clam shell kitchen

telecamper

likes and dislikes of outside kitchen ? just wondering how it works in the rain or inclement weather

Sharon_is_SAM

We love our galley kitchen.  Most folks cook outside anyway and if necessary, we can use a butane burner to heat up some water for coffee or soup.  We cover with a canopy or our new favorite a Hasika or King Camp cover.  Our next trip we will try a Cottonwood canopy by PahaQue as it has sides that can drop.  

Capt_KLR

Bought the trailer because it has the galley kitchen. Early spring, late fall can be a bit of a challenge though as we live in Canada. No protection from the wind also can be a PTA.

We purchased a Pahaque galley tent late last year and have only used it once because the manufacturer constructed this item with a very poor tent/trailer interface. Long story short, Pahaque is taking a very long time correcting this problem with my tent. However, a tent or shelter is necessary for the above mentioned small drawbacks.

For my wife and me the outside galley is the only way to go.

Scooter

I’m not sure I would get the CS If I were to buy again.  It’s nice having, at least what feels like, extra storage and not having to go into the camper to get things.  However in inclement weather (especially cold and windy) it’s a royal pain.  Coming out of the camper on a cold/windy fall morning just to make a pot of coffee (I use a percolator on the gas range) gets tiresome.   Sometimes it would be nice to stay in the warm and make it inside.   There are pros and cons either way you chose and really depends on how you would camp.  I thought I would get more use out of rear kitchen but I’m finding over time that really isn’t the case. I cook over campfire/hibachi 99% of the time.  If those options are available it probably means the weather is terrible. So it would be nice to be able to make a quick grilled cheese or something inside and out of the elements.   Based on my ~2 years experience with mine, I don’t believe I would make the same choice.  

On a somewhat related topic, the bathroom/shower I would not live without.  I use it frequently and it’s been well worth it.  Again, on those cold windy mornings it has nice to stay in the warm camper and take a hot (albeit fast) shower and get clean before hitting the road.  The middle of the night trips to the camp restroom are a thing of the past!  

rfuss928

The outside kitchen was the primary attraction of the T@B for us.  No other small trailer offers anything like it.   We cook two meals a day in our kitchen and know from experience cooking anything inside a small trailer quickly saturates everything inside with moisture and odors.  Just using the toaster inside often sets off the smoke alarm!  Preparation space is almost non-existent.   An inside kitchen in a small trailer is not an option for us

A less obvious benefit is the additional living space the outside kitchen creates inside.  The whole front of the trailer is available for whatever fits your style and needs while traveling and camping.  We have two shelves above the bench that travel empty but fill up fast with life's stuff soon after we park.  We really like that the bedroom and the kitchen are completely separate.

We keep the toaster, tea pot, and such in the pass through cabinets so they are easily reached from inside or out when needed.

The pros and cons are pretty well known and often discussed.  The importance of those differences to your desires will determine what is best for you.

We have had our CS for seven years and spent hundreds of nights out traveling and there is no other trailer we desire.

Have fun!

Marceline

telecamper said:

likes and dislikes of outside kitchen ? just wondering how it works in the rain or inclement weather

Pros: Pull up at a campsite, open the hatch, and presto! I am cooking outside. No need to haul around a Coleman stove or move around cooking gear. I do a lot of 2 night stops at state and national parks/forests so I like to feel like I'm camping but I also like to keep setup to a minimum.

Cons: Harvest Hosts doesn't consider the CS "self contained" and won't allow them. An indoor kitchen is also probably better if you expect to do much moochdocking (staying in a friend's driveway) or if you expect to use Walmart parking lots for overnight breaks on long trips. 

If you expect to frequently camp in inclement weather (hard rain, freezing temps) then the indoor kitchen might be a better bet. But if you set up a shelter over the clamshell it can be very cozy and a nice place to hang out even in the rain. Wind can be an issue but I've been experimenting with various windbreaks. I've suggested to @NuCamp that they should sell some kind of "wings" like @ColleenD2 made (https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/96394/#Comment_96394).
 
One other consideration: The CS fridge doesn't run on propane. It only runs on 12v power (from battery or converted from 110 when hooked up to shore power). Therefore battery management when boondocking is more of a challenge than with the other models, which have a 3-way fridge. 

