Avoid leaky bottles
January 8th, 2008 by Tim Uden
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had a bottle of shampoo or shower gel leak all over my gear. The problem is that virtually every bottle of shampoo at the supermarket has a flip-top, which is handy for the average person who will keep their shampoo in the shower at home, but it is a real pain for travellers who are looking for something in a bottle that won’t leak.
In the UK some bottles of Rexona shower gel have a no-leak valve, but there is still a flip-top lid so it is not a fool-proof solution. If you look hard enough you may be able to find Colgate-Palmolive Lustre Creme 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner – it has a screw top on an old toothpaste-style tube but it makes your hair all dry and the daggy packaging makes it look like your granddad’s haemorrhoid cream.
A much better solution is to buy your favourite shampoo, conditioner and shower gel and decant them into Nalgene screw top bottles.
Most Nalgene bottles (with a few exceptions such as their bicycle bottles and toddler’s sippy bottles) are guarranteed leakproof. I use the standard leakproof bottles that come in a variety of sizes including 60ml, 125ml and 250ml. The 125ml bottle is big enough for a short trip of up to one month and the bigger 250ml bottle is handy for longer trips.
Packing light: Shave 180g off your toiletries bag
January 8th, 2008 by Tim Uden
Hey guys, next time you’re packing your toiletries bag before a trip, pack shaving oil instead of gel or foam. The screw-top bottle is less likely to leak and a 15ml bottle is good for around 100 shaves. It sure beats a 200ml tube of shaving gel, which incidentally leaked over my toothbrush and everything else in my toiletries bag on my recent trip to New Zealand.
