Product Review: La Fresh travel kits

Just when we’ve gotten the hang of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) guidelines for packing liquids in our carry-on bags, the airlines are making things difficult again by charging for bags.

With luggage space and weight at a premium, it seemed a good time to check out the new travel-wipe kits by La Fresh.

La Fresh’s TSA-approved travel kits are packaged in zip-top pouches that contain wipes for either one-day stays or longer trips. The women’s One Day Stay packet includes towelettes with hydrating lotion, deodorant, anti-bacterial cleanser and make-up remover, plus a dental finger mitt (think Oral B Brush-Ups).

The men’s packet includes deodorant, shaving gel, lens cleaner, anti-bacterial cleanser and shoeshine wipes, plus the dental finger mitt. The extended-stay kits contain larger quantities of most of the same products.

Before I even tried a kit, I knew what its main drawback would be ― it’d contain different cosmetic and cleansing products that, most likely, wouldn’t be of the same quality as those I normally use.

But if they worked adequately, the payback could be worth it ― no worries about remembering to pack my toiletries in small quantities in a specific-sized, zip-top bag; no worries about my toiletries exploding out of their bottles or tubes (a pet peeve of mine); and lighter luggage.

I tried the La Fresh for Her kit ($4.99) on a recent trip and returned with mixed feelings about its usefulness. On the plus side, the wipes’ cleansers and lotions were of higher quality than those I’ve found in budget motels or received as trials, and the wipes were thicker and softer, too.

I was pleased to learn they’re also biodegradable. On the negative side, they just weren’t my favored products, plus the variety of wipes didn’t cover all of my toiletry needs. I still had to pack items like hair gel, contact lens solution and toothpaste in the required one-quart, zip-top bags.

Nevertheless, I plan to purchase several kits to stash in my carry-on and in my car’s glove compartment. Why? They’re cheap insurance.

If I forget to pack a particular toiletry item or have the wrong size and have to ditch it at the security line, I’ll at least have the basics to keep myself clean until I’m home again or can stop at a drugstore. For $4.99, it’s worth it.

La Fresh kits are available online at www.LaFreshGroup.com and will soon be in airport kiosks nationwide. Additional kits contain items like sunscreen and bug repellant.

–Melanie Radzicki McManus, RED Travel Writer