Dacoblue Fuel Bags – A Review

We were thrilled when we were asked to be brand ambassadors for the NEW Dacoblue Fuel Bag. We were very excited about this product and thought it had great potential in the sailing community. Our new Dacoblue fuel bags arrived in November 2018, and we have spent the last couple of months using and testing them in different situations so that we can give you our honest opinion about them.

What are they?

Dacoblue is a high-quality collapsible fuel bag geared towards taking the hardship out of transporting and storing extra fuel.

For live-aboard and full time cruising yachties that makes refuelling your boat more comfortable and a lot more convenient. However, don’t think that the usefulness of this fuel bag ends there. This fuel bag is the perfect container to use as a fuel tank for your dinghy outboard motor, as well as being ideal for people making epic journeys by motorbike, car or even a snowmobile!

Our initial thoughts…

We were excited about the quality of the fuel bag. It looks and feels like a robust, heavy-duty superior product. Constructed with CE approved 1000g/m2 fibre reinforced TPU, means these bags are designed to withstand wear and tear, as well as shock impact and UV light. To break it down into layman’s terms the CE is the European Unions Control Organisation, the 1000g/m2 is the weight of the fabric, and the material is “fibre reinforced TPU”(Thermoplastic Polyurethane) which is known for its extreme flexibility and durability. In fact, one example of where TPU is being used is in fuel lungs for military jet-fuel storages.

We love the design. The bag can be folded and stored away when not in use. If you are a sailor/cruiser, you will be aware that space on a boat is at a premium. We are also very impressed with the bags ability to stand upright and the stability when doing so.

The carrying harness is handy as we can carry the fuel on our back when transporting it. Much better than walking long distances with a jerry can in one hand and all the weight on one side of the body.

There are three lid caps included which it make it easy to utilise the bag to its full potential… e.g. as a fuel tank for dinghy motor and makes transferring fuel easy.

For us, it quickly became apparent that the product was designed by someone who had travelled extensively on a boat and had put that experience into the design of this fuel bag.

Next, we put the product to use…

We used one of the bags as a dinghy fuel tank and the other for transporting and storing fuel.

Dwayne was very excited about being able to use one bag as a fuel tank for the dinghy. Over the last few years, he has had to deal with water in the outboard motor fuel continually. Not only have we had the fuel tank float and overturn during very heavy rains in Thailand’s wet season, but the air intake valve sucks in water when it rains.

Pros and cons of using as an outboard motor fuel tank…

Pros

We quickly recognised the bag’s many attributes that would make life onboard that little bit easier, including a solution to our outboard fuel tank problem. The principal features are, firstly, the bag does not need an air intake valve; thereby eliminating the risk of water entering the tank. Secondly, the bag has 16 stainless eyelets strategically spaced around its edge, allowing many more tie-down points, and thirdly, the collapsible bag will enable you to see how much fuel is left.

So Dwayne connected the first Dacoblue Fuel Bag as an outboard motor tank and hasn’t looked back since! It was simple to install, and we have not experienced any problems with the bag..  We cannot see ourselves going back to using a rigid fuel tank again.

Cons

We haven’t found any.

The Dacoblue Collapsible Fuel Bag for transporting and storing fuel…

Pros

There are many reasons we prefer the Dacoblue fuel bag over the common rigid jerry can. First and foremost, the fact that these bags can be folded and stored when empty thereby not squandering premium space onboard our boat. Secondly, their dry weight is only 1kg!

The harness makes transporting the bag simple. After paying 10 Baht extra per litre at Yacht Haven Marina, Dwayne has become more proactive again in saving money on fuel. Filling up at a service station is always cheaper than at a marina, but lugging around jerry cans is nobody’s idea of fun. Getting fuel from the service station is made easy with the Dacoblue fuel bag. The harness, which is easily attached and unattached by carbines, allows us to carry the bag on our back; it also fits perfectly in front of Dwayne on his scooter.

Another great feature of this bag is the three easy to attach handles that allow for a variety of ways of carrying it. Furthermore, the handles enable more control when pouring the fuel into a tank.

The bag is very stable when standing, and the many eyelets provide ample points to attach to when stored on deck.

Cons

After using the Dacoblue fuel bags for a couple of months, we still haven’t found any flaws with this product. We are not experts, but we are experienced cruising sailors that have had much involvement with fuel containers, getting fuel inland, and of course, living with fuel containers onboard.

Who can benefit from this product?

As I mentioned in my intro, it is not just sailors who will get valuable use of this product. It will suit many long-range activities that require carrying extra fuel. One example I think of straight away, and again from experience, it that of four-wheel driving in the Australian outback.

Where can you buy this product?

At the moment Dacoblue is only available online. Purchases come with free delivery worldwide and a two-year product defect warranty. Furthermore, when you use the code trippinturpins, you will receive a 10% discount!

Our verdict…

We do not hesitate in recommending Dacoblue fuel bags especially if you want to reclaim valuable space onboard or if you go ashore to load up with fuel. Furthermore, if you use a fuel tank in your dinghy for your outboard motor, you cannot go wrong with replacing it with one of these bags.

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Dacoblue also makes a 20-litre water bag that is perfect for transporting and storing potable water. It is made the same as the fuel bag with CE approved 1000g/m2 fibre reinforced food-grade TPU. Take a look at the Dacoblue Water Bag…