Counter Space!! Where is it?? 15 1/4"??

[BobsYourUncle]

Is it just me? Or are there others that have next to sweet nothing for counter real estate?

My TT is 27 feet long. You'd think they could give me a little more than just room to butter a slice of bread!

I have next to .... struggling for a polite term here....
Next to nothing for counter space.

From my stove to my sink is 15 1/4 inches. Thats it!

I mean sure I can use the fold down thing on my stove top, but not when I'm cooking. Or my table top, but I don't want to use that for food preparation either. My laptop sits there and the current paperwork, leaving room for a dinner plate and a cold one!

And I don't have one of those counter top things that fits in the sink hole either

Yup! 15 1/4" of countertop space, thats it!

Is it just me? Or do you guys have 4/5ths of nothing there too?

Oh, and there is a 2 inch strip to the left of my stove. What do I do with that besides wipe it when I wash dishes?

[FlatBroke]

We had a 40' with acres of counter space. Now we have little counter space but a huge living area that is used much more. Asked wife if she wanted a portable island. Nope wouldn't trade the living space for it. She has made do with no complaint. No offense but lot of pics I see of folks counter space it's covered with krap.

[cdlaine]

Bob...

Our solution ... Google Target "T.V. Tray" ...sold in 4 packs.
Able to instantly expand your countertops to any needed dimension. And, serve
double duty for dinner while watching Hockey ! Fold and store under our sofa. $60 +/-.
Easy, I'm lazy.

Charles

[WeBeFulltimers]

We love our rear kitchen.....plenty of counter space!

[rondeb]

Double post

[rondeb]

Heavy duty hinges

When we had our Travel trailer there wasn't much counter space and we used 2 of these and ordered a 2.5 foot cutting board to use as a counter extension. Installed it at the end of the counter and when up I had tons of room. These hinges provided enough support that you could sit on that counter if you wanted. I didn't like the flimsy ones that come in the RV's. I wanted something really solid that I could have a really big extension.

[mountainsam]

We have a sink cover which doubles as a cutting board. We seldom use it. But a large cutting board would make a great sink cover for food prep if you didn't have one.

[westend]

There's a lot of ways to add flat space, as mentioned, with sink covers,folding shelves, etc. If you don't have low hanging cabinets above the countertop, you can add another shelf above the counter top and essentially double the flat space. Those rolling carts seem to be a good deal, too.

I don't know how the rest of everyone camps but, for me, every square inch of countertop is filled within a day. Things just seem to get thrown on there and, since we leave the maid and butler at home, things don't get picked up or moved as often. I'm still pretty green with my rig so am still working out storage and improvements. One of my next projects will be adding a shelf over the kitchen sink. It will be up high to keep the window clear and also have some light fixtures on the bottom.

[janegowest]

AuntSmurf wrote:
We just went from a TT with virtually no counter space to a RK 5'er. A Rear Kitchen was on my "must have" list, and I refused to even look at anything else. Not even ones with an island. Love, love, love my rear kitchen! Will never have anything else!

Which make and model do you have?

[janegowest]

cocos cabana wrote:
Our 30ft Wilderness Advantage was sadly lacking counter space, so we found a cabinet that fitted at the end of the existing L-shaped counter. DH put wheels on it to bring it up 2" to match the counter height. When we park it rolls into its spot, when traveling it is bungeed to the table legs.

We are so happy with it...extra counter and lots of extra cupboard storage!!!

Can you share a photo of it?

[rhagfo]

AuntSmurf wrote:
Don't let the possible bouncing steer you away from a rear kitchen. It's really not as bad as you may think, and with a little planning is not a problem at all. I take a few minutes and wrap glassware in washcloths and stuff extra towels in the cupboards to minimize the bouncing. I have "real glass" glasses and Corelle. We full-time, and the few extra minutes it takes to pack the kitchen is WELL WORTH the extra space! (Small pillows, extra sweatshirts, etc. also work great for packing.)

We have only had one issue with our rear kitchen. Hit a fresh road buckle from flooding that was not well marked, more like a speed bump than rough road, hit at 45 TV with Bilstien's did fine, 5er without shocks, looked like it left the road.
We now have shocks on the 5er, an not an issue since, 5er is much better behaved on bad roads now.

[BobsYourUncle]

AuntSmurf wrote:
Don't let the possible bouncing steer you away from a rear kitchen. It's really not as bad as you may think, and with a little planning is not a problem at all. I take a few minutes and wrap glassware in washcloths and stuff extra towels in the cupboards to minimize the bouncing. I have "real glass" glasses and Corelle. We full-time, and the few extra minutes it takes to pack the kitchen is WELL WORTH the extra space! (Small pillows, extra sweatshirts, etc. also work great for packing.)

Well, perhaps I should revisit my thought process! 🙂

[AuntSmurf]

Don't let the possible bouncing steer you away from a rear kitchen. It's really not as bad as you may think, and with a little planning is not a problem at all. I take a few minutes and wrap glassware in washcloths and stuff extra towels in the cupboards to minimize the bouncing. I have "real glass" glasses and Corelle. We full-time, and the few extra minutes it takes to pack the kitchen is WELL WORTH the extra space! (Small pillows, extra sweatshirts, etc. also work great for packing.)

[campigloo]

One of ours had the same problem. We used fold up TV trays. They were light weight, easy to set up and folded for easy stowing when not in use. Not the best solution, but it definitely helped.

[sowego]

I know it's tough but with a few organizational skills it is doable. You can make a cover for your sink or do as another poster suggested...use a large cutting board. I leave part or all of the sink open in case I should need water during prep. If your stovetop doesn't have a cover find one for that too. The trick is to get all food prep done 1st, then open up the stove and cook. I also clean-up I go so all dishes don't build-up. Try setting up a folding table in the kitchen while cooking for needed space, one that can be folded up afterwards so its not in the way.

[roy67ss]

Most rear kitchens with a slide have a fridge that is not usable with the slide in. That is a no-sale issue for us. We often like to stop for a sandwich and drink on the road and sometimes do overnights where slides should stay in.