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Changing up my DOP kit, advice wanted.

OK, so, I am changing up a couple things and would love some advice.
My kit is compact and minimalist. I need my kit to stay conformed to TSA restrictions.
I have 2 specific points of inquiry.

1. I am going to stop using Cremo in my DOP kit. I picked up a Muhle 21mm STF "turn back" brush to use for travel.
I have some great soaps and can put some in a 2oz tin that is 2.5"×1" that I have. An ounce or so will get me a ton of great shaves and leave me room to load the brush (I face lather).
Or...
Maybe try shave cream? Might make for a smaller container? I am not looking for shave cream brand recommendations.

My questions for point 1 are:
-How many 3 pass shaves can I expect out of 1 ounce of shave cream?
-Does shave cream have aspects that make it better suited for travel? Hard water, cold water, etc...?



2. I use a 1 or 2 ounce flip cap plastic bottle for my aftershave. They always seem to leak, eventually. I would love a nalgene, but they have no restrictor. I am looking for advice on brand, style, etc... for this.

My questions for point 2 are:
-I see people use little spray bottles. How are they, do they leak?
- Any other 1 or 2 ounce container recommendations for my aftershave?
 
1) By weight, 1 ounce is a little less than 30 grams (~28.35). Figuring about 1 gram per 3-pass shave, about 30 shaves.

2) To avoid spills you could remove the cap, place a small piece of plastic wrap over the bottle, and replace the cap. That's what I do when traveling and it works for me.

If you want a more accurate expectation for the number of shaves, weigh your soap. Shave a few times and then weigh it again. Divide the difference between the two weights by the number of shaves. That will give you an estimate of the amount of soap used per shave.

Good luck
 
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I've always used a soap stick in travel kits, sometimes La Toja but more frequently Arko. Always felt that shaving creams have a ton of water already, by weight I'd get more shaves from a hard soap. To reduce the chance of leaking, you could find a compatible normal/closed cap for your flip-cap bottle, and just switch caps when you unpack the kit.
 
1) By weight, 1 ounce is a little less than 30 grams (~28.35). Figuring about 1 gram per 3-pass shave, about 30 shaves.

2) To avoid spills you could remove the cap, place a small piece of plastic wrap over the bottle, and replace the cap. That's what I do when traveling and it works for me.

If you want a more accurate expectation for the number of shaves, weigh your soap. Shave a few times and then weigh it again. Divide the difference between the two weights by the number of shaves. That will give you an estimate of the amount of soap used per shave.

Good luck
I am familiar with the cling wrap hack. I think it is always a good idea for air travel or longer term storage. I do not like it as perpetual bandaid solution. Trying to figure out a better replacement.

I have a good understanding of the longevity of my current hard soaps.
Trying to figure out if creams are worth considering for travel. How they stack up for use per weight/ volume and such.
 
I am familiar with the cling wrap hack. I think it is always a good idea for air travel or longer term storage. I do not like it as perpetual bandaid solution. Trying to figure out a better replacement.

I have a good understanding of the longevity of my current hard soaps.
Trying to figure out if creams are worth considering for travel. How they stack up for use per weight/ volume and such.
Find a bottle where you can put an O-ring or that come with one, this should solve the issue .

For the cream, how long do you travel on average, are we talking a few days / weeks ? I see you want it TSA approved so carry on , I would assume 1 week tops, 1oz should be plenty but why not looking at a small hard soap, there is no lack of option withinTSA approved weight / volume even if unscented
 
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My approach to traveling carry-on is to pack no liquid toiletries in my Dopp kit, so I don't have a lot to offer in the way of travel-friendly cream options. However, I sometimes take a bottle of Shave Secret shaving oil and a cart razor, usually a Guard or Trac II; no brush, cream, or soap. On occasions where I fly in one evening and out the next day, I may even just use the hotel conditioner or bar soap for my morning shave.
 
Find a bottle where you can put an O-ring or that come with one, this should solve the issue .

For the cream, how long do you travel on average, are we talking a few days / weeks ? I see you want it TSA approved so carry on , I would assume 1 week tops, 1oz should be plenty but why not looking at a small hard soap, there is no lack of option withinTSA approved weight / volume even if unscented
I will look at that option for an o-ring bottle.


Generally, a week is a about the longest trip to expect. So I like to have my bag capable of up to 2 weeks.

I have some 2oz tins leftover from making backpacking alcohol stoves. I can half fill one of those with my existing soap. It is a "free" option. That is basically what I do now. I have 3.5" Katori bowls (Indian condiment dishes). They fit in my medicine cabinet, so I pack some soap in them and load my brush from them.

If I could get 2 weeks of 3 pass shaves out of 1oz of cream? I might try it out. It would be much easier to refill after a trip.
A Nalgene 1oz straight wall jar would be a cheap, rugged, and compact vessel.
I am looking to use Pacific Shaving unscented cream. They claim 100 shaves from 3.4oz. If it is even half that good...

.034 ounces × 14 days= .476 ounce
Now assume that is really overly optimistic and double it and it is still doable at .952 ounce.
 
