I have used this bag for years and think it's just right to contain all those smallish things you need in a hotel room. I'm talking about the things you look for first when getting to your room: chargers, nightlight, hand cream, etc. It's very lightweight and easy to pack, but stands up nicely.
https://www.lesportsac.com/products/7121-g868
Weight update
For those who care, I just weighed mine:
2.75 ounces
We use a couple of travel valet trays to hold all the bits and pieces we don't want to lose track of in hotel rooms or ship cabins. Ours was part of an amenities pack on a flight on Etiad. The corners unsnap so it lays flat for travel. There are similar ones on Amazon:
I was trying to cut all excess weight this last trip so didn't pack my usual packing cube I use for this purpose. I wound up using a small tray I bought at The Last Supper gift shop at my "landing pad", lol.
Cute print, Liz. I love LeSportSac stuff! The only problem is it doesn't ever wear out, hahaha!
That valet tray is nice but it's almost 6 ounces and if I stick to my current very lightweight goal (so I can lift my bag on/off trains, in/out of bins) that's the weight of a tee shirt, lol!! Tee shirt or tray...tee shirt or tray, hahaha!
Pam, I don't have any of the current prints, mine is a number of years old.
As much as I like packing cubes, this is a much better shape for the purpose.
I like the leopard print! Stands out as well although hot pink or bright aqua would be better for that, lol.
I guess we’re serious travelers when the first data we look for is how much does it weigh before looking to see the dimensions- LOL! It’s a cute bag, Liz!
I have made bags similar to this one in the past for my travel bedside and as gifts.. However, they are way too heavy for my next possible travel. Also, as I have been lazily not sewing lately, I send this well made product as gifts for those I know spending time in the hospital, whether inpatient or chemo treatments, etc. I want one before my Camino walk…
I also bring a “nightstand bag” to keep my phone charger, chapstick, lotion, eye drops, meds, etc in. Makes it so much easier to just have everything you need in one bag.
I also use shallow, collapsible fabric boxes from the dollar store for toiletries, comb, hair stuff, etc. This is handy when there is limited space on the sink and multiple people sharing a bathroom. Each person keeps everything they need to get ready in their box. When it’s their turn in the bathroom, they bring their box in with them and have everything they need.
The Tom Bihn is a teeny bit lighter, but I prefer the shape of the Lesportsac.
As another option: I’ve just used the red mesh pouch of this set (the smallest one) for years as my bedside bag. The three bags together weigh 3 oz.
Travelon Set of 3 mesh Pouches, Multicolor, One Size (Amazon, although I bought mine at a TJMaxx type store on a trip at Boston)
Another super cheap (although much smaller) option is to bring the lid of a peanut butter jar. I have done that in the past to put earrings & chapstick in so they don't get lost. Peanut butter lids are usually a bright color and weigh about 1/3 of an ounce.
I take the lid of a PB jar too for my watch and earrings.
Or the flatter colourful lid of a cottage cheese container.
Those make good soap dishes too.
They weigh nothing.
You almost beat me to it with the lid to a jar j---- how about for a travel tray just reusing a plastic microwaveable frozen dinner plate?
The typical two-compartment microwave meal (for an entree and a veggie) tray is great for keeping your bedside items or your pockets contents from skittering away,
and it is free and very lightweight and disposable.
And it can double as a stiffener/protector inside your carryon bag when positioned judiciously.
"I guess we’re serious travelers when the first data we look for is how much does it weigh before looking to see the dimensions- LOL!"
Jean a year ago you'd never have convinced me that I'd be weighing every item. It worked out well for me for this last trip and I KNOW I am going to have to guard against weight creep, hahaha! I am trying not to be nutty about this!
I have the knockoff brand of the mesh pouches Jean mentioned upthread. I got them at TJMaxx and they are so lightweight I changed over from my older Travelon cubes to those for miscellaneous stuff. Since they are the knockoff brand they do have some loose threads after my last trip and in fact that reminds me to go look closely with scissors to make sure nothing vital is affected. I used the large one for my iPad Mini and other stuff I'd need on the plane and the small one for my charger cords.
