DE travel kit

quattromori

quattromori

Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
3,426
So, it seems that it didn't take long to DE shaving to really get a hold on me. Week after week, and shave after shave, I feel I'm improving and getting better shaves, and I want to thank you guys again for your helpful feedbacks and posts.
Now, I have been thinking about something that I will have to face soon...a longish trip (a couple of weeks at least), and the need of bringing some sort of travel kit. First thing I thought, was bringing what I use everyday, but then I may find some alternative option that could work as good and allow me to save weight, and leave my most "valuable" shaving items at home.
So, how do you guys do? do you have a dedicated shaving kit for travelling?

:cool:
 
Yes, I do. Mine is a DE razor with one blade and if or when it gets dull I merely strop it on newspaper. This brings it back to a good shaving edge. With a plug of soap I hand work for lather. I keep it simple. One could do the same with a economical med. size straight razor. In this case mine happens to be a stainless folder and it holds a good edge allowing me 3-4 shaves before requiring much work. Then just by stropping it will allow me enough shaves for the time frame you mention. It nests in a small leather sheath. I regularly spend time on the road at places of less amenities than a Best Western. DM
 
I never travel.

But if I did, I'd take stuff that I wouldn't mind losing or otherwise misplacing. If it were me, I'd take a tube of Bigelow/Proraso, my cheapie boar brush, a plastic footed bowl for lathering, a five pack of Feathers, and one of my adjustable Gillettes. I have four now (three Fatboys and a Slim) so I would probably take the user grade Fatboy along.

One could simply take a puck of soap and face lather further cutting down on stuff to keep up with/drag along. If I went that route, a puck of VDH luxury scented, my cheapie badger brush, the Fatboy and blades. I'd also take along a pre oil and some cheap aftershave or either buy that when I got there. I always forget to pack something so a drug store run is the norm for me.

Then, on the return trip, I'd probably leave behind the soap and aftershave and only bring back the hardware. Keep it as simple as possible.

I always did like to travel light.
 
I have a nice Merkur leather case for my Futur. I asked to buy a tall, narrow bottle at my local pharmacy. The pharmacist produced exactly the correct bottle and, when he went to sell it to me, couldn't find a code to sell it under so he told me to just take it for free. It's a perfect fit for my brush. I have a plastic travel bowl with a screw-on lid for soap. It's not good to store a moist brush in a closed container long-term as mold/mildew can grow. But, for short-term storage during travel, I have never had a problem. The same is true with the soap; don't close up a wet soap for fear of mold or mildew growth. But, again, I have never had a problem with short-term closing for travel. Upon arrival, my first task is to unpack my razor, brush, and soap. It's that simple.

For air travel, blades must go in checked baggage. I'm told that it's best to put the razor in checked baggage too as the TSA people will key on it and search relentlessly for the accompanying blades if it's in carry-on baggage. You can also mail blades ahead. A few blades can go between a few pieces of paper and be mailed in an ordinary envelope for a single stamp. Address it to:

Mr. quattromori (Guest arriving <date> Conf # <confirmation number>)
C/O Hotel Expesivo
123 South Wasbash
City, State, Zip

The hotel desk will have it for you when you arrive.
 
Ebags has a great hangup travel valet with lots of zippered sections and it lays flat vs. the brick type. Only thing missing is a mirror but I put in one of the ESEE mirror cards :) So far my bare razor has not raised any eyebrows in carry on but YMMV. packing for Int'l next so crossing my fingers no hassles. they can look all they want but yeah what a hassle if so. I like to keep certain toiletries with me ie. contacts, toothbrush, etc. in case luggage gets lost (knock on wood). here's a quick pic of on the road :) the razor goes in it's own fitted leather pouch, the bowl wrapped in a face towel. when get back will try to post of the Ebags setup. It fits in my laptop messenger bag get up so very handy vs. pulling a wheeled carry on around. on and off the plane with less hassle.

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Thank you for your answers guys.
I have to say, I'm pretty sure that packing my DE shaving kit will not be a problem (as an experienced traveller, I'm pretty confident on packing things when I do); what I was curious about, is if you guys try to reduce the weight of the equipment somehow, and if anyone has a "second class" kit (not meaning lesser quality, just different from the one used at home).
I have to say, I bought a "disposable" DE razor (meaning a plastic one) thinking about my future travel kit, but of course I will try it before packing it :)

:cool:
 
Yes, thats the one I described. Very simple, light weight and compact. Many places I travel to don't have a drug store. Hence, purchasing DE blades are out of the question. DM
 
I use a gilette tech that packs down quite small, and either take a small bit of soap and face/hand lather or use cromwell and cruthers (I think) shave oil. I've been wanting to try the "leaf" style shave soap, so I might get some of that next time I have a chance, as it looks like it could work.
When I travel, I rarely get time to let stuff dry before it gets packed up, so I try to avoid anything that might leach water into everything if left wet (I wouldn't want to leave a brush damp) In contrast to Gollnick (I'm beginning to feel like his shaving alter ego, although I give myself far too much credit) I've never had a problem with mold or mildew in soap, but I have had some soften up and get messy, so I prefer a fairly sealed jar. Currently I have a block of MFW that has been in a Nalgene food jar for over two years, never left open to dry, and with no ill effect.

I also used to live on a commune (ok, not really but close enough) where all my shaving stuff got packed up into a little basket to carry back and forth to the shower house, so I have a little stainless toothbrush cup that my brush can sit in to avoid being crushed.
right now, I'm trying to get a whole "on the road" shave and shower kit to fit into a surplus decontamination kit box, but its not quite working. I had a nice hanging cady thing, but the elastic loops are all wrong, and the razor killed the plastic mirror.
As for air travel, I go with a "hope for the best" attitude, and hope my stuff makes it. Since I can't travel without a checked bag anyway, I carry the minimum to get me by in the case of baggage loss, but honestly at that point, a shave is the least of my worries.

