Outwell Dunton Dishrack Review
The Outwell Dunton is a foldable dish rack ideal for camping, caravans, camper vans, and motor homes. We give it a try.
Review Score
An ingenious little design to solve a much-overlooked problem.
Our Score: 7.7/10
We've given the Outwell Dunton Foldable Dish Rack Review the Thumbs Up award.
Value for MoneyPracticalityQuality
The good
- Folds up and takes up little space.
- Sponge catching drips can be better than a tray.
- Good quality plastic.
The not so good
- Not sure how well the sponge base will last.
- The arms that hold plates need to be longer.
This was a hands-on product review. The product was supplied to us to test and conduct the review.
Price Guide
Outwell Dunton Foldable Dish Rack Review has a recommended retail price of £28.00.
The best price we've found so far is £19.99. That's £8.01 off the RRP of £28.00.
Outwell Dunton Foldable Dish Rack Review Videos
Outwell Dunton Foldable Dish Rack Review Photos
Outwell Dunton Folding Disk Rack
Folded
Cultery Holder
Washable Base
Sponge Base
Our Review
A foldable dish rack may not be the most exciting camping gadget ;-)
However, it can provide some much-needed practicality if you are washing up in your tent, caravan, or motor home, and you don't have anywhere to place the wet dishes. Drying each plate immediately after you've washed it soon becomes annoying.
We bought a folding dish rack like the one below for our caravan. It has a plastic drip tray.
It works, but it's bulky to store.
A typical folding dish rack
When camping, we've been using our Outwell Wash Base, which has a built-in drying rack. We've also used a slatted camping table in the past too.
Washing up in our camp kitchen using the slatted camping table as a dish rack.
The Outwell Wash Base has a built-in draining rack.
At the Outwell 2020 season launch, I saw this new Outwell Dunton Folding Dish Rack and being such an Outwell fan-boy, I just had to try it out. Fortunately, Outwell agreed and sent me one to review. Thanks, Outwell! :-D
The Outwell Dunton Dish Rack
This dish rack differs from many others in that it has a sponge drip base rather than a plastic one, which certainly keeps things simple. When folded, the rack is protected by the sponge and is held together with elastic.
The Outwell Dunton dish rack folded up.
Fortunately, you can easily remove the sponge base from the rack to let it dry. Otherwise, I can see this sponge getting rather smelly over time.
The sponge base absorbs drips. The rack can be removed from the base to let it dry.
You can also wash this sponge base in a washing machine.
You can also stick the sponge base in the washing machine.
The rack itself is straightforward. One side is for plates and folds out. There is even a holder for cutlery.
Using the Outwell Dunton Dishrack in our Caravan
For us, the Outwell Dunton Dishrack is ideal for our caravan.
When tent camping, we use the site's wash-up facilities, if available. However, when we have a caravan, we wash up there rather than use the campsite's facilities.
As mentioned before, our current caravan dishrack is less than ideal, and the Dunton dishrack is more compact and handles the drips better.
Using the Dunton Dish Rack in our caravan
The compactness here, though, was a slight problem. For a sink full of items from a family meal, the dishrack can't hold it all at once.
Another issue I found was with the pop-up legs. They could do with being slightly larger to hold plates better, as it is too easy to knock a plate, and they all come tumbling down like dominoes.
The jury is still out on the sponge base. It worked well and better than the plastic drip tray of our old rack. With our good weather, it was easy to dry on the line outside. However, if it had been wet, I wonder how much it would dry properly, and how long before it would start to smell.
The base is currently at home for washing with the rest of the rack in the caravan. I hope we remember to bring it with us the next time we go! :-)
Drying the dish rack cloth at the campsite.
Verdict
The plastic of the dish rack feels strong.
The design is simple but looks reliable. And it doesn't take up much space when folded.
The small size is good, as there's not often a lot of space on camping tables, caravans, or motorhomes. But the small size can limit how much the rack holds, which may be a problem if you have a big family - but then a bigger family should have more people to help with the dishes ;-)
The arms holding the plates could be slightly longer as it is easy for plates to topple.
I'm also not convinced about the sponge base. Only a longer-term test will tell if it starts to smell or deteriorate. I'll update this article if I notice any problems.
Alternatives
The RRP price for this is quite high. As more stock appears in camping shops, I expect it will be available cheaper.
There are some alternatives available. I've already mentioned the Outwell Wash Base. This can not only work as a drying rack, but it's also useful when the campsite has a washup facility.
The Outwell Wash Base
There are also some other silicone alternatives, such as this one from Amazon. I've not tried it, so I can't vouch for it, but it has good reviews.
An alternative option I found on Amazon. Can't vouch for its quality, though.
Details
| Attribute | Outwell Dunton Foldable Dish Rack Review |
|---|---|
| RRP | £28.00 |
| Best Price | £19.99 |
| Product Info | Brand Web Page |
| Width (cm) | 42 |
| Length (cm) | 34 |
| Pack Size (cm) | 18.5 x 34 x 8 |