ovens

I do most of my holiday cooking on top of the stove, but as it is small, i have used the oven as well, and that is for only two of us - i'm not into cooking cakes or anything fancy - and as it has been short holidays only, i try and make cooking and washing up as simple as possible. If travelling long term, i'm sure i would use the oven more. We carry a portable gas stove and cook outside rather than heat up the van on hot nights. We could survive without the oven, and did in the past - after all, the luxuries in a BT are real luxury compared to "camping" as we have done before. Gee, i'd never had an oven, bathroom, hot water, running water, clothes hanging space, big bed, or anything like this on previous holidays.

If i was starting from scratch, i would have a 2 door fridge/freezer. My 1998 built van has a caravan fridge with small internal freezer only. There is room for the taller fridge, and the people we met on the road who have been travelling since 1998 had chosen to have the taller two door fridge i would prefer in their's. The previous owner of ours started with a portable freezer on the draw bar, but found it unnecessary. On our recent month away, i took enough meat for us for almost the entire trip in the little internal freezer. We do travel with an engel in the car just for the lunch stuff and cool drinks, but we turn that off overnight to avoid flattening the car battery, so anything important comes inside to the caravan fridge.

Hope this helps you decide.

Motherhen

Hi 10 Para,

We travelled 18,000 k's in our previous caravan with only a 4 burner hob - used frequently - and a griller underneath - used about once after which the "chef" declared it off-limits as it put burnt smells throughout the van (Windsor); there was no oven but we carry a great "marine" BBQ which is used outdoors very frequently - it was hooked into a bayonet gas fitting attached to the chassis just foward of the wheels and runs the BBQ off the van's main gas cylinder supply.
.
In our 18'BT we have hob, griller and oven (plus the BBQ which fits comfortably in the BT's spacious cargo hatch underneath the front cross queen size bed).
After 5,000 ks we have not used the griller (see above - same reason) nor the oven. Doubt we ever will use the oven!

Had we ordered a BT new from the BTi works, we would have gone for a microwave under a 3 burner hob in place of the grill and oven. The "chef" is of shortish stature and the "normal" microwave position above the 190L 2 door fridge/freezer is too high for her.
We also carry a slow cooking "crockpot" which is excellent for stews and the like along with a bread maker and usually a small (4L) distillation pot to overcome water quality problems (gets used at home every day).

Whether you go for an oven rather depends on the cooking techniques of "the chef"
Cheers,
the 'Paca People, W.A.