Alex,
It sounds like our kitchen requirements are similar. The majority of my cooking, and especially any frying or anything messy will be done outside, but in case of really bad weather, I still want the ability to at least heat something up inside.
I’m planning on a sink with a 4.2 gal water heater, pump and fresh water tank, size undetermined yet; a small installed microwave; and a portable (not installed)
Induction Cooktop/hotplate; and a small Keurig coffee maker, all of which will run on 120VAC, except for the Sure Flow pump which will be 12VDC.
Outside, I’m planning on a stainless
Magma Marine Propane Grill which I already have, and a stainless
Partner Steel Two Burner Propane Stove . If I can find one of the one-man loading ambulance stretchers, I’m going to remove the mattress, head rest, etc. and add a flat surface on which a long box/cabinet will be built, with the grill on one end and the stove on the other, Both will be mounted on slide-outs. The center will be drawers for plates, cups, utensils, etc. It will also have some LED lighting. There will be a full length side door/panel that will fold down and make a countertop, which will probably be covered in stainless for protection and ease of cleaning.
Since, mine is a camper trailer, no one will be riding in it while it’s moving, and I don’t need the room to carry large sports equipment (except maybe a bicycle which can be carried outside), so cargo room inside is not too critical and I also have the back of my F250 tow vehicle which has an A.R.E. camper shell on it. By using the left side stretcher mounts near the wall, there will still be room to walk between the stretcher and the crew bench/bed when it’s loaded. Once I get to my campsite, I’ll just pull it out, drop the legs and wheels, and roll it around against the right side behind the wheel well. The right rear compartment is the perfect size on mine to hold two 20 lb. propane cylinders sitting in milk crates, with a little extra room for hoses, regulators, etc. I’ll plumb some propane lines and quick connect fittings through the floor so I can just plug the portable kitchen in, along with a 12VDC cord for the lighting. That way I’ll be under the roll out canopy out of the weather, and no mess to clean up inside.
Upright refrigerators have the advantage of easy access to the items inside, but at the same time lot of space above the items is wasted. Also, every time you open the door the cold air spills out the bottom, and is replaced by hot air at the top. It’s a little harder to get to individual items in a chest types refrigerator, but they are more efficient and take up a little less space. Also, keep in mind most refrigerators running on propane (if you go that route) must be kept perfectly level, or the unit will be damaged.
I’m looking at an Engel Fridge Freezer
, similar to this one mounted on slide-outs in the bottom of the right front compartment, which also opens to the outside. AmboVan uses the same brand and has his mounted the same way. He said he has run his for over five days straight and hardly put a dent in his house batteries, but he has solar panels on top also.
Just some ideas I have rolling around in my head, but maybe they will help you a little. We don’t have much wilderness around me anymore, and since mine is a camper trailer, most of my camping will be in areas with hookups or short weekend trips off grid.
Ken,
I’m going to be mounting two ultra-quiet Honda EU2000i generators on slide-outs in a box on the tongue of mine, along with a 12 gal. auxiliary gas tank. One will handle most situations, but in the hot summer with the AC going along with other things running, I’ll run them both in parallel for a total of 4,000 peak watts @ 30Amps.
