Kitchen

 For those of you not familiar with RV Camping, I thought I'd take a moment to describe my set-up.  In this post I will describe the Kitchen.  Entering the camper you will find a dining table on the left with a hatch that opens to nature, and panoramic windows.  Above is a ceiling fan that quietly move the hottest air out.  To your right is a cabinet with a kitchen trash bin.  I can reach this from the door and I keep a toolbox in the left sided drawer and plastic gloves on the right and a paper towel dispenser so I can reach all these from the door.  Step inside and you can see down the hallway to the bedroom (if the two sets of curtains are not drawn) to the bedroom with twin beds. The twin allows me, a tall person, to proceed without bending to the front of the trailer. 

The left side of the hallway has a nice sized Fridge/Freezer, smaller than a house fridge and much bigger than a dorm fridge.  It runs on the 12 V batteries taking about 7 amps (about 100 watts) to do so. I have 400 amp-hours of battery and this fridge/freezer has been running on the battery and the battery charged almost entirely via the sun. I bought silicon ice cube trays with covers and large cubes so they melt slowly and this has worked well.  One problem is that the fridge, though it has a locking mechanism, on rough roads can open and the door can even fall off.  So I  have set up a ratchet belt that latches onto the cabinet door handles above and below the fridge to ensure the door stays shut.  Sean found a clever item that uses the existing screw holes (in case you wanted to open the fridge the other direction) to place a tab between the fridge and freezer door through which you can drop a dowel to firmly hold the doors in place.  Will post a pic when I get and install this.

On the right, as you enter the kitchen, is a deep sink with a nice faucet and a sink cover.  The water can come from "shore" (when I'm hooked up) but most often from a 40 gallon fresh water tank.  I fill the water through a filter and hose.  There is an on demand tankless water heater, and a pump that activates when the pressure in the system drops.  Sometimes the pump doesn't stop as if there is a pressure leak but then it behaves.  There is a switch to enable the pump along the back wall of the kitchen along with monitors for fresh, grey (shower and sink), and black (toilet) water storage.  In my unit, each is 40 Gallons, and we can go 4 days without dumping or filling with reasonable attention to water conservation, and longer with more care even if we shower daily.  The shower while camping is the bomb!  I usually shower before bed or in late afternoon to feel clean when sleeping. 

Past the sink is some counter space with cabinets above for dishes and food, and then a 3 burner stove connected to 2 20 gallon propane cannisters mounted on the front of the trailer (the A-Frame).  Below the stove is a propane oven.  We also bought (for $80 from Walmart) a Blackstone 2 burner flat grill) and this can attach to an easy connect on the front of the trailer so I don't have to bring canisters. The stove and oven light with a piso-electric starter which sparks to light to burners. Since there are two tanks, if the stove or oven stop, we have run out of the first tank and switch to the second and this alerts us to the need to fill the first tank. In the 28 ft version of the Airstream International there is a pull out spice/supply drawer, a pull out microwave oven (to be used only with shore power) and a storage cabinet aligned all to the left of the stove.  We have yet to use all the storage space allotted. 

I try my best to be electricity independent and not to run the generator.  Some travelers will turn on a generator to charge the battery or run a coffee maker, microwave, or toaster.  I make pour over coffee (or French press or percolated but pour over is easier to clean) using the propane stove to heat water and I have a stovetop toaster that diffuses the burner heat which avoids needing high power electricity.  I have a generator (Honda 2200) in case I need air conditioning but hoping to use it little. Tonight we will have microwave meatloaf (there's a bit of a meatloaf story I won't get into) and rather than use the microwave with a generator will boil the package to heat it and use the boiled water for instant mashed potatoes. 

A couple hacks for those interested.  

• Rags everywhere. To wash the rig I bought a couple packs of microfiber towels from Walmart.  Washed and reused, they are perfect to have at every sink or the truck bed for wiping things down (sinks, equipment, grill, solar panels) after each use then to throw them into the next laundry. Keeps them and your hands cleaner
• Nail brush--it is hard otherwise to keep you hands clean camping
• Wash dishes and put away right away. A clutter free space is much more comfortable in tight spaces
• A roll matt is fun for unfinished puzzles when it is time to use the table for meals or work
• A cordless drill for cranking the support struts
• Capture the cold shower water from the showerhead in the kettle for morning coffee.  Saves fresh water and space in grey water tank
• Put extra hot water into an insulated thermos for later use dishwashing
• Under cabinet mounted paper towel roll dispenser
• A ratcheting muti-headed screwdriver is a must-have
• Hanging hooks everywhere (these were installed by the previous owner--much appreciated!
• Must have apps!: Merlin (for birds) Seek (for plants, bugs, lizards, etc.) All trails (for hikes), RV Life Trip Wizard (for campsites and route planning)

Happy 4th of July!  I hope you are enjoying America as much as you can.