Green Guru Upcycled Sleep Pad Travel Kit Review

The Green Guru Upcycled Sleep Pad Travel Kit comes in bright, fun colors thanks to recycled and reused materials that give it a rugged appearance and unique styling. Whereas we’re on board for all that, we’re curious to test how it handles travel. Let’s dive in!

External Components

The pouch’s exterior is manufactured from repurposed sleeping pads, discarded bicycle tire tubes, and climbing ropes salvaged by REI. The sleeping pad material is on top—the brightly-colored part of the pouch. The materials hold various pieces and parts of the sleeping pad. It isn’t distracting and doesn’t take away from the gear’s durability overall, so we’re here for it. Who doesn’t like a little extra character?

The bicycle tire tubes are on the bottom of the Travel Kit. This material is more durable and waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about setting it on wet surfaces or a leaky shampoo bottle seeping through the pouch. It’s a little slippery when it gets wet; however, there’s some texture to help you keep hold of it.

The handle uses the same bicycle tire tube material. It’s durable and large enough for any size hand to grasp. A little patch says, “I used to be a sleeping pad, now I am your travel kit,” which feels funny because the handle wasn’t a sleeping pad, it was a bicycle tire tube, but we get the sentiment. This kit is recycled, and you should be happy about that!

The metal zipper is unbranded but feels sturdy. As for the pouch as a whole, this feels like its Achilles heel. That’s not to say that it doesn’t feel durable—it does; however, it doesn’t feel as strong as the other materials used to construct the pouch. It is especially telling because it’s one of the few materials that isn’t recycled. Again, we’ve had no issues thus far, though we worry we could down the line.

REI repurposed climbing ropes to create the zipper pull for Green Guru. It’s durable, easy to grab onto, and comfortable to open and close the compartment. Plus, ours is purple. What’s not to love about that?

Speaking of colors, at the time of writing, you can’t choose what colorway you get. All the photos online are colorful and well-designed, but there isn’t a way to select which colors you want. The model we have on hand is red and yellow with a purple and pink zipper. That might sound like a lot, but everything comes together nicely. This is perfect for you if you have a vibrant personality and want gear that matches that (or your daypack or sling).

Last, these pouches are crafted in the United States. It is rare to find gear made in the U.S.A., especially when it comes to textiles and plastics. Whereas this will only be important for some, we thought it was worth reporting on.

Inside The Kit

You will be disappointed if you think this toiletry bag includes lots of internal organization. However, if you’re like most travelers and want to jam-pack as much gear as possible into your dopp kit, you’re in luck!

The liner is polyester and is bright red, at least on our model. We’re unsure whether it differs depending on the external colorway, but it makes finding gear easier.

There’s quite a bit of space to work with here—as we mentioned above, there’s no organization. You can get crafty with small pouches and cases for your gear, or just let fly and only make sure it all fits.

As a toiletry kit, there’s more than enough space for a week-long trip or longer if you get smart with how you pack your gear. Over in Pack Hacker Pro, there’s an entire thread on organizing your toiletry kit. If you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll fit right into the Pro Community!

If you plan to hit the airport for your next trip, you need a 3-1-1 bag to get through security. There’s more than enough room to stow one inside, and it can help organize your gear for longer trips. Depending on your model, it can act as a divider. Put your liquids in the pouch, then some items on one side and others on the opposite. It’s an excellent way to separate incompatible items, like toothbrushes and hairbrushes.

However, you don’t have to use this thing for toiletries. It feels more like a mini packing cube than a toiletry container when empty. You can stow smaller items here, like socks, underwear, hats, gloves, or anything you’d typically want to keep out of a larger packing cube.

Or, you can load up your tech inside. It doesn’t work well for large, heavier items because the materials don’t have much strength; however, it can easily handle loads of cables, dongles, and other lighter items. It can’t organize them well, but they’ll fit inside, which is what matters.

In testing, we’ve determined that this pouch doesn’t work great for anything, but it’s pretty good at most things. From toiletries to tech, it will do the job in a pinch. It reminds us of an old saying that’s often cut off: “A jack of all trades is a master of none’, which continues with, “but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Without experimentation, dismissing this as an average toiletry bag is easy. However, after further inspection, it’s a pouch that works for stowing bathroom utensils, clothing, tech, and a surprising number of lemons in a pinch.

Overall, this probably isn’t the perfect dopp kit for you. If it is, that’s spectacular, but nothing revolutionary is happening here. However, because of the durable, versatile, and recycled materials, it works for various uses and is a worthy travel companion for that reason alone.