Take the frequent traveler favorite, the hanging toiletry kit, then make one little change that has a huge impact. That’s the story with this new Getaway toiletry bag with a built-in light and mirror from Grand Trunk.

Grand Trunk GetawayWe can argue all day about what’s essential and what’s not when you’re packing light, but almost everyone has to have some kind of toiletry kit along on each trip. If you’re the bare bones type it might just contain five or six items. For a beauty queen maybe 30. For anywhere on the spectrum though you need to keep these things together and organized. Then the smaller the counter space, the more essential it is to have something that will hang.

So we keep coming back to this kind of item, reviewing ones in the past from Eagle Creek, Sea to Summit, Innate, and others. All of them have their pros and cons, but none has a pro like this: 4 LED bulbs that sit next to a mirror.

Whether you’re in a cheap hotel with a dim bulb, on a train, or camping off the grid, having this light source can make a huge difference when it’s dark. If you’re trying to put on make-up, these bulbs could mean the difference in looking gorgeous or looking like a Halloween witch.

Setting this kit up requires some prep work. You have to actually look at the instructions for how to insert the batteries as it’s not real intuitive. They’re the coin-type batteries so they lie flat, but if you keep the light turned off when you’re not using it, they should last a long time. LED bulbs use very little power.

You’ll also find a thin plastic film over the mirror that was protecting it during shipping. So remove that before thinking your eyes are going bad or you got a bad mirror.

travel toiletry kitThe kit itself comes in two sizes. I went for the small one since, well, I’m a guy. All my things fit in the various pockets just fine, with room to spare. There’s a nice assortment: a large pocket that’s sealed and has a viewing window, one meant to hold a toothbrush and toothpaste, a small outside one that can hold flat things like a nail clipper, then one more pocket for whatever else. It’s more like a folder than a spacious kit that’ll hold a drawer full of things, so go for the larger 10-inch by 21-inch one if you need a lot of space.

The strap that goes around this kit and closes it by hooking into a loop also works to hang it from all kinds of different hooks and rods. It’s sturdy and well-designed. There’s also heavy-duty Velcro to keep it all closed tight. Plus the mirror is secured with Velcro too and can be removed.

This medium size (7-inch by 10-inch) lists for $80 on the Grand Trunk site and you might have to pay that if you buy it at Nordstrom. On sites like Amazon and Moosejaw though, you might find it priced for less.

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