DRINK HOLDERS

Amarine 10-Pack, Aluminum Drop-in Cup Holder -- $49.99

           As a VanLifer, you gotta have secure places for your beverages.  Sitting a tall cup of cold anything on the counter is courting a spillage disaster.  Even when the van is stationary, your space is so limited that any turn of the body could cause an errant elbow strike and -- splish-splash -- there goes your Arnold Palmer, causing both dismay at the unquenched thirst and chagrin over the imminent clean-up.

            Easy fix:  recessed beverage holders!  Get out that hole saw that you love so much and cut yerself some 3.25” circles.  And go nuts with it.  Almost as bad as a spill is having to get up from a comfy sit because you can’t reach your damn bev.  I have six of them in the Driver’s Desk alone, plus five at the Office desk, three by the foot of the bed, and three more by the head of the bed.  That’s a total of 17 if you are scoring at home (and even if you’re not).  And the only reason I have 17 is because I could not think of a place to put an 18^th one. 

            Not only am I never ever out of arm’s reach of my bev, the holders do have myriad other uses.  For VanLife, you need to secure as much of your stuff as you can.  If it doesn’t have a snug place to sit, it’s gonna go flying – maybe not on your initial motion, but certainly on that first left turn.

            My non-bev bev holders hold wallet, sunglasses, money, snacks, cords, rubber bands and twist ties, batteries, flashlights, eyeglasses, keys, locks, small tools, pens, index cards, business cards, you name it and it will have a name.  I even put small Bluetooth speakers in the two above my desk and the sound is astoundingly better.  And, most importantly, none of those things go airborne – except in really extreme (and surprise) instances. 

          These are definitely a must.  (That seems redundant, but ya know what I mean.)