Indoor Vs. Outdoor kitchen and Shower Vs. No shower

TravelGirl

I have been spending endless hours researching the T@B. I cannot make up my mind on the "Discussion Title" indoor vs outdoor and shower vs no shower. Anyone care to chime in on their experience and if they wish they had chosen different? I plan on purchasing within the next few months..... if I can make up my mind on a model  Also, I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, anyone have any towing experience with this vehicle? V6 2 wheel drive.

Nomad

As I'm sitting here in rock-n-roll wind gusts, I'm thankful I chose the indoor kitchen - One can always cook outdoors even with the indoor kitchen, the opposite is more difficult. Am feeling for those forum members I know camped further south of me with the same winds and outdoor kitchens.
As far as the shower, don't think it's as important as the toilet. Having it within it's own little space (with the shower) is much more convenient than pulling out a porta potty in the middle of the night.
There's my 2 cents :-)

Nomad

I think I remember having a conversation recently and that person mentioning that if they continue full-timing it, they were going to trade their CSS in for one (or something) with an indoor kitchen.

TravelGirl

Good points on both. I keep thinking amenities? or space?  I've been a long time tent camper so I'm used to having to "hold it" or hope to gosh I make it to the porta potty before I run in to any creatures. Thanks for your 2 cents

Nomad

Don't know how'd you'd search for it but this question/quandry (especially with tenters making the conversion) comes up quite a bit.

Torzanne

We went back and forth about the inside/outside kitchen and shower for a long time and finally decided on the inside kitchen and shower/toilet. We've used our T@B a bunch this winter and we love not having to go outside in the cold and rain to make coffee in the morning or heat up soup at night. And I never thought having a shower or toilet would be a big deal but now that we have them I would never go back to not having them! 

TravelGirl

@Torzanne, thanks for your feedback. I'm starting to see it's obvious if you break it down. @PXLated said it best, with one option you can go indoor or outdoor, but once you choose outdoor...that's it.  

jkjenn

I was FT last summer and recommend an indoor bathroom, highly. You can shower in a Walmart parking lot! Plus, there are times I find a pull our and run to use the bathroom in the T@b while driving.

Nomad

Have done the pull-off, bathroom thing :-)
Was out in the middle of nowhere once, small crossroads gas station. One bathroom and four gals waiting in line. No way I'd have lasted.

ScottG

TravelGirl said:

Good points on both. I keep thinking amenities? or space?  I've been a long time tent camper so I'm used to having to "hold it" or hope to gosh I make it to the porta potty before I run in to any creatures. Thanks for your 2 cents

I understand completely--and that's the reason I really like having the bathroom.

PXL's sentiments about cooking also apply to peeing. Even with indoor facilities, you can still go outside--the opposite, however, is considerably more difficult.  :-)

ericnliz

TravelGirl, We went through some of the same questions and decisions that you are presently going through. For a while it was a toss-up between the Max-S, and the CS-S models. Buying the Max-S was the best decision that we could have made. Like jkjenn, PXL, and ScottG have stated, you can always go outside, the reverse is not so easy. One thing to add would be [for myself at least] is the extra bed length in the Max-S as opposed to the CS-S model. That, the indoor facilities, and indoor cooking capabilities, and the three way fridge definitely sealed the deal for us. Good luck on your decision, you came to the right place for advise, and good input!

TravelGirl

Those are the exact two models I've been pondering,  although I'm liking the T@bitha, I must admit.  I appreciate your feedback; I'm convinced at this point it's got to be the Max S for all the same reasons you've pointed out. 

Homebodyatheart

We just signed for our MaxS. I plan to cook outside because I love to, but wanted options. Having an indoor potty was high on my list. The other thing I'm really attracted to in this model is the U shaped seating. To me it feels more roomy and gives an extra seat. I like the versatility and having options! Good luck with your decision!

jcfaber1

We have an older t@b before there were bathrooms.  We opt for plastic coffee can which we dump in the morning to get by.  Regarding the kitchen, we like having the stove inside but we use it mostly for morning tea.  I prefer to cook outside but there are times where the inside stove is priceless (weather and bugs). 

