Camp Kitchen Box vs. ARB Slide Out Camp Kitchen: $2,500 Vehicle-Mounted Slide or Portable Box?

ARB's Slide Out Camp Kitchen is one of the best-built vehicle kitchens on the market, and it costs $2,495.95 before it's even bolted in. If you're deciding between that and a portable camp kitchen box, the real questions are how often you'll cook outside your vehicle, and whether you want your kitchen to stay in one rig for good.

What the ARB Slide Out Camp Kitchen Actually Is

ARB sells the kitchen in the US in two sizes. Both are steel units that ride in the cargo area on a fully retractable roller slide. Pull one out and it clears the back of the vehicle. Once it's extended and locked, it stands without a support leg. ARB says setup takes as little as 15 seconds.

• 1045mm (RDKNA1045): $2,495.95, 158 lb, 55 lb load rating, 19" × 36.5" stainless bench, 7.3 qt collapsible sink. Aimed at large SUVs, wagons and some trucks.
• 1355mm (RDKNA1355): $2,795.95, 197 lb, 66 lb load rating, 19" × 49" stainless bench, 12.6 qt collapsible sink. Aimed at bigger vehicles like crew-cab pickups.

Both sizes come with a two-burner propane stove rated at 8,530 BTU/h per burner, a battery igniter and tall wind screens. There's also a utensil drawer under the benchtop, which holds the propane hose and the silicone sink when they're packed away. The kitchen matches the dimensions of ARB's full-height drawer profiles, so you can run it alone or alongside an ARB drawer system. ARB backs it with a 3-year warranty.

The stainless top, roller slide and no-leg design are good engineering. It's a serious piece of overland hardware, and nothing here suggests otherwise.

Side-by-Side: ARB Slide Out Kitchen vs. VOZ Camp Kitchen

ARB figures come from ARB USA's product pages and major retailers. Prices change, so check before you order.

On the burners, ARB wins clearly. Two burners and a long stainless bench are a real advantage when you're cooking for four. On water, the box wins. The ARB sink has a plug but nothing feeding it, so you still need a jug to fill it.

The Real Price: $2,500 Is the Starting Point

The sticker price is only part of what you'll pay for the ARB. Quadratec adds a $75 shipping surcharge, and OK4WD charges a flat $100 to ship. The kitchen also has to be mounted. Quadratec rates the install Skill Level 3 (Advanced), lists 1-3 hours, and notes that drilling may be required. If you don't want to drill into your cargo floor yourself, add a shop's labor on top.

Then there's everything the slide doesn't include. Like most vehicle kitchens, it's a stove, a bench and a basin. You still need a propane cylinder for the hose, a way to carry water, and pots, utensils and a light. All of that is either on top of the $2,500 or gear you already own.

The VOZ Camp Kitchen comes as one package for $1,169 at its current sale price. That covers the weatherproof case, butane stove, frypan, collapsible sink, 2-gallon tank, rechargeable faucet, cutting board, LED light and utensils. It needs no install and no drilling. The price difference would cover a lot of other camp gear.

Shop the VOZ Camp Kitchen →

Drilling, Weight, and Vehicle Lock-In

This is the biggest practical difference between the two, and it matters more than the burner count.

The ARB kitchen weighs 158 lb in the smaller size and 197 lb in the larger one. That weight stays in your cargo area on every drive, whether you cook that weekend or not. It also counts against your payload along with your fridge, water and recovery gear. The NIOSH lifting equation, referenced by OSHA, uses 51 lb as the recommended limit under ideal lifting conditions. Neither ARB size is something you lift out on a Friday night to make room for luggage.

The fixed install also locks the kitchen into one setup. In Quadratec's fitment Q&A, the retailer says the 1355mm's stove and sink section swings out to the passenger side and can't be reversed. It notes this can conflict with a side-hinged rear door, such as on a new Defender. If you sell the truck, the kitchen either goes with it or comes out through another install job. If you own two vehicles, only one of them has a kitchen.

The VOZ box is about 57 lb, so it's a two-handle lift, ideally with a second person. But it moves. It can go in the SUV this weekend, the pickup bed next month, and on the picnic table at a state park campground where the car is parked across the site. When you're not camping, it comes out of the vehicle and your cargo space goes back to normal. We compared this same trade-off with modular gear boxes in our Front Runner Wolf Pack comparison.

Water and Cleanup: A Plug Isn't a Faucet

ARB's sink is well thought out. It's silicone, it collapses into the drawer, it folds out on either side of the stove, and it has a drain plug. But the spec list mentions no tank, pump or tap. So in practice you pour water into it from a jug.

The VOZ handles water as part of the kitchen. A 2-gallon removable tank feeds a USB-rechargeable faucet over the sink. You press a button and get running water to rinse hands, fill a pot or wash a plate without a second person tipping a jug. For a deeper look at why this matters, our camp kitchen vs. chuck box guide compares the all-in-one approach with a traditional box you stock yourself.

Gray water still has to go somewhere with either setup. The National Park Service's Leave No Trace guidance says to wash dishes 200 feet from streams or lakes, use small amounts of biodegradable soap, and scatter strained dishwater.

If you're set on a slide-out but want running water, a rechargeable faucet pump on a jug is a cheap fix. Our camp water gear collection has pumps and tanks that work with any basin, including ARB's.

Shop water gear →

Who Should Buy Which

The ARB Slide Out Camp Kitchen makes sense if:

• You have one dedicated overland rig that stays built out year-round.
• You already run ARB drawers, or plan to, and want everything to match.
• You cook for a group often enough that two burners and a 36.5" or 49" stainless bench pay off.
• Your payload can spare 158-197 lb of permanent weight, and you're comfortable with an advanced install that may involve drilling.

A portable camp kitchen box makes more sense if:

• Your vehicle is also a daily driver, and you want the cargo space back between trips.
• You switch between vehicles, or might sell or lease-return the one you have.
• You cook at campgrounds, tailgates or picnic sites where the best spot isn't right behind the bumper.
• You want running water and a complete kit included, not a slide you still have to equip.
• Your budget is closer to $1,200 than $2,500 plus shipping and install.

If two burners are the one thing you'd miss, a separate two-burner stove covers it for a fraction of the price difference. Something like our 17,000 BTU 2-burner propane camp stove can sit on the table next to the box for bigger meals.

Shop the 17,000 BTU 2-Burner Propane Camp Stove with Windshield →

FAQ

How much does the ARB Slide Out Camp Kitchen cost?

ARB USA lists the 1045mm at $2,495.95 and the 1355mm at $2,795.95. Retailers such as Quadratec and OK4WD add $75-$100 to ship it, and installation is extra if you don't do it yourself.

Do you have to drill to install the ARB kitchen?

Possibly. Quadratec rates the install as advanced (Skill Level 3), lists 1-3 hours, and notes that drilling may be required depending on the vehicle and mounting setup.

Does the ARB slide-out have running water?

ARB's spec list includes a collapsible silicone sink with a plug (7.3 qt or 12.6 qt, depending on size) but no water tank or faucet. You'll need a jug or an add-on pump.

Can a portable camp kitchen box replace a slide-out?

For most car campers, yes. You give up the long fixed bench and the second burner. You gain running water, no install, a box you can move between vehicles, and a much lower total cost. Our general slide-out vehicle kitchen comparison, linked below, covers the format in more detail.