Have a loved one who lives in a van and have no idea what to get them for the Holiday season? LOOK NO FURTHER! 

I've gathered my favorite vanlife gadgets that are under $50 that anyone living in a small space with limited resources would love to receive! 

 
 
 
 
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Climbing as Medicine
Climbing as Medicine

I’m lying on my back, staring up at the light filtering its way to me through the leaves of an oak tree. Dust motes, illuminated by the afternoon sun, float like dancers through the air.

It’s hot today. The sun has been baking The Valley floor all day, but my spot under this tree, lying on a crash pad is peaceful and cool.

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The difference between a cliff and a wall 
The difference between a cliff and a wall 

Standing at its base, your language betrays you. We don’t have words for the size, for the complexity of what you’re seeing. Is it a mountain? No. A mountain protrudes up out of the ground, it has a peak and a summit, El Cap has neither.

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Starving
Starving

I turn the key in the ignition and begin to drive home with a load of groceries sitting in the passenger's seat. A rumpled brown paper co-pilot who can only feed me.

I am the baby monkey in the lab. I am the fake cloth mother she holds. I am the plate of untouched food.

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What's My Line - Dancing in the Moonlight
What's My Line - Dancing in the Moonlight

I wind up and punch it, trying to gain enough momentum to propel me the 20 or so feet I need to get to the next hold. It takes me three tries, but finally, at the apex of my swing, I press off against the wall and leap sideways into the air. All of this is made more hilarious by the fact that I am wearing a pink dinosaur onesie. I woke up that morning and chose style instead of practicality.

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Desert Meditation
Desert Meditation

I hear the sounds of people moving around in the morning. Car doors opening and closing quietly. The click click pop and then whisper of gas stoves coming on. The quiet rumble of someone hand grinding coffee. I hear accented English good mornings. The upward bracing lilt of an Australian greeting collides with the mellow downward tone of a cheery Canadian ‘Hello!’. The long ‘o’s and drawn out ‘a’s make a tune out of the ritual.

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Breakfasts With Eric
Breakfasts With Eric

Breakfasts with Eric started during a heat wave in Squamish, BC one summer. We’d parked our vans sliding door to sliding door in a dusty yellow parking lot at the base of the Chief. I slid open my door and felt the summer heat roll into me. I sat on the floor of my van with a cup of coffee, grinning a good morning to Eric as he rolled out of bed and did the same in his van.

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$75,000
$75,000

And I know the odds. I know that if I manage to write a book and only 4 people buy it I should consider that a wild success. I know that there are hundreds if not thousands of other writers with the same dream who have more time and more connections than I do to make this happen. I know I’m just one speck in the sea of people clamoring to write that next great book.

And I know that if I don’t write a book, if I don’t at least try, I will have died early. I’d just be walking around in my Lucky Brand jeans, driving a nice practical Subaru, with an empty smile and an empty heart. All for $75,000.

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Rafting The Grand Canyon: Crystal & The Gems
Rafting The Grand Canyon: Crystal & The Gems

There are a lot of lessons on the river. Lessons about control, going with the flow, being ready for whatever happens. I have never been good at letting go of control. But right here in this moment, I couldn’t control what was going to happen next. As I felt the water begin to pull the raft forward I couldn’t control where Cole was going to push the boat, I couldn’t control the rapids, I could only sit tight and hold on.

As we crested the horizon line, the eternity of that split-second dragged out. I felt myself let go of my need to control, my anxiety broke, and in we went.

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We're all out here, bleeding.
We're all out here, bleeding.

The desert is made for heartbreak.

In the desert words fall empty and flat against the hard packed dirt. The silence of the open sky holds you while you grieve in peace. In the desert, everything is empty. The rivers are dry, the grass is dead, the skies are bare.

And it feels good to know there is a place in the world as empty as you.

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Boulder Denim Review
Boulder Denim Review

While climbing, the Boulder Denim doesn’t ride up, the tight ankle keeps the jean material out of your way, and the high waist means I can move freely without having to hike my pants up every few seconds. The deep pockets are honestly the best part. Women’s jeans are notorious for having small useless pockets, but the Boulder Denim jeans prove that you can have a cute pair of jeans and deep pockets.

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