Efficient packing is the goal of any traveler. But finding the best toiletry bag that is leakproof and eco-friendly is easier said than done.
As the excitement builds for any trip away from home, there looms a mountain that stands between me and my next adventure- PACKING. And while packing clothes is its own challenge, I manage to muddle through more or less. Knowing that in the worst case scenario I can always snag a forgotten article of clothing somewhere along the way, fashion be damned, gives me a sense of ease.
The Challenge of Smart Toiletry Packing
Packing up my toiletries, on the other hand, is an elevated challenge that I undoubtedly leave till the very end. By this point in the packing process, I have lost all of my initial excitement and I am dragging myself around the house, clutching handfuls of bottles and tubes, with every intent to transfer small amounts of each to another set of smaller bottles and tubes.
But unlike grabbing up a sweatshirt from the gas station or scoring a pair of socks from the airport, leaving home without your highly personalized toiletries is a whole other matter.
While I hope in my next life to be a minimalist, in my current life, I am not.
Any trip- even a single night away- requires no less than a half dozen items (I’m being very generous here). Between extra lip balms, sunscreens, various lotions and potions for my face and body, not to mention actual requirements like toothpaste, my ‘needs’ begin to pile up quickly.
Until about a year ago, I engaged in an exhausting ritual each time I traveled. To prevent spills and oozes, my tactic was to use Washi tape (Japanese craft tape) to seal the caps of every tube and bottle I was ferrying with me. I would then place my items in a Ziploc bag. If the item was likely to ooze from the change in air pressure or extra runny, I might double or even triple the plastic bags.
I would inevitably wind up with multiple categories of bags- Ziploc bags within Ziploc bags- and pack them accordingly into my carry-on or checked luggage depending on the capacity of each bottle. I always do my best to be airline compliant to minimize any delays.
Upon arriving at my destination, I would then have to do the whole process in reverse, unwrapping all the caps, making sure my Washi tape was put in a ‘good’ place so I could reuse it on the way home.
The Upgrade: From Disaster to Leakproof Travel Essential
I don’t recall what inspired me to try using Stasher’s silicone bags for my toiletries, but once I got the idea into my head, I couldn’t shake it. While I was unable to legitimize their price for things like snacks and sandwiches (I’m cheap in some of the strangest ways), it occurred to me that their sturdy, leakproof design would be ideal for toiletries when traveling.
Stasher bags come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors, and their semi-translucent silicone material makes them ideal for travel since you can easily see exactly what you’ve packed inside. They are dishwasher safe, so if your perfume or moisturizer leaks out, you can easily give it a thorough wash when you arrive back home. These travel pouches are lightweight, airline compliant, reusable, and the variety of colors, shapes and sizes ensures you get exactly what you want from them.
These compact, eco-friendly bags are engineered with an airtight seal, making them leakproof and waterproof. While I had initially been drawn to the idea that the bag would be easy to clean in the instances when leaks occurred since I was no longer taping the items, the airtight nature of the bag naturally prevents oozing and leaking.
I admit that I haven’t put the leakproof-ness to the test by trying to travel with soup or loose lotion in one of these bags, but I can attest that so far, I haven’t experienced leakage from any of my items thus far.
What I really appreciate is that their patented Pinch-Loc seal is easy to operate and doesn’t require any force. There is no fussing or needing to ask a stranger for help when your hands feel weak or you’ve torn the lip of a Ziploc bag and you don’t have the fingernails to pry the tiny seal open.
Best Toiletry Bags for Travel
For carry-ons for air travel, I love the Stasher Mini Stand-Up bag. It’s just under a quart in size which makes it TSA compliant, but the 2.5 inches at the base of the bag really helps maximize the capacity of this bag. It easily holds all of my ‘required’ toiletries in case of checked bag delays with plenty of room to spare.
For my checked luggage, I have the Sandwich Bag, although in the future I would happily purchase the Stand-Up Mega bag, or even some of the Bowl bags. The Sandwich bags are flatter with a narrower base- 1 inch wide versus 2.5 inches wide for the Stand-Up bags and 3 or 4 inches for the larger Bowl Bags. The wider base increases the capacity in a major way, which I love, making it ideal for large capacity toiletry bag needs like longer trips or packing for groups or families.
If you tend towards heavy toiletry packing, I would recommend opting for the larger Stand-Up bags or Bowl bags.
Final Thoughts
While it’s painful to think of the hours of my life I could have saved had I implemented these TSA-approved bags for my toiletry packing earlier in my life, I’m thankful to have discovered the hack at all. And although I was reusing my cloudy, disgusting ziploc bags before, I am grateful to be wasting less by utilizing these colorful, environmentally friendly bags. They are ideal for any trip whether for short trips, business travel, or group or family vacations since Stasher offers such a variety of shapes and sizes in their reusable collection.
The initial investment might feel pricey at first, but I can vouch they are well worth the price. After having used them now for over a year, I can say with confidence that using Stasher bags for my toiletry packing has revolutionized my packing experience and I would no longer hesitate to purchase one. Additionally, these essential travel bags make excellent gifts. Gift them to the travelers in your life, or put them on your gift list. These eco-friendly bags will undoubtedly upgrade your travel packing and save you time and stress.
