What do high-lift jacks and toothbrushes have in common? Starting this week, you can store and protect both in Dopp kits made by the burgeoning brand Step 22 — the Hedgehog Toiletry Roll and the new Tortoise Toiletry Bag.
For those who keep an eye on the overlanding space, Step 22 is an intriguing brand. Step 22 launched in 2015 with just one product — a case that protects vehicle jacks. And from that simple, smart product, it’s earned a reputation for smart design that helps keep kits organized within overland rigs. Those products include the really slick Pangalong Tool Roll, which unfurls to reveal tools and a large tarp to work on, and flat-pack storage boxes.
Those products all seem like logical extensions for the brand. But last year, it took us slightly by surprise when it launched a rugged, hanging toiletry bag. And this week, it went one step further with a much more traditional-looking Dopp kit.
Here are a few impressions of its previous toiletry bags, plus our take on the new model.
Step 22 Hedgehog Toiletry Roll
This is a really clever design. Our Editor-in-Chief Seiji Ishii has been using it for 4 months and so far loves it.
Rolled up, the Hedgehog is like a bag. It keeps your toiletries packed tight for easy storage and transport. But hang it up, and you can easily see all your products at once, making organization and access super easy.
Editor’s Hedgehog Review
I originally packed the Step 22 Hedgehog Toiletry Roll for van-based adventures, some of them with my seven-year-old daughter. The Hedgehog had plenty of space for all my necessities, including my camp towel and my daughter’s needs as well.
Space will never be an issue with the Hedgehog, and it always drew appraise from fellow campers whose toiletry bags were usually overstuffed. The seven separate compartments allowed OCD-style organization. The two removable zipped compartments proved useful; one of them carried my contact lenses and supplies, while the other usually housed my daughter’s toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss so she could grab it by itself without rummaging through the rest of the kit. The powder-coated metal hanging hook made it convenient to use both in the van and out, and it rolled up quickly and easily to stow away.
The Hedgehog Toiletry Roll is overbuilt, which I liked. The 1,000 denier nylon, coated inner layer, YKK zippers, and T-handle zipper pulls were all reminiscent of components found on expedition-worthy packs and duffels. My Dopp kits aren’t subject to that kind of torture, but I appreciated the nod towards durability, as I’ve tossed plenty of toiletry kits only after a few seasons of use.
The rugged aesthetic also fit my tastes, and I think my style. This level of durability comes at a price; the MSRP for the Hedgehog Toiletry Kit is $85.
I liked the Step 22 Hedgehog so much that I stopped packing the contents into my bathroom drawers. I leave the kit packed as is, so I don’t have to repack to leave on a trip or adventure. And that removable compartment that contained my contact lenses and supplies — I routinely tear that kit off the roll and toss it into my mobile work backpack, so I can change into contacts as the need arises.
The Hedgehog Toiletry Roll has become my one-and-done Dopp kit and contact lens EDC.
Step 22 Tortoise Toiletry Bag
This month, the brand took a step toward a more traditional design with the Tortoise Toiletry Bag. We haven’t seen this one yet, but it seems like a smart design to eliminate the “black hole” of standard sacks. And to do this, it has a ton of organization built in.
The Step 22 Tortoise Toiletry Roll starts with a large zippered main compartment. Add three pockets in the main compartment, three pockets on the front of the main compartment, two pockets on the floor of the workspace, a removable zippered hygiene pouch, and two securable pockets on the front wall, and you’ve got a home for all your trinkets.
The brand makes deploying these easy, with an included detachable mirror and hanging hook.
This is a premium product at $65, but for those who spend a lot of time in planes, trains, and automobiles traveling the world, the Tortoise Toiletry Bag could make life a little more organized.
Learn more at Step22.com.