On our travels we've noticed so many newer model caravans with slide out kitchens, almost all of them NOT under the awning. Many people don't cook in their caravans.
Do couples take it in turns to get wet in rainy weather?
Do people really like getting soaked to the skin while cooking?
We reckon it's a design fault but it makes for good entertainment though.
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Cheers Keith & Judy
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Ummm... the outdoor barbecue does not mean there's no cooktop inside. However I'd rather attend to the BBQ holding an umbrella than sleep in meat-stink. Choices.
Thats a rather broad conclusion you have drawn from a few observations DD i.e. people with a built in slide out for their bbq cook all their meals outside even when it,s raining. I would have thought that most new vans would still have a cooktop, oven and microwave inside and if like us people would make use of either depending on the weather conditions or what they are cooking. If anything its more annoying having to take the battery out of the smoke detector which has a habit of going off whenever we use our cooktop. Maybe Victorians are just so used to having 4 seasons in a day that they dont notice when its raining
Cold meat and salad or takeaway for the rainy days. Our van has an Exhaust fan above the inside cooker which works very well but we do use our webber on a stand outside when we do BBQs. DDs pic was hardly a slideout outdoor kitchen, more just a webber on a slide. Some slide out outdoor kitchens are very elaborate. Rainy days could be good for the diet if one does not want to cook in their van or Mhome.
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
Could be because of not legal to vent gas appliances on enclosed annexe side of van/motorhome
DD....just maybe this is the reason.
If the outdoor kitchen is under the awning and someone installs awning walls then it becomes inside with little to no ventilation.
it is extremely hard to control "stupid".
It may be argued that an owner could have an extension made for the awning but this modification would not be endorsed by the manufacturer if safety and regulations could be breached.
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
Few years ago we moved up from a pretty simple Cub Camper, our kitchen was in the back of the ute, it all worked a treat. Then went to a caravan, camping show, saw a new model off road Cub Camper with bells and whistles, slide out kitchen, real pretty to look at. It followed us home.
The first time I tried to boil water on the side off the road was quiet a comical affair trying to stop the breeze from taking the heat away.
Then it got more exciting when it rained and the wind blew straight into the awning. Not a lot of fun. We were glad to see the end of it.
Now we own a caravan with slide out bbq but its out in the weather by regulations, in my defence the caravan was second hand and we would never of order a bbq, we for most don't eat that style of cooking but cooks the egg & bacon nice.
Manufacturing Regulations prohibit gas fittings, bayonets and gas appliances to be in a location beneath an awning or window. Like most safety regulations many choose to ignore them or in this case are ignorant of the regulations.
Could be because of not legal to vent gas appliances on enclosed annexe side of van/motorhome
DD....just maybe this is the reason.
If the outdoor kitchen is under the awning and someone installs awning walls then it becomes inside with little to no ventilation.
it is extremely hard to control "stupid".
It may be argued that an owner could have an extension made for the awning but this modification would not be endorsed by the manufacturer if safety and regulations could be breached.
I don't think it's any of that, they are there for the sales hype and to add a few $ to the cost and overall profit margin.
Any how have not got one don't like that sort of food. Also not for me happy hour, camp fires and fishing.
Sometimes it's quite enjoyable when it's not cold and windy when it's raining to sit under the awning with some wings or some sort sizzling on the barby. Mine is not on a slide so I can sit it right under the awning - out of the rain of course, I'm not that silly...........yet!
Cheers, John.
-- Edited by meetoo on Friday 9th of February 2018 09:16:09 PM
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On my previous van I had a tarp of sorts that I could slide into the rope track in the front anti flap bar and with the inclusion of two poles I had an entrance awning so to speak on the front of my annexe. This awning section did not have sides but provided shelter at the entrance to the annexe should it rain. It was also handy providing shade and shelter if I were using the webber. A similar situation to having the BBQ under any open shelter or awning.
If I were silly enough to enclose that front section then it would propose a similar danger to barbequeing with a gas appliance inside the confines of the main annexe.
While we are on the subject of stupid, if it were raining and one needed to BBQ without getting wet then the person with that condition could just take his BBQ inside the van....oh! Hang on, the gas hose is too short, well why nor just take the bottle inside the van as well.
Problem solved....
-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Saturday 10th of February 2018 06:45:21 AM
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
We do not travel with a bbq.
When in a C/pk electric appliances are used for cooking outside, on the fold out picnic table under the awning. The weather really plays no role unless really cold and windy.
When freedom camping, an open fire is used, weather permitting. or a portable butane cooker is used.
If all else fails and we really have to do something inside, then it will be cold meats and salad or heat something up on the inside stove.
No real cooking is done in the van. If a roast is wanted,or something special, then we will find a descent pub and hopefully have a great meal there.
Yes those slide outs look really snazzy but I agree that they are not very practical in inclement weather and continual use may result in grease up the walls & on the awning.
Of course they have the advantage of not having to set them up or pack away at every stop & that's a big advantage I suppose.
We rarely cook inside, just out of habit. Over time we have just fallen into the practice of cooking outside on one of my propane cylinder BBQs or maybe an electric frypan. I do 90% of the cooking when we are vanning because I like to & it gives SWMBO a break.
My set up is on a dedicated table that I can move under the awning if raining or too hot outside. I usually site it under a convenient tree or out of the wind. I have a BBQ cover that I put over the set up when not in use to cover the mess so that I don't get criticism from her.
I like the look of the slideouts but would never specify one in a new build.
(My Daughter just picked up a new MonCon Camper trailer & is very proud of her UBute slide out kitchen. I just made positive comments & moved on to give effusive praise of her Redarc battery management system. It's fantastic. But it would want to be at around $2000. They have an outside bayonet connector that they will use with a long lead onto their BabyQ that will do most of the cooking I think.)
-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 11th of February 2018 10:56:19 PM
-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 11th of February 2018 11:00:28 PM
The slide-out BBQ was one of those things that we were offered and accepted when ordering our new caravan (now nearly one year old). It sounded great and very handy, except that when we took delivery, the BBQ we'd bought separately had to be fixed to the slide - not too hard - and then we realised that the slide was not long enough to keep the BBQ far enough away from the side of the van. So the BBQ is clipped to the slide and removed to use it on a separate table. During a five month trip the BBQ travelled very securely on its slide in the boot. It got used once or twice. The rest of the time we cooked inside the van, ate at restaurants/cafes/hotels or cooked on caravan park BBQs. In summary, for us a BBQ is nice to have, but almost a waste of time, space and effort.
Back to the subject of "cooking in the rain" the best way is by camp oven sitting next to a decent fire and with a nice glass of port in hand .........
Back to the subject of "cooking in the rain" the best way is by camp oven sitting next to a decent fire and with a nice glass of port in hand .........
My hubby wanted a full outdoor kitchen like the picture above but after much talking between us we decided not to go that way.
We already had a baby Q and a stand and if it is raining we either dont cook outside or move it just under the awning at the front.
We dont have any annex only a shade that he puts up if we stay more than a few days.
This shade sections also stop the wind as well.
The babyQ is small and is easily moved and we have more storage space in the van for fishing rods and other things.
I don't mind cooking inside and my hubby and I take turns on the weber.
I think sometimes that a lot of things like outdoor kitchens and the like are a bit wastd for just a wife and her man when trying to travel as light and easy as you can.
