Travel Buddy - Put To The Test
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2019
- NOTE: I should point out that for use in the 4x4 we have installed a dedicated line for the Travel Buddy. It uses 50 amp cable and has its own in-line fuse in addition to the fuse in the Travel Buddy connector. I would not advise using these ovens for long periods of time on a normal car cigarette lighter adapter. We tested it with a thin wire and a standard adapter and the plug does get quite hot.
Before we started using our Travel Buddy in the Coaster and 4wd on road trips, we wanted to know just what it was capable of and how long various items of food would take to cook.
We ran a series of tests at home just to find out how good this new bit of kit was going to be.
CONTENTS
00:24 Roast Beef
05:37 Frozen Pie
10:07 Warming Up
14:54 Sausages (typo in the video title)
19:39 Making Bread
27:08 Chicken Rolled Roast
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Well done you definitely put that Travel Buddy to the test!
Thanks, we thought we had thrown everything at it but we have one more brief video to make. The major weakness with the Travel Buddy appears to be the plug that is supplied. We have seen other videos where the plug has melted and when we were trying it out on the road, that is exactly what happened. We will be removing the original power plug and attaching an Anderson plug.
Thank you we have just ordered one -
It will be travelling to Namabia and Angola and Botswana with us
Cheers for taking the time to run the tb through it’s paces !!
Think for the money and our set up I’ll be sticking with the Coleman folding oven and a single butane burner !!
I just tried my first beef roast. I put it in a oven bag as per instructions.
About 3hrs at 190deg and it was amazing.
Heaps of liquid left in the bag for gravy.
Meat shredded like pulled pork.
Sounds good
I’ve just bought one and I’m so glad that you made this vid as we are doing a bit road trip in December. I’ve got the times now from your experiments and I’ll be filling that oven up so it will be a lunchtime starter. Great vid and I love what you are doing with the channel. Very unique and WA all the way. Thank you.
Glad you found it interesting. We have installed a dedicated high amp line for the Travel Buddy and if anyone is considering cooking meals that are on max heat for hours at a time I would highly recommend giving the oven its own line. I wouldn't trust the standard sockets that come with most vehicles.
Western Australia Now and Then yes giving it a minimum 15a cable.
@@Troopstan We went for massive overkill and did a 50 amp cable :)
So glad I watched this review, thank you😎👍
Thanks, glad it was helpful.
Travel Buddy is brilliant, we usually put food in 2 hours before we want to eat (while driving, which times nicely for a break) just magic for pizza, jester pies or sausage rolls, etc.
We haven't even used it on the road yet but we are sure we will love using it.
I like my TB, I’m definitely no 12v guru but my experience is that the TB cooks and loves being operational in the car when driving but doesn’t like it when the cars off. It’s almost like the TB likes the power to be pushed into it. It’s doesn’t seem to like pulling the power (if you know what I mean)?.
Definitely room for improvement. I personally am looking forward to a TB2!
Good video👍
It might depend on the size of your 'house' battery. We have 2 x 120ah in addition to the starter battery and although it draws a lot of power we also have 330 watts of solar filling the batteries as the TB operates.
@@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen after all this time I finally figured it out. The TB needs 13.8v. I bought a step up converter and it now runs nice & hot when stationary 👍
Nice review. We have had ours for nigh on 2 years now and use it in conjunction with 450W solar on the roof powering 2x100ah batteries. I have regularly measured the draw of our oven at around 10amps (not 7-8 per your measurements) - which makes me curious as to the wiring of your campers cigarette lighter supply ‘amp carrying capacity’. Nonetheless, we use if for many roasts (the BBQ adage of low and slow) makes this oven a winner in that regard. The chicken and meat roasts we have done in it come out moist and tender - and as commented previously - produces a nice amount of juices to make a jus or gravy with. This is a complement to my our other cooking options: fire pit (my absolute preferred cooking method BTW) and the usual gas cook tops (stove inside our van or camp stove outside). We shoot 99% for off-grid camping and to maximise our time away from ‘Joe Public’ we try to maximise our use of resources being our LPG and water supplies. The 12V oven running off solar is a great complement to that as many times we cannot run the fire pit due to the fire restrictions in place in summer. It’s also a great slow cooker to put on if we are doing stuff and know that we want to come home to a ready cooked dinner. There are so many positives (for us) with this oven than there are negatives that I do recommend it for people who have our life style. Like anything in life, they’re not for everyone but for those of us who like to either maximise their time out bush, have free dinners (free in the sense you’re not using your gas to cook with) and like variety of cooking options, like the convenience of a “cooked while you were away” meal - say when required after a hiking, fishing or high activity day then this offers you an option. The cost is not prohibitive and if you’re powering it from a renewable supply (solar) then (provided your wiring is up to the 10 amps (battery to plug-in location) draw it requires) you should be absolutely fine. My wife has even tried cooking peanut brownies in it and whilst they were not as good as home cooked in the 240v oven - for my post fishing hungry camping tummy they were bloody lovely with a hot cuppa. So, don’t expect to use it like a 240v oven and don’t compare your food to a 240v oven result and you’ll not be disappointed.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. That was probably one of the most informative comments we have ever had :)
Cheers m8. I just bought a step up converter 12 to 13.8 volt 20 amp meant to heat faster with these ovens cheers.