I love my clamshell but it really depends on your style of camping.

Tabster

Outside kitchen is also why I bought a t@b.  I'd buy a 400 if it had one. Also keep a little butane stove, teapot, etc in the passthrough for early coffee. LOVE the clamshell

Marceline

Tabster said:

Outside kitchen is also why I bought a t@b.  I'd buy a 400 if it had one. Also keep a little butane stove, teapot, etc in the passthrough for early coffee. LOVE the clamshell

Do you have a butane stove that you'd recommend? I've been thinking about getting one.

rfuss928

Tabster, Marceline 

Count us in for a 400CS !!

I'm also very interested in the "wings" and have been trying a bit myself.

This has been a work in progress prototype used occasionally for many years and seems to demonstrate that there is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution.  

Our KingCamp shelter is the foul weather kitchen shelter of choice now.

Tabster

I use a single burner campchef.  They come in a carrycase and are frequently on sale for under $20 at big 5 sporting goods .never had any problems with it after 6 or so years

Sharon_is_SAM

Marceline, nice set up with the Clam!  Do you have the solid sides, too?  That would make it very cozy.  Regarding the butane burner, they are all or nothing.  John is the cook in our family and he originally purchased a 15,000 BTU burner - way too hot and only good for cooking a huge pot of corn or lobster!  He then got a 9 or 10,000 BTU burner and it is perfect to offset the very slow TaB burners of < 5,000 BTUs.  

brooksdm

We had our eyes on a CS for two years and finally bought a used one this past April.  We absolutely LOVE it!!  We used it A LOT this summer and on a few occasions the weather wasn't ideal.  On one camping trip at the river, it rained pretty darn bad but we still didn't have a problem cooking as we used a pop-up tent when the rain let up and it was drizzling.  One weekend we took the Tab to the coast and realized it was too windy to keep the stove lit so we BBQ'd on a small grill.  We do have sides for our pop-up, which I'm sure would've worked great at blocking the wind but unfortunately, we didn't take them that particular weekend.  Other than those two outings, the weather was perfect and we thoroughly enjoy EVERYTHING about the kitchen area.  We watch a lot of movies outside also and totally love it!  The outside kitchen feels like you can invite the whole world over for dinner!  I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Oh wait, yeah maybe a Tab 400 CS!  Hint, Hint NuCamp!

Marceline

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Marceline, nice set up with the Clam!  Do you have the solid sides, too?  That would make it very cozy.  Regarding the butane burner, they are all or nothing.  John is the cook in our family and he originally purchased a 15,000 BTU burner - way too hot and only good for cooking a huge pot of corn or lobster!  He then got a 9 or 10,000 BTU burner and it is perfect to offset the very slow TaB burners of < 5,000 BTUs.  

Yes, I have the sides. I don't camp in the rain very often, but the sides worked better than expected the few times I used them last summer. I did learn that it's important to get everything staked down before the storm hits, though. I've also made a kind of rainfly that goes over the top of the clamshell to connect it to the CLAM popup. 

rfuss928

brooksdm said:.   it was too windy to keep the stove lit

I added this wind-screen to our stove grate at the beginning of this season and it has made more improvement than I could have imagined!  The burners absolutely do not blow out and I am convinced it increases the heating effectiveness of them in all conditions.  A very successful and easy modification.

More ideas and related discussion here:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/96687#Comment_96687

Marceline

A couple of stove windscreen alternatives:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QRYQ0C/


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013OKJ8A0/

lino

We had the same debate before upsizing from a LGSix 

We decided it would be best to have the option to cook inside

We thought we would get a clam shell but got a Q with no regrets 
an cook outside most of the time unless the weather is horrible

We also like the larger bed 

ScottG

lino said:

...
We also like the larger bed 

Good point. Cooking proclivities aside, those weighing the CS option might also consider that the bed is smaller and requires two people to sleep wheel-to-wheel (typical of most campers) rather than front to back.

Personally, the large bed with the front-to-back sleeping orientation was a major selling point for the non-CS T@B. YMMV!

2Cougs

LOVE our CS-S!  The outside kitchen is the only reason we even looked at getting a trailer.  It is everything we wanted and then some.  When DH added more cupboard space instead of the bench seat inside (like the option you can now get from NuCamp), we actually have more storage than we need!

