It’s a tiny trailer, so what better piece of gear in the galley of a solar-powered Teardrop trailer than a tiny kettle! This was a great find which increased self-sufficiency on road trips while decreasing environmental footprint. A kettle the size of a travel mug, it plugs into the 120VAC galley power outlet, and uses a just 400 watts to boil water in about 4 minutes.

The tiny kettle has cut down a lot on butane use in the camp stove, and gets water to boiling much more quickly than a kettle atop the camp stove flame. The volume is enough to make a coffee, a bowl of instant oatmeal, etc. The kettle is intended for heating water only.

While there are 12VDC “kettles”, they take significantly longer to get to boiling and may draw a lot of current (amps) so you must be sure your trailer wiring can safely supply that.

Hints & Hacks:

• Be sure pressure relief flap on lid is slightly pulled up before use to allow easy steam escape and avoid water bubbling out.
• When the above is done, I have been able to boil slightly more water than the fill line.
• This particular kettle shuts off shortly after boiling; unless the power button is then turned off, it will begin heating to a boil again once the temp lowers slightly.

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So, that’s how I do things with my Teardrop Trailer but by no means the full story or the best way. What about you? Add your own methods, ideas and experiences using the comment box below for the benefit of all readers.