Men Essentials: Dopp Kit or Toiletry Bag Basic Information

For my convenience I intended to buy a small bag for me to pack my things like pencils, ballpen, bottled water, cellphone and papers during meetings and seminars in school. After I bought the bag I didn’t notice that it was labeled toiletry bag. Because I was merely looking how it was designed, I’ve just noticed it when I arrived home. I wonder why it was labeled that way and what are toiletry bags anyway?

I was tasked to write about a toiletry bag and so I read more about it. Anyway my research goes this way. The bag was defined as a “small container, usually a pouch with a zippered opening, which holds body hygiene or toiletry products”. It is used for the easy way of storing your hygiene materials. Travelers, young ones and anyone who are going to trips or camps find the easiest way of storing their things with a toiletry bag. Since the kit is a small one this will teach the person only to bring things they necessarily needed. A toiletry bag will also prevent hygiene materials to be mixed with other things.

There was this question asking, what do you pack in your toiletry bag? Some say they put band aids, lotion (body and face), hair gel, spray cleaner, baby powder and etc. Now, is it necessary that you will use the bag only for your personal hygiene? Of course the answer is no, because some people are also using it as a regular bag. They use it when they go for a walk and some use it when attending seminars just like what I do. Sometimes we just don’t need to carry big bags especially men.

A body hygiene kit for men specifically was called dopp kit – a bit shorter term for men toiletry bag. A dopp kit according to the internet was a term particularly used in America for body hygiene. It was once a common gift given to adolescent males as they ascend from boyhood to adulthood.

The term “Dopp kit” was derived from the leather craftsman Charles Doopelt in the early 20^th century. The case was named after Dopplet but it appeared that the case was actually designed by his nephew named Jerome Harris. The Dopp kit for men is a small case for packing things you need for your hygiene. It is a statement of personal style since it will reflect who you are. When travelling, what are the things men carry for personal hygiene? Do they store things they actually need in their kits? Are they properly organized?

Here is a list of the common things men put in their dopp kit:

• Oral hygiene ( toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, mouthwash and toothpicks)
• Ear buds
• Deodorant
• Nail clippers
• Tweezers
• Soap
• Razor
• Shaving cream
• Hair brush
• Lotion
• Perfume