Securing Kitchen Dishes

[nateh]

I'm about to start cutting plywood for a kitchen drawer system for my LR3 this weekend and I'm trying to wrap up the design for the small drawers. One question that I haven't answered yet is regarding the dishes/pot/pan. I'd like to secure them in place somehow and not have them bouncing around too much. I've got some anti-slip mat from Ross for $2 that will be great but I want to tie stuff down. I've seen ideas with custom foam (too much $$) and rolling in towels or canvas. Has anybody used some kind of elastic/bungee system before? I'm thinking about fixing some elastic bands in an "X" across the bottom of each drawer so that I can put the plates and bowls face down and then put the elastics across the top of the dishes to secure them in place with the anti slip mat below the bottom dish or even between each one (I have 6 of everything). Not sure if that makes sense. I was also thinking of a bungee net but the ones online are all huge.

Thoughts?

 

[WAYAWAY]

I use cloth napkins in my kitchen stuff stacks to stop the rattle. I carry them anyways, for cleanup and stuff..

 

[nateh]

Yeah I was thinking some kind of mechanical way to secure it at the corners and then maybe some hot glue to keep it in place. Criss cross in an X and then slide the dishes underneath with the layers of foam stuff. Need to test but I'll toss it up here if I ever succeed with this

 

[ThundahBeagle]

What is minimalism? Getting rid of the box because you dont need it? Or keeping the box so you dont need an intricate solution after throwing it away?

I bought a set of metal/ speckled enamel camp dishes, bowls and cups. I stack them back in their original box and stash that in the bed of the truck. No real rattling because the cardboard supports that were original to the box are still in place.

 

[MegaBug]

Whenever I am sussing out a problem such as the camp kitchen storage dilemma I usually find that with enough thought there is an "elegant" solution. An elegant solution is one that is effective, DIY, easy to build, easy to use .... and cheap :-) The "easy to use" is essential as after many days on the road something that at first seems simple can become irritating (i.e. bungiing things down). Our plates/bowls/glasses/cutlery reside in a cupboard in the galley of our trailer but I think something similar could be adapted to many setups. This is a concept from our old sailboat days where everything got tipped and bumped around a lot ...... sound familiar? The inserts are custom built for the dimensions of the cupboard and are modular for easy installation and removal. I used wood because it is easier for me to work with and is more forgiving when things are bouncing around. It is easy to access each item and slip it back in its spot once cleaned. While travelling everything stays in place (unless you get really crazy :-) I DETEST metal plates/bowls/cups as they suck the heat right out of your food/drink, and I am a stickler for having my meals hot, and they also clatter around a lot more. My solution is an old set of Melamine dinnerware and plastic mugs. Melamine is light weight, indestructible and insulating, so it doesn't cool your meals or heat your legs. It also doesn't rattle so much. I have two exceptions to this as I don't like drinking out of plastic. One is an Espro stainless steel, double-walled, vacuum, french press, travel mug for my coffee. This has its own snug travel spot. The other is glasses for my whisk(e)y. These fit snugly in the plastic cups as can be seen in the photo. Behind the plates and bowls there was even a dead space the perfect size for a whisk(e)y bottle, which lies angled on it's side and is mostly hidden from prying eyes :-)
This system has worked out very well over many bumps and potholes and we find it a simple system to use on a daily basis.
I think I found "elegant" on this one :-)