Everything AND the Kitchen Sink (Outwell Dauphin Camp Kitchen)

Member Name: helencb

Product:	Outwell Dauphin Camp Kitchen
Date:	25/07/09 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: tasteful design, strong canvas product, great windshield, strong zip closing all around

Disadvantages: slightly expensive

Having done a few camping trips over the last year or two, we decided we needed a bit more in the way of camping equipment and cooking equipment in order that we could enjoy our own meals out of doors, rather than the easier option of heading to the nearest watering hole for food and drink.

As we had bought a decent two ring cooker and grill, and pans, the next problem to tackle was storage. When heading away for several days, it is important to be able to keep food and crockery etc stored tidily away instead of cluttering up our living space!

I am a big fan of the Outwell brand, because of the quality of my tent. We had first seen the Outwell Dauphin Camp Kitchen last year at our local camping store, however there was no real need to purchase it before this season.

I particularly liked the Dauphin because of the quality of the materials used. Many similar items use dreadful melamine shelves and worktops and seem to be a relic from the 1970s! The worktop of the dauphin is a slatted metal variety, which looks and feels a little more modern. The unit consists of two shelves which are completely enclosed by the canvas exterior, and to the right, ample space for a gas bottle which can be connected to the cooker on the shelf above. The unit also has a space for food preparation and even a "kitchen sink" although I have to say I was not too bothered over that particular feature.

The unit is a reasonable size, and I think it is fair to say it would be overkill for a camping trip of a couple of night's duration, but ideal for longer camping holidays where campers are bound to have more food supplies and cooking equipment. It does come with a carrier bag for transportation and storage, which all helps to keep things tidier and avoid missing bits.

One of the most important features of this particular unit is the windshield for the stove. It is high enough to accommodate a decent sized camping cooker and avoid the flames being blown out if trying to cook in a gale.

Erecting the unit is straightforward and should not take more than a few minutes once you have worked it out the first time. The frame is tubular in design and screws together and has adjustable legs in case the ground is slightly uneven.


We tend to leave the Dauphin outside the tent under the canopy and given further protection by our windshield, however as we have a large tent it is possible to keep the unit under canvas as well. The weather was pretty wet on our last trip, and the unit weathered the storm perfectly well, despite getting a thorough soaking.

Price was, it certainly was not cheap at nearly £90 and it is hard to get it much cheaper, however having looked at cheaper brands we felt it was worth paying a little extra for as it was part of our overall camping investment, which hopefully will last us for many holidays to come.
Overall it is a bit of a luxury item for camping, and certainly not essential at the price - but as I don't really like clutter around the tent, particularly where food is concerned then I think it was a wise investment.

Summary: Ideal workspace and storage solution for longer camping holidays