How Important is the Kitchen to a Teardropper?

This is where the gals can have their very own discussions...

Postby TheresaD » Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:43 am

This is an interesting thread. I have been wondering about many of these things myself. I love to cook when I camp and have been giving alot of thought to the whole kitchen set up thing. While I love the Scotty, I wish it had a galley like a teardrop does. Having an area on the outside of the camper for all of the kitchen stuff would be ideal. I actually toyed with modifying the rear of the Scotty so as to have it swing open with 2 doors at the back that would have counters and storage that could be used for food prep etc. I have decided against making this change simply because I don't want to spoil the true Scotty design. I plan to have a camp kitchen setup beside the camper but it won't be built in as I would really prefer. The only thing I'm wrestling with now is whether or not I want to install a propane stove in the inside where there was one once before. I don't intend to cook inside the trailer normally but I'm thinking it might be useful for those rainy camp outs for doing minimal cooking and making coffee etc. I'll be watching this thread to see what others have to say on the topic.
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Postby hausfrau60 » Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:53 am

One of the things I didn't like about the Tent Trailer was the inconvenient (for me, mind you) set up of the kitchen areas. The sink was too small to use for cleaning up, so I did that outside. The stove had a hookup outside, so I dragged the heavy mother out there every time we set up camp. The fridge was inside, but the cooler was outside, along with the dry food box. Pots and pans were stored in the trailer, but I dragged them outside to be handy for the stove. Eventually, I would have everything kitchen-related outside in a make-shift kitchen (very messy and disorganized) just to avoid the constant in-out trips inside the trailer. It was not very fun. Hence, the switch now to an outside kitchen with everything handy in one little, well-organized place. And I know I'm not alone because on our last camping trip I made an effort to pay attention to how everyone else was set up at their sites, and guess what? The huge majority of campers (including the rv'ers) set up their kitchens on the picnic tables.

I've noticed many of you have a minimal kitchen setup. That would be lovely, but I have two boys (teenagers) and they eat constantly, so cooking and providing healthy snacks while camping is a constant requirement. Breakfasts are hearty, as are lunches and dinners.. Even the snacks can require prep. I love to cook, so it's no big deal as long as I have a place to prepare the meals and can occasionally point in the general direction of the kitchen and say "it's in there, go get it."
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Galley

Postby eamarquardt » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:18 am

I haven't done a lot of teardropping yet but I used to own a tent trailer and did a fair amount of crusing in the Channel Islands in our 38 foot sloop. Based on this experience:

Meals are fun and a major focus of the day.

So based upon my experience this is what I want:

1) A real reefer to keep some things cold and fresh w/o buying ice.
Solution: three way reefer (not having the weight of ice partially
offsets the weight)
2) A real oven to bake homemade pizza, bread, baked apples, etc..
Solution: Small rv range/oven (not really that heavy)
3) I like doing dishes in HOT water. I (but more importantly #1 wife)
MUST have a hot shower (unless swimming in fresh water) once a day
to feel civilized.
Solution: BIG pressure cooker to do duty as a dishpan. If the water
gets cold, put it on a burner and heat it up even with dirty dishes
inside. For showers, fill with approximately 3 gallons of water, heat to
perfect temperature, put lid on, pressurize with a bit of compressed air
from on board air compressor, and you have a nice Navy shower. See
album for pics.
4) Water distribution. Hand pumps are a pain. Need fresh water supply.
Solution: 20 gallon on board tank, shurflo on demand pump, only
outlet is a kitchen type sprayer (with valve to meter flow for low flow
for rinsing off clean dishes). Also a y valve so you can suck water
out of 5 gallon plastic jerry cans or use camp water from hose hook
up. NO built in sink. Nothing but a pain.
5) I hate cleaning up confined spaces with all the nooks and crannies.
Solution: Detachable table off the tear with portable (high output)
burner on it. Most cooking and dishwashing is done here (not on
range top in galley) . Propane hose from galley to burner located on
this table.
6) Small stainless steel BBQ where most meat and a lot of vegtables are
prepared.

Although the air compressor and water pump will require some dc, experience has proven that they are not major drains on the battery due to the short amout of time they run. Solar panel should provide all the dc needed.

There you have it, camping on a small scale with all the comforts of home.

Cheers,

Gus
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Postby len19070 » Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:27 am

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Postby Juneaudave » Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:23 am

Guess it depends on the person...two things I have learned during this first year of teardrop camping...

    1. My galley stores cooking stuff, but I don''t cook in it....I cook on a picnic table or the firepit, and
    2. All the thought I put into having a TV/DVD in the cabin was for naught...I have yet to turn on the DVD, but sometimes listen to the radio...

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Postby Arne » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:07 pm

I recently bought a house. I have a tv for the bedroom, but have yet to put it in place. keep in mind, I camp alone with no kids or partner...

I find at night, since often with no. 1 I could not get reception, I've gone with talking books in no. 2 t/d. No tv in the bedroom or the t/d... I have a portable cd player and whether home in bed or in the t/d, I listen to the talking book until I go to sleep. It is nice to lie in the dark and have someone read to me. With a tv, I had to keep my eyes open, which was often tiring... with the t/b, I just lie in the dark and often go to sleep in minutes... the cd runs to the end and shuts off... most times, I wake up in the a.m. with the head phones still on. It is battery powered, but the rechargeable NiMH bats last a long time, and it is easy to just swap out new bats when needed and charge the old ones.

