I scoped out this Overland Utility Bin from Slumberjack over a year ago while attending Outdoor Retailer in Denver. Its coyote brown color and MOLLE webbing are probably what drew me in initially. But the construction and size are what led me to purchase the item once available. I recently acquired an FJ Cruiser that we now use primarily for Overland travel. And every Overland vehicle with a spare tire mounted on the back seems to have some sort of storage bag attached. So I had to learn why they were so popular and why I needed one.
The purpose of an Overland Utility Bin
During our long winters, I watch a fair amount of Youtube videos on the topic of Overlanding. A common item I’ve noticed on SUV’s are these soft bags attached to the spare tire. Often bouncing around while navigating rough and remote terrain. “What’s inside the bags?” I ask myself. I’ve learned that you can cary just about anything that’ll fit. From fire wood, stoves, recovery gear or even a heated shower. But the most popular item is trash. When we used our Tundra, the trash was kept in a plastic garbage bag in the bed of the truck. We never had to deal with the smell of the food scraps in the vehicle cab. To keep these foul smells out of an SUV cabin, the trash must be kept outside the vehicle. And this is where the Overland Utility Bin from Slumberjack comes in.
Since we don’t leave the house with trash, we typically fill the Utility Bin with firewood. Not that wood can’t be sourced wherever we camp. It’s just nice to have some split and dried firewood on hand in case rain has made fire starting difficult. As we consume wood and create waste, the balance of this cargo shifts from one to the other. With a 50 liter capacity, the Utility Bin can handle the changing load with ease.
Overland Utility Bin Features:
- Versatile design allows for use with spare tires or tail gates
- Fits standard factory tires, plus larger off-roading tires 35″ – 40″
- Zippered front accessory pocket for smaller items
- 38mm main webbing/buckle attachment straps
- 25mm front webbing/buckle closure
- PALS attachment system on side panels
- Drain hole at bottom of main compartment
- Can double as a cooler when lined with a trash bag
- Easy to clean out
- MSRP $89.95
Construction:
Made from a heavy duty nylon and lined on the inside, the Overland Bin holds its three dimensional shape well, even when empty. A zippered top opening allows easy loading and unloading while MOLLE webbing on the sides offer attachment points for accessory pouches. A small zippered pocket located in the center of the Bin is useful for storing small items or extra trash bags. 38mm main webbing straps are well stitched and reinforced where they’re attached to the Utility Bin. However, the nylon webbing used in the straps stretch significantly when introduced to water. Allowing the Utility Bin to shift and possibly slide off the spare tire completely. So routing the straps through a part of the vehicle or the spare tire is crucial in preventing that disaster.
Final Thoughts:
Although I was really excited about Slumberjack’s Overland Utility Bin when originally introduced. Now, after months of use, I’m much less enthusiastic. The bag itself is great. The straps and their orientation are the big let down. As you saw in the video, they stretch significantly when wet. Additionally, Slumberjack attached the long adjustable portion of the straps to the bottom of the bag. Forcing you to hold the bag in one hand while feeding the long strap up through the spare tire carrier to attach to the clip on the top of the Bin. Rather than mounting the long strap on top and just using gravity to feed it down behind the spare tire. For those vehicles with swing out spare tire carriers, mounting will be much simpler. But for those with tires mounted to the rear door, it’s a two man operation.
Stay tuned to The Gear Bunker and be a part of this all veteran-owned website. And be sure to subscribe to our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels. Sign up to be notified on YouTube ensuring you’ll know immediately when new content is uploaded.
Visit our Amazon Storefront for more related items: www.amazon.com/shop/thegearbunker
Leave a Reply