A toiletry bag is a must-have if you are traveling. I’ve spent at least half of my military career living out of a bag, and having a toiletry bag was a solid morale boost. At the end of the day, it’s just something to hold your toiletry’s and maybe some meds, but the ease of being able to just grab it all at once and head to a shower makes life easier. I’ve had a few different toiletry bags over the years, and one thing I’ve noticed is that there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground on these things. They are either some type of leather 1940’s looking grandpa bag or some crazy huge backpack looking contraption with hooks. The cheap ones don’t really hold up and the expensive ones can be, well…..EXPENSIVE. I’ve also noticed that a majority of them are made of non-waterproofed nylon, which never made much sense to me considering their contents an intended use. I guess it is breathable, but ideally, a toiletry kit would have some type of protection from moisture. If you are like me and thought that something as menial as a toiletry bag couldn’t be innovative, the Oakley FP Dopp Kit proves you wrong.
At first glance, the design is pretty much the same as any average toiletry bag. There is a large main pocket and a smaller side pocket. The bag has one loop on each side and a carrying handle on the end so you can hook the bag up to a shower hook. Oakley clearly wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel when they designed this thing. What they managed to do is enhance the toiletry bag and finally have it make sense. The bag is 100% ripstop nylon. I’ve been through 2 toiletry bags in 4 years and the replacement reason was tearing in the fabric, so ripstop fabric immediately makes sense to me. They used polyurethane coated nylon, which is water resistant. Once again, makes sense for a bag that is going to be near a shower or holding wet items. The zipper pulls are large enough and you won’t have an issue utilizing them when your hands are wet. They also made parts of the bag reflective. You might be asking “Why the hell would I need my toiletry bag to be reflective?” Well, if you’ve ever stayed in an open bay type setting with 30 other guys, you’ll understand the frustration of trying to find your toiletry bag in your locker with a red lens headlamp while everyone else is sleeping. It’s a nice touch and one I would never have thought of myself.
I personally am pretty blown away that a toiletry bag would ever impress me, but it did. Oakley really demonstrated an insane attention to detail with the FP Dopp Kit. Like everything Oakley that I have used, it’s a high-quality piece of gear and will probably last forever. It retails for $60.00 which is right in that middle price range in terms of toiletry bags. It’s a badass bag, and if you’re in the market for a toiletry bag I’d recommend picking one up.
Author – Tim M. is an Army Ranger who has served in Afghanistan and is currently a K9 handler for ARSOF. In his free time he enjoys shooting, working out and hitting the trails with the dog.
