7 Awesome Upgrades for Your VW Camper Van in 2021
If you own and drive a VW camper van, you want it to be the very best it can be for all your adventures.
VW camper vans are super cool on their own; after all, that's why you bought one to begin with. However, there are many things that owners and enthusiasts can do or add to upgrade their vehicle and make it even better for travel and camping.
If you're looking for great VW camper van accessories and VW camper van modifications that can make your van the most amazing van ever, you came to the right place. In this post, we'll tell you all about easy VW camper van upgrades that you can start right away. You can even have some of them ready to go for your next road trip.
1. Add or Upgrade Your Fridge
Even the very best coolers on the market go through ice at a rate that can get annoying fast when traveling. If your VW camper van does not have a refrigerator, you're long overdue to install one. There are many options out there made for campers and camper vans that don't draw a lot of power. They'll keep your food and beverages cold longer and you won't have to worry about your groceries spoiling.
Even if your van does have a refrigerator, it might be wise to upgrade. Travel refrigeration has come a long way in the past decade or two and you'll find the new ones to be much more efficient than the older models.
2. Improve Your Heating System
No one likes spending all night shivering in their van during the colder months or at higher elevations. Even if you have a great sleeping bag and lots and lots of blankets, it's nice to crawl out of bed in the morning into a warm environment rather than a cold one. There are a number of great options out there for small, effective heaters that you can easily install or have installed in your VW camper van.
3. Install Interior Lighting
We've all spent time digging around in the van after sunset looking for something with a flashlight in our teeth or a headlamp on our forehead. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to simply switch on the lights? If your camper van doesn't have interior lighting, what are you waiting for? This is a simple upgrade that you can likely do yourself, and there are options for every taste. String lights, track lighting, or even stick-on dome touch lights are very easy to install and will change your entire camping experience for the better.
4. Put on an Awning
Hanging out in the van is great and all, but if you bought a camper van, chances are that you want to spend time in the great outdoors. Adding an awning to your vehicle will give you the opportunity to hang out next to your van, rather than in it, regardless of the weather. An awning will provide shade when it's sunny and hot, and shelter when it's rainy. You can also hang lights from it to give your space a more homey feel.
There are dozens of options when it comes to camper van awnings, and they come at a variety of different price points. There's something for every budget and skill level, though; you can install it yourself or take it somewhere and have it installed for you.
5. Invest in Solar
Most people who buy camper vans do so because they love going where they want to go and like camping off the grid. However, when you're not near hook-ups, power can soon become a problem. Your battery is only going to last so long, and generators can be noisy and cumbersome.
Solar power is the solution. You'll be amazed how much power the sun can offer when you have a solar panel set up to collect it. You'll be able to charge your phone, run your lights, and listen to music, and these three things can make a big difference when it comes to your overall camping experience. Solar panels are well worth their cost and are an easy upgrade that you can enjoy immediately.
6. Increase Your Water Capacity
It's always nice to have more water than you need, and the holding tanks on most VW camper vans don't hold nearly enough. In order to make sure your water needs are met in even the driest regions, you can add additional water storage to your vehicle. In many cases, you'll be able to fit some more tanks underneath the van, but you can also add them on the rear exterior, or under your bed or dinette seating.
Extra water storage can be a game-changer. Not only will you have enough to drink and for washing dishes, but you may even be able to take the occasional shower as well.
7. Passenger Seat Swivel
If you have a passenger seat that is fixed in a forward-facing position, you might consider changing it to a swivel seat. This will give you more seating inside the van when you are parked and will offer a comfortable seat for relaxing or even working if you work while on the road. This is a simple upgrade that you can likely do on your own after purchasing the parts and watching a few DIY videos.
Happy Camping in Your VW Camper Van
As you can see, there are so many different things that you can do to upgrade your VW camper van and make it even more awesome than it was before. Most of these upgrades are simple things that you can do yourself or that you can do with a little bit of help. However, if you can't or don't want to do it on your own, there are many places that will happily add these modifications for you, too.
No matter what you choose to do to upgrade your camper, keep traveling and keep dreaming. VW camper vans are made for exactly that. Have fun out there!
If you want to read more great posts about upgrading your vehicle, check out the rest of our blog for more.
