Alpaka Toiletry Bag Review
A mostly compact take on the classic with an internal twist.
Alpaka Toiletry Bag Review Introduction
Alpaka - we’ve been cranking out the reviews on these guys lately! But, it’s all with good reason. Alpaka is just churning out a lot of products and that gives you all lots of choices. At Always Wander, we’re fans of having choices. One of the more crowded groups in this space however - is toiletry bags.
I don’t think I can sugar coat that. The space is PACKED. Pun intended per usual. And frankly it can be a bit overwhelming. If a brand doesn’t nail their idea, it’s not worth faffing over because you can just move on to another kind of pouch or kit. Frankly, it’s big pressure for such a little pouch.
Aside from making sure this pouch is Alpaka-y, they went in a LITTLE bit of a different direction with their take on the ol’ toiletry bag/pouch. We’ll be sure to dig into that as we go.
This is my review of the Alpaka Toiletry Bag. Claiming lots of flexibility and utility, this standard sized toiletry bag comes with the fabric knowledge and styling Alpaka is known for. How does their version fare? I’ve been using this toiletry bag for the past couple months on my travels. Car trips, flights, etc.
For full transparency - I did reach out to Alpaka to see if they had any units for review and they were kind enough to send one to me for testing. That said, this is not a sponsored review article and I was not paid to write this. I do use affiliate links to help keep the site running, but those are of course at no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Alpaka Toiletry Bag Overview
Example Packing Showcase
This being a toiletry bag, the overview will be pretty quick. So, it’s a toiletry bag. The end. :)
I kid - as is usual with their products Alpaka put some real thought into this. That said from a function standpoint, they are targeting a bit of a Goldilocks size, which is great. It’s not too big, and not too small. They made their same great materials choices they make with all their kit, and added a lot of organization as well.
Here are the material choices:
EXTERIOR
Axoflux 210D Square Ripstop Nylon in Black, Red, Green & Blue
Waterproof YKK Aquaguard zippers
INTERIOR
200D Grey X-grid Ripstop lining
Silent zippers
It retails for $49.00 USD as of December 2024 - keep in mind it might ship from Down Under, so give it some extra time to get to customs for tracking if you’re shopping from the US. Comes in four colorways: black, red, blue, and green. I’ve got the blue for my testing.
Alpaka Toiletry Bag Features
There are a lot of features to talk about on this little bag! Let’s get the water resistance out of the way first. Both the fabric and the aquaguard zippers make it great for that.
Next up, and something I’m very happy to see, Alpaka designed this with some flexibility in mind and with that we find two different straps. One shoulder strap and one wrist strap. Both are included in the purchase. The wrist strap is good to use for hanging the bag, as well.
On the outside, there is an aquaguard protected zipper pocket as well as a bit of a “hidden” pocket on the back. There’s a fabric flap, but no zipper, but you can put things in here like self contained aspirin packets, wipes, cream deodorant packets, etc.
The biggest feature of the bag is the choice inside - they’ve gone with an accordion style for the organization. This makes a four corners method for storing your items.
There are also two internal zipper mesh pockets.
On the outside, you’ll also find two grab-loops to use for hanging or whatever you like.
The Wandering Load Out:
As I’ve said before, I like to keep all of my pouches slim. Bulky pouches are not smart wandering because it adds size and weight to your loud out. We need way less than we often think.
Matador toothpaste holder (Small in this case, but could be the large sometimes)
Little Seed Farm deodorant cream (unscented travel packets)
Little seed Farm deodorant cream (charcoal full size jar)
Mitchum Clinical Antiperspirant (for stronger needs, like conferences/business meetings or really long travel days, not for daily use)
Silicone bottle with face wash
Repurposed lip gloss container (beard conditioner)
Travel size glass jar of hair product (Lodestar Grooming, incredible stuff)
Mustache Mud (beard stabilizer/hold)
Often toss in some lip balm like Burt’s or similar, maybe an SPF version
The Good
As always Alpaka is using some high quality materials and they balance that with price/value. In a world of ever increasing prices of bags and pouches due to cost of goods and scaleability in production, this is always great to see. You shouldn’t have to pay $85.00 for a toiletry bag with cool materials. Now, we also shouldn’t demand a cost of $20.00, that’s not possible either. But the pricing here is really fair and it’s really well made.
They INCLUDE straps. TWO of them. WTF? This is a great thing and very glad to see this. Similar to their travel pack (Elements Travel backpack review), adding this value is really nice. I also like that the connection method isn’t cheap on these straps either. Really good to see this all around - both from a flexibility in use, and a “not nickel and dining you” kind of way. Can’t say the same for some other manufacturers out there.
The organization is well thought out and well intentioned here. I didn’t always think it was the best in practice, but A for effort. More on that part in the next section. But sticking with the good - both outside pockets are easily usable and same on the zippered inside pockets. I also think the overall size of this toiletry bag is really nice.
Color choices are solid. Nothing “knock your sox off” (like their Vivid or Mulberry line), but nice options for the standard palette.
The Bad
Finding a list of things to complain about here was hard because there are so many things to like about it. But I will say, there’s a big one for me.
I don’t think the accordion design works in a toiletry kit. I think it can work quite well in a tech pouch. But with the odd shapes or the many different toiletries that you might find, for me it just added bulk very quickly. Jars and squeeze bottles and deodorant, etc. all conflicted with each other and I ended up just using that accordion as a single divider.
This isn’t to say it can’t work for people - just didn’t work for me and I’d venture to say if you have odd shaped or bulky items, you’re going to run into this problem.
Final Thoughts On My Alpaka Toiletry Bag Review
So in review, I really did like a lot of what the Alpaka toiletry bag brought to the table. It’s got great materials and even better value (it includes extra straps!!). Those materials are also highly water resistant. Really it’s got all you can ask for there.
In terms of choice, the organization provided a lot of options. I particularly liked both external pockets and found them quite practical.
What didn’t work for me - is that accordion style as a toiletry bag. I just didn’t find it to be a good choice when it comes to the shape of most toiletries. At least, those that I use. But also putting past experience hats on and thinking of different items I would have carried, it’s just not the solution for me.
THAT SAID - I frankly think this pouch just has a bit of mistaken identity. Kind of like Herbie the Elf trying to be a Santa’s elf when he clearly should be a dentist (I wrote this during the holidays, humor me folks). I didn’t think this pouch worked for toiletries. That said, I think it would make a GREAT tech pouch. Your cords and cables and spare phone, etc., I think would all be lovely in here. It’s a good shape and size for the front storage on most backpacks, so that would work as well. In fact I find their tech pouches a little big, so this is a better size. While it’s not my steelo, the shoulder strap could also be used to sling it up a bit for say, going on planes. Something to think about.
Ultimately I don’t think I’d recommend this as a toiletry bag. BUT, and this is a big but, I WOULD tell you to consider it for other pouch needs. Especially as a tech pouch. Give it a look in your search.
As always I recommend buying directly from the manufacturers to ensure the best experience.
Wander more and Wander smarter, everyone.
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