Camco 51951 Collapsible Utility Basket, White/Taupe

The Camco 51951 is a collapsible utility basket that earns its keep by getting out of the way. Pop it open and you've got a 14-1/2 by 19-3/4 inch tote with a 10 inch wall, deep enough to haul a load of gear across the dock or the campsite. Done with it? Fold it flat to 2-1/2 inches and it slides behind a seat, under a bunk, or onto a shelf until the next trip. That's the whole idea. A real basket when you need one, almost nothing when you don't.

Boats and RVs punish anything that takes up permanent space, so a basket that collapses to two and a half inches is a genuinely useful thing to have aboard. The frame pops up in seconds and holds its shape while you fill it, then drops back down flat for storage. No tools, no fuss. The 19-3/4 inch length gives you room for longer items like dock lines, cleaning brushes, or a bundle of shore-power cord, and the open top means you're not fighting a lid every time you reach in.

The body is made from a waterproof material, which is what makes this basket worth having near the water in the first place. Toss in wet life jackets, a dripping wetsuit, muddy shoes, or a coiled hose and you're not going to soak through the bottom. When it's dirty, wipe it down or hose it out and let it drain. Sand, salt spray, and spilled bilge cleaner don't stain it the way they would a fabric tote. For anyone who's ruined a canvas bag hauling wet gear, that alone is the selling point.

On the water, this is the basket you grab for the jobs that make a mess. Corral dock lines and fenders so they're not underfoot in the cockpit. Haul cleaning supplies from the dock box to the transom. Round up the kids' wet towels and beach toys at the end of the day. It's also the easy answer for oil-change rags, spare filters, and the loose hardware that always ends up rolling around the bilge. Because it folds flat, you can keep one in a cockpit locker or a lazarette without giving up the space a rigid crate would cost you. When the season's over, it stores in almost no room at all.

Off the water it pulls just as much duty. RV owners use it to carry gear from the truck to the site, then collapse it for the drive home. It works as a laundry basket in a tight camper, a garden tote for weeds and clippings, a garage catch-all, or a beach hauler for chairs and umbrellas. Boaters who tow keep one in the truck and one aboard, so there's always a basket handy at both ends of the trip. The waterproof body means you can load it with anything wet or gritty and not think twice. And when the trip's done, it goes flat and tucks away.

Taking care of it is about as simple as gear gets. Rinse it out after a salty or muddy job and let it air dry before you fold it down, and it'll keep looking clean for years. Store it flat and out of constant direct sun when you can, since UV is hard on any outdoor material over time. There's no assembly, no hardware to lose, and nothing to rust. Open it, use it, wipe it, fold it.

The white and taupe finish keeps it looking clean and neutral, so it doesn't stick out in a cabin, a camper, or on a garage shelf. The rectangular shape stacks and stores better than a round basket, and it's light enough that a full load is easy to carry one-handed. This is the small size in Camco's collapsible basket line, so if you need to move a bigger load you'll want to size up. But for everyday gear-hauling that has to disappear when you're done, it's hard to beat.