When I built out my van, I wanted the kitchen to stay simple and functional — enough to handle longer trips and off-grid stays, but not overbuilt or complicated. I mostly travel light, eat simple, and spend a lot of time in the desert or mountains, so this setup works well for my style of van life.

Here’s what I’m currently running for my kitchen and water system — it’s evolved over time, and I’ll probably keep tweaking it, but so far it’s been solid.

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Kitchen Cabinets + Layout

My kitchen is built around two basic Hampton Bay 36” assembled kitchen base cabinets (Home Depot):

• One cabinet is on the passenger side wall, set up for my sink and water system
• The other mirrors it on the driver side, and houses my EcoFlow Delta 2 Max, fuse block, and extra storage

Both cabinets have simple 1/2” plywood countertops — easy to install and durable for day-to-day use.

Fridge / Freezer

One of the best upgrades I made:

→ ICECO VL60 Dual Zone Metal Fridge Freezer (Amazon)

This lives between my driver side kitchen cabinet and the driver’s seat — easy to access, and keeps plenty of food cold for longer trips. I usually run it as fridge + freezer, but it’s flexible depending on the trip.

Sink + Water System

Sink & Faucet

• Elkay Dayton 15” Drop-in Sink — set into the plywood countertop (Home Depot)
• WEWE Black Kitchen Faucet with Pull-Down Sprayer (Amazon)

Water Supply

• 7 gallon Reliance Aqua-Tainer (Amazon) → plumbed to:→ SEAFLO Water Pump (Amazon) → faucet (cold side)

I use a second 7 gallon Aqua-Tainer as a grey water catch tank, connected via Camco Flexible RV Drain Hose(Amazon).

When refilling, I always bring a third Aqua-Tainer filled with extra fresh drinking water — it’s come in handy on more than a few long desert trips.

Power

• The water pump is wired to my fuse block (Amazon) and powered through the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max.
• The pump auto-activates when the faucet is turned on, but I have an inline kill switch (Amazon) so I can shut it off for safety when needed.

Cooking + Coffee

I mostly eat cold meals when traveling — it keeps life simple and power use low. But I do keep a:

• Coleman Matchlight 2-Burner Propane Stove — for the occasional cooked meal when I’m camped out longer.

For coffee — a daily ritual:

• LOUTYTUO Foldable Electric Kettle (Amazon) + AeroPress (Amazon)

The kettle plugs into a dedicated AC outlet (Amazon) I installed above the sink — it draws about 700 watts, but heats water in 3–5 minutes, which is perfect for 2 cups of AeroPress coffee.

Things I’d Do Differently / Future Upgrades

There are a couple small upgrades I’m considering:

• Adding a 1 or 2 burner drop-in induction cooktop — I haven’t done this yet because I’m still thinking through the power draw.
• If I do add one, I may also install an EcoFlow Alternator Charger — to help recharge the Delta 2 Max more quickly after cooking heavier meals.

Final Thoughts

This minimalist kitchen setup works great for my style of van life — simple, reliable, and easy to maintain. It handles everything I need for cooking, coffee, and staying off-grid.

You can check out all the exact gear I use here: My Gear Page.