Having owned a very modest Westfalia Vanagon Camper for over 2 decades, I have learnt to maximize the utilities of and enjoyments in living out of a very compact camper. While comparing to the Vanagon Camper Brunnhilde is a huge step up in terms of functionality and amenities.
Still comparing to even the most modest apartment it is miniature. The keys in living comfortably in her is careful selection and scaling on the equipment she carries. With selection a travel edict for inexperience comes to mind - pack what you think you need to bring and then leave half of it behind.
When I first acquired Brunnhilde I spend a lot of time selecting the ideal kitchen utensils to tailor to her unique cabinet dimensions. While I was able to reuse many items from the Vanagon Camper I also reconfigured how I carry them. A very common tendency of owners of these compact RVs is try to use the same utensils they use at home. The approach I take is to select them with the constraints of the camper in mind, and each item is carefully weighted on their merit and versatility. There are few that has overlap utilities unless redundancy warrants.
I rejected carrying a compact vacuum cleaner from the outset. The only equipment I carry for floor cleaning is this very well made (in Germany) hand brush and dust pan. I had this over 20 years. It is ergonomically designed for right handed person. I had always took care not to damage the rubber lip of the dust pan and the natural bristles of the brush. For awhile I had trouble finding a good storage place for them until the recent trip. It turned out the utility compartment by the sliding door is just perfect as if it is designed to hold them. By placing the dust pan upside down the delicate rubber gasket is not crushed and is protected.
the photos do not show well the built-in toothed scrapper on the dust pan, intended for scraping off the dirt and hairs clings to the brush
The remaining space in the compartment is used to store a spare pair of thongs.
yes, wal mart consistently carries the cheapest and the best thongs - but what's up with the "faded glory" branding?
- light weight (bullet 1 and 2 are related)
- comfortable and durable straps (bullet 1 and 2 are related) without causing pressure point
- supple sole made of high density foam that can support pavement pounding force of the wearer
- excellent traction for your sole and the pavement and not slippery on wet smooth concrete floor
- low price (never pay more than $2.99 adjusted for inflation/deflation)
When I just had the Vanagon Camper I used to only carry a paring knife for cooking. The cutting board consisted a plank of 4" x 8" x 3/4" wood plank. Still I cooked most meals on the road. Now with much larger cutlery drawer I carry 3 knives and a good size cutting board.
i may consider pairing back to carry only one - if it not because of the haute cuisine impression projected with carrying 3 purposed-made knives.
Of the three my favorite is a compact Japanese knife I came across by chance in H Mart. What attracted me was the very low (~$15) price, beautiful construction, and diminutive size. At the time I had no idea how good this knife is.
It is extremely sharp and despite of the low price the high carbon steel is among the best of all my knives. Being use to knives that is sharpened on both side, I came close to slicing my fingers a few time initially and i was afraid to use it. Now it is my knife of choice when preparing a meal camping.
it can cut thin slices of very dry Italian salami with precision - sharpen side shown
back side of the sharpen edge
it is sharp enough to carve a pineapple
on occasions i found use of the chinese chef knife - like opening this young coconut to scoop out the flesh
Being an avid home cook I only like cutting on wood surfaces. There is a lot of scare mongering about the sanitary downsides of a wood surface while glaringly overlook score of problems with synthetic surfaces. These experts seems to be blind that most of Asia are cutting on bacteria harboring dirty celluloid. nug said.
I came across this fine cross-grain cutting board in H Mart. After pondering about it seemingly large size I decided to buy it hoping I can find a place in Brunnhilde to store it. It turned out it fits perfectly in the cabinet under the sink. I initially really didn't like the chromed handle as traditionally this Japanese/Korean cutting board did not have it. I had plotted how to remove it without causing undue damage to the cutting board. I am glad that I didn't rush to remove it. After using it for a few months now I found that the whole cutting board with the handle fit just perfectly in the very limited storage. The handle made stowing it and removing it so much easier with just one hand.
A bit about wood cutting board. You either has an end grain or cross grain cutting board. For softwood, as in this CVG pine board, cross grain works best for the durability of the board. For hardwood, as in maple, end grain works best without excessively dulling the cutting edge. Bamboo and hard plastic both make very poor cutting surface. Bamboo is one of the most abrasive plant as it contain very high silica (sand) content.
A fly swatter is a must have equipment for camping. Just one fly in the cabin is enough to drive me insane. To this I equip myself with the best fly swatter money can buy. Over the years I had a number of swatters. Most are very cheaply made with the not so cheap prices. Only very recently good quality ones are non-existent in the US. This one is the best I found and cost $3.
There is more than what meets the eyes:
tapered i-beam main arm, curved swatter head with very fine mesh, ergonomic handle with hanging hole
programmatic color coordination with the iPAD's smart cover
why such tiny stool? because it takes up very little precious space inside brunnhilde
I was very reluctant to use it camping as it pain me to scrub up and chip the beautiful legs on sharp gravel.
soko hardware store in san francisco's japantown
View Larger Map
I like cutlery with clean and un-ornamented design. I came across this beautiful set made by snow peak intended for backpack camping. They are very light weight being made of titanium for mountaineers. I actually feel indulged in using them for motor camping but their uncompromising form-follows-function minimalist's aesthetics seduce me
this diminutive butane stove is the nicest i ever encountered - very high quality construction
i found the stove and this foldable wind screen both in my local h-mart
mini ninja stores stealthily in a compact carrying case
I often find great deals with these butane canisters at Asian grocery stores. I have found them as low as $3.99 for a pack of 4. Most often the regular price is around $5.99 for pack of 4.
while surfing a big online German camper supply I came across this at a whopping 5.99 euros each! poor german campers...
even for making a clay pot rice in a stiff breeze - and yes there is this little clay pot in brunnhilde too
The non-stick frying pan in the above picture is really a wok, made in Korea out of thick aluminum with a cast appearance. It is by far one the best quality wok. I normally do not like non-stick surface but for camping use it is a good compromise. The non-stick surface requires much less water and detergent to clean, hence conservation of precious fresh water reserve.
sear up a piece of chinook salmon
all store neatly under the kitchen sink
mini toilet brush with natural bristles
So what's up with the natural bristle obsession? Natural bristle most of the time performs better than man made because of the fiber structure. If you look at them closely you would see fine fibers at the end of each strand and together they form a greater aggregate scrubbing surface. Most man made bristle do not have them.
