What Nobody Tells You When You Buy a Ute...

You get this awesome, huge tub. But nobody really tells you how to make the most of it.

Buying a ute gives you something most vehicles can’t.

A massive open space in the back that can carry almost anything.

Tools during the week.

Building supplies for the weekend project.

Groceries and sports gear.

Bikes, fishing gear and camping equipment when it’s time to get away.

It’s one of the best things about owning a ute.

But that huge open space comes with a catch…

You get this awesome, huge tub.

And absolutely no organisation.

Put a couple of boxes in the back and they slide around.

Do the grocery run and the bags end up halfway across the tub.

Load up for a weekend away and everything gets piled together.

Need something at the front? You’re reaching, climbing or unloading half the tub to get to it.

So eventually most ute owners start looking for a better way to use all that space.

And that's when you're faced with another question:

How much of that awesome open tub do you actually want to give up to organise it?

Because there are three main ways to do it.

Already know a tub divider is what you're looking for?
See how ute tub dividers work →

OPTION 1: Ute Toolboxes

The classic solution.

Toolboxes have been fitted to utes for decades, and for dedicated work vehicles they make a lot of sense.

They give you somewhere secure and protected to keep tools, equipment and other valuable gear.

Where toolboxes work well

✓ Lockable storage
✓ Keeps expensive tools out of sight
✓ Tough and purpose-built
✓ Excellent for dedicated work vehicles

The trade-off

A toolbox gives you storage, but doesn't necessarily organise the rest of your tub.

Everything that doesn't belong in the toolbox still gets put into the open space around it.

And because the toolbox occupies part of the tub, you've sacrificed some of the big open space that made the ute so useful in the first place.

If your ute is primarily a work vehicle, that might be exactly what you need.

But if your ute has to do a bit of everything, there are other options.

OPTION 2: Ute Drawer System

For serious touring setups and dedicated work vehicles, drawers can be brilliant.

Everything gets its own place. Gear stays organised. And you can access equipment without digging through everything you've loaded into the tub.

Where drawers work well

✓ Excellent organisation
✓ Lockable storage
✓ Easy access to equipment
✓ Great for permanent touring setups
✓ Plenty of accessory options

The trade-off

You're making a much bigger commitment.

A quality drawer system can add significant cost and weight to your ute.

More importantly, it's permanently occupying a large part of your tub.

That's fine when your ute does roughly the same job every day.

But most utes don't.

One day it's tools. The next it's groceries. Then timber. Bikes. Camping gear.

And occasionally you just need that entire big empty tub back.

Do you actually need more storage — or do you just need a better way to use the space you've already got?

OPTION 3: Ute Tub Dividers

Divide the space you already have.

This is the third option — and it's a completely different way of thinking about ute storage.

Instead of adding permanent storage, a removable ute tub divider system divides the space you already have into practical sections.

Tools in one area.

Boxes in another.

Groceries contained at the back.

Camping gear separated from everything else.

And when what you're carrying changes, the layout can change with it.

Where ute tub dividers work well

✓ Organise the open tub
✓ Keep different loads separated
✓ Help stop smaller items sliding around
✓ Can be reconfigured for different loads
✓ Easily removed when you need the full tub
✓ Don't permanently occupy valuable tub space

The trade-off

Dividers don't provide the enclosed, lockable storage you get from a toolbox or drawer system. If your ute already has a canopy, hardtop or roller shutter, you already have that security covered.

But if your problem isn't really a lack of storage...

If it's having a huge amount of space with no practical way to organise it...

A divider system starts to make a lot of sense.

Your ute probably doesn't have one job.

Why should your tub setup?

That's the part that's easy to overlook.

Most people don't buy a ute because they want a dedicated storage cabinet on wheels.

They buy one because of versatility.

Monday morning it can be a work vehicle.

Friday afternoon it can do the supermarket run.

Saturday it can haul supplies for a project.

Sunday it can carry everything you need for an adventure.

So the real question isn't necessarily:

“How much storage can I add to my ute?”

Maybe it's:

“How can I make the space I've already got work better?”

So which ute storage option is right for you?

There's no single answer for every ute owner.

TOOLBOX

Best if: Your priority is securely storing expensive tools and equipment.

Think about: It occupies part of your tub and doesn't necessarily organise everything outside the box.

DRAWERS

Best if: You're building a dedicated work or touring setup and want permanent organised storage.

Think about: Cost, weight and permanently giving up a significant amount of open tub space.

DIVIDERS

Best if: Your ute does a bit of everything and you want organisation without permanently changing how you can use the tub.

Think about: You don't get the enclosed, lockable storage provided by a toolbox or drawer system. If your ute already has a canopy, hardtop or roller shutter, you may already have that security covered.

Think a divider system sounds more like what you need?

LOKRA ute dividers were designed around one simple idea:

Your ute is useful because it's versatile.

Your storage system shouldn't take that versatility away.

Instead of permanently filling your tub with storage, LOKRA dividers turn the space you already have into organised, usable sections.

Configure it for work.

Change it for the weekend.

Set it up for an adventure.

Or take it out when you need the whole tub.

One tub. Every mission.

See how ute tub dividers work →

DESIGNED FOR REAL LIFE

✓ Modular, reconfigurable layout
✓ Split dividers contain smaller loads
✓ 30+ integrated tie-down points
✓ No permanent installation
✓ Remove it when you need the full tub

BUILT FOR THE JOB

✓ Premium 18mm plywood
✓ Hard-wearing black face layers
✓ Waterproof glue
✓ Designed, engineered & hand-finished in New Zealand
✓ Designed for covered use under roller shutters, hardtops & canopies

One divider system. A whole lot of ways to use it.

WORK

Tools, tool bags, boxes and equipment.

THE EVERYDAY STUFF

Groceries, shopping, kids' bags and sports equipment.

WEEKEND PROJECTS

Hardware, garden supplies and DIY gear.

ADVENTURE

Camping, fishing and outdoor equipment.

SMALL LOADS

Use the split dividers to contain a few smaller items instead of letting them slide across the entire tub.

FULL TUB

Remove the system when you need the entire space again.

But does it actually make a difference?

Made for utes that do a bit of everything.

Before permanently filling your tub with storage, ask yourself what you actually need.

Need maximum security for expensive tools?

A toolbox makes sense.

Building a permanent touring or work setup?

A quality drawer system could be worth every dollar.

Want to organise your tub without giving up what makes your ute so useful?

That's where LOKRA comes in.

Because sometimes the best way to organise your ute isn't to add more stuff to it.

It's to make better use of the space you already have.