Part of MBP's Get Out and Play Week

 Growing up, my sister and I spent the first part of our lives living in New Jersey. We had no backyard. Well, we did, but we lived in a multi-family home, and our mean landlord wouldn't let us play in the yard. The little boy next door to us had a little yard, and a little sandbox. Every now and then, we were invited to his house to play, and we loved that sandbox! When my husband and I found out that we were expecting, and needed to start looking for a home, a house with a yard was a must, because I remember what it was like not being able to play out in the yard when I was little, and I wanted our son to be able to experience the joys out outdoor play- maybe even in his very own sandbox!

From his very first encounter with sand on a family beach trip back in 2011, Balian has been a lover of playing in the sand. I could take it or leave it, and prefer it to stay at the beach, but little boys especially love to play in, dig, shovel, scoop, and dump sand. I knew that Balian would love to be able to play in the sand other than just when we hit the beach once or twice a year. My husband is so picky over play equipment that he thought he might build Balian a sandbox himself, until I did a little research and ran across Exaco Trading Co.

Exaco Trading Co. is a family owned company based in Austin, Texas. They are known for introduing the Exomixer paint mixing blade to the US market in the 1980's. Exaco features and distributes beautifully crafted, and imported yard and garden decor, and more, such as greenhouses, composters, pavillions, sandboxes, planters and more. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with Mr. Andrew Cook, who offered to send us a Gaspo Maxi Sandbox with Storage Bench/Seat for review.

Here's Sacha with box in the backyard...

Our Maxi Sandbox was sent directly to our home from Exaco. The box was large, and quite heavy! My delivery guy was nice enough to slide it into the house from my porch, as I could barely lift the box, myself! We waited for the first hint of a warm afternoon in March to take the box out to the backyard, empty it, and have at the assembly process. 

Laying out the pieces and reading the directions before doing anything...

There were a lot of little plastic pieces with this, as well as screws, etc- that we had to keep Balian away from while daddy worked on putting this together.

Of course, there were a ton of pieces, and Mr. Cook gave me fair warning that a lot of American customers have complained about the assembly process of this Austrian-made sandbox. My German-blooded husband assured me that the instructions would be no match for him, and he set out to assemble the sandbox for our son. Though there were a lot of pieces to put together, and a lot of steps to the whole process, Sacha said that the directions were clear. He did make a couple of goofs, putting a couple of pieces in the wrong places, but he quickly realized his mistakes, and made them right.

A-HA- a frame!

Ladies and gents, we have a box!

'Daddy, you did it!'

Sacha mostly just used his drill to put this Gaspo Maxi Sandbox together. Some of the pieces were a bit tricky, but with patience, it came together nicely. It took my hubby (who is really sort of a pro at putting things together) about 1 & 1/2 hours from start to finish to get this cute little sandbox together.

Sides going up to hold the canopy...

Balian, being daddy's helper with a rubber mallet...

Sides in place, storage bench together on the far left side...

Pulley system going in for the canopy...


The Maxi Sandbox (by Gaspo) with Storage Bench/Seat is a truly neat sandbox. My husband and I have been extremely impressed by it's classy design, and it's functionality. Balian couldn't wait to play in the sandbox, so we took a special trip to a local home improvement store and bought 3-4 bags of play sand for the sandbox. Once we picked a good spot for the sandbox to be stationed in our yard, we simply laid down some plastic (like you would when creating a new flower bed to keep the weeds out), and then dumped the sand on top of it.


The Maxi Sandbox with Storage Bench/Seat has a lot of cool features. I like the plastic corners that are curved inward, so there are no sharp edges, plus, they're in cool colors that kids love! The sandbox has a narrow, but deep storage area, which is hinged and covered. The storage area is perfect for storing sand toys, diggers, dump trucks, etc- and keeps them protected. When the storage area is covered by the lid, it doubles as a bench or seating space. The lid is pretty sturdy, but my husband doesn't want to sit on it, because he's afraid it will bend or crack. Balian and I can sit on it with no problem... though, he'd much rather sit in the sand!

My favorite feature- the canopy!

What I love the most about this awesome sandbox, is that is has a canvas canopy that is raised and lowered by a hand operated crank, and pulley system. All a big kid or grown up has to do, it turn the handle, and slide the pegs (stays) into the pre-drilled holes, so the canopy stays up during playtime. When you're all through, you can choose to leave the canopy up, or lower it back down. We've been keeping it down when we're not playing outside, just so critters don't get into it, and to keep everything dry, due to all of the heavy rain we've been having here lately. Not only does the canopy serve as a cover/lid to the sandbox, it also protects my child from the harsh UV rays from the intense sun we often complain about during the NC summer months. The canvas is durable, and strong, and even holds up to strong blowing winds!

Balian, ready to scoop, dig and dump!

Having a blast playing in his new Maxi Sandbox by Gaspo, courtesy of Exaco.

The very best thing about this sandbox for me, is seeing how much my son loves playing in it. Every time we head outside to play, he's asking me if he can get into the sandbox. Though I hate sand being dragged back into the house, how can I say no? Since I don't have to get into the sandbox (I can sit on the bench), even I like to play in there with my sweet little man!


Closed to keep the sand clean...

Features of the Maxi Sandbox by Gaspo


Top-grade Austrian pine and spruce
Treated with ecologically safe preservative
Heavy-duty vinyl roof cover
Roof unit lowers and covers sand and toys
Closed roof eliminates cat littering
Cover locks in raised position with safety bolt
Lowering crank has safety brake for easy use
Roof material UV stabilized to 50+ protection, highest in the industry.
Easy to assemble (instructions included)
Made in Austria

We couldn't have built a better sandbox, ourselves! We love the Maxi Sandbox, and I couldn't be happier with it. We know that Balian loves it, and we're glad that because it's treated, it'll be protected against the elements, and will be around for a long time! There's plenty of room for a second child to play in there, as well!

I'm so glad that I found Exaco. They offer a lot of wonderful products that I would love to show off in my backyard. I'm very much a gardener, and enjoy outdoor living during the spring and summer. Take a look at a few of these other Exaco products that I am loving this spring...


Corsica Planters



Eco Compost Bin



Victorian Greenhouse



Eco Rain Barrel



Playhouse Sandbox w/Rolling Cover


Whether you're looking to add to your summer gardening experience, add some eco-friendly elements to your yard/landscape, or you're looking for an outstanding sandbox that you can trust for keeping your kiddos safe, and entertained all year long, Exaco Trading Co. has just what you're looking for! Have a gardener in your life? Exaco's beautifully crafted products would make excellent gits for Mother's Day and/or Father's Day! Plus, Exaco has even more sandboxes that just the one that I have featured in this post- be sure to check them all out!



Want It? Buy It!

The Maxi Sandbox by Gaspo retails for around $179.00. Check here for a full list of retailers who carry Exaco's products. Be sure to take a look around on the Exaco website so you can become familiar with all of their other wonderful products, too! Exaco is social, and would be so pleased if you would connect with them on Facebook!

Special thanks to Mr. Cook at Exaco for allowing us to share about this wonderful Sandbox, and for allowing us to experience some safe fun in the sun, in our very own backard!

Whatcha waiting for? Get out there and PLAY!



Disclosure: Other than the above mentioned products, which I received directly from this sponsor for review purposes, I was not compensated for facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own. Your experience may differ.