For the past year we’ve been using the Adventure Trailers Combo Slide in our 2014 JKU Rubicon everywhere from the mountains of West Virginia to the parking lots of a few tailgates. Now that we’ve actually spent some legitimate time with this piece of kit in the field, here’s our long term review.
The Adventure Trailers Combo Slide is what I consider to be one of the most innovative pieces of kit on the market. It combines a refrigerator slide with a stove, and packs them both into a compact and ergonomic package that is easily mounted into vehicles and trailers alike. In our case, we installed it into our JK where I’m always trying to find ways to best utilize it’s minimal cargo space.
The Combo Slide is a two level fridge slide that consists of a mount for a refrigerator on top, and a storage shelf on the bottom that can also be outfitted with an optional Partner Stove. It’s mounted to the vehicle using rivnuts, and the slides are rated to hold up to 500 lbs.
The top portion of the slide is designed to be used in conjunction with a mounting plate, in our case, we used one designed for our National Luna Weekender. During our installation we did have to drill 4 holes into the top of the slide to mount the plate, and the mounting plate does not include hardware so be prepared for a quick Home Depot run (there are a few holes drilled from A/T but none of them worked for our unit).
The slides are rated to hold 500 lbs, and while we haven’t gotten anywhere close to that number, a National Luna 50 loaded up with beer and ice cream isn’t exactly light. We regularly leave the slide deployed with the fridge once the Jeep has been parked, and it’s usually used as the communal beer cooler. Even with all of this weight, the slide has performed flawlessly, and opens/closes smoothly without any issues.
One thing to be aware of is that I recommend you go with an ARB or Engel unit when using this slide. The National Luna opens up from the side and will make contact with the rear wiper motor and it can be difficult to remove the baskets. The ARB and Engel units open up from the rear so you won’t have this issue. I’ll just call this #FirstWorldProbelems #NationalLunaOwner problems for now.
Now let’s get to the real reason you should consider this setup, the optional Partner Stove. The stove slide is stored underneath the fridge, and has custom controls that have been moved to the end for easy use. The stove is on the small side coming in at 16″, but it is a 2 burner unit, and the smaller size leaves a nice storage cubby on the end that also keeps the burners from heating up your fridge.
The stove does a great job of heating up water, warming a dutch oven, and of course cooking bacon. I’ve had 2 cast iron dutch ovens on the stove slide fully deployed without issue, just make sure you did a good job installing the system and everything is tight. The other benefit of the stove slide is that when it is fully deployed, it comes out past the rear hatch so you don’t have to worry about soaking it in grease. Cleanup is pretty easy, the stove is a “net fit” so with a firm tug you will be able to free it from the slide.
Now the cons, the first is that it is relatively expensive for a fridge slide, $645 for the slide itself and $428 for the optional stove. Also the stove also does rattle and make some noise when driving down the road on uneven surfaces. If you’re used to driving a Jeep, this probably isn’t an issue for you, but if this goes into the back of your Range Rover that’s a different story.
Overall I’ve been very satisfied with the Combo Slide, Mario and the team at Adventure Trailers really do know how to make a great product and you definitely get what you pay for. The initial cost can seem pretty steep, but you’ll probably take it from vehicle to vehicle, and it will definitely outlast any Land Rover. Plus if you’re looking for cool guy points at you’re next tailgate, this is the ticket.
Pros
- Utilizes storage under your fridge
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Very durable
Cons
- Cost
- Stove does rattle under certain conditions
Does it smell up the Jeep after cooking? One issue we stayed away from with the adventure trailer we reviewed was having a built in stove unit. Figured we didn’t want the living area smelling like fish and I prefer to not cook where I sleep for safety.
I’ve actually had zero issue with the truck smelling like food. The stove is far enough off the rear of the truck that any odor just wafts away. Plus I always cook with the slide fully deployed.
In regards to the types off food, I’ve had kimchi, fish, bacon, and plenty of other smelly/stinky foods that are notorious for stinking up a house on the stove without issue.
Thanks for the write-up guys. Good timing as we’ve been looking at one of these set ups.
I’m glad we could help Andy. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.