Favorite Minimalist Travel Hacks/Products?

[Moose]

I love my coffee drippers. I have a couple of these, the one in you link & a red one that is a smidge larger. Haven’t owned a coffee pot in decades.

[sdophoto]

I only travel carry on and one way I am able is by reducing my toiletries.
solid cologne
solid shampoo/body wash
88ml shave cream in a tube
88ml sunscreen
Marvis toothpaste
i use small pots for things like face cream etc

[bbcamp]

Instead of a clothesline, I carry a hank (25’ ?) of parachute cord. I find it much more flexible to hang (it can go from the bathroom door to the window and back if necessary) than a short clothesline, and is good for so much else: replacing a broken shoelace, making an impromptu carry sling for a box, and even, with a knot app on my phone, providing free entertainment (not to mention new zipper-pulls...).

[kathryn]

I empty my deodorant container into a tiny pot. I apply it with my finger and save a bunch of space in my bag!

I did this for my last trip and have packed the same for Ireland. Thanks for the tip!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[melminimalist]

I empty my deodorant container into a tiny pot. I apply it with my finger and save a bunch of space in my bag!

I also used this hack last month for a no baggage challenge, thank you for the idea!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SKIMT]

Went to one of William Innes’ excellent seminars. He mentioned he does laundry with denture cleaner tablets. Anyone tried this and if so how long does it soak? He said it works great.

[HappyPeas]

I bring a Scrubba wash bag. It’s like a dry bag with an internal wash board. You add water, soap, and your dirty clothes; roll the top close; deflate it via air release valve; rub from the outside for a few minutes; dump the water; rinse; air dry. I feel that it cleans my clothes better than just hand washing.

[ceepee]

I bring a Scrubba wash bag. It’s like a dry bag with an internal wash board. You add water, soap, and your dirty clothes; roll the top close; deflate it via air release valve; rub from the outside for a few minutes; dump the water; rinse; air dry. I feel that it cleans my clothes better than just hand washing.

I recently discovered that Scrubba now sell a mini wash bag. It’s about half the size of the original and perfect for underwear and socks or a t-shirt....which is pretty much the extent of my travel laundry

[jessmakes]

Adding on to the deodorant thing, I believe I saw it on these forums about using contact lens cases as travel size containers. On my last trip, I took 2 contact cases - 1 had my deodorant and face wash, the other had liquid makeup. For once it didn't leak all over the place as my other containers have been doing lately (grrrrr....), it was much flatter than a regular bottle would have been, so it tucked up against the side of my 3DOC without really taking up any room, and finally, being able to decant some of my deodorant into the contact case made for a handy use of excess product that was in the very bottom of the tube that I might normally throw away.

[G42]

Nalgene makes a lot of small no-leak containers, you can buy them at REI, Container Store, etc.

[capncat]

Nalgene makes a lot of small no-leak containers, you can buy them at REI, Container Store, etc.

I’ve sworn by these for years! never had one leak, and not for lack of opportunities. the 1oz round wide mouth bottles are my absolute favorite.

[Rei]

Adding on to the deodorant thing, I believe I saw it on these forums about using contact lens cases as travel size containers. On my last trip, I took 2 contact cases - 1 had my deodorant and face wash, the other had liquid makeup. For once it didn't leak all over the place as my other containers have been doing lately (grrrrr....), it was much flatter than a regular bottle would have been, so it tucked up against the side of my 3DOC without really taking up any room, and finally, being able to decant some of my deodorant into the contact case made for a handy use of excess product that was in the very bottom of the tube that I might normally throw away.

I read about using eye contact container once ago and since I bought a cute apple shape contact container to hold face cleaner + moisister when overnight trip to close-ones home

[backpack]

Or wash, rinse, dry thoroughly and re-use

a used up lip balm container to carry :

a couple of mint or candies
a DIY travel container for over the counter medicine
a small quantity of cocoa, shea or conconut butter skin care


No longer used for their purpose contact lenses cases/cleaning cases.

tiny quantities of lip balm, skin care goo, moisturizer....
instead of bringing lipstick which might melt, use lip balm and lip pencils,
an eye pencil and mosturizer can make an eye shadow.

mint containers

minimalist eye shadow kit
minimalist eye/lip pencil kit
tiny watercolor set with primary colors, retractable brush and small upcycled water container.
Washy tape and other journaling essentials like mini pens, small hole punches,

tictac containers small and flat enough for:

over the counter medecine holder,
small office supplies,
stamps and small stickers,


I would love to hear ideas to upcycle those containers, from other forum members.

I have been upcycling containers for a very long time, even before I became a Tom Bihn customer, it started with company promoting its product by adding beautifully decorated tins in its packages.

I discovered that household organizing stores, were charging pretty penny for containers that looked a lot like tins for mints or candies. I could have the mint or the candy then re-use the box.

The contemporary Minimalistic trend is, like all other trend, a way to make people buy trend specific stuff.

I gave up on trends a long time ago, to me, beige is not a color, but a shade to look my worse, tight clothing never fit right and are uncomfortable; too loose ones are an invitation to wardrobe malfunction.


Minimalist travel, however, takes advantage of modern pieces luggage and accessories and foldable/retractable accessories and the fact that pretty much everyone wears jeans or, business casual, all over the world, with regional flair added, usually climate dependent.


The days of Elizabeth Taylor's 20 pieces of luggage are over, for people who travel public transport via air, sea or land.

I has always been the case for people who need a maximum mobility, I doubt that Ida B. Wells-Barnett was carrying more than a travel bag and maybe one trunk, when she was kicked out of a first class train despite having a ticket.

[jessmakes]

Nalgene makes a lot of small no-leak containers, you can buy them at REI, Container Store, etc.

It actually was a Nalgene container - the dropper bottle. The dropper lid came off. Not the end of the world, but still.

[imperator]

The salespeople at places like Nordstrom usually have very small bottles, tubs and atomizers for giving samples, they'll let you take a few for a travel kit. They're smaller than anything I have ever seen for sale commercially.