Most links here are affiliate or referral links — if you sign up or buy through them we may earn a small commission or credit at no extra cost to you. A few (like our own van electrician) are simply people we use and recommend, with no kickback at all. Either way, we only list what we genuinely trust — and the core map and data stay free, always.
Build & power
Power & solarEcoFlow
Portable power stations and folding solar — the battery bank that runs your fridge, laptop and lights off the grid.
Power is the make-or-break of van life. EcoFlow builds portable power stations and solar panels that keep a fridge, laptop, lights and devices running without a generator or a permanent install — good for anyone not ready to wire a full house-battery system but who still needs reliable off-grid power. This is our referral link.
Gear we runOur Amazon.ca kit list
The actual power, water, kitchen and connectivity gear we run — not a generic "best of" roundup.
This is our real Amazon.ca kit list. If you are outfitting a rig, it is a shortcut to parts that have earned their place in ours. It is an Amazon storefront, so prices and availability are whatever Amazon shows on the day — we do not control those.
Van electrical (our installer)Tri-Span Upfitters
The vehicle electrician who wired our own rig — DC-to-DC charging, solar and house batteries, done right.
Tri-Span Upfitters did all the electrical on our own van: the DC-to-DC charging, the solar, and the house battery bank. Clean, reliable work we trust with our own setup — we recommend them without reservation. This is a genuine recommendation, not a paid link; reach out through their Instagram.
Van builds & mailVanpackers
Canadian camper-van conversions and builds — and, handy for full-time nomads, they hold package deliveries for you.
If you are converting a van or want a professional build, Vanpackers does Canadian conversions. What earns them a spot here is the package-holding service: one of the hardest parts of full-time road life is a reliable address for parcels, and a builder who also receives your deliveries quietly solves two problems at once. We use the nxtlvl link.
Connectivity
Internet anywhereStarlink
Satellite internet that works where cell signal does not — the real enabler of working and streaming off the grid.
Cell coverage runs out long before the good camping does. Starlink puts a real connection almost anywhere with a clear view of the sky, which is what makes remote work, video calls and streaming possible deep off-grid. This is our referral link — signing up through it may include a perk for you and a credit for us.
Private wifiIPVanish VPN
Campground and café wifi is open and untrusted. A VPN keeps your traffic private on networks you do not control.
When you work from the road, you are constantly on networks you do not own. A VPN keeps your banking, work logins and traffic private on open wifi, and lets you work as if you were home. We use IPVanish for exactly this.
Budget mobile & internetFizz
Low-cost Canadian mobile data and home internet — flexible, no-contract plans that suit life on the move.
Fizz is a budget Canadian carrier (Quebec & Ontario) with flexible, no-contract mobile data and home internet — handy when you want cheap data without a lock-in. Sign up at fizz.ca and enter referral code MYK6V at the Order Summary step; once you have paid your second bill, both of us get a credit (the Fizz referral bonus is typically $25–$100, depending on the current promo).
Off-grid nightsBuzzTV
Streaming and entertainment hardware for the quiet hours after the trail.
For off-grid nights, BuzzTV is streaming/entertainment hardware that does not need a complicated setup — good for downtime when the day is done and you just want to relax in the van.
Money & services
Cheap rescued foodToo Good To Go
Surprise bags of surplus food from bakeries, cafés and grocers near closing — a fraction of the price, and good food kept out of the bin.
Rolling through a town near the end of the day? Too Good To Go lets you grab a “surprise bag” of unsold food from local bakeries, cafés, restaurants and grocers for roughly a third of the normal price — cheap meals on the road, and good food saved from going to waste instead of the dumpster. A genuinely useful one for budget-conscious nomads passing through. This is our referral link.
Money on the roadWealthsimple
Investing and a no-fee spending account that work from anywhere — banking without a branch.
Life on the road still needs a place for your money. Wealthsimple is a Canadian investing and banking app — commission-free investing plus a no-fee spending/cash account you can run entirely from your phone, no branch required. Signing up through this invite usually comes with a cash bonus for both of us.
Markets & chartingTradingView
Charts, watchlists and market data — keep an eye on your investments from anywhere.
If you trade or track markets, TradingView is the charting and watchlist platform a lot of people use — it runs in a browser or app, so it travels with you. Signing up through this link can come with a credit for both of us.
Want the full picture of how we stay honest and keep this free? Read how the data & the project work.