Have a crossover, small van or wagon that would look great as a camper? The new Nomad Kitchen provides a solid foundation. Slimmer and more versatile than other camp kitchen boxes, the cooler-size box straps down neatly into a wide variety of vehicles, leaving room for a rotomolded cooler or fridge/freezer. At camp, its dual slide-outs give cooks a basic sink, drying rack and dual-burner stove.
Many other plug-and-play camp kitchens and camper boxes spread across the full width of the tailgate area, a configuration found on the hatchet-faced Nestbox, Ququq 4x4 kits and Contravans Car Camper. While perfectly fine for cooking, this type of layout eats up vehicle space that could otherwise be used for conveniently storing something like a big cooler, camp furniture or luggage. Those designs also tend to be vehicle-specific, limited to a single compatible vehicle or short list.
California-based Nomad Kitchen Company compacts its kitchen into more of a cube packed format by creating a long, two-slide design with the sink above and behind the dual-burner stove platform. It also saves on volume by eliminating water and gas tank storage, cabinets, and drawers, keeping things light and modular.
The owner can drop his or her own portable camping stove on the 23.7 x 13-in (60.2 x 33-cm) platform, put a water canister with spout over the stainless steel sink basin, and have a simple RV kitchen with cooking, prep and washing capabilities. The included drying basket next to the sink can air-dry dishes and produce, and its bamboo cutting board lid provides prep space. Hooks around the sides hold utensils, bags and accessories. The kitchen is built to hold up to 200 lb (91 kg).
When it's time to pack up and drive out, the stove slides inside the sink module, which packs away in the main frame. The basket and sink basin can be used to store utensils, gas canisters, cooking accessories, dry food or other related items on the ride. The hardware locks in place so it won't be rattling open and shut during bumpy drives.
The Nomad Kitchen works smoothly with stoves that pack 4.5 in (11.4 cm) thick, and Nomad offers a GSI Selkirk 540 as a US$110 option. Nomad shows what appears to be the 26.5-L Reliance Jumbo-Tainer in the photo just below. As we've found out from using it, the Jumbo-Tainer is a great water container, combining a large volume, fairly slim profile and affordable price; however, we think it might prove a bit tall and top heavy for this application. The shorter, stouter 15-L Reliance Beverage Buddy that Nomad offers as a $15 add-on seems like a better fit for the system.
The Nomad Kitchen can be installed on either the driver or passenger side. One or two people hoist it up into the vehicle via its integrated handles, run the included straps through the anchors on box and vehicle, and ratchet things tight. The kit comes with two leveling risers to adjust around recessed floors.
Nomad has tested its kitchen in specific recommended vehicles that include the Toyota 4Runner and Tacoma, Chevy Silverado, Subaru Outback, and Volvo V60 (a V60 Cross Country all-terrain camper wagon would be a particularly sweet use case). The kit requires a tail/lift-gate-style rear and a set of four tie-downs rated appropriately for the kitchen. Nomad has a much longer list of vehicles it hasn't tested but believes will work with the kitchen (scroll down on the recommended vehicles link above for those).
The Nomad Kitchen measures just under 26 in (66 cm) deep, 22 in (56 cm) wide and 14.3 in (36.3 cm) tall when packed away. It weighs 70 lb (32 kg) empty. Judging by the photos, it fits quite neatly next to a large cooler (or dog crate) in many of the vehicles with which it's compatible.
Nomad Kitchen Company has already surpassed its $39,500 goal on Indiegogo, where it's offering the kitchen at pledge levels of $799+. The campaign has 52 days left, and shipping is planned to start in July (June for the $699 models that have sold out). Retail price is estimated at $1,099.
Source: Nomad Kitchen