# To Oven Or Not To Oven?



## joshfrantz (Nov 30, 2004)

The latest topic re: installing ovens made me look into the 2004 28BHS I just bought (sight unseen, picking it up this weekend). Turns out it doesn't have an oven.







Just wondering, do you all really use the oven much when camping? Seems to me like the micro and cooktop were used more often than not.
What are yur thoughts?


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

My wife and I never use our oven.....wait a minute, we don't have one either. We bought a toaster oven that fits on the counter that we use. Otherwise, I have the old Coleman camp oven. Never had a need for it yet, but some folks like them. Your going to get both yea's and nea's on this one. It's all personal preference.

Tim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

The only thing we have ever made in it so far is cinnamon rolls.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Ours came with an oven and we didn't use it much because it builds up so much heat in the coach. Like Tim, we use a toaster oven a lot.

Although now that our exhaust vent in the microwave is vented to the outside, we do use it more. Pete's got the right idea with the cinnamon rolls. We do pizza in ours also.

Mike


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## Paul_in_Ohio (Sep 29, 2004)

Want to make friends... bake some chocolate chip cookies and watch them come running!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

We use our oven every time we camp. Can't imagine not having one. Especially when dry camping.


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## Sasha (Apr 13, 2004)

Have to have those biscuits in the morning!


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## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

The same with us. Those biscuits with sausage and gravy... yum! yum! We do the cinnamon rolls too.


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

joshfrantz said:


> The latest topic re: installing ovens made me look into the 2004 28BHS I just bought (sight unseen, picking it up this weekend). Turns out it doesn't have an oven.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Check your invoice- if it lists an oven and you didn't get one, I'd ask them to install one, or at least credit you with the cost to install one. I bet they'd rather cut you a check for $500 than hassle with putting one in, anyway.
Kevin P.


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## GenesRUs (Oct 11, 2004)

We use our oven alot. We usually make lasagna and other cassaroles during the week and just reheat them while we're camping. We find it a lot less messy than trying to cook on the stove top, and since we almost always dry camp, we don't have the luxury of using the microwave.

I also used it on our maiden voyage with our 21RS. We discovered that the furnace didn't work only after we got to the campsite. It went down to 24 degrees that night and the camper was a bit frosty in the morning. I lit the stove burners and turned on the oven and left the oven door cracked open to allow heat into the camper. I then stayed awake and alert to make sure that all the oxygen inside was not used up, or that carbon monoxide/dioxide levels didn't get too high. The inside temp reached about 65 degrees after about 30 minutes, and everyone else crawled out from under their pile of blankets. I was glad to have the oven that morning!

I'm also of the opinion that if you're going to get all the other bells and whistles, why not an oven? I would think it would also help resale value, too.


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Didn't use it this past summer but as other have said it gives you options when dry camping or choosing to do something other than BBQ.

I like the fresh baked cookies idea!


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

My wife has used ours many times, and its on her list of things to have in a camper. Is it a must have? I don't know about that. But our last camper didn't have one and she really wanted it this time.


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Ours came with an oven









This is what we use it for:

1 - Store our bread and chips while travelling (don't crushed this way)
2 - Bake cookies
3 - Heat up buns
4 - Cin rolls thanks to this forum (Thanks NDJollyMon)
5 - Stove top for coffee & tea when dry camping
6 - Pizza

Thor


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## z-family (Oct 2, 2004)




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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

Our's didn't come with an oven, either, and there was a credit on the invoice. I haven't missed it a bit. I'm not the cooking type and not having an oven is a good excuse. We use the microwave and cook top and it has been no problem so far.


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## borntorv (Apr 13, 2004)

Josh,

Like Thor, we store our bread in the oven while not in use. We've heated up garlic bread to have with pasta dishes, cooked hot wings in it, lasanga, and a few other times as well. For us, it's kind of like the outside shower. You can camp fine without it but if it's there that just gives you more options.


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

If we had ordered our camper, we would not have ordered an oven. However, it seems that most dealers order them in fully loaded, so we got an oven. It's nice, we use it almost every time we're out, but I'm still pretty sure that I would not order one on a new unit. Of course, chocolate chip cookies are nice, and a birthday cake when camping on someones birthday, and pizza, and cinnamon rolls... OK maybe I would miss it.


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## RVCarolina (Jul 31, 2004)

Our 26RS has an oven, I think we have used it only once. What we do use is a
large toaster oven, placed next to the outside cook center on a small metal-top
folding table, along with the coffee maker. We do most of our eating outside,
under the awning so this saves steps, keeps the heat outside, and conserves
our gas supply. The toaster oven does a great job with muffins, rolls, casseroles
and of course, toast!
So - unless you are dry camping, this set-up could work for you. 
Bon appetit!


