Show Me Your Chuckboxes/Camp Kitchen Setups

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TheRubiconLife

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I spent some money and a weekend building a nice chuck box like I remembered from Boy Scouts and used it a couple times before realizing it was way too heavy and took up too much space. I bought two of these tailgaterz from amazon, 1 for kitchen stuff and 1 for general camping stuff like headlamps, bug spray, etc. I just toss them in a tote with the stove, pots and pans and fuel and unroll and hang them on the side of the truck. It’s worked out way better for me. Cheaper, lighter and more organized and easy to use. I now can fit pretty much all camping gear into one tote and dry food in another with cold stuff in the fridge and a small yeti with beers and cocktail ice. I got a narrow plastic fold up table from Costco that everything sits on in the bed while traveling.


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I love the Tailgaterz idea.
 

Tom (Steel Industries)

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I spent some money and a weekend building a nice chuck box like I remembered from Boy Scouts and used it a couple times before realizing it was way too heavy and took up too much space. I bought two of these tailgaterz from amazon, 1 for kitchen stuff and 1 for general camping stuff like headlamps, bug spray, etc. I just toss them in a tote with the stove, pots and pans and fuel and unroll and hang them on the side of the truck. It’s worked out way better for me. Cheaper, lighter and more organized and easy to use. I now can fit pretty much all camping gear into one tote and dry food in another with cold stuff in the fridge and a small yeti with beers and cocktail ice. I got a narrow plastic fold up table from Costco that everything sits on in the bed while traveling.


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Nice! I was looking at getting a couple of those TailGaterz. Nice to see someone else using them. I may just have to buy them now
 
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blackntan

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Rich Faller

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I also use the Home Depot/Ridgid boxes for my camp cooking setup, but mine is organized just a little differently. I use the bottom crate and the small toolbox on top. in the toolbox I keep all my cooking tools like knives, spatulas, utensils, cutting board, as well as seasonings, lighter/matches, a spare pocket knife, a fresh general purpose rag, napkins, mini lantern and paracord to hang it, etc. In the bottom crate, I keep a Stanley Base Camp cook set, propane bottles, a large mixing bowl, a full 10L MSR water dromedary, and my backpacking mess kit as a spare for day trips and the like. When stacked together, it turns out the crate and small toolbox are the PERFECT height to just barely clear the rear tailgate bar for Jeep JK soft tops, meaning I don't have to load this stack separately, at a weird angle, or by partially removing the back portion of the soft top to load it.
The Stanely Basecamp cook set is fantastic because the bottoms of the pot and the pan are super heavy clad, and they heat extremely evenly for a compact cook set, and within the whole package is a cutting board and strainer, 4 bowls, 4 plates, utensils, and a serving spoon and spatula, all within the pot. Also, the MSR dromedaries I find to be much more user friendly and practical than using hard sided water containers. You can hang them by a tree and use the 3 different pouring options included in the one cap, and being a soft container, they can conform to various different packing systems, and allow for a more modular water storage system, meaning if one somehow breaks (and in the years I've used them I've never had one even leak) you aren't losing 5 gallons of your precious water, plus storing your water on the interior of the vehicle means it is not as exposed to the elements as exterior mounted hard containers, so they won't get hot or freeze. Lastly, they are lighter and more compact than hard containers when they are empty or even partially full. once empty, they simply roll up and get stashed wherever you choose, and in a 2 door Jeep, that kind of space savings is crucial
 

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Contributor I

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MI, USA
I uploaded a video to YouTube this morning where I go over our current camp kitchen bins.
We‘be been using the small and medium size Rigid tool boxes but by adding the crate we can compact down from our other separate bin that’s bigger than we need. Our goal is to have everything we need for 2-3 adults but nothing extra and always be able to go within a 20 min prep time. Thanks for the video we’re going to add the crate to our set up.
 

Viking1204

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I uploaded a video to YouTube this morning where I go over our current camp kitchen bins.
Great video, I have already started building my Kitchen with the Rigid Toolbox, I'll be adding the Organizer after work when I stop by Home Depot on the way home and pick it up. I think with the Organizer and the Toolbox that will do for my kitchen perfectly, both of them together come to a height of about 20.25" which will just fit under the 20.5" of clearance I have between my bed slide and Diamondback cover!
 

Contributor I

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MI, USA
I'm thinking about adding the crate and will put my green can propane bottles and billy pot essentials along with misc to the small and medium Toolboxes I'be been using. I'll be able to consolidate a larger bin into this footprint...Only wish the crate had wheels. The larger toolbox does but it's bigger than I need. Spending some quality time going through my current pack up to see if it can be made a little more organized like in the video.
 
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Matt Hixson

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Thanks Tex68w, yes it's a little heavy. But I have no money into it except for my time. And you can say I'm rolling heavy with a 79 Bronco with a big block 460 in it. Last year I added a thermal siphon with a cooler as a holding tank. It's so simple and it's nice to have hot water at A Primitive camp.
That's a great idea. Can you share what parts and hoses you used to connect to your copper loop?
 

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Can you tell us more about your hot/cold water sink? Do you have some kind of just-in-time propane heater or something else?
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The trailer is plumbed with high grade PEX, quick-connect fittings, and a 22 gallon food-grade fresh water tank over the axle, armored. Helps keep the center of gravity low and keeps the cargo area free and open. Hot and Cold quick-connects at one corner for a sink faucet, and mixed hot/cold at the diagonally opposite corner for a shower hose. The water is heated by a propane-fired on-demand water heater installed in the rear inside corner of the trailer, similar to what you'll find wall-mounted in a home. Also armored so cargo doesn't ding the hell out of it.

Super easy to hook up and use; super easy to drain and winterize.

I may do a write-up on the XVenture systems and trailer in general if there's enough interest.

desertbunker_3963-1000.jpg

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bonsaidave

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That's a great idea. Can you share what parts and hoses you used to connect to your copper loop?
I used braided steel hot water return and supply line to Copper. I can't remember what fittings are used to connect the two but the plumbing guy at the Lowe's help me out we went through all the fittings to connect the two together. And the supply lines are just hooked to a hot water garden hose that runs to the cooler.20190525_182457.jpg20190524_164932.jpg
 

grubworm

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Our camp trailer has a slide out with a 2 burner stove and 65qt Dometic cooler...very quick and easy to use. Sure beats trying to set up on the tail gate like the old days.

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Akuma129

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We use our trailer, we build a quick storage kitchen that goes inside the trailer while in route. Running water (12v solar system) heated (propane shower routed to the main tank) and a Chuckbox that we’ve had for many years.
 

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Matt Hixson

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Heres mine ...its been along road getting it to this stage , not every body taste but im happy with it ..
Is that Webasto stove top diesel powered? How do you like it? I'd love to reduce the number of fuels I carry. I have a diesel truck, propane heat for Mr. Heater and cooking, and sometimes gasoline for the chainsaw.
 
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