I have gotten back into car camping (drive up tent sites, not sleeping in the car) so my wife will more willingly join in addition to my normal jaunts to the bush to test out gear. When I was in Scouts we had Chuck Boxes that contained (from memory) a two burner stove, wire stove stand, griddle, a good sized pot, medium sized pot, frying pan, cutting board, plates, individual utensils, cooking utensils (spatula, knife, spoon, ladle, etc), lantern, propane tree (to go with a large tank and not use the 1 pounders), salt/pepper, soap, etc.

As that was a number of years ago I am wondering if anyone has any good plans that wouldnt mind posting up. I have googled and found a few good solutions but none that I am in love with. May just end up starting from the ground up with features I like and see where it takes me.

So post away if you have some ideas,

I love these chuck boxes:
Bluesky Kitchens

They are well thought out so as to hold all you need while still collapsing down to reasonable size. They are like Transformers for campers!

-Blast

From Scouts NewEngland (yes, that's how they spell it)

http://sne.tripod.com/plans.htm

In addition to chuck box plans, there are also plans on a portable camp table made out of a single sheet of plywood. I have used both and they work great.

we had something like that at our summer Scout camp in the 50's.
everything was cooked over a fire and the chuck box had a drop down front held by small chain to form a stand up work surface.the box had a shelf to hold the cook gear and condiments.a big deal was made about keeping the cap of the ketchup bottle clean.the legs were attached with big wing nuts so they could be transported.
when i worked at that camp the summer before i went to college i found out the chuck box's were made for one of the world Scout Jamboree's so if you search for a post WW2you may find one there.

This is an adaptation for a small boat, but useful none the less.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/10/howto/chuckbox/index.htm

Bill

From my experience of wilderness cooking for umpteen years, I prefer these days to work from a more modular approach. I use a big single handled plastic toolbox for holding utensils and silverware. I have a couple of big plastic bins with hinged lids that I load up with my fire management tools, my pots and pans and bowls, and one I use as a grub box for holding my dry and canned goods. I used to consolidate, but my back prefers smaller loads these days. Combined with a couple 48 quart ice chests, I have a decent set up for a couple weeks to a couple months, depending on how I provision. Since I prefer a full sized propane stove if I possible I use a 3 burner Camp Chef type outfitter's stove. The only time I would vary from this is if I am backpacking into a primitive site, in which case I go with the lightest functional gear and supplies I can stand.

If I am working a pack train, I forego the plastic bins and pack panniers full of what I need instead.

Grub boxes are okay, but not very man-portable. If it is going to sit in the back end of the bed of my pickup and that is where I am going to do all my cooking from, then maybe it ain't too bad, but I seldom find a campsite that is quite so convenient. Besides, having it sit on the back end like that makes it hard to get to any other cargo behind it if I need to. Chuck boxes are great for permanent fixtures, like the back of a chuckwagon or in a cabin or some such, but not for the sort of camping I have to do at elk camp and fish camp. It's a fifty-fifty split for convenience in a wall tent.

My son's troop has used the full=sized wooden patrol boxes for a two years now.

They get very high marks for organization - everything in one place. That's a great thing for young men who tend to be less than highly organized.

They also are large and weigh a LOT. Its about all two young men can do to carry one of the boxes a distance.

My advice is to use Rubbermaid Roughneck tubs to store gear. They are tough, rainproof, come in misc. sizes, can be used as a short table, they hold water, and are very low cost.

A Rubbermaid 50 Litre tub for car camping storage is the perfect solution for our needs and is the optimal height to fit under the car trunk lid. The tub holds all necessary items (aside from food)that will supply 3-4 people in terms of pots/pans, dishes/bowls/cups, cooking/eating utensils, tinfoil, cutting board personal and sanitary supplies etc.

I have Roughneck 18G tubs as well. Somewhere or other seems to have them on sale every week, they seal somewhat well and I can carry them by myself even when loaded up.

I have a few of those as well. Looking for one with some slots in the sides so I can slide in dividers.