The camp kitchen

The camp kitchen is what produces the meals when we’re out in the Great Outdoors.  It’s going to provide you with the fuel to enjoy your time in the Great Outdoors, so it does deserve some thought and effort.

For the backpacking crowd, it’s going to be very simple and compact–a ultra-light stove and lightweight mess kit, with freeze dried food packages for meals, and maybe, just maybe, some spices to jazz up things.  The entire kit is apt to weigh in barely over a pound, plus fuel.

For the car camping crowd and base camps, kitchens can be more elaborate, but at the same time, nobody wants it to be excessively complicated, heavy, or bulky.  We do want it to be convenient, compact, and sturdy though.  There are a few “camp kitchens” on the market, my favorite design is from Cabela’s and costs just over $100–which is a fair amount of money for something that no one is sure will actually WORK and be durable enough to last a decade or more.

Right now, my “camp kitchen” consists of the various pieces of gear, a table, a plastic tote (or two or three, depending on how many people are actually going on the trip and how complicated the meals are going to be) and two tool boxes, one of which is outfitted with spices and seasonings, the other is outfitted for drinks.  It isn’t particularly compact or convenient, although it has worked for several years.  If I am cooking a meal for more than just GM & I, I typically run out of space, can’t find my essential tools and other items, and spend excessive amounts of time being aggravated by the jumbled mess of our “food box.”

There has to be a better way!

Once upon a time, back when I was a solo camper, my kitchen all fit in one of the tool boxes still in service today.  It held a propane stove, my mess kit, a few basic utensils & flatware, and a couple of seasonings to add to my food.  There was even a can of non-stick spray in the kit.  It was efficient and it worked…for one.  A small cardboard box held my food, along with a couple of bottles of propane and a cheap dollar store non-stick skillet.  A compact AA powered “lantern” was in the cook kit too, and a spare rode in the glove box of the Jeep.  I actually always carried my camping gear in the Jeep, only taking it out if I was going somewhere with passengers in the vehicle.  All I had to do when I was heading out to camp was make a quick stop at the grocery store for food (or raid the pantry at home) and I was on my way.

Since then, I’ve become less of a loner in the wilderness and go camping with GM and often with an entire group of friends.  I’m still the camp cook, partly out of desperation (I’m a good cook, and not all campers are) and partly because I genuinely enjoy the process of camp cooking.  That means I have a more extensive set up than most people, however, as I may be cooking from 2-20 people on any particular trip, and many novice campers come camping without plates, etc.  I actually have enough plates to serve about 20 people in my “big” kit.

It’s not such a big deal to haul the big kit to a big camp out, because there are more people to help with unloading, etc. but when its just GM & I, we don’t want the big kit, and its a pain to set up an alternate smaller kit.  It usually ends up as a jumbled mess.  I want a compact kit that provides me with space for everything and still be portable, without any component that is over 50 lbs, even fully loaded.

So what would this fantastic bit of carpentry actually have to hold?

1. a sink composed of 2 dishpans with divots to allow them to be lifted out and emptied
2. dishwashing essentials storage (soap, sponge, cloth, scrubber)
3. a rack for 5 gallon water jug for washing and cooking
4. a surface to hold stove(s)
5. a spice rack
6. utensil rack
7. storage for plates, cups, & bowls
8. storage for nesting mixing bowls & colander
9. Storage for pots & pans
10. Storage for coffee pot & fixings
11. Pantry to hold cans, vegetable oil bottle, non stick spray, & canisters with pancake mix, flour, sugar, etc.
12. storage for knives & flatware
13. work surface with cutting board
14. cooking area for using stove
15. stove storage
16. fuel for stove storage
17. table for dining
18. rack for cooler
19. location for power strip
20. storage for clamp on electric lamp
21. Hook to hang propane lantern
22. Storage for propane lantern

That’s a lot to ask from anyone, let alone my drafted cabinet maker, the mysterious Mr. GM!

Would it all be wood?  

Wood can be heavy and bulky, but it is easy to work with.   It is also flammable, another important consideration when designing our portable kitchen.  Wood also does not like rain, and face it…every camper gets rained on, and in the South, it’s more likely than not that you will be rained on during part of your excursion.  Planning on rain is a good idea!  That means that the entire kitchen needs to be as water proof as possible, with an easy-to-close pantry area to keep food items and utensils dry.  Some features, such as legs, might be better made out of PVC pipe, which is another easy-to-work with component.  Other features, such as the hanging area for a propane lantern, should be metal if possible, because of the heat from the lantern.  Metal would be a good option around the cooking area too, in case of fuel or food being spilled somehow.

Not all surfaces need to be solid either–many surfaces can use straps or slats to support other things rather than a solid piece of wood.  This helps to reduce weight and bulk.  Waterproof canvas can also keep weather out of a particular space, possibly even better than a wood surface, and can be used anywhere that structural strength is needed.

So how will we figure out how to build this mysterious kitchen?

First we’ll need to figure out exactly what it needs to actually hold.  Then, we’ll start imagining and sketching on paper, noting some basic dimensions of items such as dishes, pots & pans, etc.  We will estimate costs, and see whether our idea is within our means.  We will talk about it, then we’ll do any last minute revisions, and only then will we go pick up the supplies we’ll need to actually BUILD our dream camping kitchen.

Right now, my mental picture has it created in four “boxes” or sections.  One box is the stove with storage for pots, pans, utensils, coffee pot, and fuel.  The pantry area would also hold the dishes, flatware, and mixing bowls.  A third box would hold the sink, washing essentials, water jug rack, and cooler rack.  The fourth box would contain the table and work surface with cutting board.  That’s still a HUGE jump to actually having the boxes built, with convenient carry handles on the ends, and ready to load for their inauguration trip.

What would YOUR dream camp kitchen hold?