A useful basic stand for camping (Easy Camp Kitchen Stand)

Member Name: dee778

Product:	Easy Camp Kitchen Stand
Date:	01/09/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes life under canvas a lot easier

Disadvantages: Finish could be inadequate, design could be better

After many years of grovelling on the ground, frying my breakfast during camping trips, I decided that my back would take no more, and invested in a cooking stand so that I could stand up whilst cooking. I wanted something that was sturdy but also fairly small and light, and after looking at very light, but flimsy, products, I chose an Easy Camp stand.

~~design~~

I bought my stand at a local camping store for £30 and I was able to test it for height and potential wobble. The size of the fully opened stand is 67W x 48D x 80H cm, and the folded size is 49 x 10 x 79cm. The folded size is just a bit larger than a deckchair, which is ideal for packing neatly away in the boot, especially as it comes in a handy black canvas carry bag which helps with the packing. It weighs approximately 2.2kg, which I found heavier than I had expected but was needed to provide a solid cooking surface.

The two horizontal surfaces are made of very light plastic planks, which fold up if necessary, and attach to the main stands with clips. This makes the overall weight of the stand a little less, whilst providing the necessary stability. It also means that the stand is very quick and easy to assemble.

~~what I didn't like~~

Most serious campers will have a two ring gas cooker, attached to a large gas bottle by a thick rubber hose. To protect this from wind, a small, three sided wind break is used, balanced around the gas rings - and if you have a stand, it rest on the top surface of the stand. The Easy Camp stand is not designed to accommodate the rubber hose and the wind break at the same time. In other words, you have to balance the windbreak on top of the rubber hose, making it unstable. A better design would have had a small indentation in one of the planks, so that the hose could be held firmly in place without unseating the windbreak. An even better design would have had slots for the windbreak to attach to the stand!

The finish of this product is somewhat suspect! After one use, the silver finish on the horizontal surfaces have become scratched by the gas burners - and I believe that after a couple of trips they will look very tatty.

~~what I liked~~

The surfaces are easy to wipe clean - an important factor when frying your greasy camping breakfast! The height of the stand is perfect and the stability excellent.

I initially looked at much more expensive stands, that had canvas covers to turn the bottom shelf into a cupboard - or had side extensions to create more cooking space. I was glad that I had not paid extra money for these options. I had no need for extra space, and as we left the stand outside the tent all night, a canvas cupboard would have become soggy and smelly in the rain within a few days. As it was, I felt happy to leave the cooker and the stand outside for the whole holiday, simply wiping it dry and clean after rain or cooking.

I feel that the price is very reasonable - £30 is not a major investment, and it seems silly to pay anything more for what is probably a once-a-year use.

Summary: A useful addition to any camping kit