Reclaim calm and order from messy road trips with these nifty car organisers and collapsible gizmos.
1. Thule Go Box
R999, thule.com
This handy organiser has two partitions, external pockets, and is only 8cm thick when folded up and not in use. The Go Box is great for stashing maps, jumper cables and other necessaries in the boot or for popping between the kids in the back for their games, books and iPads. The hard-wearing material is also easy to clean and a liner is included in the package to tidily pack away the family’s muddy hiking boots.
2. Collapsible picnic basket
R219,95, woolworths.co.za
This 28-litre insulated collapsible picnic basket is padkos-perfect. It easily fits a six-pack of cool drinks, an ice-cream tub of boiled eggs, plus two packets of chips and a couple of energy bars. Once the supplies have been depleted it folds down to a flat package no bigger than this open magazine and about five times the width.
3. VacBag Travel Pack
R99,95, makro.co.za
Ideal for compressing soft items when travelling these storage bags are easy to use thanks to a one-way valve system that lets out excess air when you roll them up. Use for dirty laundry, beach towels or bulky bedding items – the bags are about the size of your standard pillow and come in a pack of five.
4. Front Runner Flatpack Storage Box
R395, frontrunner.co.za
Once all the cans of tinned peaches and sweet corn have been eaten, this heavy-duty rigid canvas box packs flat. Featuring adjustable vinyl-lined compartments it’s great for separating goods, easy to wipe clean and the carry handles keep it practical for use off the road.
5. Car Bin Organiser
R195, neatfreak.co.za
It’s one of the more affordable car seat organisers out there and it doesn’t interfere with legroom because it fastens to the headrest with Velcro straps. It works as a bag for stashing road trip essentials or can be lined with a Checkers packet and used as the trash collector thanks to the easy-cleaning lining.
6. Dashboard Organiser
R650, escapegear.co.za
Made from 100% cotton canvas this dashboard organizer is made to fit specific vehicles following the dash contours and making allowance for air vents and airbags. There are a variety of zippered pockets for field guidebooks while game spotting in Kruger, stashing the wet wipes and keeping the GPS cords and phone chargers dust-free. As a bonus it also stops windscreen glare.
Escape Gear also manufacture other heavy-duty space-savers like the canvas Seat Tidy for R395.
