The very nature of tailgating will produce a lot of refuse. Temporary containers such as plastic bags, paper plates, plastic cups and plastic forks, spoons and knives all need to be thrown away during the party once they are no longer needed. Most tailgaters will tie a plastic trash bag to their bumper or even just have the bag lay on the ground while out tailgating. Unfortunately those old techniques aren’t conducive to easily throwing items away. We were recently contacted by the folks at Kwickan who claim they have a solution for those trash bags laying on the ground while tailgating. Take a look at their video.
If you watched the video you saw the Kwickan has a number of uses not only around the house but while out tailgating. We were sent samples of the original Kwickan along with the smaller Kwickan II.
(Disclaimer: We did receive samples of the Kwickan for free. The fact these samples were provided to us free of charge in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)
The easiest way to describe the Kwickan is that it is a lightweight, portable and reusable bag holder. The Kwickan stores flat and will hold open most 33 to 55 gallon plastic trash bags. The Kwickan II is designed for smaller 13 gallon trash bags typically the size used in kitchen trash containers. It is made from Virgin and Recycled Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic and is rigid enough to store flat but pliable enough to bend and be inserted into a trash can to hold it open. (Click images for larger more detailed view)
As you can see in the gallery, we took the Kwickan and the smaller Kwickan II with us while tailgating the San Diego Chargers vs Houston Texans Monday Night Football game. Setting up the Kwickan and inserting it into the trash bag took literally less than 10 seconds. Once set up we had a larger trash can that was available for refuse like paper plates, plastic cups and utensils. We used the smaller Kwickan II to bag recyclables and placed crushed aluminum cans in it. Once the time came to pack up and head inside the game, we simply removed the Kwickan from the bags and grabbed the ties and tied up the bags. The trash bag was ready to go to the dumpster on our walk into the game and the recyclables were placed inside our tailgating vehicle to be taken home and recycled during the week.
The time saving aspect was huge in that set up and removal was quick and easy. The obvious benefit was that the Kwickan held open both of our plastic bags and made it easy to place refuse and recyclables without having to secure the bag to a tent pole or a bumper or just letting it lay on the ground. No more bending over to find the opening of the bag while it lays on the ground.
One aspect of the Kwickan you may have noticed is that the plastic Kwickan goes on the inside of the trash bag and can be subject to getting dirty from trash placed in the bag. Tailgating is notorious for messy and sticky foods stuck on paper plates like baked beans, BBQ sauce and condiments like ketchup and mustard could get stuck on the side of the Kwickan when throwing those items away. One way to prevent the sticky foods from sticking to the Kwickan is to use two trash bags.
Insert the Kwickcan into the first trash bag much like you see in the photos and the video. Once inserted, place the Kwickan upright and then insert another trash bag on the inside of the Kwickan and tuck the top edges of the inner bag in between the outter trash bag and the Kwickan. This now essentially double bags your trash receptacle and prevents food from smearing on the plastic of the Kwickan.
Another aspect that the Kwickan is great for is using two of them as a portable keg cooler. In the above video around the 1:35 mark, you see a demonstration of how you can use two Kwickans to create a temporary keg cooler that can hold a full size keg plus bags of ice. Not too bad considering a regular plastic trash can or a tub can be expensive and takes up a lot of room to store when not in use. The Kwickan can hang flat on the wall in your garage by hanging it off of a nail or hook.
After thoroughly testing and reviewing the Kwickan, we are going to say it is definitely “Tailgate Approved”.
The Kwickan is priced at under $20 and the Kwickan II designed for smaller bags sells for less than $15. You can find the Kwickan at your local Home Depot or if you prefer to purchase online, is available through Amazon.com. For more information, visit: kwickan.com