The River Valley Razor: Handy Tips for Wet Shaving While Travelling

For most traditional wet shavers the thought of going back to multi-blade cartridge shaving systems would be unthinkable. Therefore travelling presents a problem for those of us who swear by soap, brush, and razor. Here are some handy tips for shaving whilst on your travels.

The golden rules are: "Keep it light" and "Keep it tight" . Choose a nice compact size dopp kit bag. A good high quality leather bag can last you a lifetime. As a traveler you should be robust and be able to pick up all baggage at a moments notice. You don't really want to lug around a heavy bag with all your shaving gear.

It's obvious that when travelling you will have to sacrifice some of the comforts of home. Carrying around pre-shave oil, shaving soap, and bowl (or mug) is not really practical. A lighter, smaller option is needed. We can sacrifice the pre-shave oil in favour of a hot towel or shower.

Instead of traditional soap, I recommend carrying a tube of shave cream (Samsol, Jolly, Proraso etc.), or shave soap sticks (Arko, Williams, Valobra etc.). My personal preference for travelling is Arko shave stick. The nice thing about shave creams and soap sticks is that they can be lathered on the face easily. No bowls or mugs required.

Your travel brush should be small and light. My personal brush of choice is a Simpson Duke. To avoid damaging your brush while it is packed in your bag, store it in a small metal cylinder or a plastic pill tube. I use a metal tube for both brush and soap.

Carry a light razor for travel purposes. I use a Muhle R106. Another good option would be the Merkur 42C (Small, light weight, and compact). It's not wise to travel around with a blade in your razor so carry an extra pack of blades with you since you will changing out blades more often. Keep your razor in a small flat box along with your extra blades.

Instead of heavy bottles of aftershave splash or alum stones, use a lightweight compact plastic bottle of aftershave balm that has a secure lid. I like the "Sul filo del rasoio" brand from Proraso. It's light,compact, has a secure lid, and it's very soothing.