I am quite particular with wanting a good cup of coffee on the road. The only equipment I carry is this high quality grinder and a plastic drip filter. Besides good coffee bean themselves, coffee grinder is the weakest link in preparing a drinkable cup of coffee. In my less informed days I invested in drip coffee machines. Braun used to be my favorite when it's product design was still heavily follow the restrained aesthetics of Dieter Rams.
I would later learnt that with care manually pour is the best way to preparing a cup of drip coffee (San Francisco's Blue Bottle Coffee built an enterprise on this).
this manual grinder costs $160 but is one of the best coffee investment you can make (how much does a fancy drip coffee machine cost?)
Orphan espresso also makes a bigger sister of this grinder called Pharos. It grinds much faster but is more expensive but more difficult to use.
pharos coffee grinder - this one has a bigger burr grinding head
Many coffee connoisseurs can taste the difference between a $550 and a $1000 commercial grinder but I don't profess to be one. For more in-depth reading I recommend home-barista forum. Some of these folks have analyzed coffee particles from different grinders with an electron microscope.
The equipment required to prepare a cup of drip coffee is incomplete without mentioning the kettle. To this I use just a miniature one I bought long ago for my Vanagon camper. It is made by Revere. While the design is quite uninspiring it takes up very little space, boils very fast and, with practice, one can pour a thin stream.
It took me years to figure out to cook well, one select the most appropriate size cooking vessel for the portion one cooks. While I make significant concession in equipping Brunnhilde's compact kitchen I equipped her with 2 sauce pans. Over the years I had invested in high end cookwares including French copper pots and pans, and some pieces of All Clad. In recent years I have simply falling in love with many wonderful cookwares from Asia that cost a fraction of the luxury ones. I all but stop shopping at the boutique kitchen supplies except for the time proven classics.
When I first came across this aluminum sauce pan at H-Mart I could not get over the seeming gaudy appearance. Upon closer examination of the construction in detail I begun to see the merits behind the design and chosen material. The economy of material is impressive testimony to the designer. There is not one gram of excess material and yet at $26 this pot performs better than a $125 All Clad or $150 French copper pot in all counts.
this is the smaller of the two - it is about a 1.5 quart - i carry this and an larger 2.5 quart one in brunnhilde
What make this pot performs so well?
- very light due to not a gram of superfluous material to keep the cost low
- cool and ergonomic pot handle constructed of thin sheet metal and plastic beautifully rivotted to the pot
- cool and ergonomic lid handle made of plastic (my French copper pot's brass handles are the most brain-dead design and they still haven't figure that out after over a century!)
- anodized aluminum interior to hold corrosion and pitting in check and minimize chemical reaction with food - it is also extremely easy to clean and withstand abrasive scrubbing very well
- high quality enamel paint outside that is equally easy to clean
- the most over design feature is the venting holes built into the lid. most Asian cook ware lid has this cleaver design to reduce the chance of the liquid boil over and make a mess of the stove
- the relative thin aluminum main vessel construction conduct heat better than very expensive french copper pot. on a gas stove there is no perceivable hot spots
the bigger 2.5-quart
I like a glass of wine to go with a good meal. Like all who camp my initial thought was the fear of breaking a delicate wine glass. I shopped for a plastic one intended for camping and immediately were turned off by the outrageous and ridiculous poor quality of most. Why would I want to ruin my drink by compromising with a cheap plastic one that is hard to clean when cheap $1.99 glasses are plentiful? That solved the problem very quickly. Now I have 2 $1.99 glasses from Ikea. If they break on the road, I can easily stop by an Ikea for replacement.
nothing like sipping a glass of red wine from a real wine glass
A lot of my camping has been water sport related. Even though Brunnhilde is well-equipped with a stowable table I seldom take the trouble to deploy it. I leave the lower berth configured as a bed and I used it in a tatami fashion. For meals a serving tray or a low table like those often used by many Asian cultures works well with this arrangement.
I have toyed with 3 different trays - 2 from France and 1 from Ikea. Which one should I use?
serving tray from France with foldable legs
At first glance this one seems to be one to bring along. It has the elegant Parisian sophistication and the raised height turns it into a low table like Japanese and Korean would do.
foldable legs complete with color-matched rubber shoes for traction
stainless steel spring clips holds the legs in either deployed or stowed positions
The two negatives with this tray is it take up too much storage space, and that it is relatively flimsy (like a Citroen DS as a daily driver) for frequent use.
"flying carpet" fiberglass serving tray from france
I felt in love with this tray seeing in a boutique store selling rare good design merchandises. I use it occasionally at home for a meal in the garden. It is drop dead gorgeous and has a generous for an entire service. I still struggling the amount of space takes to store it. I'd really want to bring this along on trips.
ikea no-frill square serving tray
this has been a workhorse serving tray
So far the Ikea square tray has been my choice to bring onto a trip. It is easy to clean and with a very clean modern design.
it stores without taking up much precious storage space.
Like Martha used to say in her hay days, "it is a very good thing".
No comments:
Post a Comment