fit on it to make application easier. Apply directly to stinky areas or to clothes to keep the smells a reasonable intensity. Also fits in with the first aid kit.

Desert’s will be hot as fuck during the day and will cool off in the early hours of the morning. Probably won’t matter if you’re not planning on sleeping outside but if there’s a breakdown, you won’t regret having a warm sweater, knit hat, big blanket or sleeping bag.

If you think you’ll be spending driving time, driving directly into the rising or setting sun… make sure you’re sunglasses are very darkly tinted. Hell, see if an optomologists office will give you some of the glasses inserts (for free) they give to us old people who get our pupils dialated when we get our eyes looked at. Night driving is a lot easier with those yellow tinted polarized night driving glasses that you can get cheaply from like, Walmart’s and some gas stations.

Somebody is bringing at least one pair of heavy duty work gloves right? Changing tires, checking radiator or oil goes much easier with the gloves protecting your hands from hot engines, lug nuts, asphalt, etc.

Some bug spray and something to help with itchy bug bites.

Car-camping amateur here, I’ve slept many times in my Prius when hiking around Colorado rockies. I don’t know how reliable your van is, but it doesn’t hurt to have a jumper kit, and learn how to jumpstart your car. Even if you end up not needing it, it is very useful around carparks to help other people, or to help other people who are stranded on the side of the road, and can be a nice conversation starter so you can meet and interact with new people.

Sunscreen, a lot of it. Blue lizard is very good

To add to what Prole said, get yourself one of those collapsible emergency fuel cans if you don’t have the space for a jerry can. It’s a reactionary measure, but saves the hassle if you need a can. Calculate your MPG as well and reset your trip odometer every fuel up so you know when you’ve got ~100 or so miles left. For long distance in the south west I wouldn’t let myself get under 75 miles before looking for a gas station.

Is all your equipment insured? I’ve had many different touring friends have their stuff stolen and the ones that didn’t have insurance were pretty fucked

A little extra effort but NightHawkInLight has a video on making phase change materials that “freeze” at 65 degrees and stay at that temp for hours. He soaks towels in the material and then seals them in vacuum bags. Pretty common and innocuous ingredients too.

Window shades

Whatever car you end up taking, get at least one spare key made. Locksmiths aren’t cheap.

modded nintendo 3DS and a handheld Paper Fan