Must-Haves of Travel: Portable Travel Tubes

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Announcing the newest entry of the ever-popular “Must-Haves of Travel” series lol. Stefan remarked he’d run out of room if he took them all each time he took a trip.

But this one goes part-n-parcel with the others because it offers a storage solution. And a quite ingenious one!

travel tube

Introducing: game-changers

It’s one of those things that’s “duh” in retrospect – I should’ve looked on Amazon for these little guys ages ago: portable, squeezable travel tubes. But now that I have them, there’s no going back.

Hitherto, I’d been using little tubs or plastic sandwich bags. But travel tubes are a step beyond.

What’s a travel tube?

A friend gifted me GoToobs recently. I was struck by their simplicity.

They’re 2 oz or 3 oz tubes made of soft silicone. They’re food grade, which means you can store food (or food you smear all over yourself, like coconut oil) safely.

travel tubes

Baes

Because of their size, they’re TSA compliant.

So you can fill ’em up and travel with your fave shampoo, sunscreen (useful for Caribbean islands where sunscreen is very expensive), lotion, dipping sauce, whatever. I even put my activated charcoal and calcium bentonite clay into them. The former because they’re sturdier than a plastic bag, and the latter because they prevent spillage.

asd

“Packed” with features

They are super easy to refill. The top screws off and there’s quite a wide neck so you can pour directly into it – no funnel necessary.

asd

Mad easy to fill up

And, they have a little suction cup that’s also ingenious. Because when you push the depression on the front, you are both squeezing out your contents, and reaffixing the suction cup at the same time. #design

Labels so you remember what's what

Labels so you remember what’s what

There are labels on the end of the tube. In case your lotion and sunscreen (or whatever) are the same color, you won’t mix them up. You can choose from:

  • Lotion
  • Soap
  • Sunscreen
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner

It’s a start. If you put something else into them, just remember what color tube you chose for it.

Once your contents are inside, they won’t leak out thanks to the no-drip valve.

It’s hard to explain how it works, so here’s a video:

It seals itself after every squeeze. Plus, there’s a cap that closes over it.

Other handy uses

I’m loving these little things because they’re soft, have a nice shape, come in lots of colors, and can store much more than toiletries.

For example, they’re a fantastic way to travel with coconut oil. Because you can keep refilling them. And you can run hot or cold water over the tube to get it to a good consistency before you use it.

And because they’re food grade, you could theoretically carry things like condiments, or I dunno, a shot of tequila, with you. You get the idea. And yes, #alkie.

But for real though, these things are a game-changer. And I love the suction cups for taking them into the shower!

If you’re traveling to a place where you need to supply your own toiletries, like an Airbnb, you can fill them at home. That saves you money on the road (no more travel-sized toiletries to buy) and you get to have your favorite products.

There really isn’t a down side to having them that I can think of.

I prefer the 2 oz over the 3 oz version, just because of their size. I find 2 oz of most liquids is plenty for a weekend trip. And they come in lots of colors.

To clean them, just put in a little dish soap and water, shake, and rinse.

I’m gushing because this is the thing I never knew I needed until I got them.

Bottom line

This is probably one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received. I love my GoToobs!

So much so, it deserves an entry in the “Must-Haves of Travel” series.

They’re a great solution for carrying travel sizes when you buy in bulk or want a particular product with you.

They beat the pants off tubs that can leak if the top pops off, or plastic bags that don’t have much structure. And more economical than buying travel sizes of toiletries each time you travel.

I like how they’re food grade because a few of my must-haves actually are food (like coconut oil and apple cider vinegar).

Passing the mic. What’s improved your travels – something you always travel with? Wanna hear about your must-haves when you travel!

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About Harlan

Just a dude living in Memphis, traveling, and working toward financial independence.

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  1. These little tubes are awesome! I bought a set about three years ago to use at the gym.
    Side benefit that I didn’t even think about when I got them, they are TSA compliant as you point out. I was curious how they’d hold up and after three years, they are still good. No leaks, tears or broken parts. Between travel and gym, they get used a lot. Great product and well deserved on your list of must haves.

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