Toothpaste tube filling- for ultralight backpacking
A simple method for toothpaste tube filling from a large one to a small one. It is a handy trick for ultralight backpacking.
Background to toothpaste tube filling
I begrudge purchasing expensive small tubes of toothpaste for ultralight backpacking. “Yes, some people call me a tightarse, but I prefere a title more like an environmental conservative.”
For some years (too many) to refill I simply put the nozzles of the tubes together and squeezed the lager tube and hoped for the best. The small tube would fill, but a mess would result and luck would decide the extent of that mess.
Other walking friends squirt the toothpaste into a small container such as a photographic film container. I think of a tube as a cleaner and more hygienic dispenser, especially if someone else may wish to use it.
Better toothpaste tube filling
I needed a better method. I now use a short length (~6-8 mm) of a suitable tube to connect the tube nozzles and this can make the transfer of toothpaste between tubes for ultralight backpacking quick, clean, predictable and efficient.
Toothpaste tube filling. The transfer tube is made from a slice (~6-8 mm long) of a suitable piece of tubing that fits tightly over both toothpaste tube nozzles.
Toothpaste tube filling. The toothpaste tubes are connected together, nozzle to nozzle, by a transfer tube and ready for the quick, clean and efficient refilling of the small tube with appropriate quantities of toothpaste for an ultralight backpacking trip.
Tim
