Appliances
Toilet | Fridge | Toaster Oven | Cooktop
Toilet
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12 volt
Nature’s Head Composting Toilet
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Having a place to go to the bathroom at anytime is a nice convenience
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My toilet is on a pull-out drawer with 500lbs drawer slides
The toilet has L-brackets to hold it in place
The toilet has a vent fan to help with odor
This can be vented out the wall or floor
You don’t HAVE to vent it, but it is recommended
Make sure you have clearance to open the lid and remove the top half and bottom half
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This toilet is a diverting toilet, the liquids go in one container, and the solids in the other, which helps prevent odor
The smelliest park is dumping the liquid jug
I used to add coconut coir in the solids bucket, but got tired of changing it, so now I use dog bags for solids, which requires no maintenance
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Public restrooms
Homemade toilet
Cassette/Dry Flush toilets
Laveo & Dometic brand
Costly to replenish bags
Diverting toilets
Nature’s Head & Trelino
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I highly recommend a diverting toilet and using dog bags.
Nature’s head is crazy expensive. There have since been new diverting toilets that have entered the market. An alternative I’d recommend is Trelino, still stupid expensive, but cheaper than Nature’s Head. It’s also comes in different sizes and takes up less space.
Fridge
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12 volt
3 cubic foot
Black
Isotherm Cruise 85 Elegance Refrigerator
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Easier to organize food
Easier to elevate off the ground
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I elevated my fridge so I don’t have to bend over to load and unload groceries, which also gives better visibility to what’s in the fridge
Leave an appropriate gap around the unit for ventilation
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Use a 12/24/48 volt fridge if you have a 12/24/48 battery bank for better efficiency and to use less power
Avoid 120 volt fridges, will draw a lot of power and require the inverter to be on 24/7
The freezer in this unit is small, which I don’t use much anyways, but there are other options in the market with larger freezers
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Chest configuration
Common brands:
Isotherm
Dometic
Truckee
Iceco
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This fridge is plenty large for me and having it elevated is a game changer!
Toaster Oven
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120 volt, KitchenAid 9-in-1 Toaster Oven (KCO124)
Bake, broil, air fry, reheat, dehydrate, keep warm etc.
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Small and compact compared to a RV oven and stove
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Added a 120 volt outlet behind the toaster oven so it is always plugged in. The outlet is on a switch on the kitchen control panel.
Added a nice frame around the front that’s held on by ball catch latches on both sides
Placed two strips of wood in front and behind the front feet of the toaster oven so it can’t move
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The toaster oven does get hot when in use so make sure there is good ventilation around the entire unit
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Propane RV oven & stovetop
Out of safety concerns, I didn’t want to deal with propane
It’s also a larger unit that takes up a lot of countertop space and drawer space
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I NEVER use the toaster oven and will likely replace it with a drawer when I need more space.
BUT if you like to bake and cook in an oven, then this will be great for you!
Cooktop
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Coleman Triton 2-Burner Propane Stove
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Portable to use inside or outside
Can cook with 2 items at a time
Easy to store away in the van’s overhead shelf
Only needs 16oz. propane canister
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Induction cooktops
I didn’t want this because it uses 120 volt power and will draw a lot of power
Needs special pots & pans
I also didn’t want to install it in the countertop which takes up useable space and is more susceptible to damage (I’ve heard of a lot of people breaking theirs on accident)
Could install it in a drawer so it’’s off the countertop, but depending on the layout, might mess with the flow of moving around the van when open.
Propane oven and stovetop
Again, takes up a lot of useable space and I didn’t want a large propane container in the van for safety reasons.
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I’m still very happy with my decision to use a portable two burner propane cooktop.