And, thanks for weighing the pouch, Liz!!
You're welcome, Pam!
I hear about the Tom Bihn tray so often that I was curious if it weighed much less.
Oh gosh...now we are sharing a brain because that is the first thing I wondered too!
Now this is bizarre but I don't like the Tom Bihn pouch because it's round. I like square or rectangle better. Yes, that makes me totally nuts, hahaha...but I think most people here knew that!
Over the decades, I have used all manner of boxes and bags in tents and rooms to wrangle the stuff. Found Tom Bihn’s travel trays several years ago. The sm size is useful if you don’t have much junk and small hands but I carry two L size (one bedside, one in bathroom) that replace four or five other cases/bags/kits so there is probably a net mass savings. Took a bit of discipline but, once I got used to the idea, everything goes in the trays. Packing up is as easy as pulling the draw cord closed.
Pam, that is not bizarre at all!
The first time I looked it up and saw it was round, instant NOPE!
I'm with the peanut butter jar lid people for bedside tray --- I like something that's not deep or a bag. This last trip, I used a gold paper plate that some kind of candy or something came on.
I have to 2nd the LOVE for the LARGE TOM BIHN TRAVEL TRAY - we take them on all vacations for cables, cords, electrical adapters, etc. We have gifted them to many friends over the years. For anyone looking for one - the website has a great video on how to use it.
I actually learned about them MANY MANY years ago on this forum.
I'm another fan of the Tom Bihn travel tray - I use it at home and when traveling. I find it easier to use since you just drop stuff in there then pull the drawstring closed. I have lots of pouches in varying sizes but I keep going back to the travel tray.
Ohhh ... I was trying to go one week without posting on this forum, then I saw this thread and had to get in on the conversation. 😀. My husband’s RedOxx travel tray never leaves our home dresser. So, I bought him a Tom Bihn large travel tub. I understand the desire for a square or rectangle shape as mentioned above. I really like the Looney Tunes LeSportsac referenced by OP. Just what I don’t need ... more bag options! A cheap option is a fold up dog bowl. MountainSmith has one.
So I don’t feel much need for bed side tray but where I really struggled this May was on the plane. I had all these baggies and I always seemed to be looking for something. I wondered if any of you have used any of these items on the plane and if so what did you think.
BethFL
Probably best to start a new post for ideas. I'll wait for that to post what I do.
Wow, y'all are FANCY! I travel with a couple zip lock style bags, one for electronic stuff such as adaptor, cords, ear buds etc. The other takes toiletries, comb, toothbrush etc, and doubles as my 3-1-1 for airport screening. Weight can't be beat, and I can squish these bags as needed to fit into my carry on. Odds and ends always go back into my daybag, so I don't have to coral stuff when I'm ready to leave the hotel in the morning. Only downside is these bags will eventually wear out, so not the greenest choice there is. And no, I don't necessarily travel light, my current bag contains a bottle of Eierlikör plus a down comforter. Now there's a challenge🤣
Ohhh ... I was trying to go one week without posting on this forum, then I saw this thread and had to get in on the conversation. 😀.
🤣🤣🤣 Sun-Baked, I totally identify with that!
Oops, forgot to add that I just weighed my TB Travel Tray (the small one) and it weighs 1.6 oz.
My first trip to Europe was a business trip to London. After the overnight flight sitting next to my boss in premium economy, and working in the lobby for about 6 hours, I walked into my room and promptly took off the earrings that I had been wearing for 24 hours. Of course, one of them immediately disappeared, and we were due at the London counsel's office in about an hour. It was very important to me to have earrings [who was that person?], so I quickly found a shop in the hotel lobby and bought a pair for 20GBP - the cheapest ones in the shop. People frequently comment on the lovely citrines, but I'm not so sure. But provenance is everything.
A week later, I found the missing earring in a potpourri bowl in my room. If only I had known to bring the lid of a peanut butter jar - or pretty much any jar - I could have saved 20GBP. Going forward, I will pack a lid.
