A Dopp Kit Dump

This past weekend I was organizing a shelf full of travel stuff and realized my dopp kit was missing. Did I leave it at a hotel? Or maybe I just put it back in a non-standard location? Regardless, I was bummed. Not because the kit contained anything of significant value. No, the problem was that after years of travel I'd finally tuned it to be Just Right. It was split into two sections: a compact set of toiletries and a collection of handy utilities. I didn't relish the idea of rebuilding it.

Fortunately, I found it. But before I put it away I dumped the contents and took a few pictures. If I do lose my kit, I'll now have a much easier time recreating it.

So here it is, my finely tuned travel toiletry setup:

The razor is an old Gillette Sensor Excel with off brand blades. It's a compact and inexpensive setup; perfect for travel. The little plastic bags contain soap and deodorant respectively.

The deodorant solution took me years to arrive at. I found the easy-to-pack deodorant crystal rock to be ineffective. And Shira wasn't having my, 'but I'm traveling I don't need to wear deodorant' philosophy. So now I buy a travel size deodorant, remove the tray of antiperspirant material and discard the bulky plastic shell. The result takes up far less space, yet is just as effective as any other standard deodorant.

The blue container has a blob of Bed Head Men Matte Separation Workable Wax in it. I find that stuff beefy enough to keep my hair relatively in check.

The utility side is more interesting. I keep quite a few over the counter meds in there, including allergy, cold and antidiarrheal pills. When you need any of these pills, they're a life saver.

I intentionally keep caffeinated and decaffeinated tea bags on hand, knowing the caffeinated options can be used to help keep me awake.

I carry the thumb-sized USB light for the same reason I carry a Bic lighter: it has an impressive size to functionality ratio. One common use of the light: plug it into a USB charger in the bathroom and use it as a nightlight.

Do you carry any unusual items in your dopp kit? If so, do share in the comments below.