Car camping vs Van life – Full comparison

Are you standing at a crossroads contemplating between car camping and van life? I get you. The two styles of camping are very similar, making it a really tough choice.

I’m currently an avid car camper who’s starting to convert more and more into van life. So I wrote this article for myself. I wanted to structure the benefits and differences between car camping and van life. This way, I will know which one would suit me best before committing.

Let us explore this topic!

The 4 obvious differences:

1. Camping setup

Even though you need to solve the same kind of problems between the two, there’s a big difference in how to do it. Considering how much bigger a van is compared to a car, van life gives you way more solutions:

Sleeping space

A car camping setup is tricky, especially when it comes to the bed. Often, you have to use an elevated bed for insulation and storage space. But that also results in almost no headroom when sleeping. It’s also cramped and can feel a bit claustrophobic.

Compare that to van life, where you have space, depending on setup, to fold away your mattress. You usually also use an elevated bed, but with way more headspace and bigger storage compartments underneath. People fit bikes, electrical setups, and outdoor gear under the bed in vans. Something that’s not possible living out of a car.

Storage

Cars are also the obvious losers when it comes to storage. You have to be creative and smart to fit all your needs in the cramped space of your trunk. Beyond storing stuff under an elevated bed, use the passenger seat, some nets in the roof, or your folded seats for more storage space.

You can also install a roof box to store gear that’s not temperature-dependent.

Vans has loads of storage capabilities. As mentioned before, the bed has loads of space underneath it. You can also build cabinets and install them along the walls of your van. You can also build a shelf on top of your driver’s seat for additional space.

Kitchen

A car camping kitchen needs to be easy, convenient, and small. We recommend that you always cook outside your car to avoid any fire hazards. There are variants of more luxurious kitchens in car campers. You can either bring a table and set up a nice outdoor kitchen on it, or you can have a drawer underneath your bed with the kitchen pre-installed.

A van-lifer’s kitchen can be fully fletched to the maximum. It’s easier to install a sink, running water, and a proper stove. You can have space for cutting board or storage whilst cooking, with a drawer filled with spices and a fridge for your food. Sure, you can have cooler when car camping as well, but it’s not as luxurious as a full fridge.

Toilet and hygiene

Car camping has fewer options for installing toilets. You can have a decomposable toilet or just use the ones you find along the road: In gas stations, rest stops, or restaurants.

You can fit a whole toilet plus shower in a van. There are options for showers when car camping as well, but they’re not as convenient as van life’s showers.

2. Flexibility

Here’s where the tide turns! Car camping, in my opinion, is way more flexible. Hear me out:

A car camper can fit up the smallest of roads, reaching the best camping spots with excellent views. Whereas a van can not. Cars are also quicker, they can travel faster and further than vans, whose bulkier build slows them down.

The simple setup options for car camping also provide the option to swap between camping and normal life quite easily. You don’t have to commit that hard to the conversion of your car compared to van life.

It’s easier to do spontaneous trips or weekend getaways with your car camper.

3. Stealth

Stealth is something we campers long for, especially out on the roads. The fact that you’re carrying around most of your valuable belongings in the setup means that safety is a priority. Stealth is a way to be safe.

Cars blend in way more on parking lots, making them less prone to burglars. Vans, however, stand out like sore thumbs, especially if you don’t go for a stealthy van build.

4. Comfort – the biggest factor

The biggest factor when it comes to car camping vs van life is the comfort. And I feel like most of the things we’ve compared above play into this factor.

A bigger build, like a van, gives you more sleeping space, storage, and a larger, more comfortable kitchen. However, the build requires commitment and isn’t as flexible as a car.

Car camping is also way more stealthy, making it blend in more and feel safer, which also makes you more comfortable.

It all really comes down to what kind of person you are and what type of adventure you want.

What type of adventure do you want?

Everything comes down to your preferences (and a little bit to your budget).

If you’re looking for smaller adventures and weekend trips with loads of flexibility, then car camping might be your way to go. It can be harder to solve the basic needs, and you have to live in a cramped space. But that shouldn’t be a hard challenge for a true adventurer who’s not looking for permanent living in their vehicle.

Vans are for the person who’s looking for a robust, long-term solution with loads of space and storage. It’s a bigger setup with more commitment requiring more time, but once it’s done, you’re set for a long time.

Budget and price differences

A car camping setup can be way, way cheaper than a van setup. Depending on your goals, you might only need a car plus a mattress. When it comes to van life, it’s not that easy. As mentioned before, van life requires commitment, and in this case, commitment means money.

Fuel usage will also be less when car camping. A fully built van is going to be heavy and use way more, costing more.

There’s also less reliability in a van. They’re larger and use more parts, which means more stuff can break. If you’re interested, checkout this article on which van is the most reliable.

Your budget-friendly option is always going to be car camping.

Which one is better? Car camping vs van life

So, which one is better? As mentioned before, it depends. I myself have started out with car camping, mostly because of the high costs of a fully fletched van, and the case that you have to spend alot of time on it.

But my end goal has always been getting into van life. And that’s a big reason as to why I’m writing this article: To get a grasp on the benefits between the two styles.

If you’ve read the full article, you might already have an answer to which one is best for you. But if not, do as I did: start out with car camping, and if you like it, try and look into van life or other more expanded ways of camping.