List for a travel detailing bag

A

AntonV

New member
After a little road trip with my gf, I feel that I should carry some essentials with me to help keep the car looking clean. Obviously, when youre on vacation or away from home, the last thing on your list is washing your car.



After a long drive on the interstate, you acquire bug splats, brake dust, and the interior might get roughed up from the passengers, snacks, drinks, bags, etc....



Right now, I just carry a small bottle of speed shine and a few plush mf cloths.



So heres what I think I should carry.....all small items/containers....please recommend products.



Im not driving to a concours, so I dont need the full lineup. Just the essentials to keep you happy.



-Glass cleaner - i use stoners, but dont want that huge can for traveling. I also have the stoners mf "wand". this should be a direct replacement for a gas station squeegee. Plus, id rather have the handle than using towels, so I dont rub against the fender and create marring.

-Quick Detailer - im cool with the little bottle of speed shine. interested in ONR as well. seems like its a little more universal?

-Tar/bug remover - Again, small a bottle. P21s TAW or something stronger?

-Interior stuff - A little cleaner in the event of a spill? 303 interior cleaner? Im not worried in my car....no food. only water, and you've gotta hold it.

-Wheel cleaner - Just a quick wipe down on the exterior. ONR or qd with disposable mf's?

- Duster - I have the griots mf dusting wand... works well, can remove from base and wash the cloth. comes with a pouch too.

-1 lg mf towel - not for washing or wiping - I put a little scuff from the zipper of my jacket on the rear bumper lip, right under the trunk. keep a mf towel in the trunk, then drape it over the lip when removing luggage?



now, the trick is to find a good bag to hold this. It would have to be leak resistant...maybe a toiletry bag? Small is a must also.....My 135i isnt my grandpas cadillac. you could barely fit a dead body in there.



probably the biggest concern is how this stuff will hold up to extreme temperatures....heat in the summer, cold in the winter
 
AntonV said:
..Obviously, when youre on vacation or away from home, the last thing on your list is washing your car....
Click to expand...



So... the only things my wife and/or I take are window cleaning supplies and a small spray bottle of QD with a couple of plush MFs (just in case of really nasty bird-bombs).



Once the trip's over I clean up the vehicle. Until then it just gets dirty. Never been a problem, even during extended roadtrips.
 
This is what I bought for my bag: Click



But, it's no longer listed on Case Logic's web site, nor is it on Ebags where I bought it this Christmas. Amazon there says "3-6 weeks delivery" which doesn't look great either.



But, I looked quite a while and that was the closest to what I wanted that I could find.



You can't really tell from that picture so good what the bag is like. It's really thin. There's one enclosed pocket. Then, in front there's this thing that folds out and came make 3 larger compartments that aren't enclosed, e.g., there's no zipper top to them. The shoes and other items in the bag that you can see on that picture are actually in these compartments.



The Amazon customer review says something about velcro to attach to your trunk's carpet. I don't think mine has one of those.



Ideally, I wish the bag had 2 or 3 of those really thin compartments. I wanted to keep jumper cables and maybe a battery charger in it (I've seen a lot that are bigger, but my battery charger is pretty thing too). But, like I said, this bag has only got one compartment.



Oh, and I wish the bag had a handle on the top too. That's probably the weirdest thing about the bag, no handle. But, I don't carry it around much and just grabbing it by the top ain't that bad.
 
Oh, and the ONR. In QD dilution, you can also use it as a glass cleaner. I saw where Scottwax and a few others said they use it on their dash, but I haven't checked into which dilution they use. I like general purpose tools.



I don't know if ONR at QD dilution would be good on the wheels. Most people I've seen who mention it just use it in car wash dilution.



And, for general purpose products, I also think Griot's Interior Cleaner is neat. It can be used on all interior surfaces except glass. It works on leather, carpet, upholstery, dash, plastic.. I've seen other interior cleaners that do most of those, but not one that does all of them.
 
That's quite a list. Unless you're touring the United States, I'm not sure why you would want to lug around all of that.



I carry the following in a relatively small tupperware-like container in the trunk:



Adams Detail Spray

Ultima Car Interior Clean, Protect & Preserve Kit

3-4 mf towels (2 plush for the outside, 2 for the inside)





Seems pretty adequate to me.
 
I currently have and use a milk crate to haul my "on the go detail kit" in it is:



1. Optimum instant detail (replaced my mix of ONR mix QD)

2. Optimum car wax (use it after the instant detail when there is bird poo)

3. Stoner's glass cleaner

4. Plexus

5. Optimum tire shine

6. Optimum leather protection

7. Autoglym Interior shampoo

8. Zanio Leather in a bottle

9. about 10 Microfibers

10. Other stuff just cant remember





Thats what I have now But will be trying this out for LONG trips



11. 3.5 gallon bucket, with grit guard

12. 1 gallons of distilled h20

13. ONR

14. microfiber mitt

15. microfiber drying towel

16. California duster



I have the 1 gallon of h20 so I can go to a coin op, and use the pressure washer (rinse only) to knock off the majority of crap and then bucket wash DAS COOPER!



Some say I'm coo-coo but I like to say I'm well prepared.



I also think I trump the bimmer on trunk space.
 

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My travel kit.



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I am sometimes on the road for as long as three months at a time so I want to have enough stuff to keep the car looking decent no matter what I encounter.



There is also a box of clay and two Water Magnets in the bag that I didn't take out for the shot. I stuff a bunch of microfibers in plastic bags and stuff them in nooks and crannies of the car so I have a couple dozen along with me.



I usually buy a couple cheap 5 gallon buckets at Lowes or Home Depot where ever I wind up. They take up too much trunk space to bring along.
 
Damn you fit a lotta stuff in that one little bag!



And, I take it you're not so much into general purpose products. You've gotta specific product for everything.
 
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