Homebodyatheart

Jcfaber1, I grew up tent trailer camping and we each had our own coffee can and lid that we were responsible for. It works! :-)

Me_and_My_Dog

Plastic coffee can in the house! Cafe Bustelo. I resist getting a bathroom if and when I get a new T@B. It just seems like too much going on in the small space. And you have to find dump stations. And have all that sewage sloshing around. Obviously I'm lacking information and experience as my 2007 T@B has no bathroom. I so love the simplicity of it. Definitely on the fence about it.

Nomad

Yes, it does seem like too much for a small space untill you have it :-)
I suppose it depends on where you travel but finding dump stations hasn't been much of a problem.

Ratkity

You can always go the "Freshette" or the "Travel John" route if it's too cold for watering trees!

geekmama

I have been researching t@bs and saving my pennies to buy one in the next year or two and I have a question about the indoor vs. outdoor kitchen issue.

I understand that people say it's nice to have the kitchen inside because you can always bring a stove to cook outdoors when you want, but why don't it work the other way? Am I missing something? I have a small Coleman stove. Why can't I simply use it inside the trailer on the table if the weather is really bad? 

For people who have a t@b is there a reason this wouldn't work?

ericnliz

geekmama, Not sure why you would want to put a Coleman stove inside when you already have a 2 burner stove inside with the S model. I'm thinking your question would be for the Clamshell CS-S model, correct? I suppose that would be an option, but I can't recall anyone here using that option before. perhaps there is someone here that has that will chime in. Good question though.

geekmama

I would only want to put one inside the CS-S if there were very bad weather outside. People keep saying that they prefer the indoor kitchen so they can always cook inside when the weather is bad so I was just wondering if there's any reason you couldn't just use a propane stove inside if you have an outdoor kitchen.

wizard1880

If you cook inside your CS, just be sure the stove is suitable for use on wood surfaces.  Most are not, unfortunately, unless they're appliances that run on 120v like a portable induction cooktop.  Almost all portable propane camp stoves get too hot on the bottom and can leave burn marks.

geekmama

wizard1880, thanks that information helps a lot. I guess I would put something under it, but it has legs so I'm not too worried about it and it has always been used on a wooden picnic table without incident. 

Tabster

I have a cs and use a butane one burner stove inside for morning tea etc. No burn marks. Just open a window a bit and no worries

Nomad

Cookstove inside: I suppose it depends on what you want to cook and how many days in a row you'd have to do it and if that's ok with you. It's not just the cookstove you'd have to take in - Cookware/Utincils, food from the fridge, condiments, etc.

wizard1880

It may be a liability thing.  They're all labeled "outdoor use only" anyhow.

Personally I like those portable butane stoves that can be had for 20 bucks or so from Amazon, that use those cheap fuel canisters.  Even though they say no use on flammable surfaces, it stays cool unless I cook a larger pot for long periods of time.  And they're really easy to use and have self-ignition.

geekmama

Thanks for the information all. My stove actually has it's own pots/pans and since it would be a CS-S I'd put the important things in the "through" cabinets. Now I just need to save up that money!

Nomad

Now comes the harder part -> Saving up the money ... Good luck, you can do it :-)

drpprmt

very unwise to use outside type grills inside.  Heat, stability, and fumes are an issue.  This is too small a unit to have something go wrong inside.  I once pushed a grill off the picnic table.  Glad I was outside.  Things got real exciting.

TaBulated

We just picked up our T@B "U" model, i.e. no shower/toilet, two weeks ago - Yay!! The dealer was 1,300 miles from our home. We camped at a state park near the dealer for 3 nights to make sure there were no issues. Then we drove home over 3 nights. We opted for the model without a bathroom because I wanted the extra floor space and storage the U model offered. It was no big deal at all to not have a bathroom. For the middle of the night need to go hubby used a jar with a lid and for me we just brought in a 5 gal. bucket last thing at night. We lined the bucket with a plastic bag. The bucket has a toilet seat that attaches securely. I often used it first thing in the morning too. It was not a problem to carry the bag to the bathroom at the campgrounds we stayed at and then pour it into a toilet and throw the bag away. It doesn't get smelly overnight. 

I love the extra space and storage the U offers. 

BTW, before we picked up our New 2017 Max U we both read this forum extensively and looked up a lot of subjects. It was a tremendous help. I love this forum.

TravelGirl

@TaBulated I looked at the U this weekend.  The space truly is great. I love how open everyone is in this forum, the shared details make me giggle.  Congrats on your new rig. I can hardly wait to make up my mind and purchase one.