The Collapsible Tiny Prius Kitchen

I’ve always heard that expression, “everything but the kitchen sink” when referring to people who pack lots of stuff for a trip, but if you’re going to travel in a Prius, everything needs to be small, and you need a good way to pack it. So for those of us living Priuslife or Vanlife, why not pack everything inside the kitchen sink? Yes, you can achieve most of this goal with small, collapsible items, a collapsible sink, and a couple small boxes.

Inside my collapsible kitchen sink, I can fit an 8″ electric skillet, a collapsible pot, a waffle maker, a collapsible food container, collapsible cups, a trivet, a silverware drainer, and dish soap. The collapsible cups are great for washing small items, or brushing teeth. In this age of Covid-19, I wash my hands all the time, so having soap, water and a mini-sink is incredibly useful!

The small box I keep under the kitchen sink stores several cutting boards, plates, cooking knives, and another collapsible food container. If there’s no table or you need a clean spot to put something, the cutting boards work great and can even be used as plates!

Since my cooking is all electric, I don’t need to carry any pots or pans. For those times when I’m cooking for multiple people and need to use the skillet or pot for two dishes, I can put the first hot dish (like rice or beans) inside a warmer so it stays warm while I cook the second dish. The Hot Logic warmer can also heat frozen meals while you’re on a long drive, which is great for traveling.

My last box is a plastic shoe box that fits my collapsible kettle, spices, coffee and tea accessories, matches, and every other tiny cooking item I need. Recently I discovered that I needed a small strainer for pasta because the holes in the strainer that came with my hot pot are too large. I settled for a tuna can strainer because it’s small enough to fit in my little box perfectly!

Whenever I travel, I look for tiny bottles of honey, syrup, etc. Once they’re empty I refill them. I also recommend picking up small packets of condiments, peanut butter and tuna because they fit anywhere and come in very handy.

So where does everything go? During the day the sink and the box under it go in the rear passenger seat, along with my 1.25 gallon water dispenser. The plastic shoe box goes under my sleeping pad so that my head is level with the rest of the bed. At night, the sink and the box under it go to the driver seat so I can sit in the passenger seat to change, brush my teeth, etc. It also makes it easier to get in and out of the back when the seat is empty. There’s a rubber floor mat on the seat, so even if I spill water or have dirty shoes, everything stays clean.

So there it is, a tiny, organized kitchen that goes anywhere. If you want to read more about my camping or cooking gear, please read my other posts. Happy travels!

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