My name is Jim (James) Crawford. I started my working life in a mustering camp on a cattle station in the Territory named Humbert River Station after I left school in ’73, and scored a stint as the camp cook, after our real cook “disappeared”. This got me started on what has become a lifelong enjoyment of camp cooking.
After buying my first truck in 1975, (a sure-fire-get-rich-quick scheme) I spent around 40 years driving semis, road-trains and low loaders all over Australia, mainly running into the northern half of the country…the “Top-End”.
Due to the remoteness of the areas I worked plus the expense of buying all my meals when I was on a long trip, I usually cooked for myself on the side of the road. This saved a fair bit of time and money and allowed me to stop wherever I was, and still get fed. You’re on the clock as a Truck driver, so I needed to have my meal quick so that I could get moving again, this required me to keep my cooking gear and tucker well organised. One of the unique features I needed was to make it easily removable by undoing 4 bolts front and back. This allowed me to transfer with ease from truck to ute and vice versa.
In the late 70’s my tucker box consisted of an ex-army grenade case (that I still have somewhere) which sat snugly on the passenger side floor of my old 7 series Dodge. There’s lots of time to think while driving trucks and over time I became inspired to make improvements to my set up, to make it more convenient and especially to find a way to stop the annoying, and somewhat destructive rattles of the gas burner and cooking gear. I wanted a way to conveniently store everything I needed to prepare, cook, serve and clean up after my meals.
Over the years I built about a dozen different versions of a portable kitchen set up, at first out of plywood and then out of steel. I eventually mounted the unit outside of my truck allowing me the convenience to pull up anywhere and prepare and cook my meals. With this set up, no longer was there a need to use truck stops for meals and my food bills were drastically reduced as a consequence.
The old tucker box slowly evolved into today’s Compact and Convenient Travelling Camp Kitchen – that doesn’t rattle!
If you want a camp kitchen you can easily remove from your vehicle when not needed, then these kitchens are the go too for you. Yes its as easy as undoing 4 bolts front and 4 bolts at the back. Then simply pick it up pack it away in your garage until your next trip. The beauty of this is the kitchen and all its contents are ready to hit the road as soon as you are. Another bonus is if you change vehicles you can take it with you, something that no one else offers in a portable kitchen design. A great love of mine is to travel and spend time outdoors camping. Whenever I have the spare time to do this I’d always take along my trusty camp kitchen. I have it mounted in the back of my 4WD or on occasion I simply sit it in the back of my Ute. It is my go to compact kitchen that allowed me the convenience to go anywhere, anytime and have all I needed to prepare, cook, serve and clean up after meals.
The Compact Camp Kitchens by Top End Campgear are designed and made in Australia to provide a convenient and efficient work space with everything necessary to prepare, cook, serve your meal and clean up afterwards within arms reach.
Designed as a standalone portable unit which, if you choose, can be mounted to just about any vehicle, the Top End Compact Camp Kitchens can be set up in less than a minute and are a perfect organisation tool whether you are travelling on holiday, a tradie on a work site, a truckie on an outback run or simply out for a Sunday drive.
The kitchen offers specifically designed storage compartments that firmly hold all your necessary non-perishable cooking items along with the tools you need for food preparation and cooking such as pots and pans, plates and a space for the wash-up tub. There are drawers for storage of all your cutlery, cooking utensils and plates located strategically above the prep area for easy access, plus an area for storing sharp knives so they don’t become blunt. With a stove drawer incorporated into the design via a slide out drawer, Top End Campgear have really put together a complete compact camp kitchen
All I need in addition to the kitchen is to slip an esky or fridge on the side together with a container of drinking water and a gas bottle for the stove. Everything else is snugly tucked away in the Camp Kitchen
Today the kitchen is engineered from aluminium and finished in an attractive and durable powder coat. Its dust and water resistant and lined with carpet so rattles are muffled to non-existent.
After more than 40 years driving trucks I’ve now given up the road and have devoted my time to making the Top End Camp Kitchen the best it can be so other passionate campers and travelling cooks can enjoy the convenience it offers.
My hope is that everyone who owns one of these kitchens gets the same enjoyment from using theirs’s as we do from ours.
All Pictures shown are for illustration purpose only. Actual product may vary due to product enhancement.
