Blacksmith Camping Wheel Bag Review: The Trash Solution That Actually Stays Put

The Verdict Up Front:  If you're tired of trash bags sliding down your spare or disintegrating after a season or two, the Blacksmith Camping 4WD Wheel Bag justifies its premium price. It's not flawless, but the Australian poly-cotton fabric and sleeve design solve the two most frustrating problems with wheel-mounted trash bags.

Blacksmith Camping wheel bags are made from Aussie poly-cotton in their Adelaide workshop.

Who Is Blacksmith Camping?

Blacksmith Camping probably isn't on your radar if you're in North America, but they're earning a solid reputation in Australia for building quality camping gear. Founded in 2019 by siblings Laine and Erin (who grew up working in their dad's outdoor retail business, Snowys Outdoors), they operate out of Adelaide, South Australia with a straightforward philosophy: source the best Australian materials, design products to last, and manufacture everything under one roof.

Nearly everything is Australian-made—canvas from Australian-grown cotton, hardware from local suppliers, even the thread. The only exception? YKK zippers, because when it comes to zips, YKK sits at the top of the zipper food chain. Their Edwardstown workshop outside Adelaide produces gear built for Australia's demanding environment: scorching Outback deserts, tropical humidity up north, and freezing conditions in Tasmania. If it can survive the rigors of the Australian bush, it'll handle your overlanding trips.

The Problem Every Overlander Knows

Nobody wants trash rattling around inside their rig. A banana peel in the footwell, greasy paper towels sliding around the back seat, or that memorable smell when you forget about the cooler drippings for three days.

For years, I dealt with the same issue most people face: cheap wheel bags that worked well initially, then slowly fell apart. UV exposure turned fabric brittle. Straps loosened. The bag gradually sagged lower on the spare until it was practically dragging on trails. By the second season, you're most likely replacing it with another cheap, disposable wheel bag.

When I built out my Ram 3500 with oversized 37” tires, I wanted something that would genuinely last. A buddy of mine had been rocking a Blacksmith wheel bag on his F250 for over a year, and it didn’t look over a week old. The Blacksmith 4WD Wheel Bag caught my attention because of one key design choice: a sleeve that fits over the top of the tire, not just straps.

I chose the desert sand color—looks sharp and hides dust better than black. The bag also comes in black and khaki if that's more your preference.

The tire sleeve design holds the bag securely in place, unlike other designs which rely solely on nylon straps.

What Makes This Different

Most wheel bags hang from straps looped around your spare tire. The problem is straightforward physics: trash weighs something, gravity pulls the bag downward, and the straps and storage unit gradually slip lower on the tire. Washboard roads accelerate the process. By the end of a weekend trip through the Mojave, your bag has migrated six inches down the tire—or worse, it's sagging so low it's practically dragging on the trail.

Blacksmith solves this with a canvas sleeve that slides over the top of your spare tire. The issue of a sagging wheel bag has largely been solved, but folks on extended or long distance journeys may experience some minimal sagging—maybe a couple of inches over time—but nothing like the foot-plus migration you get with traditional strap-only designs. And when the Blacksmith does shift slightly, it happens at a much slower pace.

Blacksmith Camping manufactures all of its products in their Adelaide-area workshop, where they prioritize sourcing as much material as possible from Australia.

Australian Materials, Australian Made

Here's where the price starts making sense. Blacksmith stitches these in their Adelaide workshop using nearly all Australian-made materials—canvas woven from Australian-grown cotton, hardware from local suppliers, and heavy-duty core-spun thread. The 370gsm Dynaproofed™ canvas is an 11oz outer shell treated for UV resistance and waterproofing. After nearly two years of use, my desert sand bag looks like it's only been out for a few months. No color fading despite relentless California sun. Some abrasion scuffs and trail rash, but the fabric integrity remains excellent.

The 680gsm ripstop PVC interior lining is legitimately heavy-duty. That's nearly double the weight of typical PVC linings, which translates to puncture resistance and easy cleanup. Hose it out, wipe it down, done. No lingering smells, no stains seeping into fabric.

All stress points use core-spun poly/cotton reinforced stitching. After thousands of miles on washboard and two-track, every seam remains solid. The bottom of the bag is designed with a couple of drainage holes, reinforced with metal rivets, which ensures quick runoff when dealing with wet trash or gear.

Compare this to budget options (I won't name names, but if you've bought a $40 wheel bag from Amazon, you know what I'm talking about). Those typically use lighter fabric that starts deteriorating after a season or two of UV exposure. The fabric gets brittle and begins to fray, seams start failing, and you're replacing it. The Blacksmith's poly-cotton is abrasion-resistant enough that trail brush hasn't damaged it, and the UV resistance means it should last years, not months.

The desert sand color seems to go perfectly with the infinite dust that can be found in America's version of the Outback—the Great Basin.

