What’s in our Daypack? Easy Sustainable Swaps for On-the-Go Families
We’re sharing our favorite reusable travel products that help get families from A to B— and back again.
As travelers, we’ve all seen at one point or another the devastating effects of plastic pollution around the world.
Surfing in waves of water bottles in Bali, overflowing bins of plastic trash at Colosseum in Rome or picking up campers’ rubbish in the U.S.’s national parks have become all too common a sight as plastic has overridden the planet.
Each year, about 8.8 million tons of plastic trash flows into the ocean, choking marine animals and the underwater environment, devastating coastal communities and in a recent finding, microplastics showing up throughout our bodies.
As parents, this is a frightening reality for our children who will have to bear the brunt of this in the decades to come (and depending on where you live, already are). If there’s any glimmer of hope, here’s one: 40% of plastic trash is considered single-use, much of what can be avoided by super-easy swaps.
A peek into our family’s daypack shows some of our favorite single-use alternatives—whether it’s on a road trip around California, hiking in Finnish Lapland or hitting the park after kindergarten— all which have held up for years now, and we don’t plan on replacing them anytime soon. These thoughtfully-made products (and their wonderful, dynamic founders) have helped us streamline not only our travels but how we reduce, reuse and rethink how we consume as a family.
What to cut: the Big Six
The first plastics to strike from your family’s checklist are also simple to replace:
Coffee Cups
We were recently on a road trip around the U.S. southwest and sadly were not shocked at the amount of Starbucks cups clogging every trash can in the parking lot. I’m originally from the States but have been living in Germany a decade, where cafe culture and sipping an espresso is still the Lebensstil. Unfortunately, the U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, so massive shift in thinking is necessary here.
Water Bottles
Travel allows us to observe how other countries manage their own resources: tap water is drinkable in many western European countries, Kenya opts generally for glass water bottles. Take stock of how other countries are doing it and see if you can bring ideas back to your own community. Bring your favorite reusable water bottle with.
Bags and Straws
Always stash a few packable tote bags in your bag. Not only are they oftentimes the only free option when buying groceries or supplies, they also come in handy when, say, your toddler decides to use his shirt as a popsicle canvas and you need a wet bag in a pinch. With straws, either ditch them all together or see below for our favorite foldable option (also doubles as a fun toy for kids on long car rides).
Cutlery and Toothbrushes
Get used to saying “No, thank you” to single-use cutlery, pack sporks instead and adopt bamboo toothbrushes. Every plastic toothbrush every produced still exists in a landfill somewhere, so it’s time to make the change!
Swaps we can get behind.
Stasher Bags
Stasher founder Kat Nouri had a lightbulb moment while packing her kids’ lunches and realized just how much single use plastic waste she and her family were producing every day, and so she went on a design mission for an alternative. Since 2016, Stasher— non-toxic silicone storage bags— has grown into a movement that’s replaced over a billion single-use plastic bags from entering our oceans and landfills.
When we travel, we always bring along a few of these, which can handle everything, from this morning’s leftover breakfast to wet bathing suits to art supplies. We also love aluminum bento boxes which are non-synthetic options, but if you’re trying to lighten the load for your optimal pack-light list, they are life savers when traveling through countries where stops (and food) are few and far between.
“Plastics aren't inherently bad. It's what we do, or don't do with them, that counts.”
— Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist & Oceanographer
Final Straw
Emma Rose Cohen’s brilliant Kickstarter video about her functionally-designed stainless steel straw gave the world a smile as well as a bit of education: 500 million straws used per day in the United States alone.
She founded Final after she and her friends began a beach cleanup initiative while also establishing Save the Mermaids to educate children on single-use plastics and the negative impact they have on the environment.
We love the Final products— sporks included— and use them whenever we road trip or travel abroad. One was even fished out of my backpack by a curious colobus monkey when driving through Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. I watched him sit on the roof of our dwelling as he dissected it with the focus of a surgeon, only to fling it back, semi-satisfied. Those silly monkeys.
Cadence Capsules
As a travel mom, I am always seeking to simplify the steps it takes to get from a-to-b with my kids— bulky luggage included. Cadence solves the challenge of having to bring along extra non-essential toiletry weight with its small, magnetic, leakproof containers.
Steph Hon designed these honeycomb modules taken from nature, physical movement and intuitive engineering to build one of the most streamlimed (and gorgeous) travel concepts I’ve used so far.
They’re small, but they hold a surprising amount of volume: they can hold enough face sunscreen, kids’ toothpaste, baby salves or body oils for a long weekend. If traveling for longer, store a larger volume in your luggage bag and refill as you go, keeping only the honeycomb out. It saves counter space from overpacked toiletry bags.
Eco-bonus: the capsules are made with 50% recycled material—20% recycled ocean-bound plastic and 30% reused scrap plastic— and always evolving.
Kid-friendly bonus: our kids love the magnetic features and play with them as a futurist de facto puzzle on long car rides.
Aloha Collection
While any wet bag is a saving grace when traveling, these splash-proof travel bags were gifted to me by a friend who was working with the upstart company back in 2016, and they’ve been such a jack of all trades, I continue to use them every day.
Rachael Leina'ala was a former flight attendant and always had a wet bikini she had to wrap in a plastic bag from her layover hotel. She partnered with Heather Aiu to create Aloha Collection, a line of a water resistant bags of different sizes and weights that can be used for everything from extra clothes stashes, art supply and games bags or even diaper bags.
They also donate 5% of profits to Hawaiʻi-based conservation organizations to help regenerate the cultural heritage and natural beauty of their island home.
REI Quick Dry Towels
I picked up a few of these and REI’s Mini MultiTowels in the REI sale bin before our round-the-world trip when our daughter was an infant back in 2016, and still use them every day, too. They double as a napkin in restaurants, airplanes and cars when traveling and for the inevitable spills everywhere. They alleviate the need for other disposable napkins or wipes.
Tips for reducing plastic as a family—
Normalize it!
It’s cool to bring along your reusables. Sporks and straws and travel bags are always conversation starters in airports and airplanes. Kids always have fun using them and their enthusiasm creates a natural ripple effect across their friends.
Create postive habits…
And our are more likely to make green choices throughout their lifetime. Open their world to all that is possible by living sustainably. Your positive impact on the world will grow with them.
Join a beach cleanup in your community.
Or start your own! At school or at work— your kids will learn about the cause and effect of the plastic items we use every day. Read about a changemaker doing just that in Germany and making a big impact. Support Surfrider, 5 Gyres and the multitude of options for ispiring the little ones in your family to become ocean advocates.
Take the plastic free challenge.
Campaigns like Plastic Free July have built awareness around plastic pollution and communities around the world are incrementally saying sayonara to single use. What better way to celebrate summer and the earth then going plastic-free?
Vote with your wallet.
By choosing brands that align with your values, you can have power over what kinds of businesses and systemic policies you envision in the world— and pave the way toward a more sustainable and just future for the next gens.
Shop zero waste and bulk store.
Do a search around your neighborhood for stores offering zero waste options, farmers markets, or simply learn how to make things yourself at home.
