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Old 12-22-2011, 01:24 PM   #1
KO-in-WYO
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Outdoor kitchen question

My wife and I are looking at Cougar Xlite TT's and we are stuck on which floor plan we like best. My question is addressed to those who have an outdoor kitchen on their TT.

How much do you use it, and is it essential to have the large outdoor kitchen or would the smaller one with just a shelf, small sink, burners, and a half fridge work just fine?

The models we are stuck on are the 28rbs (love the double bed bunks, but there is NO outdoor kitchen), the 31SQB (we really like the back room layout, but it has a fairly small outdoor kitchen), or the 29RBK (we like the big outdoor kitchen, but the bunk area is our least favorite).

If the outdoor kitchen is hardly ever used, or not that practical to use, then I'm thinking we'll go with the 28rbs, but if it's something that we would really enjoy using, then I guess we need help deciding if it's worth the less desirable bunk layout to have the larger one, or if we could compromise and be happy with the smaller kitchen found on the 31SQB?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
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Old 12-22-2011, 02:00 PM   #2
jason
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We have a Laredo 291TG, we use the outdoor kitchen all the time. I don’t think we have ever cooked inside.
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Old 12-22-2011, 02:05 PM   #3
DTJ9610
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We have the Laredo 303TG. My initial thought was that the kitchen would just be a perk. I originally wanted the extra storage. However now that we have spent a season in it I couldn't see doing without it. The sink comes in handy for the kids to do a quick wash, the burner is great for cooking and not having to worry about any grease spasing or smelling up the inside. The fridge is also great for the kids to grab their drinks (as well as the adults). We also have the grill attachment which is great too.
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Old 12-22-2011, 02:57 PM   #4
5forcamping
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outdoor kitchen is awesome! we dont bring ice coolers anymore since we can put all our drinks in outdoor fridge. the sink is great to have for lots of reasons. we also have the grill attachment which is a must for us. the other advantage of the bigger kitchen is the big door that doubles an an awning when open. the only thing i am going to change is the nice cabinets that i dont really use. will put a nice flat screen tv at some point.
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Old 12-23-2011, 06:51 AM   #5
Pete and Jeanne
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Once had a high wall PU with outside kitchen..don't believe we EVER used the oven inside..Our's didn't have a fridge so, if you do, that's a perk..heck yeah..go for it !!
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Old 12-23-2011, 09:34 AM   #6
Jay D
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The only thing I do not like about my outside kitchen is the fridge only runs on 110v. Other than that it is great.
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Old 12-23-2011, 10:34 AM   #7
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They only thing I dont like is the 110v only fridge, but that being said we always cool our drinks down a day before. Drove 6 hours one time and it went from 40 to 45 degrees. We keep our drinks in the outside and mostly food on the inside. Gives you more room, also keeps the kids outside. Never had to use ice in 2 years. Hardly cook inside, keeps the mess outside. Use the sink all the time to wash hands, water for the dog, rinse stuff off.

When you get camp setup, flip the door open and wala. Also if it starts raining flip the door down, in seconds.

My next camper also "HAS TO HAVE AN OUTSIDE KITCHEN," again.

I have two kids with 3 bunks, its perfect for us.
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Old 12-23-2011, 11:04 AM   #8
Jay D
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I will be looking at getting a grill that I can mount to the rear bumper (Laredo has it I think) This way I have the 2 burner stove to the right and the grill to the left of the kitchen.
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Old 12-23-2011, 02:32 PM   #9
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I added mine cause they didnt have them for 2010 models. It was easy to install plus I picked the grill I wanted.

http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthr...ighlight=grill

To be honest I only have used the grill once in 2 years.

This is what i use and it works perfect. All my friends have them now and its cheap, if you like cooking over the fire. Completely adjustable, up/down, grill can rotate while also swings out of the fire.


http://www.kotulas.com/deals/bobaque...-outdoor-grill
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Old 12-23-2011, 05:53 PM   #10
chuck&gail
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Ours has an outdoor kitchen. Never used it yet, and I doubt we ever will. Your choice.
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Old 12-23-2011, 08:03 PM   #11
SLIMSHADIE
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The pullout camp kitchen on the outbacks would be useless in my opinoin. My buddie has one and doesnt use it. I think there is a hose for the sink drain to empty to the ground if I recall.

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Now the full outside kitchen from experience is another story.