Also, since I listen 95% of the time to t/b's while driving, it is just a continuation of the story.... so, at least for now, no tv except in the living room... even while camping, I often just put on the headphones and listen to the t/b and relax with a bloody mary.... it has worked out very well for me.
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Postby robertaw » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:11 pm

Juneaudave wrote:1. My galley stores cooking stuff, but I don''t cook in it....I cook on a picnic table or the firepit


This is exactly why I eliminated the kitchen from our trailer rebuild. I know from life-long camping experience that we will never cook in there.

If I were to build a TD I would put in a small fridge and small sink and use the rest of the galley area for storage of equipment and food.
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Postby Oasis Maker » Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:44 pm

How important is a kitchen in the back? Nada

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How important is a platform in the front? Priceless!

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The rear of my tear is of GREAT importance... for storage only. (Besides, I would wack my head on the hatch even if I did try to stand back there and cook.)

The front rack is where all of the action is for food prep, grilling, dishes washed etc. It's completely covered with an awning and 9 foot market umbrella's... (all stored in the back galley of course.) 8)

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Postby Arne » Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:53 pm

I should mention, now that I have become incredibly spoiled, I take an electric frying pan with me, and do use that on the counter. It creates very little mess, like bacon grease splatter, which is easily cleaned up.... I also have a microwave underneath the counter, and between the two of them, I've not used my propane stove on the last couple of trips. Any water I heat is done in the microwave in a pyrex measuring cup. Hardly any dishes as I use paper plates and bowels, so only wash utensils.
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Postby hausfrau60 » Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:00 pm

I'm starting to realize that most teardroppers travel without kids. Duh. It's a small trailer, so it makes sense. My teens like sleeping in the tent, so this will work for us as long as I have a place to cook. It's my playhouse!
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Postby caseydog » Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:29 pm

Oasis Maker wrote:(Besides, I would wack my head on the hatch even if I did try to stand back there and cook.)


I was too tall for my Little Guy hatch when open, so I moved the bottom bracket of the struts about three inches, and it made my hatch open higher, without effecting how it closed. You might want to try that even if you don't cook back there.

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Postby tearhead » Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:13 pm

Not that we're all that experienced, but...
1) Galley is important for handy storage and simple food prep. It was one of two main reasons for getting a teardrop (the other was getting up off the ground for sleepign).
2) Galley being outside gets you out among your neighbors, and if you're camping with a group who have tents or conventional campers or trailers, guess whose campsite will be the most popular one to drop in on?
3) We like to set up a roll-up metal table to cook on or use the picnic table.
4) Though we don't cook breakfast at home, we do when camping (use the Coleman stove and a cast iron griddle (after boiling water for the coffee). We cook over the fire otherwise and heat up dishwashing water on the Coleman or over the fire.
5) We don't want to worry about getting an electric site, so we don't use electric appliances. Also don't have a sink--use the 2 dishpan method. Can pack stuff in the dishpans and they take very little space.
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Postby satch » Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:13 am

The pull out stove on the Hog is about the limit of cooking done with her, like others, food prep works well there. Piglet, just has a deck, with a small storage cabnet. I'm lucky to have room for a cup of coffee.
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Postby NWsage » Sun Nov 08, 2009 2:25 pm

satch wrote:Piglet, just has a deck, with a small storage cabnet. I'm lucky to have room for a cup of coffee.


Rick, I love your Piglet ... how wide/long is she? How much does she weigh? I've been debating building a small tear for solo camping (or just keep sleeping in my Prius).

Like many, I don't do much more than boil water in the galley. It typically serves as the storage area for my "kitchen" which extends to a table(s) where I do most of the prep and cooking.

In addition to the splatter clean-up that I want to avoid in the galley, I don't want to attact wildlife (bears) to the teardrop.
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Postby S. Heisley » Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:33 am

I think how important the galley is depends on how you plan to use your trailer. If you mostly camp in friendly, safe campgrounds or not where the mornings are cold, you'll probably be fine with cooking with a propane stove, on top of a picnic table or from hatch-top galley. (Some people don't mind cold and even cook outside in the snow!) If you cook mostly pre-packaged meals in a microwave or electric fry pan, you probably need next to nothing but those, the galley counter and an extension cord with a place to plug it in. If you have a large family to cook for, you'll need more than if it is just one or two of you.

For me, I wanted to be able to park on a city residential street or in a parking lot, if need be, and would be uncomfortable, opening up the galley of a teardrop after dark or really early in the morning. Other than certain canned foods, I don't eat many pre-packaged meals. So, a propane burner works well for me. Also, where I camp, it is often in the high 80's in the afternoon but in the mid 30's by morning. (That first cup of hot coffee in the morning, in a warm trailer cabin is a camping dream!) By putting in a small kitchenette, I can be assured of comfort when I need or want it. But, when I'm cooking with friends or family, I'll pack the Coleman stove and cook on the campsite picnic table, like I always have when with them. :thumbsup:
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