The clamshell gives plenty of “roof” to stand under when it is raining.  And I agree... pull into campsite, open back, and ready to cook!

Two full seasons... over 80 nights...No regrets!  

Marceline

rfuss928 said:

brooksdm said:.   it was too windy to keep the stove lit

I added this wind-screen to our stove grate at the beginning of this season and it has made more improvement than I could have imagined!  The burners absolutely do not blow out and I am convinced it increases the heating effectiveness of them in all conditions.  A very successful and easy modification.

More ideas and related discussion here:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/96687#Comment_96687

@rfuss928

 I really like this but I don't have the fabricating skills/tools.
I don't suppose you'd like to make and sell them to your fellow CS owners?

mreric

Scooter said:

I’m not sure I would get the CS If I were to buy again.  It’s nice having, at least what feels like, extra storage and not having to go into the camper to get things.  However in inclement weather (especially cold and windy) it’s a royal pain.  Coming out of the camper on a cold/windy fall morning just to make a pot of coffee (I use a percolator on the gas range) gets tiresome.   Sometimes it would be nice to stay in the warm and make it inside.   There are pros and cons either way you chose and really depends on how you would camp.  I thought I would get more use out of rear kitchen but I’m finding over time that really isn’t the case. I cook over campfire/hibachi 99% of the time.  If those options are available it probably means the weather is terrible. So it would be nice to be able to make a quick grilled cheese or something inside and out of the elements.   Based on my ~2 years experience with mine, I don’t believe I would make the same choice.  

On a somewhat related topic, the bathroom/shower I would not live without.  I use it frequently and it’s been well worth it.  Again, on those cold windy mornings it has nice to stay in the warm camper and take a hot (albeit fast) shower and get clean before hitting the road.  The middle of the night trips to the camp restroom are a thing of the past!  

get a small  butane cooktop and place in the counter inside...   i mean if you have the 2018 model...

seitzmike

Love the galley kitchen.  It feels like we are really camping and we attract neighbors by being out.  We added a 12X12 canopy (would do a 10X10 straight leg in the future) with a couple of side walls and a propane camp fire for the chilly mornings.  We totally use the kitchen.  T@B owners who we have spoken with that have the indoor kitchen seem to do little more than coffee.
Being outside, I have gotten into dutchoven cooking and added a small Coleman oven with a one burner propane store (does not work well on the T&B stove top) for treats or to warm up leftovers.

shirlstew

Bought our clamshell (2008 model) in August 2018.  Maiden voyage to Bolsa Chica State Beach, CA.  Set up one pop up 10x10 over door and another over the clamshell and it was perfect.  As for cooking outside we had the two small propane burners plus an Induction burner.  Fried Chicken, sausage and eggs were all great cooked outside. Our experience as tent campers made us feel that a real kitchen was heaven.  We don't plan to travel much in cold areas so cooking outside is great for us.  Am thinking of modifying the inside to accommodate end to end sleeping as both of us feel a bit cramped wheel to wheel.  We have mucho storage space and even added some plastic chest of drawers that stay on the 2 cushions in the front area.  
All of our pots, pans, dishes, cutlery, bowls and toaster fit well into the cupboards above and below the sink and counter areas.  We bought collapsible basins and dish dryer rack that fit in front of the cupboards on the floor area.  Intend to put small backsplash tiles in for decoration and easy cleanup.   Love our T@Batha!

ronin718

So we got the CS Max off the lot.  Wife didn't want the kitchen or bathroom inside, and we've enjoyed the extra storage (and even added more).  We discovered we didn't like the stove (burners too small and too close together) or the sink (too small and the faucet issues), so we eventually had those removed and created more counter space.  We tend to be park-and-run campers, where we come in, drop stabilizers, and use the T@B as a base camp to go enjoy whatever is in the area, eating out as we go.  When we do cook onsite, we have a Coleman Roadtrip XL grill and dutch ovens for the cooking and use the local facilities for clean-up of items that need washing.  We'd love to find a fridge that doesn't have the goofy icebox, but really enjoy having that fridge back there, along with all the storage.  Wife is getting itchy for a bigger unit now, so I don't know how much longer we'll have the H@wk T@B, and I'm on the wrong coast for an easy sell with my decorations (see my avatar, that's the back side).