Cinch Kitchen Cruiser Camp Kitchen Review

The Cinch Kitchen Cruiser is a $599 all-in-one camp kitchen unit that includes a sink, an electric faucet, and a two-burner stove. A reviewer from Outside Online tested the system on two camping trips with a family, finding it transformed meal preparation despite some significant flaws.

Design and Setup

The unit folds into a single box with packed dimensions of 50 by 27 by 36 inches. It unfolds to a standing height of 35.5 inches in under two minutes. Everything, including the stove and cookware, stores inside the unit in slide-out drawers and a tall compartment. The reviewer states the single biggest upgrade is having a dedicated food-prep station separate from the picnic table.

Deploying the unit has drawbacks. Unfolding the legs while the box is loaded is awkward, requiring it to be tipped on its side. The legs do not telescope, so level ground is needed for a sturdy surface. The included wind shields were also found to be too short to fully protect the burners from real wind.

Key Features and Performance

The built-in sink and rechargeable electric faucet were described as life-changing. The faucet has a hose that drops into a water jug, pulling water up into a collapsible silicone sink at the push of a button. The reviewer called this the best improvement made to their family camping, making cleanup infinitely easier.

The push-button two-burner stove requires no matches or lighter. Cinch rates its combined power at 3.2 kW. The reviewer found this enough to boil a full pot of water in about six minutes and was able to run two pans simultaneously without heat loss.

The unit runs on 230-gram EN417 screw-on canisters, burning an isobutane and propane mix. At full power, a single burner consumes roughly 116 grams of fuel per hour. This means a standard canister provides about two hours of continuous full-power cooking on one burner. The reviewer's family ran out of fuel after three days of using the stove for two meals daily. Cinch reportedly plans to ship future units with an adapter for larger Coleman propane bottles.

Drawbacks and Verdict

A major con is the unit's weight. Built from aerospace-grade aluminum, the Kitchen Cruiser weighs 43 pounds when unloaded. The reviewer notes it is a pain to unload from the car and carry any distance into camp.

Despite the flaws, the reviewer was willing to overlook them. The conveniences of an organized, standing-height cooking space with on-demand running water were deemed to outweigh the drawbacks for family camping. The price is compared to the $665 Chuk Box, a similar unit which does not include a sink or faucet. For the Kitchen Cruiser's cost, the reviewer considers it a fair trade for replacing a folding table, a stove, a wash setup, and a bin of loose gear.