Considering camp chuck boxes

[pegkerr]

I want us to get a camping chuck box. As I mentioned in my last entry, when we go camping, it sometimes has to be a spur of the moment thing, because Rob gets his schedule for the weekend on Wednesday. Having a box which is already all organized with the kitchen stuff we might need sure would be handy.

I've been looking on the Internet and have seen a variety of models and prices. See here,
here (equipped) or here (unequipped),
here (you can either order it as a kit, or assembled, unfinished, or totally finished),
here,
and here (another picture of same item here).

Here are some do-it-yourself plans, made available by the Boy Scouts.
This is intriguing, but not quite what I had in mind, and perhaps more than we need.

Do you have a camping chuck box? Did you build it yourself or buy it? What do you like/dislike about it? What are useful features to look for?

Comments

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Oooh. My be-prepared soul hungers after something like this, now.

I'd be likely to make one for myself, or to get an empty one and outfit it myself not only because that way I could have exactly what I wanted in it, but because the planning is half the fun.

Or I might treat it the way I treated my first-aid kit - buy one that has the structure I wanted, keep whatever seemed useful, and add about twice again as much before I'm done.

I keep /wanting/ to be the sort of person who just randomly goes camping for a night or two. Julian and I keep talking about it. But somehow we never quite do. I'm not giving up, though.

But until I do, I'll have fun thinking about you doing it, insetead. :)

[sraun]

When I was a kid, my father made one. He started with a trunk, and put in some divider things (IIRC, he made them himself from some thin wood product) - used them to provide spacing, and everything except the Coleman stove fit inside it. Flatware, plates, cups, frying pan - I've forgotten what else. Probably salt & pepper.

[faeryguinevere.livejournal.com]

I use a big rubbermaid bin from Target. I have plastic reusable plates, bowls, small cups and water bottles in there, as well as metal flatware (all for four). I also have our cooking pots and pans (some retired out of the kitchen and other specially purchased "camping" pots), with associated spatula, large spoon, etc. I keep some oatmeal and hot cocoa mix in there, a couple of rags, a roll of paper towels, our small camp hatchet, and the biodegradable soap and a sponge in there as well. I make sure we have some alum. foil and large plastic bags, as well as a waterproof container of matches. I keep some small containers of cooking oil, as well as basic spices (salt, pepper, season-salt, etc). I think there's an extra flashlight in there too. I might be forgetting something, but that's the bulk of it.

We usually wash the dishes using the biggest pot filled with hot water.

I've been wanting to add a collapsable water container, a cast-iron skillet, and a good potholder/insulated glove to the mix.

[klostes.livejournal.com]

I made my own, using a couple of rubbermaid bins I had on hand, an old tupperware "celery storage" bin for silverware and utensils, and whatever pots, pans and silverware I could retire from the kitchen or round up at thrift stores. We use the largest pan for dishes. All we have to add is food and our cast iron skillet.

[annieways.livejournal.com]

My dad made one for our family while I was a kid. It was a fantastic idea. Doug also made one that is built into a trailer he made to pull all our camping gear and carry our bikes. Very inventive and a great way to carry all the camping gear and bikes for a family of four. We don't need that much space anymore for our gear, and will probably be selling the trailer.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I might like to take a look at what Doug made for you sometime.

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

Like others have been saying- I have my own. Actually, there's two- one's the "big" one, complete with double burner stove, all the proper cooking gear, a fairly extensive selection of dry foods- pasta, oatmeal, dried herbs, spices, cooking oil, cans of soup etc. It's pretty well set up for a week's camping trip, tightly packed into a Rubbermaid box. I've also got a smaller one for when I'm camping off my bike or kayaking, and weight is important- that's kept in a box for storage, but I tend to repack before setting off. It has all the really lightweight gear- one multipurpose pot, a single camping burner.

Both really save time & headaches right before camping- especially when I just want to drag the box into the boot of the car, grab my tent, and head off!

[snippy]

I have 3 large and 1 small Rubbermaid container always ready to go. One large is the kitchen box, one is the tent box (stuff that helps set up or make the tent comfortable, including air mattresses and a small broom and dustpan), and one is the utilities box (TP, first aid kit, extra batteries, etc.). The small box is games, cards, paper, crayons, all the entertainment stuff, including a kite, a ball, and a frisbee.

All you have to add is the sleeping bags, tent, clothes, and a cooler full of food.

[harpie84.livejournal.com]

I have four camping chuck boxes. THey're all converted beer boxes - they're perfect for camping gear and if it gets wrecked, no big deal.

You can get them from bars and restaurants that serve bottled beer. Remove the dividers and voila!

