Quarkace Campervan Bin Review – a Great Motorhome Trash Can
The Quarkace Campervan Bin is a hidden gem – we put it through it’s paces….
Why we recommend the Quarkace Bin: Great value; Quality materials; Stay tidy!
Quarkace campervan bin
I would wager if you asked most owners of small campervans such as the VW California or the Mercedes Marco Polo what their main concern with their vans was, the answer would come back as lack of surface space and occasionally too much clutter.
When everything is tidied away, the space in our campervans is very manageable and they can feel quite spacious. However, after setting up at a campsite with a kid or two in tow then the second law of thermodynamics (entropy!) rapidly kicks in and before you know it you’re drowning under a layer of rubbish you’d rather wasn’t there.
A campervan bin is one of those essential items which never get mentioned in the forums, or shown in the idyllic Instagram or Facebook photos we’ve all seen. It’s just not considered to be a glamorous bit of gear.
Here we review the Quarkace Campervan bin and we think it’s an absolute gem for disposing of all that unwanted trash, using great quality leak-proof materials. We would say that overall it is probably the best campervan bin available for sale in the UK at the moment, and at under £20 it’s a no-brain purchase if you’re fed up of using a bin-liner on the campervan floor!Â
Key Features Required in a Campervan Bin
There are a number of key features which a campervan bin needs to possess if it’s going to help you dispose of your rubbish without getting in the way too much.Â
Optimum Size
In a small campervan, a bin must hold a reasonable volume of rubbish without taking up too much space itself. Campsites often have large industrial trash cans available near to the pitches which means it should be no great effort to occasionally empty your campervan bin into them. As a result, you don’t want your campervan bin to be too big and use up too much precious space.
The Quarkace measures a respectable 24cm (h) x 24cm (w) x 14cm (d) which is about an 8 litre capacity – not too big – but crucially, not too small either.
Place it anywhere
Most people are used to their house bin being kept permanently on the kitchen floor, hidden away as best as possible. The Quarkace can be placed on the floor of your campervan too, but that isn’t necessarily the best place to put it.
The bin comes with an extendable strap which makes it easy to secure it around the seat headrests of your camper – this is a great storage location as it is typically unused space. The Quarkace also has a pair of clips on the back which allow it to be hooked onto appropriate storage locations – e.g. over a rear pocket, or even a windscreen sun visor.
Build Quality
The Quarkace surprised us for the price. We weren’t expecting too much, but the stealthy black material looks elegant with nice red trim and detailing. More importantly, the bin is fully waterproof which means that any liquid which gets spilt inside will not seep through to the outside.
Ease of Use
It should be a simple matter to dispose of your rubbish, both into the bin itself, and then afterwards when you want to empty the bin into a larger rubbish container outside. The Quarkace includes a waterproof inner liner which can be easily lifted out when emptying is required. It means the main casing can be attached in place and you don’t need to faff around too much. The bin also includes some front and side pockets which are useful to store items such as disposable bin liners if you wish to use them.
Quarkace campervan bin
Quarkace Bin In Use
The Quarkace can be easily clipped on to the front seats of your campervan if they are facing forwards – however we were keen to see if the bin could still be used once they have been rotated around. We found that this was actually a great place to use it – out of sight for normal activities, but easily accessible when you need to stick some rubbish into it. We also found that the liner could be simply extricated when it was stored here.
The Quarkace is built essentially like a rigid rucksack, with a velcro flap constituting the top of the bin. This flap has a circular aperture in the top which accesses the main trash collection area inside.
The aperture is large enough to fit a typical coke bottle through without having to open up the flap. We found that this was just about the perfect size. The aperture also include it’s own flaps which means that you can’t see the rubbish inside once you’ve poked it through.
Emptying the Trash
What makes the Quarkace campervan bin stand out is the use of an inner waterproof liner which can be lifted out very easily using two red straps. This is a fantastic idea and means you don’t technically have to use a bin liner with the Quarkace.
My husband and I were split on the idea of whether to use a separate disposable bin liner or not. Spills and smells are inevitable inside a bin, and the thought of flicking a damp teabag into the Quarkace without a dedicated bin bag in place made me feel a bit sick. However, he said it could just be washed out after emptying. Horses for courses maybe, but let it be said for the record that we did use a bin liner on our first weekend away with the Quarkace! 🙂
Conclusions
There’s not alot of competition for the title of ‘best campervan bin’, but we think a category should be invented so that Quarkace can claim it for their fantastic effort. At just under £20 the Quarkace ‘van trash can’ is an absolute bargain and will help make trips away in your pride and joy much more bearable. It should also be remembered that it can be used as a car bin or even a tent bin because it’s just as at home on the floor as it is hooked on the back of a chair.
Quarkace campervan bin
