Galley Question

[Rob in MT]

From what I've seen in picutres and read on the forum, it seems that quite a few of you cook outside, and use the camper mostly for sleeping.

If that were the case, would it be better use of space, to order the shell model, and customize the space yourself? No space for cooking, maybe order a furnace, install plastic storage. Seems like it would save weight and dollars for something that may not be used that much. thanks

 

[DLN]

Rob,
Having the ability to cook inside is nice when the weather is bad or the morning is cold or you get into camp late and just need a quick hot meal. The saving in weight doesn't seem like a big consideration when you're buying the lightest camper available on the market. You would gain a whole lot of storage without all the stock interior cabinets, etc. For us the stove, sink, and fridge work out great. No matter which way you decide to go the furnace is an absolute must, especially living in a cold weather area. Just my thoughts. Best of Luck.

 

[Yukon]

Cooking outside in Washington

Rob,

Tough question. It probably depends somewhat on what times of the year you camp. I notice you are from Montanna (I am in Seattle). At any rate I bought the Eagle shell and built the cabinets myself (see attached photo). All I put in in terms of a kitchen was the stove, sink, water supply and hand pump. This was a pretty big project and took a good part of the summer . If you have lots of time to kill and want it to be exactly like you want it, it might be a good idea. I didn't want a refrigerator and am still glad I didn't put that in as it takes up a lot of space (most people like having them though) and uses power.

As for cooking inside, we have found that it works pretty well. BUT, what I have found is that I don't like to cook foods that are smelly (like meat) because it stinks up the whole camper. I think in future I will use a one-burner back-packing stove outside if I want to cook those kinds of foods. But, being able to boil water and make simple things like soup inside is great when the days are short and the weather is cold. We have been camping in weather below freezing. I am very very happy with my Eagle shell. Best investment I have made in years.

Hope my thoughts help you.

Chris

 

[robbie]

We were planning on getting a shell and doing just like you are mentioning. Installing plastic storage etc. We need to cook inside though as we don't get a lot of weather that is conclusive ti sitting out.
Our plans changed when I saw a FWC Fleet for sale. The weight seems to be fine.

robbie

 

[craig333]

It really depends on what kind of trip I'm doing. The bigger longer trips I much prefer to cook outside. A simple overnighter I may just use the inside stove to make coffee and warm up a can of something. Keep it simple for short solo trips. Even when I'm doing the majority of my cooking outside I like to make coffee on in the inside stove as soon as I wake up.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Even though we cook outside every chance we get, we definitely make coffee inside most mornings. I'm even in the process of relocating the stove (sort of like Yukon's) so that we can cook and use the sink with the upper bunk deployed so we can have coffee in bed.

It rains a surprising amount when we're out wandering, especially when we're wandering the East. The ability to stay dry while preparing meals is one of the luxuries we enjoy. We also like the ability to prepare a quick hot supper after travelling all day long without having to unpack everything and then pack it back up again before hitting the road in the morning.

The amount of space used up by the sink and the stove is tiny compared to the usefulness they afford.

 

[terrisjoy]

Galley in camper!

From what I've seen in picutres and read on the forum, it seems that quite a few of you cook outside, and use the camper mostly for sleeping.

If that were the case, would it be better use of space, to order the shell model, and customize the space yourself? No space for cooking, maybe order a furnace, install plastic storage. Seems like it would save weight and dollars for something that may not be used that much. thanks
Rob, I have a '05 FWD hawk. It has the propane furnace, I don't have a galley because I love cooking outside, however if I could do it over again, my camper would be different. There are alot of times that I would love to have cooking options inside. Due to weather, wind, cold or rain it would be wonderful to be cooking inside. I love my furnace, but it takes up some prime space that could be used for a nice fridge! I was reading a post yesterday I think Stan from FWC was talking about an Engle. That looks like a nice unit. They had put in in the corner where the furnace usually goes. Thats a great spot for the fridge because you could have access from outside without getting into the camper. It also had a top access and front access, the top is good because when the couch is made out its hard to get into the front of the fridge. To have a propane cooking stove would also be to the advantage for warming up the camper. I had a six-pac camper some years ago, did alot of winter camping in it without a heater. Turning the stove on in the morning with the top vent open a bit for ventilation was enough to make the camper warm and toasty. Theres a post about the Wallas stove that is another way to go it's a kerosene stove that has a blower that heats the camper as you cook. I miss having a galley! It's always nice to have a choice to be in or outside. Also, you being from Montana, it would be a good idea for you to consider the Artic pac. It's the llner that would insulate the inside of the rubber. It's made out of this fabric called Olefin a wonderful insulating material to help winterize the camper. Happy camping !! Terri

 

[terrisjoy]

Great job! What are your lower vents for they look like the same vents that my furnace has. Do you have other pics, I'd love to see the interior design, how you connected your stove to the propane tank outside, ect. Nice work, thanks for sharing, Terri

 

[Yukon]

Terri,

The lower vent is for furnace. The upper vent I put in myself for safety because I added more LP pipes for the stove and wanted to make sure if there was a leak that the gas would not get trapped. I just put a "T" on the same line that goes to furnace to attach the stove. Nothing fancy. The other stuff you see there on that panel is a 110V and 12V DC meter.

