I Am Going To A Deserted Island

[Soap Thing]

I wanted to start this evolving journal because I will soon be entering a new chapter of my life. As some of you know, I am active duty United States Air Force. I’ve been stationed at Scott Air Force base in Illinois near St Louis since spring 2017, next May I will be leaving to go to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey [emoji1250] for 12 months. My wife Kristina will stay here and continue to work teaching at a local school. The base is dependent restricted so she could not go with me even if she wanted to.

This is not the first time I’ve had to do this. I was at Incirlik for 15 months in 2016-2017. Occasionally I might talk about the joys and pitfalls of military life but right now I figured I’d keep things shaving related.

Obviously I can’t take my entire collection with me overseas, that would be simply untenable. So I have started strategizing about what to bring to keep the hobby alive.

So I have chosen 12 shaving soap and aftershave combinations, one for each month of the year.

June: Moon Sorrento & matching balm

July: Captain’s Choice Barnacle Bob & Matching splash

August: Crowne & Crane Makai & matching balm

September: Stirling Deep Blue Sea & Matching splash

October: Declaration Grooming After The Rain & matching splash

November: Murphy & McNeil Tobac Fanaile & Crowne & Crane Tobacco Vanilla Balm

December: Cooper & French Santa’s Workshop & matching balm

January: The Club Warrior Of Howling Fjord & Proraso White balm

February: Wholly Kaw Italian Holiday & matching splash

March: PAA Sundown & Floid Vigoroso

April: Barrister & Mann Reserve Waves & matching splash

May: Chicago Grooming Irving Park & Fine American Blend Splash

Subject to change between now and next spring but most, if not all, of them I think will stay on the list. I will call them the chosen ones.

That’s as far as I’ve got, haven’t decided what razors I will take yet.

If you were going to a deserted island and could only take 12 soaps, what would they be? Don’t be shy let’s hear it. Your choices likely won’t change my own, but I’m interested to see how people would start racking and stacking.


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[GearNoir]

Well thanks for your continued service! For what it’s worth, sorry you’re going to have to be away from family so long.

CBL, Stirling, SV, and Moon. Not sure which ones exactly, but that’d be my artisan range.

 

[Soap Thing]

Well thanks for your continued service! For what it’s worth, sorry you’re going to have to be away from family so long.

CBL, Stirling, SV, and Moon. Not sure which ones exactly, but that’d be my artisan range.

I miss those little CBL hard pucks. I think they got discontinued. Those little devils are lather beasts. They would just explode into a heap of lather. I’ve been meaning to try SV but I want to get Tundra Artica in a tin, so far I’ve only found refill pucks.


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[Scuttlesoap]

I would take:

CBL Orion (California Sunrise) - soap & AS
Stirling Boat Drinks - soap & AS
Wholly Kaw Fern Concerto - soap & AS
Wickham Club Cola - soap & AS
Ginger’s Garden Ginger Ale - soap & AS
Barrister & Mann Le Grand Chypre - soap & AS
Maggard Razors Limes & Bergamot - soap & AS
Caties Bubbles Eau de Thé - soap & AS
Crowne & Crane Frenchmen St with Zingari Man The Soloist Splash
Ethos Fresco with My Ethos Bespoke Lime, Tangerine, & Spearmint
Murphy & McNeil Uber Citrus with Blackship Grooming Ghost Ship
Victory Shaving Pacific Peril with Oleo Pucker

 

[dangerousdon]

That is quite a list of soaps! I have to get back with you on which 12 I would take with me. I will be frank though. I probably would take half as many as I don't think I would be able to go through a puck or a tub in a month. I am not sure I would do a monthly soap by scent either. That's just me. Let me give this a little thought and I'll get back to you!

 

[Graybeard57]

Oleo Pucker

Sounds like a CB handle, Brian.

If I were going to a deserted island with my wife, I'd take only unscented soaps and AS. However, since making this journey alone, the soaps I would take include ones from these makers only:

CBL
Shannon's Soaps
LNHC

I'd get AS splashes from WSP for their great flavors and staying power, AV Ice Blue, and balms/elixirs from CBL and LNHC for their skin healing properties.

Narrowing down the soaps to flavors is much harder. Generally speaking, I'd be quite satisfied with any soap from CBL, LNHC, or Shannon's, but there is one exception. Under no circumstances would I take CBL's Roasted Oatmeal Stout to the island. To my nose, it smells like stale vomited beer. There seem to be many shavers out there who favor smelling like stale vomited beer, but I am not one of them (YMMV, of course!).

Welcome to The Cadre, home to many "other forum" ex-pats. Thank you for your service, and best of luck for Incirlik.

 

[Spider]

I didn’t realize you were at Scott. You’re just down the road… I’m at Whiteman, lol. We should do a St. Louis get together, right @Luecke3262 ?
When I went to Afghanistan for 6 months, I did something similar, but I still ended up taking quite a bit of stuff. This was my deployed den. (I don’t have pics of what I actually took).

I love variety too much and don’t much care for using the same product day after day. Most folks commented that my deployed den was bigger than their normal den. Plus, I acquired quite a bit of new stuff while I was over there and came back with probably twice as much as I went there with.