Good to know, hadn't heard of those before.
Just ordered one from Sommerville Metals as they make accessories for the TB. Guessing they have the right model for the job. I was amazed at the difference it made to the temp when the engine went off and the DC-DC converter stopped delivering power. Worked out I could also use the generator but I don't really want to run that for hours as they are not popular with other campers :)
12-15v works even better
ive cooked plenty off roast in mine, the light that is red has to turn off once its hit the set temp. so when you had it at 200 degrees for that first roast, that wasn't at 200c at all, you need to wait for the thermostat to turn off, a roast around 1kg-1.2kg takes around 3hrs-3hrs 30mins (no preheat)
666666422
I'd recommend getting the insulated door from Somerville Metalworks for your oven. I have the smaller oven in my truck and the door helps with cooking time a little and no more burnt fingers opening it up. They also sell trays to cook roasts etc, both half height for doubling up, and full height for large roasts.
We looked at the insulated door but decided against it mostly due to the price. For the moment we will stick with the full height tray as we want to be able to pack everything inside the oven.
The insulated door was tested by another guy
It wasnt worth the 60bucks
This is the best test/review I've seen yet of the Travel Buddy. The only comment is where are your roast veggies in the second roast?
I bought a unit late 2019 and have some trouble getting it to work. I tried an uncovered roast like the first one you did and the amount of moisture coming out of the oven was amazing. I had a thermometer which went to around 170 degrees, but then dropped to about 80 after the roast was added. It took about 4 hours but got there in the end. One item I'm considering adding is laying a stone (like a small pizza stone) on the base. I think this will help to keep thermal mass in the oven and reduce cooking times. I'd be keen to find out if anyone else has tried this. Cheers
Thanks, yes we really wanted to test it out as much as we could once it arrived and to be honest, I was very surprised about how good it is. Yes it is a lot slower than a conventional oven but if you are on a 4-5 hour drive then there is no problem at all and there are very few places we go that aren't at least 4 hours away. I cheated a bit on the 2nd roast as we were in the house so I only did the meat in the TB. Since then we have upgraded it a bit and added a full sized roasting draw with trivet and a catch for the door. Thanks to Covid19 we haven't had the chance to get out and do anything else with it recently.
The key I found to getting this oven to work is change the plug to an Anderson plug or hard wire it. Massive difference!
Yes the round plug that comes with it is best change. In face you can ask for it to be changed when you make the order. we have just bought a second oven so we can have one in the 4x4 and one in the motorhome and the new one will come with and Anderson plug.
This is a really good review mate
Seems like the Anderson Plug Upgrade and the Step Up / Down Converter are an absolute must for this oven. Especially if stationary / living full time van life
The above additions, would make this oven a $357.00AUD investment and that is without a tray and common sense dictates that you would need at least one tray so realistically, ? You are looking a hefty $400.00 😳
@@cycletouringoz5760 holy shit. I'll stick with my 50 dollar one from Autobarn. It heats up pies and pre cooked meals just fine. I'll cook my snags in a pan and roast in my camp oven anyway
You need to get a step-up converter. that's a lot faster to heat up than normal!
Yup, exactly what we did and now it works prfectly with the engine off or on.
The solar oven like All American and Solavor can get up to 300 degrees I'm full sun. But when it cloudy, that's when this 12v oven comes in. It can work with clouds, as long as there is enough of a battery to supply it. But anything that uses battery power to heat is not going be as efficient as the sun.
True enough. Solar ovens can be very effective but tend to be most useful when you are parked up. The Travel Buddy can be used at any time.
I'm A truck driver, use mine every day and night, does pies quick but I use it for microwave meals normally, half hour good to go normally, that's large ones not little ones, normally my stuff is defrosted in the fridge by day 3 and before that I let them thaw, big slow on big stuff and raw foods but I got all day 😂😂🚛💨💨
They are certainly quicker to do if they are thawed out first. Stay safe out there :)
Thanks for doing this great review. Its been really helpful. I think il still buy it but il still mostly use the weber.
