I'm getting ready for my next long trip, and one of my primary concerns is lightening my load. (I have even taken the roof rack inserts off my truck cap and thereby saved 14 pounds!) I have an old, beloved LLBean camp table (not a piece of plastic in it!) from the 70's that weighs 28 pounds and is simply too heavy. My criteria are simple and entirely reasonable (?): a replacement table must weigh no more than three pounds and cost not more $5. (I'll use the table outside, under the awning, to hold my Coleman stove and other suchlike gear.)

Well, I had to fudge a bit, but I may have found the answer. At my local buy-out shop I found a supply of el-cheepo folding tables that weigh 6 pounds and cost $14.99. It's 2x4'. The frame is aluminum and looks repairable if it comes to that. The top is a kind of thin pressboard covered with wood grain paper. Elegant it ain't! So far I have put three coats of spar urethane on the top to protect it from premature decomposition and it seems to be taking it well. I'll do the same to the bottom, having already put one coat there to prevent warpage as the top gets its treatment.

So I have saved about 22 pounds in this one exchange. And the search goes on...

:wave Hi Robert, well, this may or may not help. we, on the left coast, have been buying a collapsible, plastic top (19.5” x 30”) with an adjustable height from 21.5" to 28.5". guess (wag) it weighs about 5lbs. another wag is about $20.00 at costco. in our fd, it will fit between the captains chair and the bath wall and against the entry wall by the refrig. most of us have two. we throw the second one in the back of the tundra, along with a bunch of other stuff.:r

Here's three suggestions:

Expensive but cool:
One of the fold-up aluminum jobs. We have one we take both camping and to the drive it. Works fairly similar to the modern folding camping chairs. Think we paid about $50-$60 at Costco a couple years ago.

Cheap but not so cool:
Folding TV trays. These things are a dime-a-dozen at thrift stores. They weigh nothing and cost even less. One is probably big enough to fit a portable stove on it.

Huge, free and adds nothing to your load:
Just use the wooden picnic table that's usually on-site. :)

mkw

This is a topic that strikes a chord for me. In my quest for a 13' camper, I specifically wanted to rig it for a permanent bed. I planned to put a dinette up front. Then, other threads on this site got me thinking, and I decided to get a front bath instead. So, I now have a 13 deluxe with bath. I'd still like a semi-permanent bed, which obviously rules out interior seating. I've designed it so we can normally leave the bed set up and only set up the table when weather doesn't allow eating outside.

So, we plan to eat outside most of the time. The campground picnic tables are a stand-by, but many of them are simply too grody to eat from. I'd like to find a good, servicable, lightweight table that can seat four for dinner. We don't have a Costco around, and I won't allow Wally-World access to my business for reasons of principle. What are the rest of you doing for outside tables?

consider this..........

Chas turned me on to the "porta leggs' tripod from campingworld......a fold up tripod that will accept the std table posts inside the trailer. I got a short 14" tube for side table height, and use the std tube for eating/coooking. By far, this is the most compact and lightweight solution to ancillary tables. Only drawback is the inside table is now outside, but a GREAT solution. Both the tripod and extra tube fit nicely in the back of the tiny dinette overhead cabinets on my 16. Note that I added a second hub centered on the table for this purpose.

.........and it's not a fire hazard!!!!!;)

I like my poly top folding table from Kragen Auto. It's about 5x2 and only $30. Bulletproof.
For small duty, the aluminum folding legs by Coleman for Coleman work good with an artist's 18x24 basswood drawing board as a top. Very light.

>>tripod

Still works well for us, too, Phil! Why take two tables when one will do?

how about this one. first weights 7.5 , second 15 so that's too heavy

from
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?p=WX2&i=72718

Jana
Good show.:thumb

This folds up and stores in a bag like the camp chairs so many of us use now. I picked mine up at the local Wally mart for $20. Weighs in at 5 pounds. Holds up to 60 pounds.



http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp...%3A4128%3A92574

Benita - I saw the one at one Wal-Mart, then haven't seen any more since then. I thought it looked interesting, but was concerned about being able to sit around it. When I went back to check on it, they were all gone.

e.s. - I had wondered about those Coleman folding bases.

Jana - Yours really piques my interest. I'm going to check that out.

When I got my L.L.Bean table (33 years ago!) I decided that the fibreboard tabletop was its weak point, the rest of it being built like the Brooklyn Bridge. So I put about three coats of polyurethane (maybe it was spar varnish back then?) on it and it is still in very good shape despite having been rained on more times than I can count. I am now putting the final coats of spar urethane on the bottom of my new lightweight table. It already has four coats on the top. I'll probably put that many on the bottom as well. I've used about a third of a quart so far (thus making it heavier, ironically!), but I feel it is worth it to make this table last under the uses I intend to put it. About 5 pounds for a 24x48" table ain't bad-- not to mention the $14.99 part. I'll be able to put the Coleman and assorted implements on it. Even eat at the other end. Maybe sit outside and use the laptop, too. I'll try to post a pic when it's finished. Maybe load it up with "stuff" for effect!

