tubism zip tubes
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Tubism Review: Lightweight containers for liquids

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I’m always on the lookout for lightweight products that can carry liquids easily without leaking. The gold standard is Nalgene bottles, because they don’t leak. But, they weigh more than I’d like at 0.5 ounces, and they don’t work with food or products you need to squeeze. I was excited when I saw the Tubism resealing zip tubes. At 0.4 ounces for 1.7 fluid ounces, they looked like a good deal. They could carry small amounts of liquids on trips while keeping down the weight.

olive oil in tubism zip tubesThe Tubism tubes are unique because they’re flat instead of round. One end has a zip closure and the other end a squeeze lid. They are recyclable if your community recycles plastics rated as five. Mine doesn’t. They’re also BPA free and food safe. You can wash them in the dishwasher which makes post trip cleanup chores easier. Also, because you can easily scrub the inside from the zip side, it helps keep them cleaner than competing products with small openings. Best of all was they only weigh 0.4 ounces.

olive oil leaks out of tubism zip tubesEach pack of Tubism tubes comes with three containers. I decided to try liquids with a different viscosity in each container. Starting from the thickest and going to the thinnest: sunscreen, olive oil and water. Sunscreen went in fine. It also came out of the squeeze end without any issues. The problem that I had was somehow pressure inside my pack caused the end to burst open which created a mess. Olive oil is a hard liquid to keep inside of any container. I think that the oil gets into the threads and then through capillary action it wicks more oil out of the container. That happened with the Tubism tubes. The water actually stayed inside the tube and didn’t burst. 1 out of 3 liquids didn’t leak.

While these seemed like a great product for camping, I think I’ll pass on using them. If you decide that you like them, I’d recommend packing them with care and inside a Ziploc freezer bag. I’d also only use them for more viscous liquids.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Tubism zip tubes for free from Tubism as coordinated by Outdoor PR in consideration for review publication.

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Bryan Hansel is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer and a former American Canoe Association L4 Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor. His home port is on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota. He also teaches photography workshops.

6 Comments

  • Dennis Burdett

    Great review,I would consider this product a non-bio,op–degradable over engineered sandwich bag.once again great writing great review

  • troutstalker

    If there is a concern about weight, why would you bring any liquid at all? All your food should be dehydrated or freeze dried to cut down weight. I have to because I have to portage my kayak and pack through the rugged terrain of the Adirondacks. I don’t bring a Nalgene bottle, just a MSR bladder to use in camp and a used soda bottle to drink from while portaging or paddling.

    • Bryan Hansel

      I like to add olive oil to dishes. It has high calories for the weight and tastes good. For me, it’s worth it even on Boundary Waters trips with lots of portaging. As far as liquids, I was including squeezable solids like sunscreen and peanut butter. They look solid, but they really are liquid. Being able to carry just what is needed in a light container saves weight vs. using the container they came in and the full amount.

  • Ian Johnston

    Hi Bryan,

    A bit of a left-field solution, but for carrying small-ish quantities of liquids, have you tried breast milk storage bags? Available from pharmacists or baby-essentials stores, they are really robust with double walls, have a ziplock closure and are pre-sterilised. The ones I use can carry 150ml (5 fl oz) – they weigh just a couple of grams each and I’ve not had them leak. I use them to carry pretty much the liquids you’ve described above as well as sauces to spice up meals.

    Kind Regards

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