GrabMeGear Gear mate 58
Ute bin bag-premium expedition spec
One of the biggest issues we have had while travelling Australia is dealing with rubbish (ours and unfortunately other peoples' as well). Normally when we are at camp, we simply have a plastic rubbish bag tied up to a pole, or something similar. This often results in wind or animals destroying the bag and spreading the mess everywhere. While looking around for a solution we came across the Gear mate 58 – Ute bin bag – premium expedition spec from GrabMeGear.
Our First Impressions
Upon first opening the delivery, which came very quickly, you could tell the bag was well researched and very well built. The weight of the bag reinforced that this bag was made with good quality Australian canvas and would be built to last. The three clips on the straps have also got some amazing attention to detail and don't feel as though they will unclip on their own.
Tested
We have been using the bin bag as exactly that. It is somewhere to put our rubbish so that it doesn't get blown around the campsite and so we don't have multiple bags of rubbish stored inside the Ute (getting hot and smelly...yuck!) until we can find somewhere appropriate to dispose of it. We have also found that a standard 9L bucket from Bunnings fits perfectly inside the bag incase you need to transport something a little different. For us, it was a bucket of edible grapes that we didn't want rolling around the canopy and getting squished.
Pros and Cons
The addition of the 60mm front pocket on the bag is perfect for storing wet items, some dirty recovery gear, or even dirty coffee cups from that morning cuppa.
The PVC liner on the inside of the bag makes for an easy cleanup if you do happen to put something extra dirty in the bag or have a hole in your plastic rubbish bag. Simply take it out, hose or wipe it off, let it dry (we have found hanging it on the clothesline is perfect) and you're good to go again.
We were initially worried about the bag damaging the paint of the tailgate, however some plush carpet has been added to the rear of the bag to stop it from rubbing.
We have recently had some rain (not as much as Northern NSW or Southern QLD), but we've been relieved to find that the storm flaps over the zips have stopped any water from getting inside the bag. If water does get inside the bag, it is designed so that the water will wick out from the bottom.
The only con that we have found so far would be to have some protection on the back of the clips to stop them hitting the inside of the tailgate. However, we could always add some carpet or similar ourselves to stop any potential damage. Although we haven't seen any visible damage so far.
The Final Score
So the final score.... Would we recommend the GEAR MATE 58 - UTE BIN BAG - PREMIUM EXPEDITION SPEC? Short answer is yes, we have no hesitations in recommending this product. At the moment it's the only one on the market that we have found, but with it being made by an Australian company from Australian materials it's a big bonus for us. The attention to detail and overall construction is clear and it shows a great amount of research into consumer needs and wants followed by field testing has gone in to the development of this bag.
The bag can be used as a bin bag, carry bag or many other different uses only limited by your imagination or need.