Rave ‘n’ Crave Wednesday: humangear’s GoTubb Containers

I love great design. Products that appeal to my eyes as well as my tactile senses make me giddy. If I come across something well designed, brightly colored, and functional that also feels good, I usually want it. The new rule I’ve implemented is to walk away (or close the browser screen). If I am still thinking about it a couple of days or weeks later, and it won’t break my budget, then I can get it.

I saw these beautifully colored travel containers. Most things for traveling are as boring as standing in a long TSA Security line. The containers are usually a hard clear plastic. Once you fill them with a liquid and put the top back on, good luck getting it back out for use. The plastic is so hard you can barely squeeze it to get soap or conditioner out. Don’t even get me started on the little “Press Here (or Push) to Open” top that is so tight I fear injuring myself every time I need to open it.

These GoToob containers were different. They were soft and pliable but strong enough that I didn’t feel I needed to worry about them leaking in my suitcase. They each had a small suction cup on the back of them so you could temporarily attach them to the shower wall if needed. The rotating ring around the bottom is genius. The ring is labeled soap, cond., lotion, shamp., and a blank space. You can turn the opening in the ring so that each container can be labeled for the correct contents! My only complaint about the rotating ring is that the background is white and the letters are white. It is hard to read. They should’ve used black letters for contrast like the picture on the back of the package! Anyway, I got super excited about these containers until I saw the price. At Tar-zhay (Target), they were $19.99 for four 2 oz. containers. Amazon.com had them for $5 more! Ugh. I told myself I could splurge on them for my next vacation . . . if I remembered.

Last week I went on vacation. I tested them out along with a cheaper dry goods kind I found at REI also from humangear called GoTubb. The GoToob ones were easy to fill, simple to label, and still too hard to open for use! Even though I had enough contents to last a whole week, I was frustrated with them by the end of the week. What is the point of bringing something in a container if you can’t open it?! Argh! The GoTubb ones, however, made my week!

GoTubb containers are simple and round with a one-handed pop off lid design. They are not suitable for liquids, but they are amazing for my homemade facial scrub, vitamins, allergy meds, jewelry, etc. The lids are opaque so you can easily view the contents. The single pop sound it makes when you open it, makes me smile. They come in an array of different sizes. I will buy more GoTubbs. I’d like to use them for storage of small craft, sewing, and hardware items. They are affordable (3 for $7.95 at REI), functional, and colorful. GoToob containers make me feel like I invested in some swamp land in Nevada. They are way too expensive and in my opinion, not worth it . . . sigh.