microwave size & brand

If you don't think you will use it yourself, you can always get Bushtracker to leave provision for the next person to have one installed, and use the space for something else yourselves.
This is sometimes the decision for things like air-conditioners I have noticed from some previous posts.
The important thing is to have provision for installation of any of these so that at resale you can let potential buyers know.

At home I use my microwave for cooking quite a few things as well as for the defrosting or reheating. That will have to be curtailed in our van (when we get it) if we are in one place for a while. If we are on the move then I will be able to use it a little more. BUT that use will still need to be watched carefully. Our planned configuration of panels and batteries will allow this limited use, and for me I am happy with disciplining myself to that.
LJW

For what it is worth, after five years of BT ownership, we have just removed our microwave on the basis it did not pull its weight & occupied space that will be of more use as a cupboard.

We found that almost the only use was heating water when 240v was available. Our experience may not apply to all as we use a camp oven heated by a gas ring in a Southern Metal Spinners "snood" for most or our cooking in both in caravan parks & bush camping.

Personally we would strongly advise against the concept of using an inverter to power a microwave, battery consumption is just too great. At the same time as removing the microwave we have taken out the 1700w (1800w? I can not remember) inverter & installed two smaller units with dedicated power points. There is no doubt that for bush camping inverter power is a must for the computer & TV et al but, in our view, not a microwave.

Andy

I agree with Andy and will add my experience of having a MW. Had it installed above the fridge. Didn't use it much as it was only wired to 240v. I have found that battery life is paramount and using inverters I believe should be only for laptop and camera/phone batteries recharging. Anyway the MW disintergrated somewhere along the Gibb Rv Rd. last year. The whole heavy motor/fan assembly in mine was hanging on one bolt through the top of the case. The case is as in all white goods wafer thin so just ripped itself out. When one considers these appliances are designed to sit on a bench in a house what hope has it got in a moving BT? Should a MW need to be installed I would give it considerable shock proofing indeed. Also I would endeavour to see how the motor/fan set-up was attached. I now use the hole for those large things which need storing occasionally, e.g. laundry. The space doesn't go un-used. Hope I have been of some use, cheers Neil.

While i use my microwave at home every day, i would not include one in a caravan. Instead we have a $25 Dick Smith 12 volt pie warmer in the car which although it take quite a while, fills my husbands needs to have hot pies. I can cook wholesome meals quite quickly on the gas stove, and can do without a microwave when on the road.

We just threw our microwave away after hardly using it in the almost 2 years that we have owned our BT.
It stopped working after a fairly lengthy trip on the corrugations.
Removing the MW has revealed a marvelous big cupboard which is ideal for all the big stuff we carry. We need to just have a door made by the kitchen maker and it will be a very useful large space being utilized properly.

For the interest of those enquiring about slide out pantries.We use the cupboard to the right of the sink as a pantry and it was absolutely useless with things falling over and having to pull out everything to get to the stuff at the back. We got our local kitchen bloke to put in 3 sliding wire drawers and it has been the best thing we have done.
We also changed the cupboard under the oven to a drawer, converted the other cupboard under the bed to a pair of drawers and put on front opening drawers in the front of the settee at the back of the van. It was so difficult to access the space under the seat before.Why can't these things be offered as standard at BT. It cost us quite a bit, but has been worth it as we now have our van as we want it, very functional.

Regards,
Maureen and David

D & D ,

I just got back from a week in a C. Park at Dunolly ,Vic . I cooked vegies every night with the microwave . It is so easy I would not be without it on a powered site .

When in the bushhowever , I cook all my vegies in foil in the coals .

Cheers ,

Willie .

We had a microwave installed in our new (Phoenix, sorry) van two years ago and it has served us well as secure, convenient (but expensive), storage for our wine cask. Make of that what you will. LOL.

Michael