Thread: Aloha! - Interested in ways gents travel with straight razors and strops in kit form

Aloha!

Been using Straight Razors and Double Edge Safety for a very long time. I have quite a few, including my Grandfather's Solingen from about 1930 (ish). Recently, I have been looking for ideas on traveling with a Straight Razor. I have traveled for decades with a safety razor because it's easy. But I enjoy shaving with a Straight Razor so I was glad to find this Forum and some good ideas on how gentlemen travel with their straight razors and strops et al.

BTW, my name "ZipZop" is from the Bill Cosby skit from the 60s about shaving. If you've never listened, you should. It's a very quick classic bit that ends with "Zip Zop, see that? My face is ripped to shreads!"

I heard this as a kid and never forgot it. Yet here I am.... shaving with a straight razor, trying to avoid the "ripped to shreads part.




Mahalo!

-ZipZop

There are numerous ways to travel with wet shaving gear.

Making sure your razor is fully dried is the biggest problem. For one night stays I use a DE. I use a straight if we are staying over.

The gear is carried in a Frost River kit that is made to hang on a motel bath door. The strops stay on the floor of the truck.

Originally Posted by rolodave

There are numerous ways to travel with wet shaving gear.

Making sure your razor is fully dried is the biggest problem. For one night stays I use a DE. I use a straight if we are staying over.

The gear is carried in a Frost River kit that is made to hang on a motel bath door. The strops stay on the floor of the truck.

Yes, a DE is so convenient for travel, that's why I did it for so long. But the time has come to travel with a Straight Razor.

I was not familiar with Frost River. Thanks for that tip. I have checked out their website. My preferred luggage manufacturer is J.W. Hulme Company from Minnesota. They used to manufacture the "Battenkill" luggage line for Orvis. I have stuck with them for a long time. Their product is all hand tooled leather and canvas, and it's guaranteed for life. I have a Dop kit from them that should be large enough to put in a travel strop with all my accessories.

Full disclosure, for decades, I not only traveled with a DE safety razor, but travel shaving cream. Shame on me. I much prefer soap and brush, but it was just too convenient to use a DE and travel size shaving cream dispensors.

I suppose I'm at the age now where slowing down and doing things right in the morning are important to me. So I'm migrating from DE razors to straight for travel. Even for one nighters.

BTW, some here have said they roll the travel strop up and put it in the kit. I see you leave it on the floor of the truck. I travel a lot by air (because I'm out of Hawaii) and I need to fit the strop in my Kit with the Razor. I would think that this is OK for a Travel Strop as long as you unroll it and let it hang in the hotel.

Mahalo!

-ZipZop

Straight goes into a plastic toothbrush holder and I travel with one that I don't mind losing.
Brush goes into a large plastic medicine bottle with holes drilled in the top.
Soap is put into a plastic smokeless tobacco container (that has been washed out)
Paddle strop instead of a hanging strop.

I use the roll-up dopp kit from Frost River, also. I normally travel with a DE razor. If I am traveling with a straight razor I keep it in a the plastic coffin box for my Red Imp. I normally lay my strop over luggage in the back seat and cover it with a jacket. I use a rollup shave stick for traveling and face lather with my regular brush.

Here is a thread started by Obie with a smart travel set. Notice he rolls up the strop and places it in a can.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...avel-gear.html

What a great Forum.

Thanks for the immediate help, gentlemen. I will seriously look at the options here. Some GREAT suggestions. In another thread, someone mentioned using a Shavette for travel. I like Shavettes but quite honestly, I think my Straight Razors are more forgiving. I tend to nick myself more with a Shavette than a Straight blade. YMMV I realize that. For a short while, I thought it would be great if I bought some really cheap Shavettes like the Magic Razor you can get just about anywhere for under $10, and if I lost it in travel, so be it. But that idea went south quickly.

Personally, if I'm going the Shavette route, I'd rather stick with a DE.

Well I actually travel a little bit. I have a small case that I pack my shaving stuff in. Mine was actually designed as a cigar carry case. It is similar to a Pelican case, but lighter built and cheaper. Occasionally, if I am traveling very light or want to take less stuff, I do take my disposable blade, Weck Sextoblade. It shaves very similar to a straight razor.

I have an Allegro 200 travel set, but because of the mint condition I usually take along the model 35.

Originally Posted by tonybee

I have an Allegro 200 travel set, but because of the mint condition I usually take along the model 35.

Absolutely Gorgeous Set! Thanks for sharing.

Mahalo!

-ZipZop

For travel I put the razor in a toothbrush container in my toiletries bag, cream in a sample pot and stuck the brush in a small tube. Strop was my cheapest a Illinois 827 and just layed it flat on top of suit case before I stuck my suit in last. Just used the hotels hairdryer to make sure all was dry.