Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

[MacGyver]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

Who else remembers the cool little doll house size display tents on top of the fixtures?

My wife always wanted one of those tiny tents for her dog.

I had the same idea and wasn't too surprised to find that the prices for the models that represent real tents were insanely high, some at the cost of a full-sized tent.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=display+tent

[James.]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I had the same idea and wasn't too surprised to find that the prices for the models that represent real tents were insanely high, some at the cost of a full-sized tent.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=display+tent

That is insane but also understandable since they arent mass produced like the full size ones.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kelty-Tent-S...780348549?hash

Barbie.
The All American Girl.....snicker.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I would love if someone invented a collapsible pot that could be used at different sizes. A lot.
I've pretty much found that 2-3 pots and/or skillets fit my needs for 2-6 people but when I go over 6 people the cookware increases drastically.

I'm not sure that I'd be comfy working over those tray tables you are using, Happy Joe, because of their presumed height. Still loving the missile box idea though:cool:.

[MacGyver]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I would love if someone invented a collapsible pot that could be used at different sizes.

http://www.nauticalscout.com/collapsible/ They can't be used at different sizes, but they are collapsible.

Sea to Summit makes collapsible pots for backpacking, but the bottoms don't extend over the sides like some of the ones on the Nautical Scout site. Great care has to be taken not to allow flames to go past the bottom or you ruin the pot.

Edited to add: Ignore the crazy prices and just go for it! :he:

[toedtoes]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

This is my camp kitchen. Propane stove (and oven), double sink with hot water, lots of storage for cooking gear and eating utensils, plus a pantry. It works great !

Reading these posts is a lot of why I decided to go with an RV. It just seemed like camping required more and more stuff and all that stuff needed a storage place, and all that stuff needed to be loaded and unloaded, setup and taken down, and so on. Now, I can just go.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

http://www.nauticalscout.com/collapsible/ They can't be used at different sizes, but they are collapsible.

Sea to Summit makes collapsible pots for backpacking, but the bottoms don't extend over the sides like some of the ones on the Nautical Scout site. Great care has to be taken not to allow flames to go past the bottom or you ruin the pot.

Edited to add: Ignore the crazy prices and just go for it! :he:

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........interesting in a space saving manner. If you knew what I pay monthly for additional storage space you might not think those prices look so crazy.

Obviously made for propane or white gas burners what means the grill or open fire cooking is out but this is not stopping me from going back to the link to read some more.

[James.]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5468[/ATTACH]This is my camp kitchen. Propane stove (and oven), double sink with hot water, lots of storage for cooking gear and eating utensils, plus a pantry. It works great !

Reading these posts is a lot of why I decided to go with an RV. It just seemed like camping required more and more stuff and all that stuff needed a storage place, and all that stuff needed to be loaded and unloaded, setup and taken down, and so on. Now, I can just go.

I used to have a truck that I basically used just for tailgating at the Cardinals games. I stored all my tailgating equipment in the bed which had a tonneau cover. I loved it. All I had to do was grab some food and ice, check the propane and go.

[toedtoes]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I used to have a truck that I basically used just for tailgating at the Cardinals games. I stored all my tailgating equipment in the bed which had a tonneau cover. I loved it. All I had to do was grab some food and ice, check the propane and go.

It really can't be beat! Every two trips, I fill up the fresh water tank and empty the dump tanks. Propane tank lasts about 2-3 years. With the fridge, I don't even need to worry about ice - just add the food and go. Only potential downside is fuel - but gasoline is cheap enough these days, it's not a hindrance to going out camping.

[MacGyver]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I'm kind of stuck when it comes to thinking about getting a another camper. I had a 19 footer a couple of years back and really enjoyed the couple of weekends I camped out in my driveway in it. But I soon realized that there are only one or two sites where we go camping that I could take it. A friend of mine has a 16 footer and even that limits us to a few sites. The campgrounds around here that are RV friendly are 1) crowded affairs, with sites right on top of each other and 2) considerably more expensive than what we're used to. 10 bucks a night vs $30 or so, plus all kinds of fees. I'd love to have the convenience of throwing some food in the fridge and hitting the road but, as it is, I'm satisfied with streamlining what all I take and making the setup easier and easier to put up.

