Outside kitchen.

[4hapyMcDs]

Traded in our 2011 32 ft 5th wheel for a couples trailer, 2016 Premier 22rb with outside kitchen. Enjoying this new found freedom with no restrictions. I have not used the outside kitchen as of yet, has bar fridge, sink, 2 burner stove. My question is what do most people use the kitchens for? Full cooking or just snack bar? I already put a toaster oven in it with paper plates and cups. I don’t want to buy unnecessary items, I want to start slowly getting it ready for spring. What is the most popular items to furnish the outside kitchen? Looking for ideas. Thank you in advance.

[CincyGus]

I have a Camp Chef 3 burner stove and a weber 220 grill that I setup on a folding 6' table butted up against the end of the picnic table. We put a 10' popup canopy covering half the picnic table and about half the folding table so if there is rain or high temps, I have a place to stay dry or in the shade. We use the inside only if weather makes it impossible to cook outside like high winds, blowing heavy rain. If we can wait it out and eat a little late, we do that rather than cook inside. I think in 6 years of owning my previous camper, we cooked inside maybe 2 meals. usually it's microwave stuff only and the stove has a cutting board on top of it for use as a prep area.

I really prefer outside cooking. Thats why we go camping is to be outside. Plus it keeps the camper smelling better and cleaner. I'm not sure I would like the stove in an outdoor kitchen built-in to a camper. I prefer a beefier, higher BTU stove so I have plenty of adjustment from 200-500 degrees. As for the storage, I keep my cooking supplies (tongs, spatula's, serving spoons, fork, serving platter) in a tub and other than spices, oil, plates and silverware, I don't need anything from inside other than the food. My wife has a nice little basket that she puts those things in and passes it out and then the food. Once I start, I have everything I need. We wash everything outside and out in a dish drainer on the end of the grill/stove table and take the items in or put them in the tub for the night before we go to bed.

To me, the interior storage or space you give up for the kitchen throws the balance to the I don't need that side of the equation for me. But that's why they make options and different floor plans for everyone's preference. G;lad you found one you love. Enjoy it as often as possible.

[Kevinwa]

We don’t have an outdoor kitchen, but do tons of cooking outside with the Coleman stove and an electric frying pan. We often camp with cousins that have the big fully equipped outdoor kitchen. The biggest benefit that I see is we camp in jasper and Banff and are required to keep everything bare in the campsite, anything related to cooking or food cleaned up. I spend time packing everything up between uses, and the cousins come out, slam shut the big door on their outdoor kitchen and they are good to go.

[jbjuices]

We have a big 43" TV attached to the overhead cabinet on our outdoor kitchen. We stock the fridge with Water (no soda or anything that would burst open) and condiments. We don't use the stove since we have a campchef high output stove. We use the sink to wash dishes and fill water balloons.

The outdoor TV though, is my Favorite. We chill at the campfire and watch the ballgame or Saturday night live.

[austinjenna]

Our outside kitchen is used mainly for storage - anything that deals with being outside is kept in there and saves a trip inside. We are not big cookers anyway, a few dogs or hamburger on a grill and we are good to go.

The fridge I use when we camp somewhere for a week otherwise for us its not worth firing up for a weekend just to shut it off the next evening so it can dry out before we pack up.

[Bob_E_]

drsteve wrote:
Our two daughters grew up camping, almost from the day they were born. When they got to the age where hanging out with just Mom and Dad was uncool, we let them each bring a friend, which solved the problem. Now that they are grown, they still love to camp.

Back in the early 80's when I was a kid and there were no seatbelt rules, my parents used to let us bring friends camping all the time. Plus, I had some cousins that practically lived with us in the summers since we lived out in the country, so they often went along. Anyways, one Friday, my dad took us 3 kids, my 3 cousins, and 3 or 4 of our friends and packed us all in the station wagon for a weekend of camping at Ryerson Station State Park in PA about an hour away from home. Mom had to work Saturday morning so she didn't come down until the next day. So it was just Dad and about 9 or 10 kids ranging in age from maybe 12 or 13 down to 6 or 7. Oh yeah....this was tent camping too. No comfy RV's or anything. I think he is almost recovered from that trip. HAHA!!

[Mickeyfan0805]

drsteve wrote:
Our two daughters grew up camping, almost from the day they were born. When they got to the age where hanging out with just Mom and Dad was uncool, we let them each bring a friend, which solved the problem. Now that they are grown, they still love to camp.

We are crossing that bridge in 2019 for the first time. A lot of our camping in recent years has been long distance destination trips, so we haven't done the friend thing. Our older two will be 13 and 14 next summer, however, so our first trip of the season will be Memorial Day weekend, and they will be inviting friends.

[Jebby14]

drsteve wrote:

Jebby14 wrote:
^ my kids are far from grown (4 and 2) but they both cry when I put the camper into storage. I prey they stay into it as they get older. I would love for them to camp with us in adulthood. My entire extended family all camp (usually as a group at least once a year) because my grandparents raised them camping. Good job!

Our two daughters grew up camping, almost from the day they were born. When they got to the age where hanging out with just Mom and Dad was uncool, we let them each bring a friend, which solved the problem. Now that they are grown, they still love to camp.

sounds a lot like how I grew up. heres hoping it works for mine as well

[DutchmenSport]

Ah, poor bear. He just needed a bit of lovin' 🙂

[drsteve]

Jebby14 wrote:
^ my kids are far from grown (4 and 2) but they both cry when I put the camper into storage. I prey they stay into it as they get older. I would love for them to camp with us in adulthood. My entire extended family all camp (usually as a group at least once a year) because my grandparents raised them camping. Good job!

Our two daughters grew up camping, almost from the day they were born. When they got to the age where hanging out with just Mom and Dad was uncool, we let them each bring a friend, which solved the problem. Now that they are grown, they still love to camp.

[Jebby14]

^ my kids are far from grown (4 and 2) but they both cry when I put the camper into storage. I prey they stay into it as they get older. I would love for them to camp with us in adulthood. My entire extended family all camp (usually as a group at least once a year) because my grandparents raised them camping. Good job!

[BarabooBob]

We do most of our cooking outside on the picnic table with a very old Coleman stove. I mean a real fill the tank Coleman stove. I prefer it over propane because a gallon of fuel equals several disposable propane tanks and I have no problem pumping up the stove to cook.
When our kids were small, they helped prep the food and cook the meals. Vacation should be a vacation for the wife also. She does not cook any meals when we travel. The kids have grown and two of the girls are seriously into camping.
If it is raining, I pull the awning out and move set up my portable table. I do love my outdoor kitchen.

[Jebby14]

i would go as far as to say as long as it was under the awning i would rather have only an outside kitchen. space inside could be used for a number of things that would serve me better.

[Jebby14]

wish I had one. we don't cook in the trailer. We occasionally make coffee on the stove (we use the microwave often though) and we use the fridge but all cooking is done outside. We haven't moved far from our tent camping roots. 95 percent on the fire (i bring a full arsenal of pots and pans that are ok to use on the fire but often use disposable instead) we have younge kids and don't get to go for very long so we do short easy trips often. camping outside means the kids can play and learn to help with the meals without being in the way. my campter really is just a rolling tent with heat and ac.

[Merrykalia]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but here is the story of a wreck with a 700+ lb black bear 4-5 days ago. I have lived here for all of my 60 years, except for 4 years of college. I had never seen a bear and this year, I have seen more than 10. We are over-run by them.

Black bear totals SUV