 

[masterplumber]

How about having the option of both! I'm toying with gutting my Granby & rebuilding. I'm thinking of a modular approach where the kitchen is a box about 3' long that sits on a shelf over the furnace etc... I actually have the box already made as I've used it for years to cook outside when we take larger groups like my son's school. Then I want to put an Enqle on the passenger's side on a shelf over a porta potty & storage. I think this would be the best of both worlds - indoor meal prep when the weather's nasty & easily moved outdoors without carrying extra equipment. Could end up being lighter also?
Doug

 

[terrisjoy]

Yukon, I'm wondering about the position of your stove being on top of the furnace. When cooking does it affect the liner because it seems to be higher than the other plans? It's closer to the window than it would be down where the other galley plans are... Terri

 

[Yukon]

Reply to Terri

Actually I really like the position of the stove above furnace. It simplified the LP gas piping. Also, I have a metal shield that is hinged and thus folds up flat. When cooking, I place this metal shield in corner (I made it from a piece of sheet metal from Home Depot) and it protects the sides of the camper. I also like that I can use both stove and sink with bed fully out. I like being near the window for two reasons...(1) lets smoke out (2) Lets fresh air in as I am using Oxygen in camper. There was plenty of room in that furnace cabinet built by 4WC. I also checked to ensure no excessive heat inside box. Works pretty well for me. I could take photo of the metal heat shield if interested.

 

[Rockjok]

I've got a Falcon shell on my S10 and went with the wallyworld plastic drawers. Since the payload on my PU is only ~700lbs I needed to go as light as possible. I initially considered my constuction as temporary so I used 2x4's sanded down to the correct thickness and drywall screws. It works so well, I'll probably keep it this way with minimal touch up. I use small bungees and eyescrews to keep the drawers shut etc.

First I put a piece of plywood across the camper in front just below the window. Added an old couch pad and this is where my dogs hang out at night.

On the left side in the front I used a "triple" set of wide drawers. I cut off the bottom drawer sides to make the "triple" set fit yielding 2 full drawers and a space at the bottom for manuals etc.

The middle uses a part of a half width "office" set of drawers. These sterlite drawers usually come with castors and vary in thickness.

The rear is comprised of 2 full width drawers. Above these, and below the small stock storage cabinet, is a piece of plywood and a camp stove mounted on slides. The stove runs off the small propane bottles, tho' I have an adapter that can attach to my larger tanks. It's easily removed to cook outside or it slides out for inside cooking. Note that this stove is not made for inside cooking but works ok with vents and door open.

The right side of the camper I left untouched near the window but mounted a microwave right behind it. Aft of the microwave is an olympian catalytic heater.

On the floor under the left side of the "dog" bed is my battery box, in the middle is a rubbermaid storage box, and a Honda 2000 generator fits on the right. On the floor aft of the dog bed lives my engle fridge as well as misc. storage boxes when I'm travelling.

Outside, between the back of the camper and the tailgate, I carry two small propane tanks, a gas can, a garbage can, and a water can. With this setup I end up less than 50 lbs over max gvw with a weeks supplies and my CG is almost exactly where the chevy manual says it should be.

I'm currently looking into a receiver hitch carrier for a small motorcycle tho' this may put me heavy on the rear. Hmmm, perhaps I should mount it on the front.

Shown last is my other "wander the west rig" tho' I don't use this much in cold weather.

--Another Rob in Montana

 

[terrisjoy]

Chris, Thanks for the reply. How big is your water storage and is it under the sink? Did you put the drain to the outside of the camper and if so how did you cut into the exterior of the camper (that seems to be the painful part) I would love to see a picture of the metal shield if it's not a hassel for you. Where did you move the inside shutoff valve to the propane tank and fuse box? Thanks for your time, Terri

 

[brett13]

I orderd my ATC with just the furnace on one side, then added a sink. Details here:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1155

So far, we like having the extra space in the corner for our bags and stuff and I'm glad to not have the stove in there too- we wouldn't use it much since our cooking is outside. We have cooked inside a few times, but putting the coleman across the sink.

 

[Yukon]

Reply to Terri

Chris, Thanks for the reply. How big is your water storage and is it under the sink? Did you put the drain to the outside of the camper and if so how did you cut into the exterior of the camper (that seems to be the painful part) I would love to see a picture of the metal shield if it's not a hassel for you. Where did you move the inside shutoff valve to the propane tank and fuse box? Thanks for your time, Terri

The water tank is 12 gallons. It last a LONG time for us. The water tank is on the floor (keeping weight centered) in the center of the cabin (I will attached photo of battery (black) and white water tank). The shut off for water is in two places. I have one shut off inside right next to the tank. I have a 2nd shut off outside the camper (see photo). This way, no ruthless person could empty my tank from outside the camper as they walk by. I could also use the outside drain to fill big pots outside as one member mentioned. The water line runs from the tank, through a small 3/4 hole in the lower part of the camper so that the water exit line just lays on the bed of my truck on the side of the camper.

I did not change anything with regards to the propane shutoff valve. The "T" where I added the stove is on the top of the plastic container that the propane tank sits inside. I did't mess with the regulator, nor the valves. When I turn off the shut off valve, it turns off both stove and furnace.

The metal stove shield is simple. Two pieces of stock metal from Home Depot. They are hinged together with 2 hinges. I put electrical tape around the edges to prevent scratching the counter top. I fold it up, and slide it in a very small space.

Hope this helps you.

Chris