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

When I camped more frequently, I usually had my Coleman stove, a plastic storage bin full of cooking and serving implements (pots, pans, nonperishable food, lighters...), and a picnic basket full of eating gear (plates, cups, silverware) with a durable tablecloth and some candles.

I did a lot of my camping in the SCA, so I separated out the eating gear was because sometimes I attended feast instead of cooking in camp; it was easier to pack those things separately.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

er, strike out the "was" after "eating gear" in the second paragraph..

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Off-topic: lovely pictures of the Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China.

http://www.rtoddking.com/chinawin2005_hb_if.htm

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I'm in the "made my own" school, from a plastic tub that doubles as a bathtub in some camps and a coffee table in others. I started with one or two plastic milk crates, though.

Now is a good time to buy things like camp plates and tumblers and such, as Target is closing out their picnic ware. And probably their camping stuff, too. My original camp stove came from Target, a single burner that screws onto a propane bottle, and is still working perfectly well after 15 seasons (most of very light use, admittedly). Keeping spices, condiments or any kind of food (except salt and sugar) in your camp gear will ensure that the stuff will be stale when you go to eat it.

Features? I dunno... I'm always proud of bringing only things I use, but never going without some crucial object.

I pick and chose among these items when deciding what I need on any given trip, depending on what I'm eating:

plates, tableware, mugs
can opener, bottle opener, wine opener
cutting board
bowl
stove, fuel, matches
marshmallow forks
tablecloth
hotpads
pitcher
coffee pot, coffee press
cook pot
frying pan
griddle
spatula, ladle, big spoon, big fork
serrated knife
picnic grill, charcoal
candles

That's most of it, I think.

K.

[gamps-garret.livejournal.com]

When I was small, we had a set of three plastic crates, the bottommost of which had casters on it. The dishes were all mismatched favourites, picked up as odds and ends, or rescued from the basement or attic at various times. Pots, pans, and cooking utensils were an array of mismatched pieces from my Dad's old mess kits, military issue stuff, and garage sale finds. Across the top box was fitted a piece of wood with a size guide nailed to the bottom, to hold it on top of the topmost crate. It was sturdy enough for the dishpan and the coleman stove.

My Mom always said that the best part about the crates is that she could hose them off outside whenever necessary.

Best of luck!

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

Both Cabelas (Owatona and Rodgers) and Sportsmans Guide (StP) have boxes that make a good place to start. Now that bears are more common south of Duluth having a sturdy box is a good idea.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Sturdy does not equal bear-proof. I'd check with the rangers about leaving food in your car. I think that it is safe enough still in MN, where the bears are not in all cases known or assumed to be habituated to human food. But I wouldn't trust my food supply on the trail to any assumptions.

More on the topic for the curious.

K.

[wilfulcait.livejournal.com]

I have one I made myself, after deciding that (a) I favor paper plates etc. where dishwashing is iffy and (b) the really structured ones were making up for lack of picnic tables, which I usually had.

I made mine in a Rubbermade tote and it has my gas stove and fuel, paper towels, cutting board, knives, cook pots and spoons, box of spices, paper plates and bowls, and a couple or three meal mixes such that I can come up with a hot meal using nothing but water and a good meal using nothing but water, an onion and some sausages. Tea bags and sugar. Not sure what else.

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Huh. Didn't know there was a specific name for it or that you could order it ready-made. I just have a Rubbermaid box that I organized myself. Then I found that it consisted of many of the necessary "winter survival" stuff that my mom insists I have in my car all winter, so it just sits in the trunk year around.

grab and go good!

[litgirl101.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend Mike has one that he made (or maybe his dad made) MANY years ago out of wood. It is stocked much like faeryguinevere's. We have actually outgrown it and plan to get one of the big plastic bins from Target for overflow. Essential contents: frying pan, pot, kettle, knife, collapsible water jug, flashlight, hatchet, bug repellent, lighter stick, instant coffee, paper towels, aluminum foil, plastic wash basin, dish soap and sponge, BBQ tongs and spatula, a few dishes and utensils (some old tin camping style, some cast-offs from the kitchen), and basic spices. (Cover the salt and pepper with plastic wrap, then screw the shaker tops over the plastic wrap, to keep them from spilling out the holes.)
In the second box we plan to put blow-up pillows, tarp, blow-up mattress (we've become wimps), lantern, etc.
Long story short - we love being able to grab and go when the camping bug hits us!

