Introduction: Travel Safe
Do you ever fear your wallet or cards will get stolen while travelling or staying in a hotel or hostel? I do and had once a part of my cash stolen by a hotel personnel. I now split my resources and keep at different places, bags, on person, but also devised some not so obvious secret stash compartments . One of them is an empty toothpaste tube. It is just laying in your bathroom kit, and not very attractive prize.
In this short tutorial I show how you can use an empty toothpaste or shaving cream tube to create a small hiding place that can hold at least few hundred bucks and can get you out of trouble when you need it the most
Supplies
Empty or near empty toothpaste / cream tube
Hair pin
Scissors
Cash
Step 1: Find a Tube
Select an empty or almost empty toothpaste or shaving cream or hand cream tube and empty any left over contents
Step 2:
Cut the end of the tube open.
Clean it using water and or paper towel. Make sure you use something long like a spoon to reach the top from the inside. Let let dry naturally or use another paper towel
Step 3:
Stick your cash, jewellery, or even cards ( not all toothpaste are wide enough)
Wrap the end several times and clamp it with a hair pin
You might want to deflate some air out at the end to make it looks like almost empty tube
Step 4: Go Out and See the World

First Prize in the
Secret Compartment Challenge
13 Comments
1 year ago
hi
1 year ago on Step 4
This is such a great idea I am going to use this on my next trip
1 year ago
good idea - I'd change it a bit though - put your cash into a drinking straw, seal the ends of the straw (or use plastic wrap) ; cut end of the toothpaste tube, insert sealed cash and reseal the end of toothpaste tube with a heat source (soldering iron, hot knife, iron ,etc.) or fold over and hold close with binder clip.
This allows the toothpaste tube to have the some heft if someone is curious and also if they open the cap, toothpaste will come out. May want to dedicate that tube as a decoy only :)
Reply 1 year ago
Great idea, but emergency only stow away I'd say. If you want to have a quick access though that might be problematic.
Reply 1 year ago
then just crimp over the end and use the binder clip (or your hairpin) - I use binder clips all the time to keep the used part of the tube rolled up. What I'm getting at is the tube would be more 'real' i.e. why would you have an empty tube in your kit?
2 years ago
Neat job, though I'd be careful with this. It does remind me of the true story of a Melbourne couple stowing their expensive jewelry in the wheely bin in their backyard while on holidays for 'safe keeping', and not expecting the helpful neighbor to wander over and put it out for them while they were away.
Reply 2 years ago
No neighbour touching my toothpaste or else haha
2 years ago
Should work great as long as your thief isn't a Monk or Poirot type that notices, "hey, this guy has two tubes of toothpaste in use. WTF?"
Reply 2 years ago
haha yes... but generally people that are monks are not into stealing :) But just in case i'll throw my paste into wife's kit :)
2 years ago on Step 4
An excellent simple method of protection.
2 years ago
That's quite interesting.
2 years ago
Last thing I want to be stolen is my toothpaste :)
Reply 2 years ago
nice ;)