ovens

We (well Mrs Motley really) have made extensive use of the Oven. Everything form Roasts in oven bags, to scones, cakes and slow cooked stews. Works like a charm and less cleaning for these type of things than the BBQ.

However we allso carry a hotplate for the fire (half grill, half plate), a camp oven and a screw on hotplate for the gas bottle.

Seems a lot but, it's horses for courses and in the couse of most trips, we use all of them, including the oven, at least once

I (Jan O ) use my oven all the time. It's a great little oven and passed the "sponge cake test" with flying colours. I found it a bit hard to clean the stainless of baked on grease from roasts (Jan- Mrs Motley....what do you use to clean yours so as not to scratch the stainless?) so I use the Cobb Cooker for all roasts now, but the oven gets used for everything else.
Regards, Jan O

Hi 10 Para,

Had the same thoughts when we recently ordered our BT. We just don't cook oven foods. We thought the space could be more usefully utilised for storage. HOWEVER, very good point made by Steve at BTI - no oven may be a problem at resale time - would make van a much less attractive prospect for prospective buyer. Can still use oven for storage space (eg linen, clothes etc) thereby losing very little space but maintaining resale potential - very good piece of common sense. SO we are going to have an over but I doubt we will ever use it.

We also had the same thoughts about installing a stove with oven. However, we thought that while outback travelling, having plenty of spare time, and not having a microwave when 240 v power is not available an oven would be used from time to time.

Chris

Depends how you feel about your food methinks. We are 'foodies' (but not fatties) who enjoy every moment of cooking and eating, and see this as an essential part of the travelling experience. Life without an oven would be boring and restricted, thus we had the full Swift stove & oven fitted to the BT, and use it almost on a daily basis. However, we also have a Coleman dual fuel stove and camp ovens in several sizes for when we feel like an easier meal, or a campfire meal. We have a microwave fitted, but so far it's sole purpose has been to heat a little bean bag that Mrs R uses to ease a pain in the neck. (Don't know where she gets that!) Also have fitted the proper ducted rangehood, and use it.

A lot of good comments here regarding the oven, to have or not....
Besides the resale issue, the cost difference on just the cooktop and grill vrs the whole unit is very little, and I think in the final analysis it does not hurt to have it...
Even if you do not use it, you can still store goods inside of it, spices, tea towels or the like...

But to omit it might be a regret later.... A potential Buyer might want it....
And the last count is something like 32 Bushtracker Owners upgraded, got second vans, in last few years.. I would get it even if I did not think I was going to use it.

Cheers, stg at Bushtracker

We use our oven all the time, but if we were getting a new van built we would leave the Microwave out, as we hardly ever use that.
It all depends on how you do you cooking at home as to whether you will use the oven or microwave, but, as the Bushtrack is designed for remote camping the microwaves tend to get less use than those in vans that go to caravan park all the time.

I think resale value and ease of sale would generally be imporved with a full oven set up fitted.