The Kitchen in your Camper Trailer - Advice required please

[Garry H]

Hi,
We are looking at putting a Kitchen in our camper and came across these on the net

http://www.xtrailcampers.com/promo_kitchen.php

http://www.pinnaclewholesalers.com.au/product/484/CAMPER_TRAILER_SLIDEOUT_KITCHEN

just wondering if any one else has installed these or have any better suggestions
decided that at these prices hardley worth building one...........
would go for the Tailgate version (on the Arrow Trailer)

would be particularly interested if any one in Adelaide has one I could actually look at
open to all ideas

thanks for your help in advance
cheers
Garry

[db]

Have a look at the Drifta kitchens (http://www.drifta.com.au/CamperTrailerKitchens.php).  The swing out is competitive with the others you are looking at.  Luke at Drifta is good to deal with and they make a quality versatile product.  The kitchens are very usable.

I am in the Adelaide Hills, we have a Drifta pull out - you are welcome to PM me if you want to have a look, or Cavalier fit them to their trailers if you want to look there.

cheers,

Richard

[schmik]

I use the Drifta Car back. It lives in the trailer but if i go somewhere without the trailer i put the drifta in the boot.

[toeball]

I use the Drifta Car back. It lives in the trailer but if i go somewhere without the trailer i put the drifta in the boot.

Good idea, I think the tail gate kitchen is over rated and the size of the full drifta is to big, you have me thinking now.......

[Manjimike]

Good idea, I think the tail gate kitchen is over rated and the size of the full drifta is to big, you have me thinking now.......

As I am looking at building a tailgate kitchen, why do you think they are over rated?

Thanks
Mike

[areyonga]

I have the xtrail kitchen with sink and two burner stove, works well for me, mine slides out the side but they also mount them on the tailgate

Wil

[Humbolt]

Another vote for the Drifta. We have a tailgate mounted version and really can't fault it.
I was to be real picky then i would say stainless fittings would last longer and look better but that is the ONLY thing i can think of making it better.

[toeball]

I like the versatility of the car back, take it on picnics etc.
The inbuilt SS sink is an inefficient use of space
When you are using a tail gate kitchen you have your back to every body
If you use the inbuilt sink you need a sulage hose or bucket why not pick your dish water up and chuck it out instead of double handling it
My tail gate kitchen works fine but there is room for improvement

I'm thinking a fold out bench on the tailgate with the car back used opposite might be a good galley style set up, in addition to using the fire and BBQ of course

[Jon]

I made ours based on some handt sized containers we had.
Uses airline fittings to connect the water, auto Jabsco pump is awesome but quite noisy. No fixed sink, waste of space.
It has a led light over the stove which is handy.

[Humbolt]

The Drifta tailgate kitchens don't have an inbuilt sink, well the one we have doesn't. They utilise a plastic 'tub' on a shelf that rolls out and as you say, you can throw the water out.
We have a separate bbq and don't use the kitchen for cooking, only storing of food and washing up. So really the only time we have our back to anyone is when washing up and there always seems to be a lack of people come wash up time
We like to cook in a group atmosphere.

[Yoda42]

Another vote for the Drifta Car back. We had no dramas asking for a small change - we wanted the big drawer to pull out from the front of the kitchen rather than the end, as it fits our tent set up better.

[Pebble]

Our first good camper had an electric tap and a kitchen sink etc, I found I wasn't the "need a kitchen sink" type of person, we don't fancy electric taps either, they seem more problematic and waste more water tool.

The second camper had a basic tailgate kitchen, I didn't think much of it, we ended up taking it off, modifying it so there was just a fold down storage shelf on the tailgate instead. Granted the design probably wasn't the best, I didn't find that it was an efficient storage area, well not for the stuff I carry. And stuff had to be packed up if you wanted to shut the tailgate while going for a walk or whatever. And like others have mentioned you've got your back to everyone, but it's not that, you're stuck in one spot can't always allow for wind direction etc

So for me a table with the stove / dish bucket was a better solution, probably even easier now that we've gone to using a dual fuel stove.

Depends what the cooks preferences are really,

That Drifta car back sure looks nifty, I'd definitely consider one of the more compact drifta models if our next camper or current trailer/car set up. Seems like it would just replace one of the boxes that I normally store my kitchen gear in anyway!

[WaituiRob]

As there are only two of us our kitchen we`ve kept our kitchen simple.

  The stove wasn`t set up in the photo as it is normally on the tent side so the regulator
is over the side, out of the way.

  One drawer has cutlery and utensils, plates in the other.

We had it made in Wauchope, I think they are about $300 now.
  George will build to your,specs.

[Bill]

And another vote for drifta...
Bill and Morag

[baldheadedgit]

While i do agree with you all on the drifta kitchens,, i look at them and can not see the why they are priced so high.!, they may be good quality and well designed, but the price scares the hell out of me,,

maybe i'm just a tite arse. ! 

[schmik]

$590 for the car back is OK. I think i could have made my own for about $300. Then i considered.. the time... the end result... and figured the drifta was a good deal.  The skids they use are very good and slide very well, couldn't find any like that.  The legs they use are welded by them and work perfectly. Getting my own legs was starting to prove difficult too.
PLUS, the money goes to other Aussies... not china. That makes it an easy sell.

Sure you can build one cheaper than they will sell you one but it depends on all the other factors. How much time do you have? do you have ALL the tools. Do you mind searching out the skids and legs? Is there something else you'd rather be doing? Can you sell it if you decide you don't like it?

Mike

[weso]

i have to say that when we first had our CT we had no kitchen and used a table with gas 2 burner stove and talbe with drop in bucket for a sink. We now have a tailgate kitchen whick i made, this pic is when it was first mounted it now has a sureflo tap thats connected to a whale inline pump (which is surprisingly quiet). Kathy and I could not camp without it now and as for space that it takes up inside the CT we have actaully SAVED room having the kitchen. The missus said i want a tailgate kitchen BUT she went on to say, "it must have some bench space"  so we put our heads together and came up with a slide out sink idea. Not knowing if it would work or not i had a kick and a punch at it and this is what we ended up with..........