Ever wondered how you could have an indoor kitchen unit and be able to cook outside your van? Well North California company Trail Kitchens have just the solution. Introducing the TK Van Kitchen, a modular plug n play kitchen unit which mounts inside your van, but can be effortlessly removed to create an expandable, flexible outdoor kitchen.
The TK Van Kitchen stove unit, outdoors and fully expanded.
We’ve seen modular kitchen units before with the EatOut, but the difference is the TK Van Kitchen can be fixed permanently inside a van too.
Trail Kitchens already produce a range of camp kitchens, chuck boxes and portable sinks for cooking on the go, but now they’ve combined their sink and camp stove units to create the ultimate indoor/outdoor van kitchen. The sink unit stays in place, mounted using rails or D-rings on the van floor, while the camp stove unit can be removed and expanded to create an entire kitchen with storage.
The unit comes with everything you’d need in a kitchen and more: a 22” wide 2 burner stove, a small sink with tap and 6ft (1.8m) shower hose attachment, two water storage bladders to feed the sink holding 28 gallons in total (that’s 53L of fresh water and 53L of grey water, or alternately you can swap these for a 76L fresh tank), a 50psi water pump delivering 3.5 gallons (13L) per minute and a marine-grade 0.5 micron carbon water filter to purify it.
The kitchen unit expands to create a full-sized workspace.
The kitchen also has electrical power, internal gear storage, a utensils drawer and expanding work surfaces too, and folds down neatly into a lightweight aluminium box with folding lid.
You have a range of tasty extras too, including a rechargeable 12V power system with USB charging ports (add $260) and an externally-mounted 36,000 BTU/hr hot water heater (add $150), plus a choice of four external finishes to complement any van interior: Baltic birch, white composite aluminium, brushed composite aluminium, or bamboo (add $100).
The Trail Kitchens unit comes fully equipped with running water and power, seen here in a sleek birch wood finish.
The entire unit measures 33” high by 40.5” wide (84cm x 103cm), weighs in at 147lbs (67kg) and currently fits a range of common North American vans such as the Mercedes Sprinter, Dodge and Freightliner Sprinters, Ford Transit and E series vans, Ram Promaster and Chevy Express. The kitchen can be configured to be mounted inside the sliding door or behind the driver’s seat depending on the owner’s preference.
The kitchen unit can be configured to mount inside the sliding door or behind the driver’s seat.
So how much can you expect to pay for the ultimate modular van kitchen? Trail Kitchens are currently retailing their most enhanced camping kitchen unit for $2,665 (£2,029), and it can be bought from a variety of dealers across the U.S. or ordered online and shipped to you.
If given the choice between building your own van kitchen or buying a readymade one, the TK Van Kitchen certainly has its appeal, with its flexibility, modular design and variety of features combined into such a compact unit. If you want options, you want portability and you want the freedom to cook wherever you please, then the TK Van Kitchen could be just what you’ve been looking for.
