The main question I would ask myself before finalising the interior design is:
- how long will my travels/tours last (weeks/months/weekends)
For me it also includes where I intend to stop, if the trip included frequent park campground stays and expected weather.
Weather - of course is obvious. Cold weather means more and bulkier coats, tops, long wool socks and more that you would not need to bring is it were just cold at night. Rain and snow means even more clothing.
Park campgrounds - In the US at least usually means hot showers provided. When camping in more primitive conditions you need to think about packing a shower set up and a shower tent or having interior for a stand up sponge bath. Sorry gentlemen I would only consider an outside shower without privacy in a situation where I felt very protected or in a large mixed crowd where other women were doing the same. If you camp where there are public showers you don't need as much gear or unused interior space.
Where I intend to stop - The more primitive and less people the less I worry about what I'm wearing and I pack mostly just to clothe myself with something appropriate for the climate and getting dirty. If the weather is conductive to quick air drying of clothes and occasional day long stops are planned I bring less & do laundry along the way. If the weather is humid or no day stops are planned I need additional clothes space. Also I tend to want to dress appropriately for the occasion so if city stops, or event banquets are involved I suddenly finding myself wanting storage for nicer more fragile clothing that would only be used for those activities, plus space for additional shoes, make up and accessories. All things that need to be accounted for when bringing a woman on a trip that is a combination of outback and civilized society stops. Storage space wise you are best off just keeping on the trail and roughing it.
I have a single floor to ceiling cabinet dedicated to just clothing. Usually my heaviest coat and rain coat ends up on the passenger side seat and boots end up on the floor in back. My shower tent, when I bring it goes on the roof rack.
Probably the main reasons for the cook top to be at counter height is that you have a lot of storage space underneath. Having said that, I myself had not installed the cook top in the vehicle. The main reason for that was that I prefer cooking outside.
Like James, I prefer the Dormobile cooker height. The top of the cover sits even with the bottom of the side window. Underneath is storage space which is enough for all my cooking & eating equipment as well as non refrigerated food storage. I have a jump seat opposite the cooker and find the cooker to be at the right height for sitting inside and cooking. When it is cold outside, the heat from the burners can make the Dormobile's interior toasty warm in short order.
Climate has a lot to do with preference for cooking inside or outside. I often camp in the rain, sometimes in the snow and often when evening temperatures approach freezing with cold evening breezes. I find it a lot nicer to get inside, button up the vehicle, put on some soft music, pour glass a wine and cook in a warm cozy vehicle interior.
But I do admit I feel uneasy when I'm cooking inside while camping in grizzly country. It is about the only time when I would feel more secure if my gear included a .45.
Here are my rules of thumb:
1. If single camping, you can comfortably live long term in the back of a 109/110 and have space for a large dog to ride along
2. If two to four people, you can sleep inside but you will need to move your relaxing & maybe your cooking outside. You can manage 2 inside but it will be VERY cramped and you will need to step out to change your mind.
3. Once you figure out what you will be doing inside and what outside think about what you will need to accomplish those things (doing dishes inside you need a place to put dirty dishes, to wash them and to put a drainer as well as storage for the drainer & cleaning supplies). Anything that can be used for only one task should be viewed as extraneous unless it is task critical. Things that can be used for 3 or more tasks are a shoo in. Always try to fit in at lest one frivolous luxury comfort item.
4. When it comes time to fit everything, don't just start building. First make mockups to help you see how things fit and do the interior tasks you intend to do to see how the work flow functions and if you really do have the space you need. Once you build cabinets you pretty much lock yourself in.
5. When building cabinets I like aluminum. Wood is heavy and thick, steel is heavy and rusts.
6. Look for wasted space inside the vehicle outside the living area. For instance my 109 two door has a 15 gallon custom stainless steel water tank sitting on the left front rear spring outrigger inside the rear side bench area. On the right side there is a horizontal 5 gallon propane tank in the same space plus a second battery in the unused space behind the right rear wheel. There is a 2.5 gallon compressed air tank mounted to the underside of the floor just behind the transfercase, above the rear propshaft between the frame rails. Well protected from anything except a front U joint failure. And I also have 3 fuel tanks for a total capacity of 42 US gallons. All this weight is at frame level and well distributed.
7. Spend the money on top quality gear and keep it maintained. I operate on the theory of if I take care of my gear it will take care of me. If you opt for refrigerator buy a top quality compressor refrigerator. It uses a whole lot less current, keeps food cool in the hottest of climates and lasts longer. My Chest refrigerator has been working just fine since 1996. I repainted it last year and it looks like new again. Cheap bargain gear is just asking for it to fail when you need it the most.
I'm sure I left some things out but that's what immediately comes to mind.
