There are a few items I have found over the past two years that make living and traveling in an Airstream Basecamp just that much easier.  From additional lights to extra storage shelfs and a bit of decor, each of the below items makes life on the road much more enjoyable.  Whether you travel full-time or just on the weekends, you may find use from one or more of the items below.  And the best part? They are all under $25!

Comment below and let us know what you find most useful!

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1. Motion Sensor Lights for Cabinets

These were one of the first add-ons I put into the Basecamp, and one of the items I have started taking for granted until the batteries run out and I realize how useful that extra light is.  The cupboards in the kitchen are quite deep, and have no extra lighting.  This makes reaching that shirt or plate in the back of the cupboard an almost impossible task.

Enter these motion sensor lights.  They have magnetic strips that stick to the top of the cupboard via double sided tape.  Now anytime I open the cupboard and start putting my hand inside, voila! Light!

Charging is also quite easy.  Pop the lights off the magnetic strip and charge via the micro USB plug (included).  You can also charge these right in the Basecamp’s USB plugs that run off the batteries, so off-grid friendly!

You can Purchase on Amazon here.

2. Vanity Mirror Lights

The next “problem” I ran into was using the big mirror on the bathroom door.  It’s a great mirror for the size of the Basecamp, but it’s very dark as none of the ceiling lights are above it.  Thanks to how much I loved the above lights, I checked out the brand and purchased these longer versions.  They don’t have motion sensors but instead have small buttons on top to tap.  Now doing makeup or trying to get the Southwest desert sand out of my eye is much easier!

You can purchase on Amazon here.

3. Distressed Wood Peel & Stick Wall Covering

The Basecamp does not have too many flat walls that you can decorate.  I do have some photos taped to the metal walls, but with the curve it can be a challenge to decorate them.  But the flat wall on the back of the shower is a perfect spot to let your creative side shine!  I really love the look of distressed wood, and wanted to stick with the gray theme.  These peel and stick decals were the perfect solution to spruce up the interior.  And wow, do they completely change the feel!  Laying in bed feels much more cozy.  Some nights I’ll crank the heat, put a fake fireplace on the iPad and drink some hot cocoa. Talk about cozy!

Now putting these stickers on was not an easy feat.  Thankfully each “board” is its own sticker.  This allows you to create whichever pattern you would like, and also decide if you would like vertical or horizontal boards.  The tricky part is lining them up nice and straight, then using the included rubber piece to brush out all the air bubbles.  It probably took me two to three hours to install all of these, but it is well worth that effort!  Also, since I decided to go all the way up to the ceiling, it does require unscrewing the cargo net from the wall.  I only unscrewed the one side and slide the sticker under it.  It’s not the straightest, but with everything stored up there you can’t tell.

I used 1 full packet and a few stickers out of a second packet.  So depending on how much area you’d like to cover you may need to order two of these.  And they come in a variety of colors if you are looking for other options.

You can purchase on Amazon here.

4. Shut-off Shower Valve

I learned this amazing hack straight from our friends at Camp Addict.  RV shower heads have the option to “turn” off the water flow to help save water when boondocking.  But this switch is notorious for always dribbling!  And what a pain it is!  As you are standing there soaping up or washing your hair, that dribble is nice and warm. Then it starts getting cooler, cooler, COLD!  Then you waste a ton of water turning it back on and trying to get back up to temperature.

You can find all the nitty gritty details as to why the temperature changes here.

But more importantly, there is a solution!  Simply install a small shut-off valve at the base of the shower head and your life will forever change!  This seems a bit dramatic, but I have gone from shower a couple of times a week and supplementing with shower wipes, to nice hot showers every single day.  Seriously one of the best $10 I have ever spent on the Basecamp.

Find Camp Addict’s article here!

5. Black and Silver Decorative Hooks

These simple hooks are strong and look good!  They come with heavy duty 3M tape, so I have only used them in places where I know I won’t want to change their location in three months’ time (I tend to be quite indecisive and move things around a lot).

Therefore, two black hooks were placed by the fridge in the kitchen for towels, one of the silver ones by the fire extinguisher to hang the garbage bag, and two silver ones on my shelf to hang cords overnight (you can see in the image of the black shelf below).