My approach to traveling carry-on is to pack no liquid toiletries in my Dopp kit, so I don't have a lot to offer in the way of travel-friendly cream options. However, I sometimes take a bottle of Shave Secret shaving oil and a cart razor, usually a Guard or Trac II; no brush, cream, or soap. On occasions where I fly in one evening and out the next day, I may even just use the hotel conditioner or bar soap for my morning shave.
Normally I keep my DE in a Spearhead khaki style case. I do also have a Guard and a Trac II to choose from for restricted travel.

I do not care about liquids and such.
For that sort of thing I have:

1 half bar Dr. Bronner's unscented.
1 ounce my own aftershave.
Travel size Thai Chrystal deodorant.
Travel size toothpaste.
2 ounce Cremo.

I find the scent of Cremo to be a bit much. Mainly I just like a brush and soap better. Having been said, Cremo is a pretty good brush free option.
The Muhle travel brush and either soap or cream will replace the Cremo.
Still a pretty small load out.
 
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For aftershave I use amenity shampoo bottles from hotels. I don't remember the brand or the hotel, but they are small round plastic nearly clear bottles with solid screw on caps. I'm guessing they hold about an ounce each. I carry three of them, with different aftershaves. I tried using the airline size repurposed whisky bottles, but once opened the caps no longer seal well.
 
Over the new years weekend I was out of town. I used Proraso cream (green) in a small tin, didnt weigh it but was about 3 tablespoons...ish.

I just used my hands to "lather" it. Spread it on my face and kept wetting my hands to add water till face was super slick. No brush was taken. I had four fabulous shaves and used less then half the cream.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
If you happen to run out of products then it can be fun to purchase souvenir supplies at your destination. If you are without soap or cream then using hotel supplied bar soap or hair conditioner can work surprisingly well. Some bar soaps I have used give a better shave than many of the worst performing shave soaps. I am travelling right now and have a turnback brush, soap stick, Hoffritz travel razor, and 50ml Shulton Blue Stratos.

20230115_080239~2.jpg
 
For aftershave I use amenity shampoo bottles from hotels. I don't remember the brand or the hotel, but they are small round plastic nearly clear bottles with solid screw on caps. I'm guessing they hold about an ounce each. I carry three of them, with different aftershaves. I tried using the airline size repurposed whisky bottles, but once opened the caps no longer seal well.
I am totally down with repurpose and reuse. My wife thinks it is because I am cheap. Well, I am. Actually though I like the challenge.
Me "dream" aftershave bottle would be something with a solid cap and a flow restrictor that inserts into the neck. We are raising our grandson and I am currently eyeing his infants/ children's Tylenol bottles. They are not translucent enough, but maybe I could use one of their restrictors on another bottle with a solid cap?
Hmmm...I will update...
 
Over the new years weekend I was out of town. I used Proraso cream (green) in a small tin, didnt weigh it but was about 3 tablespoons...ish.

I just used my hands to "lather" it. Spread it on my face and kept wetting my hands to add water till face was super slick. No brush was taken. I had four fabulous shaves and used less then half the cream.
Cremo works great for this. They at one point had an unscented version. If they still made it I might not be looking at any of this.
 
If you happen to run out of products then it can be fun to purchase souvenir supplies at your destination. If you are without soap or cream then using hotel supplied bar soap or hair conditioner can work surprisingly well. Some bar soaps I have used give a better shave than many of the worst performing shave soaps. I am travelling right now and have a turnback brush, soap stick, Hoffritz travel razor, and 50ml Shulton Blue Stratos.

View attachment 1591157
I have kicked around the idea of a 3 in 1 hair/ body/ shave bar.
 
+1 regarding the soap stick for convenience and ease of use when traveling.

+3! I get tons of shaves from my shave stick. My Dopp kit always includes some La Toja which lathers great under any water conditions that I have encountered. :thumbup1::thumbup1:
 
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The children's Tylenol reducer did not work with my bottles, but it got me to thinking.
I have sourced some that I can use with solid caps. This should tie up my leaky aftershave bottle issue.
I will update the results.

I have also decided to just use soap over cream. I have a lot of soap and the size and weight to use ratio is so good. I do not have to sacrifice what works so great at home. Everything is just scaled down.
My hesitation was really about using my aluminum tins, as they will not hold up well, being so thin. I also found some PET plastic jars. They are roughly 3x1 inch and cost less than $2 each, including the lid.
Will update on these, too.

Part of mixing up my DOP kit is making a seperate super simple kit for my Go Bag. Until now my travel kit has lived in my Go Bag, to be pulled out for trips. Going forward the Go Bag will have it's own dedicated kit. The shave portion will still have the Cremo and a Guard with a couple extra carts. Cremo does not care about hard or cold water and is really easy to clean up (no soap scum) and the Guard is about clog proof and needs very little water to rinse. Cremo is already paid for and the Guard is so cheap that it is no big deal to set one aside that may (hopefully) never be used.
This allows my regular travel DOP bag have little luxuries like a compact brush and good shave soap.

Thanks for the advice and helping me talk this out to make a decision.
 
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