Talk:Toiletry bag

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Merge all articles on toiletry bags into one article; Redirect all other terms for toiletry bags

In the U.S., the most popular term is "Toiletry Bag." That's the term used to search for these things on Amazon. "Dopp Kit" is reserved for toiletry bags made of leather. (Mr. Doppelt used only leather for his bags.) In the U.K. and the British Commonwealth, many other terms are used. My suggestion is to merge all the existing Wikipedia 'toiletry bag' articles under one heading, and then 're-direct' all the other terms to that heading. I'm 70 years old and never heard the term 'Dopp Kit' until recently. The term 'Body hygiene kit' is absurd; it must be military issue.Patrican (talk) 14:46, 3 November 2015 (UTC)

I read "also called a toiletry kit, ditty bag, dopp kit, bathroom kit, sponge bag, toilet bag, toilet kit, body hygiene kit, travel kit, wash bag, or wet pack". Missing from this list is "shaving kit" which is a term used by men in the U.S. You can verify this by going to a U.S.-based online store and searching for this. --David Wallace Croft (talk) 05:02, 18 November 2017 (UTC)

Untitled
I have to say, I'm a little bit baffled as to why this must have its own page, rather than being simply a common variant of the more notable toiletry kit/bag/whatever. Ex0pos (talk) 07:40, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

What is the point of this article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.19.134.95 (talk) 21:57, 31 July 2011 (UTC)

Merge with Dopp kit
I think Dopp kit should be merged in here. Samois98 20:30, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

What on earth is a “Body hygiene kit?” I know what a Dopp kit is, as would anyone over the age of 40, and there are still a lot of us around. ;-) There are lots of toiletry kits around of various shapes and sizes, but there is only one Dopp Kit. As soon as you use the name everyone knows what you mean and can picture it precisely. Brian F Colgate (talk) 00:18, 27 June 2012 (UTC)
 * A body hygiene kit is exactly what it sounds like. It seems that Dopp kit is one of many names for this, and in such a case, it's best to use a generic and self-explanatory term. Also, the name Dopp is quickly being forgotten. I'm 34 and I'd never heard of it until I saw this article. And I don't see any argument here that it isn't just another name for body hygiene kit.

I would say that the Recognizability and Precision characteristics would favor separate articles. Someone who comes to Wikipedia looking specifically for "Dopp Kit" these days would probably have come across the term in an older book or article and be curious what the difference is between that and a regular overnight kit. However, the Dopp Kit article should be cleaned up a bit to make sure that the description is specifically referring to the trademarked line of kits distributed in WWII and later by Samsonite: rather than listing the sort of things generally kept in them (like a general body hygiene kit), it would improve the article to list what actually was included in the kit distributed to GIs, and how that changed over the years. (FWIW, I'm in my mid-30s, and the connotation I've always had was that a Dopp Kit was specifically a particularly nice kind of overnight kit, geared toward what one might bring on a business trip rather than on vacation) Dolohov (talk) 21:17, 5 July 2012 (UTC)

My opinion, as a younger reader, I am 27, is the same. I think this should be specifically derivative from the body hygiene kit, as it has specific historical and cultural significance in The U.S. It is also used in literature to allude to a travelling kit with a specific look by U.S. writers, that is separate from general other body hygiene kits, specifically a weathered, zippered, and leather look. — Preceding unsigned comment added by L0dixon (talk • contribs) 13:25, 14 July 2012 (UTC)

Primus: I came across this page by searching for the term "dopp kit" after seeing it in a work of fiction from 1997 describing events from 1945. I was curious as to the derivation of the term. This strikes me as a quintessential basis for having a separate page. I am still using the Dopp kit I got in the 1980's. I am 66. I agree with Dolohov's comments on contents. Also, a picture would be helpful for those who have not seen the item. Secundus: I have never heard of a "body hygiene kit" in my life. It sounds like a term created by a hospital administrator for billing purposes. Tertius: I first became acquainted with the "body hygiene kit" while in the, sexually segregated, naval service of the United States. The common slang expression among males was "douche kit" (The term is distinct from the "douche bag"). I have heard this usage a few times since. Add this where you choose. Atoizzard (talk) 18:34, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

We have been calling this item a dop or dopp kit for many years, but finally got the reason from Wiki. Since there is no other unique name ('utility bag' 'toiletries kit' 'travel kit' and the like just don't describe it well) we think the article should remain. If someday a new popular name arises, then Dopp Kit could be moved to that heading. Phil EdwardsKnoxbox0 (talk) 15:25, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

I've never heard of a toiletry bag being called a 'body hygiene kit', but whatever the variations are, it seems a Dopp kit is just another of them, so I'm in favour of the merge. Stephend01 (talk) 17:41, 24 February 2013 (UTC)

Don't Merge -  I had no idea what a Dopp Kit was and the page helped me out a lot. It would be quite confusing if someone had to search for it in the Body Hygiene kit page. ToastyMallows (talk) 23:56, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

don't merge! I learned about DOPP kits from my dad who was in WWll. -- Johnny — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.184.16.142 (talk) 02:39, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Merge! Dopp is a bag for a personal hygiene items....this should be titled Personal Hygiene Kit......wow we are a very strange lot. --70.117.18.164 (talk) 13:55, 2 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Merge: Dopp kit is a US brand name, unfamiliar in my part of the world (I am over 40 ...). Given that there is a generic page for this topic, a (full content) merge seems very sensible, keeping a separate heading to discuss the history of the term Dopp kit. Klbrain (talk) 12:52, 30 May 2016 (UTC)

Housewife?
I've stumbled about the word "housewive" in one of the Hornblower novels and it seems to describe his toiletry set rolled into a long piece of cloth, so is housewife an old word for this or does it have another meaning? --95.222.115.72 (talk) 12:13, 2 March 2013 (UTC)


 * My English mother used to pack a housewife in c.1970s: she pronounced it "hussif". It contained not toiletries but needles and pins stuck in a cloth which was wrapped round scissors, buttons and thread, as one now gets in hotels; I suppose Hornblower might use the cloth itself for making and mending torn clothes (and perhaps as a bandage, or for shoe-cleaning material). I fear it is not relevant to this article Jezza (talk) 17:50, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

WTF?
All my life I've known these as "saving kits" -- as did my father, his father, and all my uncles and male cousins. I've never heard it referred to as a "toiletry bag" -- which sounds like a sack for toilet paper -- and I've never encountered the term "dopp bag" before today.

Maybe this article needs to be a little less "encyclopedic" and a little more reality-oriented. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.95.43.253 (talk) 20:57, 30 November 2021 (UTC)

Dopp Kit or Attaché?
Why is there no reference connecting the toiletry bag to the attaché? My family has always referred to the toiletry bag as an attaché, and yet I find no reference online to this common name. Does the online world reflect the real world? Where am I? 2600:1010:B112:6DDA:1B6:8AA1:D68F:5300 (talk) 17:09, 21 February 2022 (UTC)