All of these hooks have been in the Basecamp since I brought it home in July 2018, and are still holding strong today!

You can purchase the silver hooks and black hooks on Amazon.

6. Silver Command Hooks

Here comes my addiction.  Silver Command Hooks.  They come in two different sizes: Regular size which holds up to 3 pounds and a larger version which holds up to 5 pounds.

These are literally everywhere in my Basecamp.  There’s one in my kitchen to hang the planter, two on my shower door to hang towels, three near my door for dog leashes, jackets, etc. and one near the bed to hang my book holder.

The best part for indecisive people like myself, it’s very easy to pop them off the wall and move to a new location.  I have to order extra Command Strips to keep around for all the times I move these hooks.

You can purchase the 3 pound or 5 pound hooks on Amazon.

7. Bathroom Shampoo Shelf

One thing you can never have enough of is storage in a bathroom. Also, the storage that comes with the Basecamp is not conducive to driving and staying in place.  The shower caddy that is attached to the wall is not strong enough to support the weight of shampoo bottles, and the stand directly underneath the faucet does not have enough of a lip to keep things from flying off as you drive down the road.

This Command Shower Caddy was the perfect solution.  It has water resistant tape that you can use to stick to the shower walls and it easily slides into place.  It’s also strong enough to support all my shampoo and conditioner bottles as well as Jasper’s shampoo.  I keep everything in here while I travel and drive over bumpy dirt roads to boondocking spots, and no issues!  It’s been holding strong for over a year now.

You can purchase on Amazon here.

8. Command Hanging Basket Storage

Since I use the two cupboards to the right of the fridge for clothing storage, that leaves me just one cupboard for everything kitchen.  It’s a huge cupboard, but left as-is, there is a lot of wasted space.  Nothing Command accessories can’t fix!

This hanging basket fits perfectly between the upper shelf and the door latch.  It is held on by four Command strips, and is quite sturdy.  They advertise that it can hold up to 7.5 pounds.  I don’t have that much weight in there, but do store a full thing of olive oil, vinegar and vanilla, which stay in the shelf even when driving.  Up and down dirt roads to boondocking spots, and the shelf is still in tact over a year later.

You can purchase on Amazon here.

9. Bedside Shelf

When it comes to the “bedroom” area in the Airstream Basecamp, the only storage that is available outside of the bench is the two hanging cargo nets and the storage on the rear door.  This made finding a place to store my glasses, water bottle and watch at night quite difficult.  I don’t know how many times I rolled over onto this items before I began searching for a solution.

With just a few Command strips (notice a pattern yet?), this shelf easily sticks onto the aluminum walls of the Basecamp.  The picture shows the shelf in the opposite direction I have it.  But I purposely installed it this way so I could add a few of those decorative silver hooks (mentioned above) to hang my cords from.  This makes such a great bedside area to store all of my little items.  And now that I’ve moved my bed arrangement around in the Basecamp, I can easily just take the shelf off, get a few more Command strips, and reposition!

You can purchase on Amazon here.

10. Shower Curtain & Tension Rod

The earlier model Basecamps did not come with a shower curtain installed.  For the 2020 and newer model years, this started becoming a standard item.  Which is good, because the shower door is notorious for warping slightly, making it not at all waterproof.

Thankfully, this was mentioned in several Basecamp forums, so I installed the shower curtain and rod back when I first moved in.  The curtain rod is a tension one, so no drilling is required.  The 28-41″ version fits perfectly inside the bathroom and is very easy to adjust.  It also comes with shower curtain holders, which are white and work well.

The shower curtain is also smaller than a standard curtain, at only 36 inches wide.  It’s made of a very water resistant fabric, so no liner is required.  It’s also very easy to take down and wash.

Since this curtain has always been there, I never really knew if it was needed or not.  Then a few months ago a friend came and traveled with me for a week.  I forgot to mention that the curtain needs to be in place, so they simply closed the door and proceeded to take a shower.  That’s when I saw the water dribbling out the bottom of the door.  Definitely not waterproof without that shower curtain!

You can purchase the shower curtain and tension rod on Amazon.