We wanted to enjoy a little luxury on a multi-day tour. The option of making our work easier when cooking and washing was very tempting, so we loaded the Boxio outdoor kitchen with cool box, sink and gas stove onto the back of our pickup. Our experiences with the set.
Yes, it doesn’t just have the appearance of glamping, it’s actually more than just a luxury to be outside with a sink, large gas stove and a cool box. For our trip “3 days + 2 nights = 1 adventure”, which you can read about in the second issue of Ranger Magazine (-> click here to subscribe), we dared to try the experiment.
Convincing advantages
For our short trip, Boxio included: the Boxio-Cool passive cool box, the Boxio-Cook gas stove and the Boxio-Wash mobile washbasin. We can tell you right away: An all-round package like this always has advantages when you want to travel carefree by car, whether solo or with the family. For short trips and longer tours, a system like this makes organization easier, which you really appreciate when you actually want to concentrate on something else.
A combination like this will also help beginners and occasional vacationers in the countryside. No more fiddling with an open gas stove on the ground, no more washing your hands from a water bottle – that’s quite something.
Stay cool
On multi-day tours or on hot days, you need a place to cool the food you bring with you. We had both on our trip, so we were suitably relaxed with the Boxio-Cool passive cool box. Our food – including frozen food and snacks from the supermarket – stayed fresh from the first to the last day.
The cooling facility is super-light – the black box weighs less than a kilo. Add a few ice packs and you have everything you need. Incidentally, Boxio offers its own cool packs which, thanks to their shape, allow better organization. We had no problem at all with the 16-liter capacity for the few days. The external dimensions (400 x 300 x 280 millimetres) are manageable.
Why we also liked the lightweight: All other Boxio boxes can be stacked on top of it. The cutting board is also held securely on the lid. This is more than welcome in practice.
Hot topic
No fight without food. We’ve done everything for warming up and cooking in the field – from campfires to dry fuel or gasoline stoves. But we’ve never had a solid, stationary cooking facility out in the field. So we were very curious about the next black box.
Boxio-Cook is an outdoor kitchen based on a foldable stainless steel construction. Inside the box there is almost nothing. That’s exactly how it should be, because in addition to the gas cartridge for the 1,500 watt burner, there should also be plenty of space for cooking utensils. Perfect!
The stainless steel lid is a stable cooking facility with energy-saving wind protection and power regulator. An ignition fuse is also installed inside. This creates safety and a good feeling. The 4.7 kilos are stable, but in practice it will be a little more due to the cookware, which can only be a good thing in order to have a secure stand. This – in combination with the usual Boxio dimensions of 400 x 300 x 280 millimetres – is convincing. Everything else is just like in the kitchen at home: from operation to cleaning, there was nothing that surprised us – and that’s exactly what we think a box like this wants to achieve. Just get out and have no worries.
Cleanly done
Nothing works without hygiene, not even when cooking. Hidden in another practical Boxio box is Boxio-Wash, a mobile washbasin that weighs less than four kilos net and can actually be used anywhere. The big advantage of this washbasin is that it does not need an external power source, but is operated purely by a hand pump. That’s one less thing to worry about.
The water jet is strong enough to wash vegetables or dirty hands, but uses far fewer resources than the water bottle and tipping method. Five liters of fresh water fit into the tank and there is just as much space for dirty water. Everything remained leak-proof in the test. What more could you want?
Ranger conclusion: Being on the road with a cooling, cooking and washing set is somehow a luxury, but it’s also incredibly relaxing. During our test operation in the countryside, we particularly appreciated the upright working position when the boxes were placed on the loading area of the pickup. There was nothing to complain about in terms of quality either. However, as with all things you carry in a camper or pickup, it is essential that you fill the boxes sensibly and give some thought to their placement in the car.
