After Hunting For Years, I Found What May Be My Ideal Travel Toiletry Bags

I have been on a hunt for my ideal toiletry bag(s) for a LONG time. I’ve had one that folds up and hangs (it doesn’t fold up well when it’s full of stuff), I’ve had one that hangs but doesn’t fold up (would be nice for someone, but not me), when I was a teen I used a soft sized lunchbox (this was before all kids had bento lunchboxes and all adults had tiny purse-like coolers) and I’ve used a bunch of small bags from Forever 21, various Etsy sellers, and free gift with purchase bundles. The best solution, for me, was the mishmash of multiple small cosmetics bags. But they weren’t see-through, and I’d have a hell of a time remembering what was in which bag, and while it was the easiest way to pack toiletries, it wasn’t the easiest way to use toiletries.

I shopped around a lot, and the cult fave toiletry bag is this one from Calpak and costs $75-$95. The medium is what seemed like the best one for me, but at $85 I just couldn’t take the plunge. I bet it’s amazing, but while I travel enough to justify TSA Precheck (almost everyone who flies does), I don’t travel enough anymore to justify an $85 toiletry bag. So I looked around, and there’s a “dupe” on Amazon but really it’s just a bag that looks similar, which does NOT a dupe make! So I looked at what I liked about the Calpak bag, and it was that it was clear on two sides. On that bag the two sides are two differed compartments, but just being able to see everything was what I was interested in, and after a little searching, I found these bags.

There are many ways to buy these bags, but I went with the set that was one large handled bag and one medium. It was so perfect, so exactly what I was looking for, I bought another set right away. The bags are clear on both sides, and the zipper goes all the way around and is toward one edge, so when you unzip the bag you have a little depth so your stuff stays contained. And these bags hold a LOT. You can absolutely layer items in the bags, and because both sides are clear, you can see everything that’s in each bag.

I’m housesitting right now, and the bathroom I shower in is downstairs and the bathroom I use for brushing my teeth, etc is upstairs. I pack my little bags knowing two will go downstairs (hair stuff is one bag, then shower stuff is another bag) and two will stay upstairs (skincare is one large bag, and the last bag has like, nail clippers and bandaids and the stuff you may or may not need). Unpacking I can see exactly which bag is which and where it will go, and just to help me even more, I bought one set of black bags and one set of mint green bags.

Four toiletry bags might seem like a lot, but it’s actually much easier to pack four smaller bags than one large cosmetics case. Many I was looking at would have taken up half of one side of my suitcase. Here are two bags (one medium, one large) in my Away suitcase (I have the Bigger Carry On) and while they do appear to take up half the compartment, the large bag is only 3” deep, so these bags could be stacked on top of one another, or other things could go over or under them. A set of one large and one medium bag is under $15, there are many colors to choose from, and the quality is great. These bags can take a beating and come out swinging, which is great for me, a person who packs a bag (by which I mean I’m cramming stuff in every little nook and cranny I can find).