Question to you all, I have a nice antique gilette blade box that I carry fresh blades in (although most brands the wrappers are too wide so I can't really fill it) anyone know of a more modern box for sale for this purpose? Ideally I'd have one with space for used blades as well, as I don't like the idea of throwing out blades in normal trash (I try to wrap them in tape first)
Gollnick what is your solution to used blades when on the road?
 
gadgetgeek said:
Question to you all, I have a nice antique gilette blade box that I carry fresh blades in (although most brands the wrappers are too wide so I can't really fill it) anyone know of a more modern box for sale for this purpose? Ideally I'd have one with space for used blades as well, as I don't like the idea of throwing out blades in normal trash (I try to wrap them in tape first)
Gollnick what is your solution to used blades when on the road?
Click to expand...

I'd get a pack of Altoids and save the tin. Glue or tape the lid shut, cut you a slit in the end large enough to deposit blades in it, and mark it "blade bank".

Not sure if the Altoid mini tins would hold DE blades but it might. I'll see if I can find a mini tin and test it out.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/155309-Blade-Bank-Altoid-Smalls-Tin

The Feather blades that I buy have a built in blade bank on the back. That way, you store fresh ones and used ones. Astras do not come this way so if I were to need a blade bank, I'd just use one of the Altoid tins.

Hope this helps.
 
I use either BIC or Feather blades day-to-day, but always travel with Feather as they have a slot in the box for keeping used blades. If I had to discard one, I would take it to the hotel desk and ask them to take it directly. Certainly, a "used" blade, while not sharp enough for shaving anymore, could still inflict a nasty cut on someone, so it has to be handled outside of the standard waste stream.
 
At home, I use a blade bank box from westcoastshaving. They cost a dollar and hold two-three year's worth of blades. When it's full, tape the slot shut and put it in the metal recycling bin.
 
yeah, I looked into buying a blade bank, but the only one I found was 10$ (Go aussie markups!) an altoids tin works, I was thinking I was missing something obvious.
 
The important things with blade disposal are A) safety, and B) that these shards of highest-grade steel get recycled. One of the beauties of "traditional" shaving is the environmentalism of it. I'm no Al Gore when it comes to environmentalism; I don't have a 30,000 square-foot house to heat and air condition, a pool, or a private jet. I believe in sensible environmentalism, real things that have real effects, like not throwing away 20 aresol cans per year and recycling my razor blades instead of using cartridges which are hopelessly-comingled beyond recycling. So, make sure you do get those blades recycled.
 
Gollnick said:
I have a nice Merkur leather case for my Futur.
Click to expand...

Same here. :D It works very well, even with a live blade in the razor. So here's my travel setup (and I travel a lot):

1. My Merkur razor in it's leather case (sometimes with a blade in, sometimes not)
2. A box of extra blades
3. TOBS cream in the original tub (very sturdy, waterproof plastic)
4. Vulfix brush in the original box (the box is good quality and keeps the brush in shape. Ditto what Gollnick said: never pack a brush wet. Let it dry out before you put it in any container)
5. Bottle of Thayer's witch hazel (I scotch-tape the lid shut and put the whole thing in a 1-gallon Ziplock bag because the Thayer's bottles tend to leak during travel)
6. Nivea Post Shave Balm bottle (also in a Ziplock bag. The cap can come unscrewed)
7. Generic stainless steel shaving bowl I bought on Amazon (light and indestructible)

Also as Gollnick mentioned, please note that you cannot bring DE blades in your carry on, so you'll have to check at least one bag. If you throw away a DE blade during your travels, please be courteous and mindful of safety. Don't just throw it in the trash. Some poor cleaning lady might get cut, or it might rip the trash liner and spill trash everywhere. Either way, you're making life hard for a cleaning lady who probably has a hard enough life as it is. Wrap the blade in something like cardboard, put it in a plastic container that won't open (a plastic drink bottle, for example), then throw it away.
 
I have a Merkur Traveller DE razor. This wonder dismantles and is carried in a small leather pouch, very slim and compact. See e-bay.

Buy a shaving stick of soap. These are in a small plastic tube and you can apply the stick directly to the face or use a brush a well.

Feathers in the plastic box take care of any travelling hazards with spent or un-used blades. The whole outfit is really minimal yet results are impressive.

Thanks, Will
 
Thanks Dave, the Merkur Traveller is a real gem: handles disassemble and go into each other so it's a tiny leather 'envelope' that carries it all, you can even carry a spare blade in it. delivers a very good shave too, not a toy.

Regards, Will
 
Just flew in and boy are my arms tired! /rimshot :D

The Traveler sounds cool will have to check it out! Another trip logged no problem with the Merkur in carry on - went as far as Changi Singapore via Narita Japan. Paid all too much money for some Armani balm at the Duty Free but uh, couldn't resist. Lovely I tell you. Yep, wet shaving is so much more than taking a buzzing device to your face and swiping all 'round.
 
I still need to try it out, but this is what I found:

image-77B2_4FFC3A7F.jpg


image-F69A_4FFC3A16.jpg


Weight reduction is one of my main goals when I travel, so I thought this could be great, assuming it works decently (which I will discover soon). As for shaving soap/cream, I have a small screwcap thing (born for Nivea hand cream) which should be enough for a few shaves, and a very light plastic bowl that could be used for lathering as well (or, since it can be closed with its cap, just serve as a container). As for the brush, for now I will bring my old Omega boar, then we'll see.
I'm aware it's not going to be a very "stylish" travel kit, but as long as it's light and it works decently, I will be happy.

:cool:
 
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