Photo Series: 10 Evolutions of the Chuk Kitchen Box From Concept to Creation

May 22, 2026

The first Chuk Kitchen Box prototype was made with cardboard and tape. It didn’t get us very far, but we had a vision for an all-in-one camp kitchen that we couldn’t get out of our heads. So we kept taking one developmental step at a time until reaching the product you see today. Here’s a photo series of the Chuk Box evolution.

Version 1: Duct Tape and Cardboard

November 2023

Colin and I are not designers or engineers. We had a vision of what the Chuk Box could look like and thought we could pull together a prototype using scrap cardboard from the dumpster and duct tape. We were very wrong and quickly realized we were in over our heads. That prototype returned to the dumpster from which it came.

Version 2: Foam Core & Styrofoam

December 2023

Our two friends, Loui and Chris, came to the rescue. Loui is an industrial designer and carpenter by trade. Chris is a camping buddy who loves tinkering. They helped Colin and I take the idea to something a little more realistic than our cardboard contraption. We started to conceptualize how boxes would stack and the ideal size of a Chuk Box.

As you can tell by our designs, we thought the stove should be stored separately and a cube shape was more ideal to carry and manage.

Version 3: Wood

February 2024

Once Loui had the general concept in his head and realized we were onto something, he turned the idea into a functional cooking box through 3D modelling and his woodshop.

Our first usable prototype was born! As the saying goes, “if you’re not embarrassed by your first product, you’ve launched too late.” I’ll speak for myself and say we were definitely embarrassed by this thing, but that didn’t stop us from going out and showing it off.

We cooked in the park, we hosted a bunch of friends and family to show our prototype to them (in February in Canada), and we even stood outside the British Columbia outdoor show handing out free coffee to anyone who would take a look and share their thoughts.

Through all these interactions, we knew that we were onto something. People validated the pain points and could see the vision we were trying to achieve. It also became clear that the prototype actually made cooking more enjoyable. All this gave us the confidence to take a big leap in design and prototyping.

Version 4: Aluminum

July 2024

Our next prototype took a tremendous amount of effort in detailed 3D modelling and sourcing. On the recommendation of an advisor, we found a manufacturer in China. From Vancouver, Loui designed an aluminum version of the Chuk Kitchen Box (formerly Brio Kitchen Box) that would fit a two-burner stove. These designs were shared, at first vaguely, with several Chinese manufacturers. We found one that was already working on camp kitchen designs and dove deep with them. On a tight timeline, they produced and shipped the prototype seen in the Kickstarter campaign.

I’ll be honest, I was pretty embarrassed by this one too! It was much closer to our vision for a product, but still had a long way to go: There was no lip for the cupholder or garbage bag ring attachments, the lid didn’t open, and we hadn’t even figured out a locking mechanism for the legs! It was all we had for the Kickstarter campaign though so we made some major movie magic happen to help others see the vision too. In the end, we raised over $220,000 on Kickstarter launching us into the next phase!

Version 5: Refined Aluminum

December 2024

The pressure was really on now - over 450 pre-orders and promises to fulfill. We had sold people on a vision that still had a long way to go. We went back into 3D modelling, sourcing and prototyping. This time, we decided to request samples of several manufacturers and make a trip to China.

Prototypes from 5 different manufacturers were produced in time for our visit. We tested different systems for locking the wings, locking the legs, organizing the interior and opening the lid. We were lucky to compare so many different designs and consolidate them into one solution. But which to choose as our official partner?

Version 6: More Refined Aluminum

February 2025

After that trip to China, we still couldn’t decide who our official partner was going to be. It was narrowed down to three. Only two were able to produce prototypes to our requirements and ship to Canada on schedule. These prototypes were 90% of the way there. We had now figured out the attachment system, stacking system, and locking mechanisms. But which manufacturer to choose?

Version 7: Ready for Production

April 2025

Ultimately, we decided to go with the manufacturer who had extensive experience in the camping industry. Locking in with this final partner was a huge step! And there were still lots of details to iron out, specifically for the hardware components and accessories. We were sent a pre-production sample that still felt scary to launch with. We wanted to make sure our product was going to exceed expectations. But we couldn’t wait any longer...

Version 8: First Production Run

August 2025

“Maybe one of my first early supporter campaigns that actually delivered on the promise better than expected!” - Kickstarter Backer

Phew! It was a huge relief to throw our product to the wolves and receive some glowing reviews like this one. Keeping in mind that this was our first production run, we did experience some damaged products in shipping and had to make some improvements.

Version 9: Second Production Run

January 2026

To prevent further shipping damage, we made some reinforcements to the wings and internal tracks of the drawers. This, along with some other minor changes, made it into the second production run which had to go out in a jiffy as we sold out of the first! Version 9 of the Chuk Kitchen Box has now sold out too!

Version 10: Third Production Run (Arriving Soon)

June 2026

We are now onto our third production run of Chuk Boxes and it really does feel like a dream come true. From an idea in our heads to a physical product that tackles one of the most frustrating or joyful parts of camping (depending on what gear you have).

We’ve come a long way. The Chuk Boxes shipping in July are better than ever. With an updated door latching system for easier closure, improved accessories, and a reinvented cutting board coming out too, the outdoor cooking experience continues to be elevated.

Looking back through these photos, I no longer feel embarrassed. Each prototype helped us get to the next and now here we are with our third production run underway. What a journey arriving at this point.

Thanks to all the friends, family, overlanders and car campers who have helped us get here and believe in us along the way.

Written by cofounder Evan Sidwell

Follow the journey through the Chuk Outdoors social channels:

Instagram - Chuk Outdoors

YouTube - Chuk Outdoors

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