Food storage

Hi,
Has room for food storage under the counter been an issue with anyone? Hard to get a guage on how big that is from pictures, we looked at one a couple months ago but I just glanced in there.
Thanks

 

drjenk,

There is adequate space to store food and related items. Each person eventually configures their storage spaces to meet needs. Some also store food in the top right hand cupboard.

As for me, I keep certain stock items in the left hand undercounter storage. Also, certain items on the two open air shelfs, mainly bread, fruit, vegetables, and chips.

McNugit created a wonderful plexiglass shelf for the space. Allows two layers of canned goods below the sink. This has been one of my favorite customizations to the teardrop.

Of course you now want pictures..... see if I can find the thread.

Seems took me two years of weekend use for items to finally find a set home.

On a side note, there is adequate space for food items for a long extneded weekend maybe more depending upon your dietary preferences. But you will also realize that you left one specific item at home.....


Here is the thread:http://www.campinnforum.com/ubbthre...9&Words=plexiglas+shelfs&Search=true#Post9472
Jean

 

That's an awesome mod, thanks for the link

 

We use two of the cloth cubes you can get from target. For two people there is plenty of room for a long weekend or more. We have never filled the space all the way up

 

We're just back from our third week-long trip and at least so far, we have a pretty good system, replenishing items on each return. We use lots of good-quality square plastic containers that seal well (from TJMaxx, etc.) and keep out bugs and moisture.
Right hand cabinet at counter height holds things we use often: coffee, baking mix, salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, canola oil, small containers of sugar, tea bags, peanut butter.
Left hand bin next to sink holds three shoe-box size plastic boxes with lids, one organized with trail snack items like nuts, dried fruit. Second one has grains, oatmeal, pasta, etc. Third has canned goods - that's actually tucked under the sink as we use it less often. There's room for several containers of granola, cereal, crackers, packets of tuna.
Spices are in small tic-tac boxes, labeled on top and lined up in one of the silverware drawer cubbies.
Wine we carry in the vehicle when traveling, top of left cabinet when camping. Fruit and breads go on the left side.
I like Jenn's idea of photographing everything next time I re-organize. Can't wait to see her photos --- she knows what's she's doing!

 

Lots and lots of space especially if you organise

We have divided all of our spaces with custom dividers made at home out of white birch. We also make sure we are fully stocked as Rosy Lee is our emergency shelter preparedness vehicle in the event of any disasters.

Top left shelve
Plates and cooking oils
bowls, mixing bowls, kettle,
Mason jars for tea, coffee, auger, sweeteners and hot chocolate. Spices in individual spice containers.

Top Right Shelve
Travel coffee mugs, wine goblets, plastic drinking cups, coffee cups, camp inn cups space for iPhone to sit for music connected to speaker which is Velcro on galley hatch

Top right cupboard
all our soft foods, breads, chips, biscuits plus some other drinking containers and flasks for day trips poked in the back

Lower left storage
Tins under the sink
Containers for rice, cereal, porridge, pasta, trail bars, dog biscuits and dog food (enough for one day remainder is in the dog box in the TV. Folding washing bowl, tablecloth.
Small basket on top to just throw anything else into easy to lift out and instance access to what's underneath.

Lower right storage
Two frying pans, camping cooking pots, selection of alcoholic drinks, some large soup bowls great for chow, garbage and recycling bags, foil, zip lock bags and dishcloths.

There are some pictures on the forum somewhere of our set up but its very personal and depends on what you use and how often. It seems like we have a lot but we use it all and if I notice we are not it comes out.

 

I used to car camp with two flip-lid "distribution center" totes, (interior measurements 20" L X 14" W X 12" D) - I used one for food and the other one for cookware & miscellaneous kitchen stuff and it was usually plenty of space for a couple of weeks camping (with lots of canned & packaged food). That's 6,720 in-3 of space.

I have a 550 (with sink) and the storage bins (approx) dimensions are: left bin: 27" L X 15" W X 15" D (a little bit of space is lost for the sink/plumbing, but there's still 10" of clearance under the sink) & right bin: 13 1/2" L X 15" W X 17" D (plus another 3 1/2" for the frying pan slot). That's (approx) 9,517 in-3 of space.

The issue I'm having right now, trying to outfit the galley for weekend trips, is TOO MUCH room! Add the cabinet (13" X 13" X 15") and the two upper shelves and it's a LOT of space. My grandmother's Brooklyn kitchen didn't have so much storage (or countertop space)!

Hope that gives you some perspective on the available space.

p.s. A few things I'm planning to keep in the TV rather than the camper: dish pans & dish drying rack, collapsible campstove oven (although it will fit in the bin), dutch oven kit (that will now go in one of the DC totes). And I can always pack another DC tote with extra packaged food, for a really long trip.

And I should probably mention that I don't drink coffee - maybe that's my REAL problem!

