Less is better. I'm currently drowning in stuff because I took a break and lived traditionally. Some days I think about pulling up to the dump and throwing 90 percent away.
When you start out day one, I'd say window coverings are most important. Normal time for me to pull in and make van completely private is at most 3 minutes.
Once I replace my light colored front window curtains, it'll be about one minute.
My old way, a good Dickies brand heavy reflectix windshield cover, a blanket on bungee held with clothespins on each front window, pull side shades and rear shades and I was done.
The trucker curtain on a rail is a game changer. You'll pull one from each side over front windows and they meet in center.
A stove, a buddy heater, an adapter hose, and a propane tank are the majority of what I use. A small potty jug that I enjoy into portable potty or vault toilets pretty much completes all the basics for comfort.
I found a cooler and dealing with ice to not be worth the expense or effort. Instead I find the little 6 pack cooler full of ice more than did what I needed on hot desert summer days.
A generator was generally not worth the noise, weight, or effort to me.
A rv battery wired to my starter battery changed my comfort level a lot. But for 4 years I charged battery while parked using a set of jumper cables. A simple clip on female dc power socket was $7. When I added a 100 watt inverter I rarely used it.
I never did get around to installing a roof vent fan. Conversion vans have screened side windows. I added a usb o2cool fan abs bought a 12v oscillating fan. This worked in southern New Mexico hot summer days.
Hitch shelf racks add a lot of weight on rear and make rear doors a pain to get into. They also tend to bump on ground on high grade drives, or pulling out of gas stations.
A good rechargeable light is another game changer. And I wouldn't be without my solar/ crank/ battery am/FM/ weather radio
You need less than you think and you'll enjoy not having so much gear to take care of daily.
Good coffee to you,
Lou
