Trailer build kitchen thoughts. Fridge stays in the Jeep? Sink worth having?

[zimm17]

I'm in the day dreaming stages of building an off-road camping trailer. While I love the idea of the outdoor kitchens I see, I like having my ARB in the Jeep. The food and drinks are always with me for a day on the trail, or night if something breaks. It's not hard to imagine unhitching and backing up the jeep next to the trailer to have easy access to everything in the back of the Jeep. Or maybe even keep the kitchen stuff fully contained in the Jeep (chuck box?) and the trailer is just a sleeping box? I do like the idea of having the food and cook stove with me all the time. Although I can keep a small burner in the Jeep and still have a decent kitchen in the trailer.

Next idea is a kitchen sink. Seems like a waste of space and plumbing headache to me. I think having a couple 7gal jugs of water with turn spouts would be fine. A collapsable wash tub/bucket can be used for dishes and packed away. Am I missing something?

 

[Jupiter58]

Not quite sure what you are asking.
I am finishing preps for coast to coast to coast off road in my jku.
I will be sleeping In the jeep as I am solo.
My fridge will be in the jeep powered from on board during the day and a 300 watt supply at night.

I did come up with what I think is a unique water solution. I removed my rear seats and built a platform, but I found a 13 gallon water tank that fits in the passenger foot well perfectly and came with a 12 v pump. I made a tee off the discharge with one line coming out the back and one available at the passenger door. The fill hose and nozzle are shown stored on the tank below

 

[NatersXJ6]

I keep my fridge and chuckbox in the Jeep all the time. I actually use it quite often at work to knock out sandwiches and such for lunch. A large crate in my trailer contains the more “permanent camp” stuff, such as fire pan, grill, Dutch ovens, wash basins, charcoal, etc….

The stove is cleaned and stored inside then loaded for trips, generally in the Jeep, sometimes in the trailer.

When I built my chuck box one of the primary concerns was that it fit the space next to my fridge on my cargo slide while still leaving room for grocery bags or a dry goods box.

For a sink, I just use plastic wash basins from a big box store. I think they were $0.96, so probably $837.62 in today’s plastic tub pricing! But anyway, cheap, stackable, useful for many things, and you can carry them somewhere to dump so you don’t have to worry about where they drain.

 

[NatersXJ6]

In the world of additional thoughts… my trailer includes a 30x72” table. I often carry the “cooking stuff” a fair distance from the parking/sleeping area when camping in bear country. I’m not sure how integrated kitchens deal with that, or if you just accept more risk using that type of rig.

 

[zimm17]

Great, I'm glad this idea is workable and maybe even be a better solution. Fridge in Jeep. Chuckbox that can be moved to either Jeep or trailer. I have an aluminum roll top table I bring as well. I like the small propane tank mounted outside the trailer- easy to hook up the hose to my stove, BBQ or griddle, whatever I have for that trip.

 

[Teardropper]

I'm in the camp of "sinks are a waste of counter space and storage." (And they drink water like a camel.) Teardrop-style campers have a small countertop, to begin with... and not a lot of storage below (that easily gets eaten by plumbing). We used to carry a plastic "sink" but found easier ways of cleaning.

We run with two coolers for most trips that go beyond two-nighters. One in the teardrop and one in the Taco. Part of the reason that teardrops have stood the test of time for ninety years is the no-set-up galley. Camping shouldn't be work. I can't imagine not having a galley.

Tony

 

[OldGreen]

I have both. Fridge in the Jeep and Fridge in the trailer. I use 12" cube baskets for storing kitchen stuff. If we are going to cook lunch on the trail, I just throw 2 baskets in the Jeep.

 

[Louisd75]

Great, I'm glad this idea is workable and maybe even be a better solution. Fridge in Jeep. Chuckbox that can be moved to either Jeep or trailer. I have an aluminum roll top table I bring as well. I like the small propane tank mounted outside the trailer- easy to hook up the hose to my stove, BBQ or griddle, whatever I have for that trip.

This is pretty much how we roll.

Fridge is in the truck plugged in to a 12v outlet in the bed. We also keep our non-refrigerated food in a Rubbermaid tote in the bed of the truck. I use 1 gallon jugs for water. I usually do four in the truck and eight in the trailer. This way we've always got water with us. Dish washing is in two plastic bins that stay in the trailer. You can see what we use for dishwashing in the below picture tucked into the driver's side chuck box. The box next to it is just two shelves. Each shelf holds two bins stacked. Top bins are used as drawers, the nested bottom bins are used for dish washing. Four water jugs are in the milk crate next to all that. I built my trailer without a galley and then built two chuck boxes for it after we'd started using the trailer and figured out what we wanted.

 

[billiebob]

Great, I'm glad this idea is workable and maybe even be a better solution. Fridge in Jeep. Chuckbox that can be moved to either Jeep or trailer. I have an aluminum roll top table I bring as well. I like the small propane tank mounted outside the trailer- easy to hook up the hose to my stove, BBQ or griddle, whatever I have for that trip.

Its whatever works for you.
In bear country keeping the food and sleep areas separate is a huge plus.

 

[PCO6]

I camp with 2 different Jeeps and 2 different trailers, so I move equipment around as needed. The fridge is always in a Jeep and away from where I sleep. I cook outside of the trailers and the fridge is always close by.

I stopped using a sink or wash tub a few years ago and went with a simple spray bottle with soapy water. It saves space and makes cleanup very easy. I only cook what I need and eat everything I cook, no waste. I use paper plates and bowls and burn them. I use proper cutlery, pots pans, etc. I spray every item individually and wipe them clean immediately with paper towels. I've carried a wash tub with all that's required (sponges, brushes, etc.) for the last couple of years but haven't used them once. They'll probably stay home next year.

 

[Teardropper]

I camp with 2 different Jeeps and 2 different trailers, so I move equipment around as needed. The fridge is always in a Jeep and away from where I sleep. I cook outside of the trailers and the fridge is always close by.

I stopped using a sink or wash tub a few years ago and went with a simple spray bottle with soapy water. It saves space and makes cleanup very easy. I only cook what I need and eat everything I cook, no waste. I use paper plates and bowls and burn them. I use proper cutlery, pots pans, etc. I spray every item individually and wipe them clean immediately with paper towels. I've carried a wash tub with all that's required (sponges, brushes, etc.) for the last couple of years but haven't used them once. They'll probably stay home next year.

Exactly.

Tony

 

[Teardropper]

In bear country keeping the food and sleep areas separate is a huge plus.

I've been teardrop camping in states around Idaho since 2004. Hundreds of nights camping in bear country. 90% of it is boondocking. All three of the campers have rear galleries with coolers.

Zero bear problems. It really isn't an issue in the northern Rockies.

Tony

 

[billiebob]

Exactly why I drink and drive, never had a problem in 40n years.

 

[FN4PAPA]

I haul a lot of stuff around in the jeep for other projects when I am not on the trail so hauling around a big freezer in the back of the jeep all the time seems like a hassle and would preclude using that space for other stuff when not camping, it's one of the reasons I am building a trailer in the first place. Since one of the main purposes of my trailer is to have a nice full bathroom when camping the sink is essential for washing hands etc.. I know one could use a bucket or hose outside but I wanted it self contained. Can't believe how many expensive off road trailers are being sold with no toilets... must be a lot of constipated campers out there...

 

[FN4PAPA]

I have both. Fridge in the Jeep and Fridge in the trailer. I use 12" cube baskets for storing kitchen stuff. If we are going to cook lunch on the trail, I just throw 2 baskets in the Jeep. View attachment 749201View attachment 749203

Nice dry flush toilet...