[jemyl.livejournal.com]

When we had our van the stove was bungied to the top of the cabinet I built and which Pete had bolted in. The plastic sink was likewise. What I did, and seem to have always done since, even for our hurricane evacuation last year, is to make up a box or bin with some kitchen essentials in it. We tend to call it the "pretty box" since it was originally a painted up beer carton, one of the double thick ones. We have always used a camping nesting set of pots and pans which also contains a couple of metal plates and coffee pot. In the pretty box went some paper plates, additional plastic plates and bowls, silverware and serving utensils, a can opener, a stove lighter, matches, dishcloths and dishtowels, Salt, Pepper, Onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and lemon pepper(our basic seasonings), a couple of alcohol wipes, dish detergent, a small non-stick frying pan (just for eggs) four tupperware cups with lids, a set of plastic wine glasses, a corkscrew or wine bottle opener, a plastic table cloth and four stainless steel cloth clamps, a citronella candle, bug wipes or skin-so-soft in a small bottle, a roll of paper towels, a bar of Fels Naptha Soap, a bar of regular soap and a roll of toilet paper. I know this sounds like a lot, but most of it nested. We usually also managed to get our sandwich irons and marshmallow forks in there too. I also had a stove lighter in the stove. The one in the pretty box was a spare for when someone forgot and left the stove one on a picnic table somewhere which always seemed to happen at least once a season. Whenever we were getting ready I tried to slip a small jar of peanut butter and a small one of jelly into the box as well, only not when we were going to bear country.

I always wanted a real chuck box, but with the van built for camping it seemed to be a waste and we had really nowhere to store it. That is why we also didn't store the cooking nest of pots in the pretty box, but next to it. I really miss camping, allergies notwithstanding. The trip Bill and I took ten years ago was one of the happiest memories I will have of our life together. I wish we would be able to go again before he leaves me, but know it just isn't likely as I fear that day is not far away.

Highly recommended!

[rutemple.livejournal.com]

Growing up, we had a "camp kitchen" my dad built: a wooden box similar to that first pic of the kit from Cabela's (I'd get that one and adjust as life and use work out). Dad's had a larger compartment on the right that held the dishpan, coleman stove; a section that had some drawers, one with tinfoil, saran wrap and baggies, one with cooking utensils, one with heavy plastic flatware (I think that got swapped out for some metal flatware at some point); and three vertical slots that held dishes, dishsoap, scrubbies and kitchen towels, and all the various sundries.
My memory of it is that it was larger and a little heavier than I'd make it now.

What Lise and I use is a cube crate that holds: towels, tea kettle, mugs, bowls, plates, short-stubby biodegradable dish soap, scrubbies, flashlights & lanterns, a former rumford's baking powder (metal tube with platic top) full of matches, a bag of tea lights or little candles (mixed at this point) - good for simple light or for starting recalcitrant fires; box of aluminum foil, some art supplies, a folding-handle frying pan (one would want a bigger one for more than 2 people); a jar of cooking oil; a littler jar of olive oil, coil of wire, and wick - a handmade lamp that never fails to charm; a roll of TP; zip-lock of napkins; a roll of paper towels; a pellet fuel mini stove and fuel pellets all in a wee bag (good to boil water for tea); a bag with cotton clothesline and a few clothespins; which somehow leaves room for the smaller saucepan (deep round for soup or oatmeal); a couple of those boxes of Bengal Spice meals in a bag in a slim box that make great and tasty camp food and other sundries of food we pack fresh and go. This we use for car camping.
For picnics and day-trips, or overnights where we'll stay with someone, we might just grab the following:
In the soft-sided cooler we take live the treen-ware (wooden picnic flatware) and a decent knife with a wooden sheath; big spoons and a baggie of tea. wooden plates also fit into the side pocket of this thing, and there are elastic cords on the top that usually get more napkins and paper plates on daytrips.
We keep a "habae" kit, which just lets you know how dangerous it is to let Latin scholars loose on your acronyms: Health And Beauty Aids: HABA, so the kit of the goodies is the habae. old jokes are the best...
Lives packed with all the necessities, and it's someone's sacred chore before we head out for longer trips (or just after, or both) to make sure it's stocked.
Somewhere I have a definitive "camping packing list" that I'll dig out and post later.

Camp kitchen

[(Anonymous)]

My Dad built one from a kit when I was a kid (40 yrs ago?). My Mom still uses it today, and we borrow it too for it's convenience. I've recently been looking at the Grubby One from Blue SKy Kitchen. I'm partial to the wood ones, probably because that's what I was raised on. I don't care for the others. We just got back from a week in New Hampshire and I wish I'd had one. I've used boxes of various shapes and sizes but nothing is ever quite as organized as I'd wish. I think I'm going to "request" one for Christmas this year and then have fun building it and organizing it. Camping is a family affair around here. We'd like to go on the spur of the moment for weekends and whatever. I don't know why I've put this off for so long? Go for it.

Chuck box kitchen

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, here are the links about my Chuck Boxes I have been building them for local Boy Scout Troops for years. This past year some were in use at the National Boy Scout Jamboree.

http://home.earthlink.net/~hughmcveigh/index.html

www.rangelinecreations.com