We came across the Lifetub products on Instagram. When they offered to send us some products to review there was no way we could say no!
Cooking in a tiny kitchen can get messy!! It’s one of the reasons we love an organised van kitchen here at vanlife eats. Storage is a big part of having an organised kitchen, and this is where Lifetub may be able to help.
A little bit about Lifetub…
Lifetub was cooked up by a husband and wife team, their the aim is to reduce plastic use and protect our oceans. The tubs themselves are made from borosilicate glass, which is resistant to extreme temperatures and tougher than regular glass. The BPA free plastic lids have removable clips and silicone seal for cleaning. They are safe to use in the fridge, freezer, oven (and if you’re in a house kitchen) the microwave and dishwasher. Life on the road can be bumpy sometimes, if a lid were to break it is possible to buy replacement lids without buying a whole new set.
Is Lifetub suitable for vanlife?
In a word, yes! Glass tubs may not seem like the ideal choice for a van kitchen. We appreciate there may be concerns of breakages and also the weight. Here’s why we think Lifetub could work for vanlife and why we are happy to use them in our van.
Sustainability
A lot of vanlifers are passionate about leading a sustainable lifestyle and looking after our environment. Reducing plastic use is something we feel passionate about as well reducing our food waste. Re-using these tubs instead of plastic ones helps reduce our plastic use. The glass will not stain, hold smells or warp like plastic.
Living sustainably means trying to reduce all waste, and as such we are big fans of saving leftovers. Nobody wants to open their campervan fridge after driving down a bumpy road to find their soup has leaked everywhere. These tubs claim to be leak-proof. I have tried my best to shake my butternut squash soup from them, but definitely no leakages! They are ideal for storing meals for walks or hikes. You can have total confidence when you sit down to eat your meal, the contents will still be in the tub rather than your bag.
Sturdiness
Although made of glass (a banned word in some vans!) the bases feel surprisingly sturdy. They look as though they would survive a drop or two – although we didn’t test this! If the glass were to break it is designed to break into large pieces rather than shatter.
We have been testing a large and small tub, the smaller one fits nicely inside the larger one for storage. When travelling with them you could also wrap them in a towel for peace of mind. The lids feel well made, the clips are secure and can be removed for cleaning. They clip on and off to the base easily and securely.
Stylish
The products look nice, while this is not necessarily the most important part of choosing a product, it helps right? We think they look really well made and like the colours. I have been testing the silicone lid when heating up lunch in the microwave at work, and it has attracted many admiring glances and comments.
What else did we like about Lifetub?
One of the things we really love about this product is that the silicone seal is completely removable from the lid. We have all had tubs where the silicone seal has got mouldy where we are unable to clean it. Lifetub makes all of that easy by being able to remove this seal to clean it and clean underneath it. We managed to do it quite easily and re-checked the tub for leakages afterwards and it was still good.
What didn’t we like about LifeTub?
Our first thought before they arrived was that they wouldn’t be suitable for our van as they were glass. We are happy to say that opinion changed, but we understand not everyone would be convinced. We’re not recommending anyone to kit their entire van kitchen out with them, but a set of them is not going to add a noticeable amount of weight to your van. If you are concerned about breakages and weight then perhaps these aren’t the products for you and your van.
Finally….
We will continue to use these in our van and we think others will like them too. They reduce plastic use in our van, and are leak-proof so we can store food with confidence.
The main disadvantage with this product is also one of it’s benefits, and that is it being made from glass. We appreciate that weight can be an issue in a van, we have had many issues with that ourselves. Due to this we probably wouldn’t stock our entire van kitchen with these. We will continue to use our reusable plastic tubs for storing pasta, rice etc. The Lifetub is now a must have for picnics and adventures though. It keeps our food fresh and we are confident there will be no leaks.
If you are a part time vanlifer they are fantastic, they make meal prep easy! Store in the freezer at home, then put in the camper fridge when you set off on your journeys. When defrosted you have a meal ready to heat. (These tubs should not be used on open flame)
Overall we are very happy with Lifetub. If you want to purchase some go to our store and click on the buy now link which will take you directly to Amazon.
We do not receive payment for reviews although we may have been sent the product free of charge. We do this to ensure you only ever read our honest opinion.