The Real-World Test

I purchased my Blacksmith wheel bag in March 2024, and since then I've run this bag through:

• 2,000+ miles across the Great Basin with intense dust exposure

• Multiple trips through the Redwood Coast in relentless rain

• Desert runs through the Mojave, Death Valley, and Arizona where UV exposure is brutal

• Hundreds of miles of washboard and two-track that shake everything loose

The tire sleeve design works as intended—minimal movement compared to traditional strap bags. The poly-cotton shows minimal wear despite brush contact. The PVC interior has handled everything from trash, tools, and firewood.

The bag comes in a variety of sizes and fits tires from 26" to 37", making it compatible with everything from stock Jeeps to heavily modified rigs. The two side mesh pockets are genuinely useful for stashing small items—I typically keep a few readily accessible tools and spare garbage bags in mine. They're not huge, but they're perfectly sized for bin bags, gloves, or a coiled rope. The front has two stainless steel 50mm D-rings (6mm thick) that work well at camp for hanging wet boots or extra trash bags. The matte black metal buckles on the front secure everything without the complexity of zippers—simpler means fewer failure points.

We'd love to see more interior storage and a better designed cover flap.

Where It Falls Short

Storage volume is limited. Measuring 5 inches deep on the side seams, the bag's capacity is smaller than you might expect. For a weekend trip with two people, it's adequate. For a 3-4 day trip, you might fill it faster than you'd prefer. We'd love to see the side seams extended 2-3" for extra storage capacity.

Another Australian brand, Crashpad, recently released the Phantom Wheel Bag ($168 USD) with a couple extra inches of depth, which translates to significantly more volume. If I were buying today, I'd seriously consider whether that extra capacity is worth the additional $22.

The cover flap is awkward. The Blacksmith wheelbag uses a flap to cover the main trash compartment, and it's a bit unwieldy to manage when you're trying to stuff trash in with one hand. The Phantom uses a zipper with a more rectangular opening that's easier to access. Minor issue, but noticeable when you're dealing with it multiple times per day.

Like most things in the world of overlanding and camping gear, you truly get what you pay for. The photo you see shows the typical state of a budget-priced wheel bag after just a year or two of exposure to the elements.

The Price Reality

At $146 USD plus shipping from Australia, this isn't inexpensive. Shipping can add up unless you're ordering multiple items to split the cost.

But here's the math: A $40 Amazon bag might last 1-2 seasons before UV damage forces replacement. The Blacksmith comes with a 3-year warranty and should last well beyond that based on what I've observed. After nearly two years of hard use, mine looks like it's been out for a few months—no color fading, just some character marks from the trail. Amortized over its lifespan, the cost difference shrinks considerably.

You're also getting:

• Fabric that won't deteriorate in sun or rain

• A design that actually stays in place

• An interior that cleans up easily

• Australian build quality

What Works, What Doesn't

The Highlights:

• Durability that genuinely lasts – The 370gsm Dynaproofed canvas and heavy PVC lining stand up to UV, rain, and trail abuse without showing significant wear

• Stays put – The wheel sleeve design means no sagging or constant readjustment

• Easy maintenance – PVC interior wipes clean in seconds

• Straightforward installation – No complex mounting system

The Tradeoffs:

• Limited capacity – 5 inches of depth fills up faster than you'd expect on longer trips

• Awkward cover flap access – The interior cover can be clumsy when you're trying to stuff trash quickly

• Premium pricing – You're paying for Australian materials and build quality. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Is it the Right Wheelbag for You?

Perfect for:

• Anyone tired of replacing cheap wheel bags every 1-2 years

• People who leave their rigs in the sun (California, Arizona, Utah, Texas, etc.)

• Overlanders who want gear that just works without constant adjustment

• Anyone with an oversized spare (fits 37" tires)

Skip it if:

• You need maximum storage volume (consider the Crashpad Phantom wheel bag)

• You only do 1-2 trips per year and a budget bag will last longer for you

• You're on a tight budget and need to prioritize other gear

The Bottom Line

The Blacksmith 4WD Wheel Bag does exactly what it promises: keeps trash outside your rig and stays put. The Australian poly-cotton fabric and sleeve design solve the two biggest weaknesses of wheel-mounted trash bags.

Is it perfect? No. The storage volume could be better, and the interior flap could be more user-friendly. But after thousands of miles through challenging conditions, it remains in excellent shape with zero signs of the UV degradation that kills cheaper alternatives.

If you're building out a rig for serious use and want gear that'll last, the extra cost makes sense. If you're a casual weekend warrior who might only do 2-3 trips per year, a cheaper option might serve you well until you're ready to upgrade.

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• Purchased in March 2024 at full price and shipped from Australia.

• Tested: March 2024 – Nov 2025, thousands of miles across deserts, forests, coast, and mountains.