soap varieties especially solid soaps

I already know the pros and cons of both liquid and solid soaps, that being said I would go for solid but I don't like how solid soap gets really nasty when stored and its not like you can leave it in the shower to dry when staying at a hostel let alone consider draining it while in your dorm room?

Anybody have good advice/suggestions on how to deal with making sure your solid soaps stay dry while backpack traveling?

One word: Ziplock bags. Slip them in, and forget about it. If you want to make sure it's not too slimy, keep the cardboard box it came in, and then use a ziplock bag.

I travel with solid soap exclusively, and then when I arrive at a place, I buy shampoo, if I can get a small enough bottle. If its a long trip, I'll use it all eventually.

If you are a male, here is a GREAT space saver:

Shaving oil. It's not cheap, but it lasts a long time and comes in a really tiny bottle.

Tortuga_traveller wrote:One word: Ziplock bags. Slip them in, and forget about it. If you want to make sure it's not too slimy, keep the cardboard box it came in, and then use a ziplock bag.

Wouldn't the wet soap stick to the cardboard? I bought some waterproof bags, not for this purpose but it might as well be.

I travel with solid soap exclusively, and then when I arrive at a place, I buy shampoo, if I can get a small enough bottle. If its a long trip, I'll use it all eventually.

No sure I understand why you would do that, you surely don' need soap until you arrive at your destination right?

If you are a male, here is a GREAT space saver:

Shaving oil. It's not cheap, but it lasts a long time and comes in a really tiny bottle.

I've seen a variety of shaving creams that come in small containers, so never thought about the oil but then again I can only shave 30 minutes after I've had a shower; I think I will do better with a cream since oil is harder to wash up.

1. The box takes up all the slime, the slime dries and the soap usually just comes out with a tap or two. If I am lucky enough to have a private room, its never a problem since I just leave the soap in the bathroom.

2. I like Irish Spring. Sue me, but its that green color and manly smell that gets me every time. Sometimes its worth carrying a few ounces to get the bar soap one likes. Sometimes the bar soaps one can get in the more remote places are rough to use. Bigger towns usually have Irish Spring or something similar, so I don't take a six-pack. I only pack one fresh bar. Also, when I am worrying about weight,. I don't ever carry shampoo. Bar soap seems to work just fine for rough situations.

3. Shaving oil isn't really oily after you shave, that's just a name. It washes off nicely, or you can wipe it off with a hand towel, one I use anyways.

Tortuga_traveller wrote:1. The box takes up all the slime, the slime dries and the soap usually just comes out with a tap or two. If I am lucky enough to have a private room, its never a problem since I just leave the soap in the bathroom.

2. I like Irish Spring. Sue me, but its that green color and manly smell that gets me every time. Sometimes its worth carrying a few ounces to get the bar soap one likes. Sometimes the bar soaps one can get in the more remote places are rough to use. Bigger towns usually have Irish Spring or something similar, so I don't take a six-pack. I only pack one fresh bar. Also, when I am worrying about weight,. I don't ever carry shampoo. Bar soap seems to work just fine for rough situations.

3. Shaving oil isn't really oily after you shave, that's just a name. It washes off nicely, or you can wipe it off with a hand towel, one I use anyways.

Hmm I'll have to try the cardboard again, the reason for not using bar soap was because the cardboard would get icky after awhile doing it this way.

I haven't decided on what I really like, except I don't like mint or menthol

Thanks for your tips

Have you considered taking a small container of baking soda?

I've done the cardboard box soap thingy, works well but nowadays try to stay away from dorms & my recent trip to Bangkok & Cambodia found that even the cheaper guest houses were providing soap & most tooth brushes. So being on the cheap side made do with the free stuff instead of Irish Spring which I prefer.

Grew a beard when I started traveling, saves the shaving aggravation especially in the tropics.

busman7 wrote:I've done the cardboard box soap thingy, works well but nowadays try to stay away from dorms & my recent trip to Bangkok & Cambodia found that even the cheaper guest houses were providing soap & most tooth brushes. So being on the cheap side made do with the free stuff instead of Irish Spring which I prefer.

Grew a beard when I started traveling, saves the shaving aggravation especially in the tropics.

true while hotels and guest houses might offer these things but do you really want to pay the extra $10-$30 just for those conveniences? (unless they plan to give you a handful of extra shampoo/soap before you leave which I doubt they would).

My next trip will be in a private room, I am not paying for it so I get the added bonus but if I had been paying for it I'd be staying in a dorm which I do not mind (so far!).

I have to shave, or I'll have the temptation to rip off my face (I seriously need to have one of those surgeries that pluck all your facial hair out)

mynetdude wrote:

busman7 wrote:I've done the cardboard box soap thingy, works well but nowadays try to stay away from dorms & my recent trip to Bangkok & Cambodia found that even the cheaper guest houses were providing soap & most tooth brushes. So being on the cheap side made do with the free stuff instead of Irish Spring which I prefer.

Grew a beard when I started traveling, saves the shaving aggravation especially in the tropics.

true while hotels and guest houses might offer these things but do you really want to pay the extra $10-$30 just for those conveniences? (unless they plan to give you a handful of extra shampoo/soap before you leave which I doubt they would).

My next trip will be in a private room, I am not paying for it so I get the added bonus but if I had been paying for it I'd be staying in a dorm which I do not mind (so far!).

I have to shave, or I'll have the temptation to rip off my face (I seriously need to have one of those surgeries that pluck all your facial hair out)

Spent 2 months at the King GH, double room with a window +in room WiFi & cable TV, in Phnom Penh at $8/night, soap was supplied on request, even the 3rd floor $4 windowless rooms had soap supplied.

Another 2 weeks in Sihnaukville across the road from the beach, splurged on A/C & hot water also had WIFI, cable + a porch with chairs, $12 soap supplied.

Ramada in Waikiki was $108.27 with tax & didn't even have a porch!

Yes well, in the USA the hotel industry is more like cage industry you pay to be in prison

you can't compare Waikiki hotels to Asian hotels you've been to that being said I found a hostel in Berlin for just $8/night that has a safe AND luggage locker, etc

Actually the Waikiki Ramada, 10 minutes from the beach, a reasonably priced restaurant + bus stop right out front, was a bargain, compared to the HOJO in hick-town Bowmanville Canada, in the middle of nowhere, that's been under renovation for the past 3 years, that had the nerve to charge $90

I stayed in a town in Peru(Forget the name now...) where I paid 15 dollars a night for a huge room with working fan, full bath, 24 hour help desk, laundry service, cable tv, and very friendly people, not to mention a reasonably priced dining room with a small menu.

Yes, sometimes, it does pay to move up.

Other times, no.

IN the USA, 35 dollars gets you a dump with plywood for window shutters in some places and a bathroom.

But- I'm getting older and threadbare lodgings filled with very young poor backpackers in 10 bed rooms can get old too. I can still do them, never mind that!!! 20 dollars a night in the USA usually gets you either a tent campsite or a dangerous dump of a hotel.