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## missouricamper (Jun 28, 2004)

Yikes! I cannot imagine not wanting an oven. Of course, cooking and eating is about 50% of the fun of camping for us. We always keep some of those "everything included" box dinners in the pantry. We also like biscuits with any meal... so we really use the oven. Especially since we added the ceramic tile to distribute the heat better.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

When we upgraded this fall from 21RS to 26RS
The wife liked the inside of one but that didn't have an oven,
Witch was fine with her.
I told her if we do this I want an oven. 
I like doing cinn rolls,pizzaand tuna melts etc.
Don


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

Hoot Bob,

I try not to use "wife" and "witch" in the same post!









Anyway, I'd rather have a convection microwave and do away with the oven. But, we've got one. Since I do the cooking while camping, I use it to store stuff in, burn cookies, burn pizza, and burn biscuits! It is a great way to run down the batteries in the smoke detector.


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## djd1023 (Sep 29, 2003)

The only use our oven gets is for storing pots and pans


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I guess I'm not much of a camper yet. We've been out in our Outback twice (for a total of five days) and cooked in it once so far; my wife made hotdogs and macaroni and cheese! Oh, and peas.









We don't even use the oven that much at home anymore. You don't need one for Lean Cuisines (as if they really worked)!

Mark


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Even if you don't use your oven, it'll help (resale value) when you UPGRADE to a bigger OUTBACK!

Maybe if you roll into the lot, and bake some cinnamon rolls for the guy doing the trade-in inspection...You get the idea!


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

I'll add my vote to the "use often" category. We didn't originally get an oven in our unit (due to the infamous shortage) but had the dealer install one once he got one in. We use it all the time: Biscuits and rolls at breakfast, cookies around lunchtime, and casseroles and pizzas at dinner. We actually like how it warms up the trailer in the wintertime (we don't have many hot-weather camping trips up here in the Pacific Northwest), especially when we are running on battery power for the weekend.

Just my take,

Chet.


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

Oven? What's an oven? Oh, so that's what that big box is for. You know, the big box under the stove. I thought it was just a big bread box. That's what I use it for.

Reverie


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## schnauzermom (Aug 23, 2004)

We got our 28-BHS this past August. It didn't have the oven. That was during the oven shortage as they told us but the oven was not listed on our invoice. 
Before we signed papers I told the salesman, no oven, no deal. I got my oven. They installed it November. We haven't used the camper since but we will use the oven. The stove top is much better now than the stove top that it had and I was worried about storage for pot and pans but they also put a drop down door under the oven so I still have my space for those.


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## kk5fe (Mar 6, 2005)

Hello all!

While we just bought our Outback this weekend, so we don't have it just yet, it is coming with an oven. We had an oven in our pop-up and used it some, but found that it was VERY different to use. We found that what ever temperature the recipe called for, we had to cut that in half as well as the time........ Does that sound about right?

Anyway, I wanted to pass along something that the Keystone factory rep told me while I was at the RVshow this weekend. He said that there was a time in 2004 where there was a shortage of oven parts from the manufacturer and could not get the ovens out to the RV factories (an oven shortage?!?







) so they made some campers without ovens...... so according to him, if yours is a 2004 and does not have an oven..... thats why!


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Oh yeah, we talked about the Oven shortage (and the reason for it) for many weeks on this forum.

Randy


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## 7BeaverDam (Mar 6, 2005)

12 Years ago when we bought our first RV (17.5' Kit Kalay) we used the oven all the time. We were gourmet cooking fools! Of course, we had no kids too! We also camped out almost every weekend.

The Outback (which we pick up next month) will be the 6th RV and the first one without an oven (not counting a 2 year stint with a popup). Since the Kalay, we've used our oven(s) mainly for storing bread and sometimes chips (not really enough room for chips).

With the extra storage we are about to have, we can now store enough bread and chips for our whole family of 5!

Oh yeah, occaisionally we would cook a pizza in the oven. My wife reminded me that we could just pick up a pizza when the craving struck us. It helps that most of the CGs we camp at serve pizza too.

-=Glen=-


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## outtatown (Feb 15, 2005)

We use ours all the time, especially for fixing frozen pizzas and pizza rolls for when we get to our campsite (usually too busy, too late, to get a fire going...keeps the kids from screaming "I'm huuuuuuuuuungry!"


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

Hi!
Prefer cabinet space to oven....we have great toaster oven, grill, and use the microwave if necessary.
Dont like the heat inside.....or cooking smells. 
The wallpaper border is put on so poorly, too much heat and they will come right off.
David


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I rarely use the oven, but as they say if you did not have it you would miss it. I do use it for a little storage. I put a small dishwashing tub in the oven and keep in the tub my alarm clock, walkie talkies. flashlights. Just a few things I usually put out on the shelf soon after arrival.


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## specialcampers (Feb 26, 2005)

My wife baked (tried) some sweet treats on our first trip. It turns out our oven is only a smoke detector test system. The smoke detector works great!!!!!!


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## campntn (Feb 20, 2005)

We use it, not for turkeys and big meals like home, but for pizza/cookies. Get one, if for nothing else but the kids...the LOVE fresh gooey cookies..but then again, SO DO I!!!


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