Jeep - Kitchen with the kitchen sink :)

[jeepfan8]

Hi Folks... first post, but not the first time on this site. I have to say, there is a wealth of information here, and many projects I saw here motivated me on my build. That said, I was looking around for a DIY off-the-shelf solution for a jeep kitchen build. Looked for options/ideas online, found plenty of tips for other rigs, and only a few for Jeeps however nothing for that fully met my needs. Motivated seeing many ideas I started my own build.

These were my requirements (and current % done status of each):
1. Need a stove (100%)
2. Need a Sink (100%)
3. Pressurized source of water for sink, and for general purposes (things that can't be washed in the sink ) (80%)
4. Organized place for all cooking essentials, and general storage (80%)
5. Fridge/Freezer (100%)
6. Enough renewable power source to boondock for many days and run the fridge (85%)

I had to wear a few hats so far - Designer, Welder, Carpenter, Plumber, Electrician. While I'm not an expert in any of these... but I'm a dreamer .

Few shots of current status and in-progress...






In-progress... of the drawer/storage...


10 gal freshwater tank fitted with pump on a slide out mechanism for ease of servicing


I started this build couple of months back. Still got some more ground to cover before I call it done. All activities I've listed that are not 100% are what I'm currently working on. I'd be happy to post more pics, progress or just answer any questions for anyone who is interested.

 

[Drumber]

Looks cool. I would prefer more stove and less sink, but it's your build, not mine. Nice work.

 

[jeepfan8]

Looks cool. I would prefer more stove and less sink, but it's your build, not mine. Nice work.

I felt the same too... but there were limited options to pick from since I was looking for an integrated solution. There are smaller sinks that I found, but they didn't come with a stove, and adding a stove to the countertop meant needing more surface area (which I don't have much off in a wrangler). I haven't field tested my setup yet, but I did some bench testing, and wasn't too bad doing some light cooking. For most of my camping trips we have managed with a small portable burner, so I'm hoping I won't find too big of an issue with just one burner....

 

[tlin]

Looks terrific! Please circle back once you've gotten some mileage (how well it holds up offroad) and out-of-the-driveway usage feedback. Well done - thx for sharing.

 

[jeepfan8]

Looks terrific! Please circle back once you've gotten some mileage (how well it holds up offroad) and out-of-the-driveway usage feedback. Well done - thx for sharing.

Thank you... I certainly will

 

[hoser]

Nice work! Another option to get that double burner is to use a bin for the sink. Less required mounting depth too, so the adjacent storage drawer could be deeper. Obviously, you'd need to store the bins but they could be collapsible.

 

[Stumpalump]

I use the sink more than the stove and think you have the right idea. Backups are always good so you could carry a tiny MSR or SOTO backpack stove for when you need to heat two items. Cooking is a little overrated on this site anyway. Eating extra nutritiously is mearly a necessity not really an activity. I cook small meat items in an easy to clean frying pan. Small pot heats a can of Cambells soup that I turn into stone soup. Fresh baby carrots, tomatoes, lunch meat, nuts and even cheese gets tossed into noodles or soup for a healthy bump. Oatmeal with hot water or cereal and milk get their own stone soup treatments. A major cooked meal is Moutain house beef stroganoff and Mountain House creme brûlée or a thin cut steak and can of beans. Both easy, yummy and fast to clean. Some like a fancy feast but in today's markets you have a ton of grab and go food sources without the prep work and associated cleanup. Perfect for camping. Small town grocery stores will even precook food items for you if you ask. Frozen pizza or a piece of fresh fish for example. Throw down a handful of nuts, raisins, blueberrys and chase it down with OJ and vitamins and you can get a major refuel really easy without the time or mess. With that nice sink you will be cleaning up as fast as you can throw down the grub so you can get back to the adventure in moments. Very nice job!!

 

[Scrapdaddy]

Hoser,

Wondering if you had a link to that pull out unit? Nice set-up.

 

[jeepfan8]

Hoser,

Wondering if you had a link to that pull out unit? Nice set-up.

That's a Commander trailer ...if you google conqueror commander camper, it will show up. Still new to this forum... looks like I can't post a link on a thread

 

[jeepfan8]

Appreciate the encouragement. I started this specific build back in June... and given this is almost a ground up build, combined with the fact that I have to almost learn a new thing for every phase of the build.. its been a very involved process for me. Pretty much spent most evenings and weekends making progress so far

I think i'll start providing updates on my current progress periodically based on interest from others. I certainly am happy to talk about any questions on interests on what has happened so far with my RTT mods, materials and products I used etc if there are questions about it.


Currently I'm working on the following:

1. Water-line: The stove/counter top extends about apple 60" from the tailgate when fully extended. The tank sits behind the drawer on the top. My initial plan was to have a retracting mechanism that would expand and collapse a waterline as the stove slides in and out. After a few trial and errors, I opted out of this design. Some of the reasons for it:
a. Unnecessarily complicated process with low payoff - aside from that fact that it looks concealed, there wasn't really much benefit with a retracting waterline.
b. It was getting hard to prevent waterline from getting caught/kinked in between the drawer slides
c. With this solution, the sink is my only water outlet. Coupons
My new approach was to run a quick disconnect. The kitchen sits on a square tube frame, so I plan to conceal the waterline through the square tube and have a quick disconnect connector with auto shut-off. This will stay as a permanent line (no retraction). The drawer will have a quick disconnect insert (male part) and the hose will be tucked/velcro'd in place when not in use.

Advantages:
d. Resolves a and b above.
e. With a quick disconnect sitting at the base of the kitchen platform, I now have the ability to expand this for other uses. I can connect it to a nozzle and use it for various needs when outdoors.



I'm yet to implement this new plan. I hope to do it this weekend. Above is another shot of how the whole thing looks when fully retracted and the frame it sits on.

2. Power-pack:
So I have two things in the kitchen (at this moment) that requires power: My ARB Fridge/Freezer, and the water pump. My rough ballpark avg power consumption will be less than 2-3 amps an hour. I have planned to use 4 22 mAH AGM batteries for my power-pack. This should give me more than a 24 hours worth of juice if I'm running dry out of battery.
I've devised the re-charging circuit such that I can tap into dual power sources: 1. I have a DC to DC battery charger, which will tap into the Jeep's 12v accessories line and recharge the batteries while the vehicle is running.
2. I have a solar charge controller to keep the batteries charged when camping. I'll be hooking these up to a 100W panel.

I'll need to do some tests once the hookup is done to validate how the recharging is working out and if I need to make other adjustments.

The area under the metal frame was intended to house the batteries (as well as for storing flat things I'll need when camping). I secured the batteries using plastic tie-downs riveted to the Jeep Kitchen frame.

picture of the power recharge and power distribution moduie.


This sits right behind the ARB Fridge. There are two power outlets. One for the fridge and the other is a spare for any future accessories that could be part of the kitchen.

 

[Robbi Smith]

Looking good!!


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