 

Good to read these post. We are a couple of weeks away from picking up our 560 and I have been collecting all the stuff the fine members of this forum suggest we must have. Don't see any problems with storage. We do have a larger tow vehicle, Jeep Comander, for the tent and canopy,solar panel ect. and plan on useing storage bins in the tv also. Should be plenty of room for the coffee.
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

We do things a little different than most. I keep my food in the right hand bin. I don't like the idea of water getting into my food. All of my cooking items are under the sinks and this has worked best for us. For long trips (and just because) I also keep a "pantry" under the bed in one storage bin. It is all of my extra items that I don't need very often or we use a lot of and I need to keep extra of.

Once you have your trailer and start using it, you will figure out what works best for you! It is all part of the fun!

 

it's funny how differently folks do the "same" thing

Different strokes, I guess

we keep (nearly) NO food IN the teardrop (except what is in the Dometic fridge)

all food/drink are in some sort of container in the tow vehicle (either in the cooler or in a large rubbermaid container or in a picnic basket, depending on how much food/drink is needed for the trip)

I'm really puzzled why people would keep food IN the tear. Why load and unload that food from the tear before the trip and after the trip? I guess you wouldn't need to unload/reload canned goods, but it seems that it makes more sense to have all food in ONE place rather than some in the tear, some in the tow vehicle, etc.

I keep stuff in the tear which is used over and over and over (pots and pans; dishes/glasses; towels for cleaning; buckets for washing dishes; lanterns) - stuff with no expiration date, so to speak

I do keep a FEW food items in the TD, such as cooking oil, sugar, tea bags - very little.

I would likely do it differently if I were LIVING in the tear, but can't see the benefit to using the tear for storing food on weekend or weeklong trips.




-Al

 

one reason I don't keep food on the open shelves is that I like to keep the galley "open" while i am in camp. If you keep a loaf of bread on the shelf while the galley is open, you'll have jays/crows picking apart that bread within 15 minutes of walking away from the galley (at least almost everywhere I have camped)

but I do have to keep the tow vehicle closed, since you have the same issue with birds or other varmints

certainly the varmint issue can be managed, either way


-Al

 

During my travels, I have stored fruit, chips, bread on the open shelfs with no experience with birds attempting to pick at the food.

 

Jean, out in these parts our squirrels/chipmunks and Stellar's Jays can be quite aggressive and are not afraid to go into the galley. We had a terrible time with keeping them out of the galley through the Redwoods and Yosemite in particular. Even sitting at the picnic table with the hatch open, they will try to get in there. They are actually the bigger problem at some of our national parks than the bears (but the bear boxes are enforced, due to them). I think this might be a case of regional differences.

 

I've been in Florida and had seagulls remove my hot dog from the bun. As I was holding it! The racoons were pretty brave too. Wiggins Pass Fl.
MDP
Mike & Denita

 

We have encountered several instances of raccoons jumping on our picnic table to steal our marshmallows, with us there. In the Ocala National Forrest in Central Florida we have heard black bears trying in get in the campground dumpsters at night. Not something tent campers like to hear.

 

Hi,

We won't have our teardrop until April, but will be living in it. We will have the Dometic 'fridge in the galley plus the cooler; the cooler will be used for food storage and will be kept in our TV. I suspect we'll keep non-perishables in a plastic tub, with the exception of some items, like coffee, salt and pepper, canned items etc. in the galley. But, we are still far out, so who knows what really will work out. A bear canister is essential in bear country.

Best,
Diane

 

Hello Birder526:

I would recommend the fridge in the tow vehicle and the cooler in a cosy in the teardrop. Because with the hatch closed there is no ventilation an the fridge will fault. This happen to us when visiting the Grand Canyon a few years ago. This works really well if you have a plug in the tow vehicle.

JimH

 

dometic in the TV is fine, unless you leave the TV off for hours and the Dometic drains the TV battery....

There is no easy solution to this. I recommend throwing some shade over whatever location contains the dometic. Leave it in the TD galley, plugged in, but throw shade over the galley. I'd rather have the TD battery drained than my car battery drained.

I'd love to hear expert opinions on this!!

-Al

 

Well,
All I want to know is...
Is there a lock on the refrigerator door?
I mean, if you are leaving it in the galley, with the hatch up, and you are gone for a little while...

The YETI makes a great bear canister too!!

 

No lock on the fridge door. So far I have been in places where I felt very comfortable and haven't worried too much about security. When I head out on a long haul I'm sure that issue will come up. With all the tent camping that I have done I have never had anything stolen. I do worry about leaving the teardrop all alone. I haven't even unhooked in my own driveway and left it. I leave it hooked up until I get it washed and put it in the shop for storage.
It is a changing world. When I was young the stores in my town left things out in their lot all night with no fences and no security. No one ever stole anything. We would go out and cut firewood and stop at the bar leaving all the chain saws and splitting malls on top of the wood in the truck. Guns were in the gun rack in the truck and no doors locked. Houses were never locked and keys were left in the cars in the driveway. We never lost our keys. Knew right where they were. This is how it was during the 60s and 70s. I didn't have to lock my doors until about 1985. There are still places like this in our country and I sure miss some things about the good old days. Other things I can really do without.