New kitchen design, what would sell?

[winchman]

Thanks to Ian I have had permission to post this here.
I have been thinking for quite a bit about producing a low budget kitchen that can be fitted in the rear of a Bongo and possibly other vans in the future.
Now its pointless unless they would sell.
Now heres the first offering

Its the Driftwood Day tripper with no appliances would sell for about £199
With appliances it would be £3-400


I would appreciate any comments good or bad

[dandemann8]

Are you using the rear seat for fuel as I think it would burn quite nicely

[winchman]

Are you using the rear seat for fuel as I think it would burn quite nicely

No seat tips forward and dosnt get hot, we are working on a clip on wind guard.
The limitations of this design are it still allows 8 seats with full leg room.
Next design will involve moving the seat forward

[francophile1947]

What's it made of? It looks like chipboard, which is heavy and not very strong.
How is it supported? It looks like it's only resting on the plastic floor trim.

[winchman]

What's it made of? It looks like chipboard, which is heavy and not very strong.
How is it supported? It looks like it's only resting on the plastic floor trim.

Its chip board, but edged in the more robust edging stuff.
Ply just massively esculated the cost at the moment but still looking, the big advantage of chip board is you just programme the machine and it spits the bits out, no one I know of local to me can do it with ply so its more expensive as well as the initial purchase price.
Its screewed to a subframe mounted on the van floor
Mine is about 6 months old and is the proto type the newer ones assuming it gets off the drawing board will be stronger due to a few design mods.

[francophile1947]

Sorry to be a miserable old git but I think it's very expensive when compared to this http://www.stimsondesigns.com/index2.ph ... xplorerkit . Admittedly yours has a better cooker, but the Stimson unit is more versatile and has almost everything you need already included.

[Diplomat]

Can somebody explain to me the obsession with cooking, fridges and washing up?

It's fun to eat pot noodles when you're camping and then make a cup of black tea or instant coffee in the noodle pot and clean the spoon in the hot drink.

There's pub grub, fish and chips, all varieties of ethnic take aways, tinned rice pudding which tastes nicer cold. Save the kitchen for ordinary boring meals at home.


Frank

[Alison01326]

Frank, it'll be down to the fact that some of us can't afford to eat out more than once (if at all when we are away).

If I could afford to eat out rather than waste time cooking & washing up (on the non-Pot Noodle days), my holidays would feel infinitely longer (indeed, would feel like holidays). I can, however, make a teaspoon last for days without washing it up, but don't tell the rest of the family!


And back on topic, I think that's a cracking little unit. I wouldn't buy one as I already have a kitchen. Not sure about the price, and also wonder what modifications would need to be made to the design to enable it to work with flip up seats in situ. They don't fold forwards all the way (and it may be impractical to fold them away when cooking for whatever reason).

[winchman]

Sorry to be a miserable old git but I think it's very expensive when compared to this http://www.stimsondesigns.com/index2.ph ... xplorerkit . Admittedly yours has a better cooker, but the Stimson unit is more versatile and has almost everything you need already included.

Thats a good valid point and possibly why I have one up my sleeve.
I have a meeting next week with some one about manufacturing a unit of similar design to Stimson Obviously I coulnt copy it so we have thought about a couple of improvements and differences to the design, but I feel it wont sell as well as my old woden one? But this is the whole point of this thread I will have tunnel vision to my ideas when I need to make what other people want not what I think they want.
So feel free to give me a sketch of your ideas, if I did go it to production I would credit you with the design.

[winchman]

And back on topic, I think that's a cracking little unit. I wouldn't buy one as I already have a kitchen. Not sure about the price, and also wonder what modifications would need to be made to the design to enable it to work with flip up seats in situ. They don't fold forwards all the way (and it may be impractical to fold them away when cooking for whatever reason).

Oh no never thought of gull wing seats!
Good job I asked
I could make a side unit so just remove one seat and bolt my kitchen in instead?
Thing I am struggling with at the moment is how to keep the quality and strength but make it easier to assemble so its cheaper to make.
I would love to sell them really cheap but unless I can make something its just not worth it, I have quite a few hidden costs, Insurance, product development, talking for hours to idiots who want to make them for me but dont unless i order 3000 at once, Yes I did tell them up front it was possibly only 1 per month for six months.
I finf it difficult with some suppliers too as unless you are a big out fit they dont want to deal with you. Oh well had my moan, so keep the ideas comming please.
What about my basic unit with one of these for the cooker?
http://direct.asda.com/Asda-Portable-Ga ... lt,pd.html
Then a top of the range sink
http://direct.asda.com/on/demandware.st ... x&showHits

[New Forest Terrier]

All I hope Frank is that you never have to share a campsite with Muz without his cooking kit. Next thing he would be building a fire and a spit and chasing any passing sheep. Some people just enjoy cooking outdoors as well as in kitchens.

Who wants to wake up to a pot noodle when you can turn the gas on and have bacon and eggs ready in ten minutes? I need coffee anyway after a night in a Bongo or else the werewolf blood comes out. Also imagine a festival where everything costs the earth. Without boiling water it's not even a pot noodle occasion. Even worse for the drinkers, warm beer.

Having a kitchen is comfortable camping as opposed to the dossing in the car variety.

I used to have a Stimpson explorer and a very good design it is. Everything you need and portable to give you more room in the Bongo. You can do everything except toast on it. The solid stainless steel construction means you can use it as worktop or as step as well. Fireproof also, no setting the upholstery alight. When I got hold of a full conversion, mine was sold to Baz and is still in use good as new.

[Muzorewa]

All I hope Frank is that you never have to share a campsite with Muz without his cooking kit. Next thing he would be building a fire and a spit and chasing any passing sheep. Some people just enjoy cooking outdoors as well as in kitchens.

[maxmataz]

I used to have a Stimpson explorer and a very good design it is. Everything you need and portable to give you more room in the Bongo. You can do everything except toast on it.

Actually I managed to toast on mine using one of these below (cheap as chips too)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelert-CUT118-F ... B000QH2V40

There are also other devices too similar to the above that can do up to four slices like these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunncamp-4-Slic ... 669&sr=1-8

I loves me toast

[bongobaz]

When I got hold of a full conversion, mine was sold to Baz and is still in use good as new.

Cuppa at services

Non electric

With leccy ring

Testing shower

[Jillygumbo]

Good post Baz! How about one of you under the shower!