We all know how much fun it is to load the car and take the dogs to the beach or perhaps on holiday with you. If your dogs are anything like ours you will understand just how long it takes to clean the boot of the car after! Hair stuck to the carpets, mud and sand in every tiny gap – it really spoils what was a fun outing or trip away!
Isla and Jelli at Woolley Grange Hotel – Photo Credit – Judith White
That was until we discovered the Hatchbag! An ingenious solution to our problem in the form of a tailor made boot liner and we were delighted when Hatchbag asked us to road-test several of their products!
So the first part of the road test was the easiest! Choosing what colour liner to have and selecting the make and model of my car. I chose a grey liner for my Land Rover Freelander. It’s important to chose your car carefully as each liner is specifically produced to fit that model of vehicle exactly. So the liner I have wouldn’t fit the previous model Freelanders as the boots are different shapes nor would it fit a different make of car. There are quite a few different colours to chose from including a lovely vibrant orange and stunning girly pink!
The website states a lead time of around a week for orders to arrive – so I was initially very impressed when a package arrived two days later containing my liner plus a rear seat cover, bumper protector and also a tailgate cover.
Full instructions and a fitting kit was included in the package and it is perfectly possible to fit and install the liner single handedly although two people would make the process easier! I however had help and supervision from three Spaniels – not entirely helpful but lovely to see how excited they all were with the prospect of a car ride somewhere! I think Bracken the Springer Spaniel was hiding from the hoover during these photos!
One thing I would point out is how important it is to prepare the car surfaces before fitting the liners. The liners attach to the car using Velcro (provided) but if you try and stick to to the car’s internal surfaces without cleaning them first the silicone on your car’s interior will stop it adhering and fall off. The fitting instructions clearly explain how and what to clean with so I really do recommend following their guidelines.
The liner fits very easily with step by step instructions and I’m honestly very impressed with how well it fits. The Hatchbag conforms to all the contours of my car and is like a second skin inside the boot! There are several fitting points the liner secures too which holds the liner in place and the edges are all very neatly attached with Velcro. Velcro tabs are pre-sewn onto the underside of the liner and it comes with pre-cut strips of Velcro to stick inside the car which then the liner attaches too holding it in place.
Even the edges of the Hatchbag have been designed to tuck neatly inside the trim of the car so it seamlessly blends in and creates an all over cover. The sides of the liner Velcro neatly to the rear section and fit perfectly again maintaining a complete coverage of the boot with no gaps or messy looking edges.
There are several add on’s for the Hatchbag and different features to include. Such as a split down the back (created and secured with Velcro) to allow one seat to be folded down while the other remains in place. Rear seat covers which attach to the top of the Hatchbag liner and go up and over covering the rear seat headrests, bumper covers to prevent scratches to the paintwork when dogs are jumping in and out and tailgate covers to protect the inside of the boot.
We have the rear seat, bumper and tailgate covers and the quality and finish is still very much exceeding our expectations. The bumper cover especially has been revolutionary and I’m sure my car breathed a sigh of relief knowing it will no longer get scratches by excited dog claws and paws jumping in and out! The rear seat cover has also been a fabulous addition as dog hair can no longer ‘float’ up and require hours of hoovering to remove!
Hatchbag liner fitted with rear seat cover and bumper protector (folded back)
So we are delighted with the design and look of the Hatchbag. It’s fits perfectly (much better than the genuine Landrover liner), the colour choice is great – we stayed conservative with grey but with the options available you can match your car’s interior or be bold and chose a vibrant colour! The additional options are great for versatility and tailoring the system to your needs! The liners are made from a very durable PVC material so damage is highly unlikely to occur (it isn’t chew proof so don’t leave those cheeky monkeys unattended!)
On the road! So the Hatchbag needs to maintain its glowing record once we get on the move! My dogs are in and out of the car a lot for trips to dog training, walks and other doggie destinations. So the Hatchbag needs to do its job once my car is off the driveway and on the road! I was a bit sceptical how well the Velcro would hold, if the liner would slide around and become detached with the weight of a dog crate on top of it and the movement of the car and corners etc. I needn’t have worried! I do t think it has actually budged an inch! We have been using the liner for about a week now with dogs jumping in and out approximately 5-6 times a day. The bumper liner hasn’t moved or detached from the main part and is very durable I don’t think it would be possible for claws to puncture or rip the material and it’s dead easy to wipe and muddy paw prints off with a damp cloth.
The main liner itself is well and truly attached where it started. The Velcro is holding well on the car and keeping the edges in place beautifully and having no nooks and gaps means hoovering the boot now takes me 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes as there is nothing for the hair or mud to stick too.
I am so impressed with the Hatchbag. From start to finish the service has been excellent and their product is wonderful. When speaking with them initially my emails and queries were answered within minutes in some cases and certainly within an hour or two at the longest. Delivery was very quick and much sooner than expected and the liner itself is perfect. Perfect fit, perfect design, simply perfect.
It has made travelling with the dogs super easy and as the car won’t take as long to clean we can use the time saved to add onto our walks! Although we tested the Hatchbag with our dogs in mind the versatility doesn’t stop there. The Hatchbag is great for protecting your boot from all sorts of dirt and grim. Pushchairs and buggies, household waste and recycling, muddy boots, trips to the garden centre and even bales of hay and straw for the horse owners amongst us! It’s ideal for anyone just wanting to keep their car looking new and make cleaning easier. On a slightly more financial aspect. It will also help hold some of the resell value of your car as many people can be put off buying a car who’s boot has been used as a kennel or wheelbarrow!
To purchase your own Hatchbag liner head to – https://www.hatchbag.co.uk/boot-liners and follow the instructions to tailor the perfect Hatchbag for your car and tell them we sent you! They even have a clearance section so you may be able to grab an absolute bargain!
Thanks for reading our review – please feel free to leave any comments below!
The review above is entirely our own opinion based on our personal experience using the Hatchbag.