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DIY Slide-Out Kitchen for Your 4WD
A slide-out kitchen gives you a bench at a usable height in about ten seconds. Kitchen builds come up regularly in DIY forums such as the Bunnings Workshop, and "diy canopy pantry" shows up in Google autocomplete (RigBlueprint community research, 16 Oct 2026). Here's how to design one that fits, holds up when it's fully extended, and doesn't rattle.
Our planner doesn't have a kitchen module yet. Use the planner to reserve the space, and this guide for the module itself.
Pick a layout
- Drawer-top bench: a slide-out table that runs over or under an existing drawer. Cheapest, but the bench is low.
- Dedicated kitchen drawer: a full-depth drawer with a stove bay and utensil storage, with the bench on top.
- Two-stage slide: two tables on separate runners, stacked, so you get a long bench from a short module.
A well-documented example of the third layout is Geordie Jimny's free design. Its frame is 720 x 440 x 160mm, with two stacked tables on 700mm and 650mm locking runners. It gives "over 135cm" of worktop at about 35cm deep, has no support legs, and the author's drawer fridge sits on top (Geordie Jimny, free plans and CAD). The frame is 2020 aluminium extrusion with aluminium tables, but the author says you could use marine plywood instead.
Runners: the critical part
A cantilevered bench puts its whole load on the runners at full extension.
- Use locking runners so the bench stays out. The Jimny build uses 60kg-rated locking runners, 12.7mm thick, and warns that if you keep the levers fully down as you approach the lock-out position, you risk pulling the table out completely (Geordie Jimny, above).
- Expect some side-to-side flex in cheap runners. The same author added legs to try to stop it, found they didn't work, and reports no practical problems from the flex (same source).
- Bunnings Goliath pairs: AU 700mm lockable pair, 90kg, A$74.97; NZ 700mm, NZ$78.50 (not described as lockable). Prices from retail_prices.json, 16 Oct 2026. For more options, see drawer runners compared.
- Runner thickness sets your table width: inner width minus two runners minus the table edges. The Jimny build works through this in detail.
Stove clearance and gas
- Measure the stove height before you set the gap between the tables. The Jimny design leaves 97mm, which fits a 90mm-high single-burner stove (Geordie Jimny, above).
- The Jimny build mounts the stove on the bottom slide, which keeps it further from the car and helps avoid oil splashes and smells (same source).
- Gas safety: this is general guidance only. Follow your stove and cylinder or cartridge maker's instructions and the rules where you live and travel. Cook outside the vehicle, not inside the canopy or boot.
What official sources say about carrying LPG
New Zealand - LPG cylinders are dangerous goods for transport. If you carry them for domestic or recreational use within the limits in schedule 1 of Land Transport Rule: Dangerous Goods 2005, you're responsible for making sure they're properly packaged and identified, segregating incompatible dangerous goods, and securing the load on your vehicle. When you have a portable LPG cylinder refilled, it must have passed a test inspection within the last 10 years (NZTA: Transporting dangerous goods for domestic or recreational use). - Close the valves on cylinders before loading, and secure larger cylinders in racks or cradles, with lashings, or packed in compartments (NZTA: Guide to safe loading and towing for light vehicles). - Leaked LPG forms a gas cloud that settles in low spots, which can cause a fire or suffocation hazard (WorkSafe NZ: LPG). Don't store a cylinder in a sealed, low compartment of the module.
Australia - NSW: carry and store cylinders upright. Don't carry a cylinder bigger than 9kg in an enclosed vehicle. You can carry up to 2 cylinders, totalling 9kg or less, in an enclosed vehicle. Secure them upright, preferably in the boot, with a plug firmly fitted in the POL valve (NSW Government: Gas cylinder safety). - Victoria: close cylinder valves when they're not in use, especially in transport. Restrain the cylinder upright, for example in a milk crate, and keep the vehicle well ventilated. Leak-test the connection with soapy water every time you connect or change a cylinder (Energy Safe Victoria). - Other states and territories have their own regulators and rules, so check yours before you travel.
We haven't cited AS/NZS 5601.2 (gas installations in caravans and boats) because we couldn't open the standard to check it. If you're plumbing in a fixed gas installation rather than using a portable stove, talk to a licensed gasfitter.
Rattles
- Add strap notches to the lower table so you can tie gear down (Geordie Jimny, above).
- Put foam tape between metal faces, and carpet or rubber matting in ply trays.
- Latch the module closed for driving. See drawer hardware.
Materials (ply build)
- 12mm ply carcass and tables. Use a food-safe oil or a removable chopping board on the work surface (see what ply for ute drawers).
- Aluminium angle on the table edges for stiffness.
- Ply price: 12mm non-structural is NZ$57.50 at Bunnings NZ or A$46.00 at Bunnings AU; 12mm structural is NZ$73.11 at Mitre 10 or A$71.10 at Bunnings AU (retail_prices.json, 16 Oct 2026).
Water, power and the rest
The kitchen module only has to hold things, so don't build the gear into it: - stoves, cookware and sinks: camp kitchen - water containers and pumps: water storage - fridge: 12V fridges - lighting for night cooking: camp lighting
Mounting
Bolt the module to the drawer unit or the false floor, and those to the vehicle, just like a drawer. Don't rely on friction or straps alone. See anchoring and load restraint.