Humangear GoToob travel container

Posted: 12/28/2009 In Category(s): Reviews :: Product Reviews

Humangear was founded in 2007 with a mission to develop "real gear for real humans." With a goal like that, no wonder we were a bit captivated by something as simple yet appealing as its GoToob travel container.

Designed to carry liquids such as shampoo, the GoToob is available in three sizes -- 1.25 ounces, 2 ounces and 3 ounces -- and we took the smaller of the three on various trips. (The larger one is brand new and would allow maximum stowage for longer trips.) The body of the container is made of a squishy FDA-approved, food-safe silicone (no BPA!). We thought it had a great texture and kept the GoToob from slipping out of our wet hands in the shower or at the sink. It was also easy to squeeze and released our shampoo quickly, so we weren’t forced to slap and bang the bottle to release the last dribbles.

One nice aspect of the tube is that is has a silicone valve to prevent gunk from clogging the toob’s cap. When you squeeze the tube, the valve juts out slightly to release the tube's contents, but when pressure is no longer applied, it goes back to its original position and keeps more liquid from escaping or oozing out. Thanks to the valve and the snap closure cap, we never experienced any post-flight lotion leakage.

With most lotions and potions being white, ever wonder what's in the tube if you haven't used it for a while? The GoToob has a built-in ID window that includes abbreviated descriptors like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, sunscreen or "…" for anything else that doesn't fit the bill. When picking a word, we found it's easier to loosen the cap so the window rotates more easily. Once chosen, tighten the cap and it'll stay in place and you'll finally know what's inside. We found that the contents ID stayed in place and didn't swivel around in our bag.

The wide-mouthed opening made it easy to fill the container with shampoo, soaps and lotions, so we didn’t suffer the spills that occur when filling a container that has a narrow opening. The larger opening also made the tube easier to clean. We typically put a little warm water into the tube, and we could fit a finger inside to dislodge any last remnants of shampoo or conditioner sticking to the inner wall. We also ran it through the dishwasher and it emerged like a champ -- clean with no damage.

GoToobs come in a variety of translucent pastel colors: clear, blue, green and pink. We had pink and green tubes, and we could always spot them at the bottom of our toiletry bag. 

We mainly used the GoToob for shampoo, conditioner, face soap and lotion, but you could also use it to carry condiments on a backpacking trip. The company does list a few products that are not recommended to carry in them,  such as pressured items (shaving cream or other foams), certain oil hair treatments and hydrochloric acid (adding, "duh" on that note). Whether used for international travel or a trip into the backcountry, the GoToob is simple, yet very useful, and it has earned a permanent place in our quiver of travel gear.

SNEWS® Rating: 5 hands clapping (1 to 5 hands clapping possible, with 5 clapping hands representing functional and design perfection)

Suggested retail: $6.45 (1.25 ounce), $7.95 (2 ounce), $8.95 (3 ounce)

For more information: www.humangear.com

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