Camping box project

The Tardis factor (interiors, awnings, roofs etc)

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silverbullet
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Re: Camping box project

Post by silverbullet »

Re: securing, the intention is to add some decent sized lashing rings to the rear deck as well as some to the base of B posts etc
I have some of the type used on Brenderup trailers.

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Re: Camping box project

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Update/musings.
The original intention was to build two boxes to house the following:
Camping gaz twin burner/grille
4.5 kg gas bottle
Cobb
3x nesting pans
Chopping boards
10 litre water carrier
Cutlery, crockery,
Jetboil
Coffee press
Washing up essentials
Condiments
Kitchen roll
Colander (silicone, fold flat)
BBQ tools

These are all currently carried in a pair of 35litre Really Useful Boxes (apart from the gas, burner and Cobb)

Optional items:
Alloy tagine (fits inside Cobb)
Trangia (gas, same cylinder as Jetboil) in place of Cobb and pan set
Espresso pot

So basically all home kitchen items apart from an Aga (oh, if only...)
This covers all cooking options but it feels like a bit of an overkill with multiple redundancy. The Cobb is great for bbq and frying pan/griddle duties, fuel is clean but expensive (I tried charcoal which was hopeless, briquettes/beads were a bit better) and since I dont eat meat now so its almost redundant, although I do like grilled fish and eggs done any number of ways.
Maybe I should convert the Cobb to use gas with a single burner?

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Re: Camping box project

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Ok so now I have a Cobb modification side project :roll:
Bought one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182438932530 which will enable use of the Calor Gas bottle. No more sulphurous Cobblestones (except in an emergency) and just one fuel source.
So I'll be popping a hole though the side of the Cobb once that arrives :)

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Re: Camping box project

Post by silverbullet »

Well thats the Cobb ⅔ done. The burner is an 8kw monster, might have to block some of the holes off!Image

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Re: Camping box project

Post by clift_d »

:shock:

Is the plan to have some kind of mobile foundry in your van so you can cast your own replacement parts en-route?

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Re: Camping box project

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Hmmm interesting.
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Re: Camping box project

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clift_d wrote: 10 Jul 2020, 18:56 :shock:

Is the plan to have some kind of mobile foundry in your van so you can cast your own replacement parts en-route?

:mrgreen:
It was rather bigger than I was expecting...
The idea was to have a burner with similar size/area as the cobblestone tray, around 160mm diameter, to evenly distribute the heat.
I can always fit a smaller jet to restrict the max output!

PS the lowest point of the side hole is still 5mm above the (leaky) joint/seam for the central solid fuel dish*, so I can still fill the "moat"
*It was only held in by four tiny spot welds, easily removed.

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Jim San
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Re: Camping box project

Post by Jim San »

At a guess, you've done simillar to Winchweight/bucketbabe with your cobb and put the lid on before the stone is up to temp - hence its gone black.  

That looks a beast of a thing now.  When you mentioned it before, I thought it was going to be more akin to the gas stove conversion you can get for Triangia stoves. 
 
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Re: Camping box project

Post by silverbullet »

The burner is surprisingly light, having cut the tube I can see that its only 2mm wall thickness, which says a lot about the casting process.
Large, diffuse heat source rather than a small, intense one will make for consistent temperatures across the pan/griddle etc

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Re: Camping box project

Post by Titus A Duxass »

How are you going to reattach the control valve?
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Re: Camping box project

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Titus A Duxass wrote: 11 Jul 2020, 11:23 How are you going to reattach the control valve?

Two options: looks like it will take a 1"BSPT tap, so a double male fitting should fix that.
If not then I'll cut the tube off almost flush, tap the burner head and make a new tube from steel.

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Re: Camping box project

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Returning to the box project, I have been wrangling over the "do I really need a fridge" question.
Not because of the cold beer issue (not a big drinker anyway) but fresh salad and a bit of nice cheese does appeal.
If the Cobb gas conversion works out then I can jettison the twin burner, this liberates some volume and I quite like the look of a 30litre drawer fridge, such as the Waeco CD-30.
How much stuff does anyone really need?

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Re: Camping box project

Post by Titus A Duxass »

I've got an Eisbär 3 way coolbox which is more than big enough for food and a few beers, plus it's tall enough to take a bottle of wine stood up.
I normally leave it outside the sliding door coupled up to the underfloor gastank. It does what it says on the tin.
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Re: Camping box project

Post by Jim San »

We ditched our 30 ltr 3 way.  It worked brillianty all but the 12v. 
I got tired of hoiking it and out of the van to set it up. 
It was so heavy when full and when we evaluated what we used it for, one half the size would be more than adaquate.
An 18ltr Waeko compressor fridge suited best.  It brilliant, no more gas, it runs brilliantly on 12v, deep enough for bottles to stand up in and cold enough to chill a warm beer down whilst one is in hand. 
 
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Re: Camping box project

Post by silverbullet »

I've also got an adsorption type Combicool knockoff, but like James said its a lump that has no home. Brilliant on gas and provided its in the shade, works even in high 20's summer weather. Melted the plug on 12v, never again.
The bus is almost certainly keeping the "sleep in the middle" double rock n roll seating arrangement that I had in the SA, it gives a big flat load area when required, works well with the proposed camping boxes/field kitchen in the back and with twin 180 degree awnings there will be plenty of shade/wet weather shelter.
The boxes could potentially be hung off the bulkhead too with the (reversed) middle row backrest folded down, I need to investigate that idea a bit more.

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