Thanks all for all the great suggestions!:)

Suz and Table Dimensions: Since I travel solo, the table is the right dimension for most of my uses - computer work, eating, TV night stand, etc. If I were trying to sit more than 2 folks around it, I'd consider a second table.

Jana's Rolltop Aluminum: I think the Walmart table is built on the same principle as Jana's aluminum table if I understand what they are saying about rolltop surface. My top is made of slats connected by a flexible web that roll up into a cylinder that can be stored in the duffle sack that came with it. If I'd seen the aluminum table first, I might have gone in that direction. One of my considerations was stores out of the way easily.

Robert's Spar Coating: Ditto on Robert's sentiments about the top being the weakpoint of my table. I plan to urethane it and if possible find something that is flame resistant to also coat it with. I think if the top were more sturdy the frame would hold more than 60 pounds.

Phil/Charles' Porta Leg: The next time I'm in Camping World I'm going to look for a collapsible tripod leg base. This would probably be a better solution for me when I use the travel trailer. The table in the Fiber Stream is sturdy, as solid as a butcher's block. Based on how I plan to use the trailer, it will be somewhat in the way a lot. Outside would be the better place for it and my humongous heat generating broiler/toaster oven. The tripod base would also allow me to reposition the table top in the trailer when I need a solid counter surface closer to the galley for instance. I can use the camp table inside when the butcher block is outside or hidden by the bed. More interior space . . . aaahhhh;)

Mike's Expensive Solution: I've seen tables like mine made out of aluminum in the Sports Authority camping section. I can't remember how much they cost. But I do remember it was more than I wanted to pay. $60- sheesh. I also considered TV trays. They don't store away as conveniently.

I too was struck with the table dilemma, my first response was one of the folding rolltops as pictured above. Works great.
My second response was ; How do I set up a barbecue and a coleman outside to cut the heat in the trailer?

Answer : $99.00



Yeah, its a little pricey, but it only weighs about 15 lbs tops, and makes life a whole lot easier. This one's even better than mine, 'cause it's 20 bucks cheaper, and has a sink. Mine just had a table top. It's made by the same company as mine, and these things are pretty tough

Joe:
Sam's Club has a similar table, it's remarkable how many neat items have appeared for family camping in the last few years.

My new table, with some scale-providing props. That mirror finish is the result of four coats of spar urethane. Only three on the bottom. Now to see how it holds up.

Just curious, How much weight did all of that Polyurethane varnish add to the table?

Dave::cool

About a pound. I used just a little less than half a can of Minwax Helmsman® Spar Urethane. The table weighs about 6 pounds now.

I've got a table with rounded legs like that. Really have to be careful where it's set up otherwise it wobbles. :o

Yes, I would worry about that. Especially with the laptop, which I don't think I will actually use outside much anyway, if at all. So far it seems that if I root around a little I can get it pretty steady. Weight helps, too, like the stove et al. There is a price for everything; this is the price for "light" and "cheap" I guess.

Here's my solution for an outdoor table and cooking setup. The same 4' x 2' light weight aluminuim table for $19.95 from the now defunct Ames, decorated with contact paper to match trailer stripping and one end will be attached to the trailer body using screen hangers. This gives the table more stability. The platform for the Coleman Stove is made from an old refrigerator shelf that is removable and stored in the trailer closet.The Coleman stove was modified to locate on four pins so that it won't slide on the shelf.

all these tables look great, I love the shine, but I like the stripes too.

Can we see this cooking ref shelf table in better light. I enjoy ideas of taking one thing and making something else.

I just saw this thread. I normally dont need an outside table because I either use the site picnic table or use the tailgate on the pickup (I rig a tarp between the Scamp and pickup for rain or sun as needed).

When I built a single bunk across the rear of the Scamp (to take advantage of the breezes from all three windows), I also built a small (one person) table that slides out from under the bunk and has a support leg.

Pete in the RatHaus

Ipromised to report back about the cheapo table I posted about earlier in this thread. After a trip of 6100 miles it is still in fine shape. It's gotten quite a bit of use since virtually none of my stopping places have a table available. Once I loaded it in the truck in such a way that it rubbed on something and wore off the top coat of urethane AND the woodgrain paper in one or two small spots. No problem: I'll just slap some more urethane on those spots. It is so light that I can just fold it up and toss it face up on top of everything in the back of the truck. It can be, as others suggested, very wobbly. I've an idea of how to correct with a peggable crosspiece but I don't know if it's even worth the trouble. I'd still rather take my old LLBean table but can't afford the weight.

We bought one of the small aluminum lightweight tables in the camping department of Sportmart about 3 years ago and have used it extensively as a staging area when we do installations at customer sites (grubby industrial plants, for the most part), laptop and printer stand, as well as for cooking and eating while camping. It's even been sat upon.

It's as sturdy today as it was when we bought it. The cost was around $40-$50. I think next year we'll polyurethane the underside.:wave

Nevin, what did you use for brackets on the refridgerator shelf? I love the idea and I have an old oven rack that would work....