Dopp kit 101 :: follow up

Thanks to you we’ve had a ton of feedback and suggestions on the Dopp kit 101 article. In the meantime, we also caught up with JP Mastey from Baxter of California and Spencer Nikosey from KILLSPENCER on the subject, so we decided to do a short follow up.

Rules for packing your dopp kit
Remember the “go for small bottles” and “go for less” mantra? Our naive little heads got slammed with a third and a fourth:
– “share stuff if you travel together”: duh.. (but: never share a toothbrush!)
– “bring multi-usable items”: KILLSPENCER’s dopp kit that doubles as an iPad sleeve, shower gel that doubles as shampoo and finally: floss that doubles as a clothing line..!

Ready to go vs. last minute packing
Opinions varied on when a dopp kit should be packed: while Spencer Nikosey always has his dopp kit packed and ready to go (“..Forgetting any of that stuff sucks, so I keep my dopp kit always packed at my residence so losing stuff isn’t on my mind..”), JP Mastey prefers last minute packing: “..If you are going to pack a product that you are going to use the day of travel – make sure to leave the Dopp Kit out –  it’s often forgotten because the Dopp Kit is packed and in a suitcase. This has happened to me before, so now I pack my Dopp Kit as close to travel as possible.”

Multiple dopp kits
A number of responses were on having multiple dopp kits: one you bring all the time and has the bare essentials and another for longer journeys that contain more stuff.

Favorite dopp kits
The jury’s still out on favorite dopp kits. Some users called a hanger a “must have feature” while others called it too gimmicky. Size and weight are a matter of taste too.
Responders suggested the following kits:
– Teamworks dopp bag
– Maxpedition’s tactical dopp kit
– Kathmandu’s Kit Bag Deluxe
– and (yes… again) KILLSPENCER’s Dopp Folio

And some ZipLoc alternatives:
– MMF Industries™ Zipper-Top Clear Vinyl Wallet
– Timbuk2?s clear pouch

“Kid safe” dopp kits
Our very own Ando came up with a question that needs a brilliant answer: how can you make a dopp kit “kid safe”?

Contents of a dopp kit

This is up to personal needs and wants, maybe you want a tube of candy in there, I don’t know.. But the basics for most would most likely include ::

Hair Care, Soaps, Skin Care, Deodorants, Colognes/Perfumes, Shave Creams/Razors, Dental Care, Suncream, Vitamins/Painkillers.
For the more elaborate we’ve found that things like a Swiss Army Knife, Nail Clippers, Beard Trimmers, and Sewing Kits might make an appearance… All depends on your needs for the traveling your doing I guess…