One tiny box is taking glamping (that’s glamorous camping for all you true outdoorsmen and women) to a whole new level. If you’ve ever lamented your inability to take your entire kitchen with you on trips to Mother Nature, fret no longer — the Camp Champ is here to save the day. Clearly not intended for the Appalachian Trail hiker who has resigned him or herself to living on beef jerky and peanut butter, the literal kitchen in a box is meant for the gourmand who wants a Michelin-worthy meal in the great outdoors. The box opens up to reveal a fully stocked spice rack to a full set of knives, a coffee maker, and a corkscrew (because you can’t go into the woods and not have wine). And of course, there’s a stove and plenty of counter space too. So go ahead, pack up your kitchen and head off to the mountains.
The Camp Champ, which is as beautiful in its folded box form as it is when fully laid out, was both designed and built in Austria. As per its product description, the portable kitchen “includes complete first class equipment for up to six people,” is “compact, robust, and sturdy,” features an “integrated knife block, spice rack, kitchen utensils, and trash bag holder,” and is “ideal as a kitchen for the garden, overlanding travel, four-wheel trips, canoeing … picnics, all outdoor activities … and anywhere else you would like to whip up a meal.”
Equipment includes cushions to sit on, a double-burner grill with a griddle pan, a whetstone (for all the knives in the full knife block), a stainless steel sieve, dessert plates, and a grater, just to name a few. When closed, the box is 680 x 540 x 570 mm (26 x 21 x 22 inches), and when open, it goes to 50 x 22 x 43 inches in dimension. Of course, it’s not exactly something you’d want to lug over the Swiss Alps, as the fully stocked kitchen weighs in at an alarming 154 pounds.
It’ll also cost you a pretty penny (and is very pretty itself too), setting the avid diner/camper back a solid $6,120. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants. And sometimes, it’s a gourmet meal in the mountains. Made from a tiny kitchen.