My camp kitchen, if you want to call it that, consists of a cheap Walmart folding table and the stove, pots, pans and utensils that fit in one of my Pelican cases. If my friends didn't all have a lot of gear of their own, I might not be able to pack as small as I do, but they do, so I don't have to worry.

[toedtoes]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

Out here, I don't notice much limitation with the clipper. It's 20.5ft bumper to bumper. Our NF campgrounds don't really differentiate between RV camping and camping - we all use the same campsites. Most have at least an 18ft parking spur (so the clipper can fit by overhanging the back off the spur a foot or two or angling), but more often at least 25ft. There are "tent only" sites, but they tend to be walk-in campsites - the parking is right on the road and you have to "walk-in" your gear through the trees to the campsite.

Fee-wise, unless you shoot for one of the few tent-only campgrounds, the fees range between $18 and $25 per night. The tent-only campgrounds can run between $10 and $16, but they are all first come-first serve and very primitive (many don't have any water and pit toilets only), and usually only have 5 to 10 campsites. With a 3.5+ hour drive to get up there, and the limited camping season, I have never found them to be worth the savings - I have gotten up there only to find no empty sites and ended up driving through 3 or 4 campgrounds looking for a site. I'd rather spend a bit more for a reserveable site and not worry. I usually pay the dog fee ($2 per dog per night), but as long as they let my dogs hike the trails with me and play in the water, I don't mind - it's still cheaper than the state parks where the dogs have to stay on paved roads. The mid-size reserveable campgrounds that I prefer have water spigots, pit/vault/flush toilets, and between 20 and 50 campsites. They're primitive enough that the stuffed shirts stay away, not big enough to cater to the partyers, and giant motorhomes won't fit.

[Happy Joe]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I'm not sure that I'd be comfy working over those tray tables you are using, Happy Joe, because of their presumed height. Still loving the missile box idea though:cool:.

Yep!; they are on the low side however they beat a stump or rocks (when we were backpacking the height of luxury was a chair and a stump flat enough to put the stove on); the preferred cooking surface is now the Jeep tailgate (~31" off the ground). The pickup tailgate is a similar height to the tray tables (26-27"). I'm 6 feet tall and none these are bad to cook on.
If I were going to spend a lot of time standing and cooking I would probably bring the roll up table (roughly 29 inches high) and a tall stool to reduce bent over back strain.
Honestly, though the height (once you add about 3" for the Coleman stove height (or 6" for the Svea) is not that big a deal for cooking/prep (all are similar to a our kitchen table); the bigger issue with the tray tables is that they are a bit wobbly; again not terrible/can be solved by using the rollup table or a (traditional) tailgate .


If I were going to knead/roll a bunch of dough or expend heavy effort, I would probably get/make a higher more stable work surface; but considering the space available and the actual needs, its adequate, for us (though likely not everyone).


In comparison the campfire grill is normally less than a foot off the ground (got to bend over), and the Dutch oven (rarely used any more) is closer to 6"and the reflector oven (before it got accidentally crushed) was probably a foot or less... for these I cook sitting in a chair.


Enjoy!

[tplife]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

Coleman sells stove supports that collapse into a very small package and offer decent support, but not as good as the end of a picnic table, where our new Primus stove resides.

[JaredWilson]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

We never used any, but this year I think we'll try one as we'll go with kids for the first time.

[Happy Joe]

Re: Does anyone use a camp kitchen?

I believe the cooking surface stability and height issue may have found a solution;
...at some time in the past, I saw a post (on another forum) about using a non wheeled walker to support a cooking surface (light, strong, folds, adjustable and easy to transport).


Over this last week I was called upon to help clear a condo because a relative had to go into an old folks home. I ran across a (no longer used) old walker in the garage which will now be repurposed into a cooking surface (with the addition of some Lexan)... (Just what I need, another project...).
At its highest adjustment, the walker is just slightly higher than our kitchen counter (about 37") and is, if anything, more stable than even the Jeep tailgate, or a well abused picnic table...


When I get some time to customize I will post some pics...


Enjoy!