The Camp Box

The Camp box is a versatile, and removable, solution to our local camping needs.  The idea first came about when Corey and I went camping in the Fall of 2019 on Corey's Birthday Trip.  The plan was to just up and go, but before we could go anywhere, we first had to search for our supplies in MANY of our different camping storage boxes.  In the end we exchanged some precious memory making moments with extreme frustration and wasted time.  What started this whole idea?  Well, when we arrived, we (meaning I, me, mister over packer) found that we lacked certain things for our camping trip....Like the stove on which we were supposed to cook our dinner.  One of the reasons we bought and organized the tubs in the picture on the right was so that we could grab one and go based on where we were going.  Fishing.  Kids backpacking. Tent Camping 1, Tent Camping 2. etc. one thing that is common across all of these is that we have at least a single burner stove, fuel, and lantern in every box. We tried to make it modular so that we can grab and go, knowing that what we need is already inside.  Corey's Birthday trip was a bit of an anomaly in that we didn't need all that stuff for just an overnight trip, so we had to raid boxes to get what we needed, and ended up forgetting the stove!

So, in essence, The Camp Box Purpose is: 

To facilitate a speedy departure and to have things and keep things where things need to be to ensure when we get to where we're going, we have those things that we need, to do the things we do without missing things, so we can spend more time doing things than looking for things.

I started by measuring the space in the Jeep and drawing the basic shell from every perspective in my Visio software. To scale.  With real dimensions.  Just like a techie should.  Measure twice, cut once?  HAI!!  That stuff is for sissies!  How about design 150 different ways to do the same thing in different configurations!!   Yep. I designed a solution (or twelve) for every possible combination of things.  With cooler, without cooler, with water, without water, with cooler and stove and water.

But what about X?  What about Y?  All these questions and more made laps inside my head.  So many options!  I knew I wanted a stove, but what about other things?  A sink?  Would I even use a sink?  What about fuel?  Water?  Hours of research on each of the subjects.  Conversations with other campers.  Other Jeep owners. Reflections on my own experience and tendency to over think it and pack as if I'll never see a store again.  No.  It needs to be a simple solution!  Less bells and buzzers, more simplicity and functionality.  Start with, and keep, the basics.

I started buying the things I knew I absolutely wanted to incorporate into the build.  A dual burner RV stove went on clearance for $65.  A silicone collapsible sink for $12.  Water jugs at a flea market for $25.  A black water jug from eBay (solar hot water?) for $25.  Coffee Table Hinges for $14.  Propane regulator and hose for the stove for $29.  Full extension 32" drawer slides at $56 each.  Drawer pulls for $19.  The list goes on.  I don't even want to total the number of things I bought for this project over the nearly two year period since I started designing it!  Some were repurposed for other needs (like the 6' stainless steel braided propane regulator/hose that went to my grill when my regulator failed during a Labor Day BBQ), and other ideas were completely abandoned and their parts still remain.

Design.  Redesign. Re-redesign.  Change this.  Nudge that.  Trim this.  Scratch that. Start over.  Sigh.

I knew I wanted a stove and a sink, but what about storage and water? 

The Weber design had a cooler in a drawer, which makes sense in his build.  With the much smaller space to work with, I opted to move the cooler vertically and use that space for storage:  9" tall, over two feet wide, and 32" deep.  That's a pretty big space!  For this design, I opted for full length drawer slides that separate, which like the stove area, makes this area reconfigurable.  This single 9" drawer can be replaced by 2 x 4.5" drawers.  I like options.

Since storage was figured out, now I focused my attention to water.  I started thinking about how to contain it, then how to heat it. I first came up with the idea of using the US Military Scepter water jugs and then tried to figure out how to tap into them, and even mocked up a couple.  The design was functional, but crude.  Being a gravity fed system, to get any kind of water flow at all required me to vent and somehow elevate them when in use, which could be problematic.  When I was considering the Scepter water jugs, I purchased a black one to experiment on how hot it would get if left in the sun.  It actually got really hot and I was hopeful that I could use God's wonderful laws of physics and solar heat in my build, but in order to use it I would have to remove the jug, place it on the roof, connect it somehow, wait for it to heat, and do this in reverse when time to tear down.  I didn't want a laborious task.  I wanted simple. The Weber design was clever, but I needed a more versatile and practical solution due to the restricted space in the Jeep.  After all the research, I finally settled on a RV type polyethylene food grade 5 gallon water tank.  For this design it really just made more sense, and in reality was more economical than I thought it would be.  I bought my tank (model T-0500) directly from Class A Customs for under $40 bucks.  They also make a version with a spout that can be used as an inlet, so you can skip the adapter needed for the filler.  For now it's just sitting in the storage drawer.

Water?  Ok, but what about running water?

I also picked up a complete 12v pump kit off my wish list , complete with suction hose and spray hose with quick disconnect nozzle for under $40.  This is dry plumbed and mounted, but not yet in use.  It will be at some point in the near future.

Better yet, what about running HOT water? 

I have purchased a 20 plate heat exchanger that I plan on installing in order to have hot water, but that's still in the planning stages.   Recycle heated water until it gets to the desired temp?  Heat also creates pressure, so I need to think that through.

Other stuff: The pump is mounted to the right side of the drawer. I keep two fire extinguishers here as well.   

Rabbit trail:  I often eat out on Fridays.  One Friday while I was in line at a Sonic Drive through trying to get lunch, I witnessed a truck across the street catch fire.   I saw thick smoke while the guy was driving into the parking lot, and when I realized what was happening I remembered I had a small extinguisher in the back that the previous owner had put in there.  As he got out and popped the hood, flames erupted.  I jumped out of line, sped across the street, and expended the fire extinguisher on the fire.  Unfortunately it wasn't enough to put it out, but it did keep it from spreading to other parts of the vehicle.  A nearby restaurant manager brought two more larger fire extinguishers out and we were finally able to snuff it out.  The guy thanked me and offered to pay for the extinguisher, but I figured he had enough to worry about.  The restaurant manager declined as well.  Nobody was hurt, but the damage could have been much worse.   I have two in each vehicle now and because of this incident, I'll never be without one,

Hours of design, R&D, product procurement, testing, measuring, fitting, and dreaming then went into this space.  This was originally the space for the full size spare tire (against the wall on the left) that my XJ came with from the factory.  I had planned to either put the spare tire on top of the box, or to make this area into a modular space that would be reconfigurable simply by placing a small cabinet on top, and and securing it in place by using a quick attach mechanism.  Many options are possible for this space, and with the option of making it removable and reconfigurable will provide the most flexibility.  That was the plan.  And the plan was good.

Then Bella happened.  

We met Bella during our Spring Break 2023 Camping trip, and from the moment she adopted us, we knew we'd need to have a place for her.  So, I have opted to designate this space for her and am looking for a clever way to keep her here.   On the way back from our trip, she often wanted to jump down into the back seat with the kids.  Her pet bed fits nicely in this space, and she's happy traveling there....Until shes not and craves some attention  and tries to fit into the already crowded back seat.  If I can't find a kennel/crate that will fit in this space for our dear pup for travel, I may have to fabricate some type of barrier to separate the cargo area from the seating area.  I may end up returning to the modular design if there is ever a time when we don't take Bella on trips, but I think those will be very few and far between!

Wait...What about the spare tire? Oh, I have a plan for that, but it now involves cutting, grinding and welding,