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2 outlets-debating a toaster oven next year. Hot/cold sink with drain to tanks. 2 burner stove-use all the time. Grill-used once. Fridge thats 110v,
not only do I keep all my beer,soda,water outside without ice.
I have the following sometimes secondary inside:
silverware, spatulas, other cooking utinsels, cutting board, filet knife, multiscrewdriver, cards, notepads, pens, nail clippers, swiss army knife, lighters, bottle opener, can opener, paper towels, fantastik & windex, dawn, pump hand soap, salt/pepper, lawery's, pnut oil, fish batter, napkins, drink stirrers, toothpicks, paper plates and bowls, flashlights and chargers, walkie talkies, crisco oil, cake mix and canned pie filling (cobbler), bbq utensils, dog bowl, treats and chain, cast iron skillet, aluminum foil, parchment paper, bar towels, huggies-can and bottle, ashtray, centranilla candle, matches, ziploc baggies, and red solo cups. To name a few...

No reason to go inside but to sleep and shower.
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Old 12-27-2011, 07:09 AM   #12
DEW
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The full outdoor kitchen was a must for me. We always have cooked outside and now to have everything you need right in front of you is perfect. Besides the 'door' acts as a great awing if it is raining too.
It is especially nice to be able to wash up or grab drink on the fly.... no need to enter the trailer during the day.

I know this feature is getting common but I sure did get a lot of 'lookers' this season and I do say they all loved the idea too.
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Old 12-28-2011, 05:07 PM   #13
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Smile

Have friends that have one.They like it, and it is very nice, but we have seen it very difficult to use when their site was not level.If your camper sits high to begin with ,the kitchen will be very hard to reach if the camp site slopes away from the camper. We use a portable kitchen set up that fits under the awning. We also use it to build a larger kitchen area for cooking when we are camping with a large group of friends. It is usualy set up with another portable kitchen, near the camper with the outdoor kitchen and it works well. Both have their pros and cons. Go with what fits your needs the best.
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Old 12-29-2011, 12:04 PM   #14
CampingNut18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DTJ9610 View Post
We have the Laredo 303TG. My initial thought was that the kitchen would just be a perk. I originally wanted the extra storage. However now that we have spent a season in it I couldn't see doing without it. The sink comes in handy for the kids to do a quick wash, the burner is great for cooking and not having to worry about any grease spasing or smelling up the inside. The fridge is also great for the kids to grab their drinks (as well as the adults). We also have the grill attachment which is great too.
We also thought that the outdoor kitchen might just be a marketing tactic or something else to maintain and clean but it has proved very handy. We don't have a sink but love the storage and even small tv. Having the outdoor kitchen really cuts down on the 'step aerobics' in and out of the camper for all the stuff we need to cook. Luv it!


Carmen
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Old 12-29-2011, 05:48 PM   #15
michol02
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I had an outdoor kitchen on my last camper. I mostly used the sink and the frig., so when I started missing these things, I decided to add them to my new unit. I bought a 18 gal utility sink that I hook up where the outdoor shower went(faucet has pull-out head, so I didn't lose the use of my shower), and I put a small frig. under the computer desk.
So, if you find a unit you really love without all the stuff you want on it, you can always just Mod the crap out of it. LOL
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Old 12-30-2011, 05:33 AM   #16
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Outside kitchens are a nice feature to have but in the past I've heard a lot about the flimsy way the gas struts attached to the opening door. When you go to look at it, open and close the overhead door and pay attention to the strut mounts to that door. If they flex in a bad way I would guess that it would tear out of the door sooner or later. Maybe they have improved the mount now but on the ones that we looked at it just bolted through a piece of foam board with a thin layer of aluminum on both sides.
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Old 01-01-2012, 09:09 AM   #17
DEW
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True, I had issues with the struts on the door. It was replaced with a new door that has more support built in. It worked perfect all summer long after breaking on the first rip out.
What needs to be seen is will it last next year too?
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Old 01-14-2012, 03:34 PM   #18
Bruins#17
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We love to cook outside. The outdoor kitchen was the main reason we selected the Laredo 303tg.
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Old 01-17-2012, 07:32 AM   #19
DTJ9610
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One thing to keep in mind if your not hooked up to sewer is that the outdoor kitchen sink on some of the models drains into your black tank. I found this out the hard way on my 303TG when one of the kids left the water running.
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Old 01-17-2012, 04:27 PM   #20
skifreak76
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i have a sprinter tt 311bhs with a large outdoor kitchen and we use it all the time. and we have plent.y of bunks in side. it is a trailer we love
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