Beavertree Kitchen shakedown use

[brewerrob]

Finally got an opportunity to put my Beavertree Kitchen camp kit to use today. Stopped for lunch outside Yellowstone NP. Realized I need to add a couple items for cleanup and maybe a P-38 can opener. We just did up a couple Mountain House meals for the family and it worked fine. GSI coolest, plates, bowls, etc. Used the butane/propane stove. I've got a MSR Dragonfly for additional fuel options too.

 

[Ragman]

I think those look really nice-have you ever looked at the Dosko Campmate so that you can give a size comparison? The Beavertree looks like a more compact (and available!) option.

 

[Road]

Finally got an opportunity to put my Beavertree Kitchen camp kit to use today. Stopped for lunch outside Yellowstone NP. Realized I need to add a couple items for cleanup and maybe a P-38 can opener. We just did up a couple Mountain House meals for the family and it worked fine. GSI coolest, plates, bowls, etc. Used the butane/propane stove. I've got a MSR Dragonfly for additional fuel options too.

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You just get that? They're hard to find used, and the outfit that made them originally evidently sold their molds and biz to someone else.

I have a Beavertree I got about 4 yrs ago used, and absolutely treasure it. I made a nice chuck box once with fold out doors and top, etc, and even though I made it from 3/8" ply and good and rugged, it was just too heavy to lug in and out all the time when full of stuff.

The Beavertree only weighs a fraction of that, so makes it SO much easier to switch from trailer to van or to haul it out daily for my trailer counter kitchen setup.

They're made to fit a 22" stove on top, so my Partner 22" two-burner lives there full-time. I can also store my most often used sauté pans, their lids, and a couple plates on a tray on top of the stove and still close and secure the lid.

It really is a one-stop kitchen solution.



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[brewerrob]

I think those look really nice-have you ever looked at the Dosko Campmate so that you can give a size comparison? The Beavertree looks like a more compact (and available!) option.

I looked at a few plans sets for making my own portable camp kitchen before I stumbled upon this Beavertree on my local craigslist. I haven't seen the Dosko Campmate before you mentioned it. Found some photos of it on an image search. Looks very similar in some respects.
Here's the dimensions of the Beavertree: 19"H x 24.5"W x 17.75"D (49cm x 65cm x 41cm)
Found some dimensions for the Dosko: 19.5" x 19.5" x 23"
I'm not sure that the Beavertree is being made anymore, but I found a site a while back showing they retailed for about $200 when they were available new.

 

[brewerrob]

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You just get that? They're hard to find used, and the outfit that made them originally evidently sold their molds and biz to someone else.

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I got it some months back. Would you believe I got it for $20? The guy who I met didn't seem too happy about his wife listing it, but he agreed to the price she and I agreed upon.

 

[Road]

I got it some months back. Would you believe I got it for $20? The guy who I met didn't seem too happy about his wife listing it, but he agreed to the price she and I agreed upon.

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Dang, Rob! That's a steal and a half.

I got mine off another adventure forum's classifieds; a guy was trying to sell it for a long time and had no serious bites, even though he kept dropping the price. I was shocked. I offered to meet him in person on a gear-gathering trip and ended up paying, if I remember right, $50 for the Beavertree AND a classic vintage Coleman stove. They both used to belong to his father, and he had the same exact combo himself.

The folks that are making it now are The Chuck Box Camp Kitchen , though I have not seen one of theirs in person and can't vouch for the quality or if anything's changed. Dom's Outdoor used to be the only place you could get a new one.

I found a great container for the far left space, under the utensils drawer, that makes it SO much easier to store and keep track of stuff, and keep it all better organized. I'm making some thin square-sided drawers to use in the compartments that don't have one, to do the same thing. So I can slide a half-height drawer out and not have to unload the whole compartment to get to what's in back. Stuff gets lost back in there, it's so deep.


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People always want to come and check out my camp and kitchen setup when I'm near anyone else. Though they always want to talk about the trailer, awning, and RTT, then ask "which piece of gear do you like best?"

I almost always tell them "I think one of the best things I have is this camp kitchen box..."



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That lid comes off easy when you want. It's big enough to wash a dog in. I've used it for all sorts of things when camping; laundry, shower base when I camp in NPs that don't allow run off from campsites, and catchall for rain water for later use.

Hope you enjoy your Beavertree Camp Kitchen as much as I have mine.

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