Is an R1T camp kitchen "worth" it?

[messinator]

Hey all, looking for reviews from folks who have purchased Gear Tunnel camp kitchens like the Thunderbolt Supply camp kitchen. It's nearly $4k which is super steep and I'm curious if people have perceived it's "worth" it. Some primer questions:

1. Is it actually that significant of an upgrade over running some kettles/burners on the tailgate?
   1. yes, but only if doing a multi-day trip with multiple meals?
2. If you're not using it, how annoying has it been to take in/out of the gear tunnel?
3. Does it 'feel' like a $4k product?
4. Anyone DIYed to much success?

Thanks!

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[Cycliste]

I’m in the stage of my life where I want to limit possessions. I use the 17 inch electric Blackstone griddle, but they no longer sell it. Otherwise, I’d just use my backpacking stove.

If you overland or go car camping every month, that is a whole other matter

 

[messinator]

I’m in the stage of my life where I want to limit possessions. I use the 17 inch electric Blackstone griddle, but they no longer sell it. Otherwise, I’d just use my backpacking stove.

If you overland or go car camping every month, that is a whole other matter

Totally agree on limiting possessions, it's amazing how much *stuff* one can accumulate. I probably use my RTT on single night or multi-night trips 1-2 times a month summer & winter, which is why I'm considering this.

 

[SteveInBend]

Our original order included the camp kitchen. After purchasing a RTT and taking a few multi-day trips, we decided that we preferred using our gas camp stove on the camp site's picnic table where it would be closer and more convenient to where we were eating. We have a couple of plastic storage containers for our utensils, cutlery, plates, etc.

 

[CarGuyCarl]

Hard to beat an old Coleman two burner stove, and you get to keep a lot more of your GT space.

 

[mikehmb]

Thunderbolt's stuff looks to be incredibly high quality. Local outfit, too, which is super cool. Love seeing hardware designed and sold in the US. They are also here on the forums.

Is it worth it? If you're the kind of person who likes things super organized and clean, then I'd say go for it. They built a legit kit.

 

[ndmiller]

Hey all, looking for reviews from folks who have purchased Gear Tunnel camp kitchens like the Thunderbolt Supply camp kitchen. It's nearly $4k which is super steep and I'm curious if people have perceived it's "worth" it. Some primer questions:

1. Is it actually that significant of an upgrade over running some kettles/burners on the tailgate?
   1. yes, but only if doing a multi-day trip with multiple meals?
2. If you're not using it, how annoying has it been to take in/out of the gear tunnel?
3. Does it 'feel' like a $4k product?
4. Anyone DIYed to much success?

Thanks!

If you're asking, it's probably a hard no. I use regular tents, sleeping bags and pads along with a camping stove and have for regular, motorcycle and car camping. The induction burner thing, may get me to upgrade my camp stove to electric induction as one on Amazon is $100-$200....No more fuel to carry would be huge. Just need to make sure pots/pans are magnetic and will work with it, so no titanium I would think.

 

[Taco Corp]

I really liked the idea of the camp kitchen, but as I used the R1T I quickly decided the tunnel space was way too useful for gear. So I use an induction burner and electric kettle quite a bit and haven't found a need for much else.

 

[Thunderbolt Adventure]

Hi! Sarah from Thunderbolt Adventure Supply here. I am, of course, biased. But, we love our kitchen and use it a lot. We especially love the easy set up and clean up of the kitchen that rolls out of the truck ready to go. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have for us.

 

[Taco Corp]

If you're asking, it's probably a hard no. I use regular tents, sleeping bags and pads along with a camping stove and have for regular, motorcycle and car camping. The induction burner thing, may get me to upgrade my camp stove to electric induction as one on Amazon is $100-$200....No more fuel to carry would be huge. Just need to make sure pots/pans are magnetic and will work with it, so no titanium I would think.

The induction burner works really well; I think the one I got was $80 and no or at least very low risk of melting the tailgate, unlike my backpacking stove.

 

[marlontaze]

I own the thunderbolt camp kitchen, it's definitely for the kind of person that loves organization and pretty things. After 5 months of use, I'd purchase it again.

Pros

Cons

Gorgeous 3 container set and gear slide that includes waxed canvas storage and a sleek induction cooktop. Containers are quick and easy to remove, are stackable, and store easily in a fairly compact space. Instant "wow" moment for anyone who sees you pull it out. Easy setup and clean up. The gear sled is great to use as a standalone feature. The gear sled greatly enhances the utility of the gear tunnel.

Expensive but well made and worth the value if the expense is manageable for you. When you travel with it you'll lose the general use storage benefits of the gear tunnel. You still might bring a small kit for cooking with fire. You can't open up the back passenger door next to it when it's fully deployed.

Almost all the best accessories for the R1T are expensive. This kitchen is one of the good ones but isn't just a beautiful one trick pony. It's modular, flexible, and taken as a whole, can be configured to fit your day to day and special trips with almost no effort at all after the initial install.

Marlon

 

[CarlM408]

• Instant "wow" moment for anyone who sees you pull it out.

LOL, yes absolutely. We have the Thunderbolt kitchen and sliding it out when at a charging stop on a road trip and starting to make Mochas is a definite way to make new friends!

Taking the kitchen modules off the slide is very easy. Taking the slide out is a few bolts, also not hard but takes some tools and a bit more time. That being said we've never had a need to, the kitchen just lives in the tunnel and that's been fine.

Does it feel like a ~$4K product? Yes absolutely, our is all wood and clearly hand crafted with a lot of care and design thought put into it.

Is it WORTH it? vs. DIY? That's so subjective... Before the Rivian we had a Mr. Induction single element cooker plugged into our Bluetti camp battery on a tiny fold-down food prep table attached to the spare tire carrier on the back of our XC60. It worked great and was very cost effective to cobble together. The Rivian/Thunderbolt setup then maybe doubles the counter space, doubles the burners, adds a solid built-in sink, and organized stowage for all the other kitchen hardware. Hard to say that's worth $4K, but my wife totally loves cooking on it and she's worth it, so what's a few K on a $100K truck to make her happy eh?

 

[malditofman]

Hey all, looking for reviews from folks who have purchased Gear Tunnel camp kitchens like the Thunderbolt Supply camp kitchen. It's nearly $4k which is super steep and I'm curious if people have perceived it's "worth" it. Some primer questions:

1. Is it actually that significant of an upgrade over running some kettles/burners on the tailgate?
   1. yes, but only if doing a multi-day trip with multiple meals?
2. If you're not using it, how annoying has it been to take in/out of the gear tunnel?
3. Does it 'feel' like a $4k product?
4. Anyone DIYed to much success?

Thanks!

4 grand?? If one has money to burn (so to speak) I suppose. A single pot induction cooktop is under $100 and takes up little space on the tailgate. A cutting board and utensils are even less. The remaining $3800 can be donated to a charity, perhaps a food bank or homeless shelter and a tax deduction taken. Drive well.

 

[beatle]

After using my $80 induction burner on the tailgate to cook some eggs for sandwiches toasted over the campfire, I'd have no interest in a full slide out kitchen setup, even at 1/4 the price. I feel like a good camping trip has you conquering your surroundings with comfort, but only mostly succeeding. Others may camp for other reasons and may want to completely dominate nature with technology.

Besides, as others have said, a slide out kitchen really limits your use of the tunnel for other things. I stuff my camping chairs, tent, pillows, and sleeping bags in there. The tunnel is pretty valuable dry real estate.

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