How To Choose Your Kitchen Tent For Camping

Kitchen tents are widely used both in long-stay caravanning and on routes with a motorhome or camper van. They are ideal for storing food and cooking protected from the wind. There are so many brands, sizes, materials and features, and we understand that it can be overwhelming when it comes to finding your ideal kitchen tent. For this reason, in this post we explain everything you should take into account when choosing your camping kitchen tent. 

Kitchen materials

Camping kitchen tents are usually made of PVC, but there are some cheaper models that use lighter materials and are less waterproof. Below we detail the reasons and differences.

All-Season and PVC materials

Most kitchen tents are made of PVC . It is a fabric with a waterproof and highly resistant PVC coating. It is a premium material that withstands inclement weather very well and can be washed very easily (we explain how on our blog).

Of course, it is not bulletproof, if you take good care of it, do regular cleaning, make sure it is dry when you fold it for storage and apply waterproofing from time to time, its useful life will be increased.

There are also kitchen tent models made with All-Season Polyester. It is characterized by its resistance to sunlight and most chemical products. It is a thermoplastic fiber, which prevents wrinkles from appearing and from changing its shape and design over time. 

Materials 2 seasons for summer

There are also more affordable and lighter kitchen tent models made with less waterproof materials than PVC or All-Season Polyester, more designed for the short summer season, or even for the route.

They are tents made of materials such as Polyester or Nylon Oxford. They are much lighter tents to transport, faster to set up and that perfectly fulfill the function of protecting from the elements while you prepare your camping meals.

However, these materials age less well when in prolonged contact with dust, UV rays or rain, and are less waterproof. They can also tear more easily when carrying a lot of weight, such as a bag of water or snow accumulated on the roof. 

In short, these materials are a very valid option if you want to spend little money and have the kitchen tent set up in summer during a short stay, or on a motorhome or camper route where you are going to set up and take down the tent several times. 

Kitchen tent size

Once you know if your kitchen tent is for long stays and prolonged use, it is time to decide what size you will need. Many times, the measurements of the kitchen will be conditioned by the size of the plot. We must take into account the space occupied by the caravan, the trailer, the awning or tent (if any) and see how much space we have left for the kitchen tent, checking that we do not have trees, streetlights and other elements that bother . 

Up to 2 meters

If the size available on your plot is very small, it is best to take a kitchen tent with a front of less than 2 meters. The smallest models usually start at 150 cm.

It is a fairly small space, but enough to store a kitchen cabinet, a refrigerator, and have room to cook comfortably inside.

2 to 3 meters

In this fork is where you will find the vast majority of kitchen stores in the market. With fronts of 200 to 300 cm, and depths ranging from 150 cm to 200 cm, you will have approximately 4 to 6 square meters of space.

With that, it is already enough for a kitchen cabinet or two, a fridge, a garbage can and a small round barbecue, and enough space in between to cook with a lot of freedom of movement, or with someone else, if you want to make fun recipes with the kids, for example.

More than 3 meters 

There are manufacturers that make custom-made kitchens with a front of up to 5 meters. They are authentic PVC palaces, or the equivalent of an independent trailer (without a caravan) with a rear wall. 

In these XL kitchen tents you will have plenty of space to store all your furniture and kitchen utensils, and at the same time have a storage corner for a couple of bikes, a large barbecue or other folding furniture such as sun loungers, for example.