Minimalist Dopp Kit: How And What To Pack For Effortless Travel

Travelling light makes your vacations so much more enjoyable. One of the most significant factors in packing light for trips is minimalist travel toiletries. Having a solid packing list, knowing the rules, where to cut weight and costs, and how to keep it all together can make your travels better.

When including liquid, some metal tools, creams and gels for every occasion, and single-use items, approaching your toiletries with minimalist packing techniques can make this experience more enjoyable.

For the whole package, take a look at this post about all of the minimalist travel gear I lived with for two months abroad out of one carry-on (the bag sometimes passed as a personal item).

Table Of Contents

Minimalist Toiletries Packing List
How Do You Travel With Fewer Toiletries?
What Counts As A Liquid For TSA?
Is It Cheaper To Buy Travel-Size Toiletries?
Minimalist Toiletry Bag
Conclusion

Minimalist Dopp Kit Packing List

Let's start this post with a packing list so we can gain some understanding of what we need to deal with. This list is not meant to be gender specific, so if something is missing like beauty products, feel free to use the packing tips I've mentioned to include it in your own packing list (or substitute items like my beard oil or medications for a minimalist travel makeup kit).

We'll replicate a list that can be useful abroad since travelling domestically might not require as many items.

Liquid Toiletries

• Toothpaste 18ml
• Medicated Ointment 10ml? x2
• Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap 53ml
• Moisturizer 6oml?
• Hand Sanitizer 30ml
• Bug repellent 40ml
• Beard Oil 20ml?

Total ml: 241ml

As you can see, even with medications (that can sometimes be excluded from your total allotment), this is well under the 3-1-1 rule for liquid toiletries.

I've travelled to places that only offer liquid deodorant, and have plenty of space to accommodate situations like that. So, you can see that all of this easily fits in the main compartment of your carry-on luggage with some space to spare.

Non-liquid Toiletries

• Crystal Mineral Deodorant Stick
• Thinksport Sunscreen Stick
• Miniature Lip Balm
• Medication
• Vitamin D Supplement

I bring the bare minimum for sunscreen. This sunscreen stick gets me by until I can purchase a bottle that will last the length of my trip. It's also waterproof, so it's perfect for water sports like surfing.

Using such a small lip balm is great for me as I seldomly use it, but a full-sized one wouldn't add much space or weight.

Tools

• Razor And Additional Heads
• Travel Toothbrush
• Floss
• Reusable Cotton Swab (Q-Tips)
• Nail Clippers
• Moldable Ear Plugs
• Plastic Comb
• Pack towel

The "everything else" section is pretty minimal. I don't bring anything for haircutting as I've embraced my balding and keep short hair anyways. For the price of bringing along clippers or something similar, I'd rather get a haircut abroad. It's hard for them to mess up a shaved head.

Sometimes you can forgo the towel, but I've stayed in enough budget locations that don't provide them to make it reasonable to bring one along.

Containers

• GoToob (Soap)
• Generic Toiletry Kit Container (Beard Oil)
• Lush Sample Container (Vit D)
• Reused Hand Sanitizer (Moisturizer)
• Reused Medication Container (Medication)
• SealLine Waterproof Bag
• Eagle Creek Pack-It Toiletry Organizer

Since beginning my minimalist travel journey, I've accumulated many different containers. I've narrowed it down to ones that suit my needs. Some I've purchased, but most I've recycled or used from other parts of my life. I've experimented and have had liquid toiletries leak everywhere and am pretty happy with how streamlined my toiletry kit is.

I'm unsure about the exact volume of the SealLine bag, but It's probably smaller than a quart. It has made it through many security lines without any problems. It also keeps me limited in what I allow myself to bring along. Alternatively, you can use something like these travel-dedicated clear bags for your liquids.

How Do You Travel With Fewer Toiletries?

Travelling with less is a freeing experience. It allows you to be more mobile, less concerned with what to bring and is less of a headache when going through airport security and ticketing counters. Here's a list of tips to help you master travelling with fewer toiletries.

1. Buy What You Need At Your Destination.

Sometimes it's impractical to bring 4X100ml bottles of shampoo and conditioner. The same goes for bringing the amount of sunscreen you might use for your whole trip. There are plenty of items that are readily available at your location. Sure, it could be more expensive abroad, but it's still likely cheaper than paying overweight fees or paying for checked luggage.

2. Use Multi-Use Products.

While not everyone will be on board with this tip, options exist to combine many products into one. Dr. Bronner's Castille liquid soap works as a body wash, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, laundry detergent, and even as toothpaste (tried it, and would not recommend it).

A little less extreme of an option is to use a 3 in 1 shampoo/ conditioner/ body wash. While they don't always work as well as their counterparts, they can be the perfect compromise for space and weight-conscious travellers.

3. Use Travel-Sized Tools.

Using smaller versions of what you normally use can save some space. While I keep a beard most times, I normally ditch the boar's hair brush when travelling and stick with a small light plastic comb.

Perhaps a smaller toothbrush than the electric one you normally use at home will suffice while you're abroad. Not to mention you wouldn't need to bring the charger either.

4. Break Down Products And Medications.

As someone who needs to travel with medications, I often find the full-sized ointments and pill containers were way too big to travel with. While pills are easy to count (bring some extra just in case), I've learned how much of an ointment I use and bring that in a small container (for a 2-month trip, I ended up using about 1/100th of the whole container).

This also works for disposable razors for men as you can often detach the head from the handle.

If you can, breaking down your beauty products as much as possible will help too. There's no need to take the whole heavy case that is bejewelled with a built-in mirror when all you need is a few days worth of a product for certain occasions.

