Review: The Camping Kitchen Box


Camping and exploring with the family can usually lead to packing around a lot of heavy equipment. From cast iron cookware to tents, we have a tendency to add everything but the kitchen sink to our gear; and some even add that. All of this heavy gear weighs down our vehicles and forces some of us to think about lighter weight options. The Camping Kitchen Box happens to fit this bill pretty soundly. Using corrugated plastic for the sides and plastic rivets to secure the pieces together, they have designed a product that might be useful to a lot of outdoor enthusiasts. At a mere 12 lbs it is hard to believe anything could touch this product as far as weight conservation. The Camping Kitchen Box is also quite large at 25inx22.5inx17in. That means you can organize a lot of gear for your next adventure.

Video Courtesy of Camping Kitchen Box

Specifications:
  • Size: 25inx22.5inx17in
  • Weight: 12lbs
  • Material: Corrugated Plastic w/ Plastic Rivets
  • Made in the USA
  • Price: $189.99


What We Like:
Obviously at 12lbs this box has a lot to offer over a wood or metal box. The two  drawers are big enough to hold a lot of kitchen supplies.  We were able to easily store all of our eating utensils in one drawer with spatulas, large spoons, and kitchen knives in the other, . The top cubby is fairly large as well, at 24x6x16.5, I was able to house my stove and fuel canisters along with several other things in this area. The left lower compartment I used as a food storage and it held up pretty well as a dry storage with only one hiccup that I will get to later. Lastly the  lower right side I found to be large enough to house my pots, pans, cutting board, and even a couple cups, and still have room left over.

What we Didn't Like:

Unfortunately, there were a few things we didn't care for in the design. One of those things is also part of why we liked it. This chuck box is large, At 25 inches tall it also takes a lot of real estate. I think that if the box was more wide than tall, at least for me, it would have been better. Depth on this chuck box is perfect in my opinion. Another issue we had was the plastic snap rivets. We encountered a few times where the rivets would come unfastened.  We discussed the issue with the manufacturer and we were able to work through how I was loading equipment into the compartments. Based on my conversations with the manufacturer, I am optimistic there will be design improvements to the future models.

As with similarly designed wood chuck boxes, the Camping Kitchen Box is not weather sealed, so you will need to put it away or cover it in questionable weather. Also, while the top of the chuck box is reinforced along the front with aluminum it does have a tendency to rack slightly after a lot of use and the top is not designed to be used to cook on. It is however strong enough to set plenty of gear on top of.

Conclusion:

The Camping Kitchen Box is a great idea and while I believe there is room for some improvements, I can also see this fitting the bill for several outdoor enthusiasts. The sheer weight of this box and the strength of the corrugated plastic was very impressive to me. I dropped it, slid it on rocks and gravel, and piled gear on the top without any problems. It will not replace the need for a table of some kind or a stand to cook on but it will carry just about anything you can fit into it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was given the equipment used in this review in consideration for review publication.