Reddit mentions of Coleman Pack-Away Deluxe Portable Kitchen

This question makes me think a lot of things.

As a smaller truck, if you find a camper shell with any "features" beyond places to sit and sleep (such as a stove, a sink, a furnace), these will take up so much room inside as to make it a very cramped experience.

Not only that, but I think it would hamper handling, acceleration, and maneuverability in ways you might not like.

If you found one for under $500 at all, it would very likely have been used and worn out well past its serviceable lifespan. Decently livable campers are a fairly hot commodity.

I would recommend something more like this, which gets you off the ground and will sleep one comfortably or two if you like to snuggle. Plus the fact that you'd be buying a new item and not someone else's old stuff, you'll have fewer worries as far as leaks or other failure points are concerned.

I don't know if you prefer to pack light or fill the truck bed with gear (I'm of the latter variety), but one of these would complement that arrangement really nicely. The ones they sell at Wal-Mart are less expensive and exactly the same item.

One of those would give you a place to sit, cook, and enjoy the great outdoors in comfort without bringing a truly unreasonable amount of gear along with.

True story. I bought one of these back in 2012 because I went camping with a club two weeks every year.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00363WZSS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My wife gave me hell over it, even though I used it for camping and even used it at home when we had large BBQs.

We had our kitchen remodeled a few years ago and it took about 10 days because they redid pluming, electric, tile, the whole 9 yards.

The first night we ordered pizza. By the second night she was already complaining. "I have to take silverware and coffee cups to the bathroom to wash them!"

Our refrigerator had been moved to the dining room. I set my camp kitchen up right next to it, and put the coffee pot and basic kitchen and eating utensils on it (Plates, cups, a few pots and pans, and flatware). I then set up my two stoves similar to the ones pictured but with the small propane tanks on a table right outside the dining room door on the patio. There was a nice 9 foot awning over the door and stoves, so weather was not a problem.

She started using them right away; making coffee, washing dishes in the sink, cooking snacks and small meals on the gas stoves outside. After about two days she looks me dead in the gateways to my soul and with a straight face says, "I'm so glad WE bought this camp kitchen and all the other gear, you never know when you're going to need it!!!"

At this point, case law of justifiable homicide is running through my head!

But in the end I ate my grilled cheese, smiled and agreed with her. And to her credit, she hasn't gave me shit for buying camping gear since!

I use a Sterilize drawer until too but not so huge. Unless you have a full boy scouts troop with you, I think it will get crazy to find anything in there.

I use a table top one which I place on the picnic table.
I reserve one drawer for basics like lighter, matches, Ziploc bags, spices, etc.
Inside the other one I put the utensils and in the third one I position my cooking tools.

Sterilite ClearView 3 Storage Drawer Organizer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KN12PI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.Z3zzb38WGFYQ

As for the camping kitchen, here's some good reviews photos of a Coleman brand. It will give you an idea of the way you can use it so you can determine if you want it.

Coleman Pack-Away Deluxe Kitchen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00363WZSS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_B43zzbQVH06MB

I personally have a big see through plastic tote where I carry my whole camping kitchen.
I have a collapsible sink with a drain which I use to wash them (or carry to a washing station depending of where we are at) and then I leave everything to air dry in there.

In the same plastic tote I place my drawer unit and some kitchen towels, a grilling mitt and a vinyl tablecloth with some holding hooks.

Bear in mind that I can't fit very long cooking tools in the drawer unit but I just use some short ones and the things that are longer like my stainless skewers, still fit in the big tote.