5. Opt For Reusable Products.

There exist products designed to combat the waste of single-use items with items like reusable cotton swabs and makeup wipes. Using items that can be used more than once saves so much space as opposed to bringing items that will just end up in another country's trash (or even their ocean).

What Counts As A Liquid For TSA?

(How to get around these rules)

Knowing the rules of travel can help with your travel toiletry situation. If you're flying, liquids are probably one of the most inconvenient rules.

Airport security limits how much liquid you're allowed to bring in your carry-on. It's the 3-1-1 rule, which is that you're allowed to bring 3.4-ounce or 100-ml containers in 1 quart-sized clear plastic bag per person. These include liquids, aerosols, creams, gels and pastes (peanut butter counts towards this allotment).

More interesting is how to bend the rules of this to your advantage. When dealing with liquid restrictions, here are a few items that you can use instead to save space for the items that can't be replaced by a non-liquid variant.

1. Chewable Toothpaste Tabs.

While expensive and difficult to carry a large amount, toothpaste tabs are a great alternative to bringing along the gel variant. They are lighter since they have the moisture/ liquid removed, and it's easy to plan how many you'll need.

2. Non-Liquid Or Gel Deodorant.

Deodorant, if not in gel or liquid roll-on form, might not count towards your liquid allotment. While it's a general rule, your miles may vary depending on your agent.

Alternatively, there are more natural options like mineral and rock deodorants so you can be in the clear. An even more extreme option is to use a small sprayer with alcohol inside. I haven't tried this, but from what know, the concept seems quite sound.

3. Bar Soap

Using hard bars of soap is a great way to save space on liquids. There are many fancy options for storing the bar of soap too, like Matadors Flat Pack Soap Bags.

Beyond the classic body cleaning soap, there are many other options like Dr. Bronner's bar soap (for all the applications listed above) and shampoo and conditioner bars. If you're only going for a short trip, perhaps head over to your local Lush to get some sample sizes (Don't forget to take advantage of their perfect travel containers).

Is It Cheaper To Buy Travel-Size Toiletries?

(What To Do Instead!)

With all the limitations on what you're allowed to bring and the space you have to bring it in, you might wonder about smaller and more conveniently sized items. Generally speaking, travel-sized toiletries are significantly more expensive than normal-sized options.

There exists an element of convenience when you choose to buy the travel-sized variant, however, there are plenty of options to avoid paying a premium for that convenience. Here's a list with some ideas.

1. Using Small Reusable Containers.

Breaking down your toiletries into smaller containers is a great way to avoid paying for travel-sized items.

Sure, it might have an overhead cost to purchase the containers, but it pays off in the long run. Just refill when you can! It's okay to purchase larger sizes if you have somewhere to keep them and refill them as needed.

I repurpose a lot of small containers (as seen in the exploded gear layout image). Some of them were the perfect sizes and would have cost significantly more if I found a name-brand alternative. Even Cracker Barrel offers some glass containers for their maple syrup that would make a great container in a pinch.

2. Modifying Your Gear.

Some secrets from backpacking can be brought into your travel toiletries packing technique. While extreme, modifications like cutting off the end of your toothbrush and melting down deodorant to fit in a chapstick tube really do save weight and space.

You could purchase that nice folding toothbrush, but at the end of the day, it's still larger than a cut-down version. They're also meant to be replaced often, so if yours is starting to look a bit flat, make sure you replace it and appease dentists around the world.

3. Stock Up At Your Hotel

Not all hotels are created equally. Some hotels provide all the items you would need for travel toiletries. Sometimes, you don't need to bring a single thing.

Some hotels have razors, shaving cream, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, conditioner, and cotton swabs, free of charge and conveniently sized to fit into your bag.

I'm still using some complementary items from hotels. I seldomly bought toothpaste as hotels would have sizes that lasted a week or two. When my GoToob ran out of soap, I'd refill from their bottles or wall-mounted dispensers.

Be warned, their items aren't always the best for your skin, so bring along some moisturizer to combat dry skin.

Minimalist Toiletry Bag

Of course, you'll need something to contain all of your toiletries when travelling. There are so many options for how to contain all of your toiletries. From extravagant roll-out toiletry bags to simple plastic bags, here are some options for you to think about.

1. Roll Out Toiletry Organizer

Perhaps the best option for those who are not ready to take toiletry packing to the extreme are items like the REI Shower Roll and other hanging toiletry bags. These are handy as they have lots of organization, liquid containment, and sometimes mirrors and hooks so you can clean up anywhere even when there is no counter space.

2. Toiletry Organization Bags

A slightly more minimalist option is to use something like the Eagle Creek Pack-It systems and Sea to Summit's pouches. These save weight and space by not always having the convenience of high modularity and features like a mirror or a hook.

Simply put, these provide a spot to store your items with some organization.

3. Ziplock bag

Perhaps the most extreme minimalist approach is to use simple ziplock bags as toiletry bags. It might be the only bag you need. These are often the lightest and cheapest options for when you simply need one bag to contain your toiletries.

They're inherently waterproof and can be modified to be more sturdy if you plan to use them long-term by taping the seams. Alternatively, if you don't want to deal with something as fragile, you can use items like Stashers to accomplish something similar.

Take a look at this video for some more in-depth tips about travel toiletries!

Conclusion

Travelling light is a valuable skill in the modern age of globetrotting (especially when airlines will charge you ridiculous fees for breathing too much of their air). Ensuring you apply the same minimalist principles to your travel toiletries as the rest of your travel gear can help with a seamless experience through airport security and at any accommodation.

With a packing list of bare essentials to go off of, some tips for travelling with less, knowledge of airport security rules, and which bag to contain it all, you'll be armed with everything you need to hit the road, sky, or trail!

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share some tips from your own experiences.