Vanlife Storage Solutions: VanEssential’s Rear Door Bags Reviewed

Jack Roadie
4 days ago
2 min read

Jack Roadie, Chief of Stuff You Actually Need.

Why Rear Door Storage Matters in Vanlife Builds

There’s a dirty little secret in van building: no matter how clever your layout is, there’s always a few inches of real estate going to waste. One of the worst offenders? The rear door panels.

For years, the guys in the shop (and plenty of clients) tried everything—nets, hooks, bungee hacks, even those stretchy hammock things from Amazon. They all worked… sort of. But none of it felt right. None of it felt built.

Then VanEssential dropped this gem: rear door storage bags. Safe to say, they outperformed every hack we’ve tried before.

Man in the back of a ford transit campervan putting his stuff away in his van esential rear door storage bags

Vanlife Storage Solutions That Actually Work

Here’s the deal: the Van Essential rear storage bags mount directly to your rear doors.

They sit flush. They don’t swing. And somehow, they swallow a ridiculous amount of gear.

Point is—you’ll actually use them. And you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.

Woman standing beside rear doors of a Ford Transit campervan, showcasing VanEssential rear door storage bags for vanlife organization

Key Features of VanEssential’s Rear Door Storage Bags

Straight from VanEssential’s site, here’s what you’re looking at:

Built specifically for Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit Ram ProMaster vans
Zippered mesh compartments for organized access
Easy mounting to rear door frame — no modifications needed
Black 1000D Cordura® for durability and low-profile design
Still allows window shades or bug screens to be used without interference Translation? These things are tough, sleek, and play well with the rest of your setup.

The Drift Verdict

Drifter Vans started adding these to all our new builds—especially since it’s a rare upgrade that doesn’t affect your layout, weight, or design plan. Just pure, functional gain.

We’ve installed a lot of creative storage hacks, but VanEssential’s rear bags are one of the few vanlife storage solutions we now consider essential.

They look clean. And unlike your “shove it in the garage drawer” plan, you’ll actually be able to find stuff when you need it.

Heads up: So far, we’ve only used them on Transit and Sprinter vans, but if you’re in that club—you’re good to go.