What is that accent? It sounds like a bit aussie, bit Croyden, bit north of England.
Its very unique haha.
Im Irish but been in Perth to long so I also confuse folks
Thanks, glad you found it helpful. Born in Bristol but been here since I was six so that may account for my accent 🙂
The R comes out when u say fire. Good old brizzle. Great review. Keep up the great work
You have to preheat and thrawt out what you want to cook before you put it in any oven let alone a 12v oven. Otherwise, your cooking time will increase exponentially.
Yes that speeds things up considerably.
Sort of common sense when you think about it. Boiling 75c water is quicker than boiling ice
Great review mate. Only problem is that if I’m cooking pies on the road (off-road), all the bouncing around would mean that my pies wouldn’t be in one piece when I open the door at camp!!
I have to work out how to secure the pies so they don’t move around whilst off road driving - any suggestions?
I guess it would depend on just how rough the terrain is but we haven't had a problem as the shelves make it difficult for the pies to move up and down. They can slide a bit but that would depend how many pies you put on each shelf. I guess if it is only a couple of pies you could try putting some scrunched up baking paper between them.
@@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen yeah that’s a good suggestion. Will try that and see how it goes. Cheers for the video once again. 👍
should put the foil on shiny side down dull side up
Thanks, I never seem to remember which way round it is supposed to go :)
I think they are more for pies
I think they are best for any food you want to cook while you are actually travellng. They can cook meals while a vehicle is stationery but it does take a long time and it is best to have a step up converter for the voltage if you don't have a good solar system.
The door must leak pretty bad for there to be that much difference from the front snags to the rear ones. And no offence but you seem to leave the door open for a long time putting stuff in.
There is no insulation in the door at all and holes at the top which I find pretty weird. It is possible to get an insulated door which I think would solve the oven losing heat at the front. Yeah, filming means not being quite as efficient at getting the door shut but usually I am quicker :)
Try reading the instructions first......the idea is that it cooks while you drive distance and you have a meal at the end. If you jam that much in I guess it would take more like 4 hours plus
Get a no knead bread recipe
We could use a basic damper recipe but they tend to be rather heavy. The no knead bread recipes I have had a look at usually mean leaving the dough over night. Could work if we sit in one place for a while. Will have to try it out once we manage to get back on the road.
The accent is hard to pin point. You have to have lived in the UK at some point.
Well spotted :) I was born in the UK and moved to Australia when I was 6.
Western Australia Now and Then. It’s when you say out that gives you away! These ovens are expensive in the UK. £269 which is $528 Australian. Would you have paid that sort of money do You think?
@@wooburn_off I guess it depends if £1 in the UK has the same buying power as $1 here. If it does then yes the price would be ok but would I have paid $528 here, no, probably not.
@@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen I reckon you come from some where near where I am sitting now ... Southampton ? The reason I am watching ? Just ordered a TB for use in our motorhome here in the UK.
@@montbrehain well not too far off the mark, I am originally from Bristol but haven't lived there since I was six. Once you get used to the longer cooling times I am sure you willl love it. We just put a second TB in our Coaster.
Nice wig..
Its funny how often I hear that but its all really my own hair. I don't think any wig would be that untidy :)
I've never considered a Travel Buddy to be an Oven
Its a warmer
And the idea of cooking with a resistive load on 12v is never a good one
I think it should be fine if the wiring can handle the load. In the ,4x4 I have put a 50amp dedicated line in that will just run the TB.
Good idea
I've seen too many in Vehicles and Boats start fires
One was the Battery terminal of a boat... While out at sea.
Any load that high that is ON that long will eventually find and/or make a weak point that will fail with spectacular results
Granted i have 20Amp DC-DC chargers and 40Amp DC-DC Chargers
But at least they have Current and Temperature de-rating build in.
@@mountainconstructions it says oven right there on the front !!
Hmmm @Wind Tech ... 10amps (which is what my one draws) is not a high current load?! A 2000W inverter pulls 160 - 170amps ... now that is a high current load! I run 6B&S wiring for our Travel Buddy to minimise the voltage drop and we do roasts in it (chicken roast for 2), bake biscuits in it and I’m about to do some bread in it as well. We have 450W power on the roof powering 200ah batteries so the draw of the TB is within the C/20 rating of the supply. Nonetheless none of these comments detracts from the fact that this oven only draws 10amps and so with respect mate, we might have to agree to disagree.
Throw it away. It’s a toy
You would be amazed at how many people with 4x4s are using this little oven.