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Take
your time to design the galley (kitchen) of
your camping trailer. It's the place where you
and/or your partner will spend a lot of time
cooking meals. We decided that we didn't need
a permanent sink with faucet and pump, but
would rather use a collapsible sink and
then have more counter space. By having a
portable stove and sink, it allows us to move
out to a picnic table to cook and clean,
something my wife prefers when the weather is
dry.
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There
were of course some design restraints. On
the right side I had the slide out for the
cooler, which created a higher counter than
I would have wanted. On the left side is the
electric cabinet with the
battery. Between battery and cooler I had a
little space left, which I used for a small
but deep drawer for pots and pans. I put a
lid on this drawer, which created a place to
put our stove. For the galley shelving of
the camper I measured storage boxes, our camping
stove and water canister to
determine the length, height and depth of
the shelves. |
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We
are very happy with the galley, but you may
have different needs or expectations. One
thing is for sure, plan on more storage than
you think you'll need, because you will fill
it up.
I have angled the LED lights for the galley
at 45 degrees into the galley. This way they
don't blind you at night, but rather light up
the shelves and cooking space nicely.
For the handles of the drawer and the battery
and cooler doors I used simple lockable flush pulls. |
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To
protect the corners of the camper and to
create a color accent I got 1"x1" aluminum
angle for the bottom edges and 2"x2"
galvanized roofing trim for the top edges. I
painted them black to go with the black
windows and door. To attach the trim I wanted
to use black head screws but they are
ridiculously expensive, so I got galvanized
screws and spray painted them black. |
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For
the galley hatch I used 1/2" plywood, which I
painted and then framed with aluminum
U-channel.
As the hinge I used a aluminum hurricane hinge,
which is supposed to be waterproof opened and
closed. During heavy rains it has dripped when
open though. It's sealed when closed.
To lock the hatch I used locking T-handles and locking
cams. This setup securely locks the
galley hatch.
As seal for the hatch and the home-made doors
I used a P-shaped
seal that has a large adhesive surface
with a compressible O-shape as sealing
surface. |
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The
gas
springs for the galley hatch are
essential in my opinion, but I've seen
teardrop campers with a stick holding up the
hatch, which works too. The drawing on the
right shows my design of how to mount the gas
springs, which works well with the selected
gas spring. Feel free to copy and/or share it.
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You
can make this a science project and calculate
for hours. Or you can use your best guess and
buy different strength gas springs if you got
it wrong. I'll provide a couple of formulas
for your consideration - good luck.
As final touches to the camper I added stabilizers on all 4
corners and levels for easy leveling
the camper.
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