My mindset on soaps has changed since then and my den has been narrowed a bit to mostly a few favorite artisans. Not sure what scents I’d be taking, but here’s the soap makers I’d be bringing:
CBL (would bring a few)
Southern Witchcrafts
Oz Shaving
Mystic Water
Saint Charles Shave
Jeeves of Hudson St.
Victory Shaving
And one of my clown Puke tubs.

I miss those little CBL hard pucks.

He still makes them. You want the Tonsorial pucks. There’s only a couple on his site right now, but I bet he has a lot that’s not on his website if you contact him about it. Also, do yourself a favor and get a puck or two of his Private Reserve. It’s a 3oz puck and one of the best I’ve used. Smells amazing too!

 

[GearNoir]

Under no circumstances would I take CBL's Roasted Oatmeal Stout to the island. To my nose, it smells like stale vomited beer. There seem to be many shavers out there who favor smelling like stale vomited beer, but I am not one of them (YMMV, of course!).

What sacrilege is this?!
Somebody get this man a dose of extra strength cologne! I think his sniffer is going bad!

 

[Luecke3262]

I didn’t realize you were at Scott. You’re just down the road… I’m at Whiteman, lol. We should do a St. Louis get together, right @Luecke3262 ?
When I went to Afghanistan for 6 months, I did something similar, but I still ended up taking quite a bit of stuff. This was my deployed den. (I don’t have pics of what I actually took).
View attachment 69980
I love variety too much and don’t much care for using the same product day after day. Most folks commented that my deployed den was bigger than their normal den. Plus, I acquired quite a bit of new stuff while I was over there and came back with probably twice as much as I went there with.

My mindset on soaps has changed since then and my den has been narrowed a bit to mostly a few favorite artisans. Not sure what scents I’d be taking, but here’s the soap makers I’d be bringing:
CBL (would bring a few)
Southern Witchcrafts
Oz Shaving
Mystic Water
Saint Charles Shave
Jeeves of Hudson St.
Victory Shaving
And one of my clown Puke tubs.


He still makes them. You want the Tonsorial pucks. There’s only a couple on his site right now, but I bet he has a lot that’s not on his website if you contact him about it. Also, do yourself a favor and get a puck or two of his Private Reserve. It’s a 3oz puck and one of the best I’ve used. Smells amazing too!

@Soap Thing If you want to get together, that would be great!

JK WOW, I'm glad you were not deprived while over there!

 

[Soap Thing]

@Soap Thing If you want to get together, that would be great!

JK WOW, I'm glad you were not deprived while over there!

I’m game, just gotta chew over where and when.


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[Soap Thing]

I didn’t realize you were at Scott. You’re just down the road… I’m at Whiteman, lol. We should do a St. Louis get together, right @Luecke3262 ?
When I went to Afghanistan for 6 months, I did something similar, but I still ended up taking quite a bit of stuff. This was my deployed den. (I don’t have pics of what I actually took).
View attachment 69980
I love variety too much and don’t much care for using the same product day after day. Most folks commented that my deployed den was bigger than their normal den. Plus, I acquired quite a bit of new stuff while I was over there and came back with probably twice as much as I went there with.

My mindset on soaps has changed since then and my den has been narrowed a bit to mostly a few favorite artisans. Not sure what scents I’d be taking, but here’s the soap makers I’d be bringing:
CBL (would bring a few)
Southern Witchcrafts
Oz Shaving
Mystic Water
Saint Charles Shave
Jeeves of Hudson St.
Victory Shaving
And one of my clown Puke tubs.


He still makes them. You want the Tonsorial pucks. There’s only a couple on his site right now, but I bet he has a lot that’s not on his website if you contact him about it. Also, do yourself a favor and get a puck or two of his Private Reserve. It’s a 3oz puck and one of the best I’ve used. Smells amazing too!

I’ll have to reach out and see what he’s got stashed away. That’s quite a collection you had. I’d pack that much but then I might not have room for my Xbox [emoji1787]. Mystic Water! Love that stuff, I have like 6 pucks. It’s not much to look at but it lathers like a champ!


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[Graybeard57]

What sacrilege is this?!
Somebody get this man a dose of extra strength cologne! I think his sniffer is going bad!

No need for cologne. I just don't like the stuff, not even one little bit. I love CBL soaps - all are great performers. It's a mystery to me why @CBLindsay thought Stale Vomited Beer would be popular, but evidently he know his market better than do I. Roasted Oatmeal Stout is the one soap scent Chris makes that I don't like.

 

[Soap Thing]

I would take:

CBL Orion (California Sunrise) - soap & AS
Stirling Boat Drinks - soap & AS
Wholly Kaw Fern Concerto - soap & AS
Wickham Club Cola - soap & AS
Ginger’s Garden Ginger Ale - soap & AS
Barrister & Mann Le Grand Chypre - soap & AS
Maggard Razors Limes & Bergamot - soap & AS
Caties Bubbles Eau de Thé - soap & AS
Crowne & Crane Frenchmen St with Zingari Man The Soloist Splash
Ethos Fresco with My Ethos Bespoke Lime, Tangerine, & Spearmint
Murphy & McNeil Uber Citrus with Blackship Grooming Ghost Ship
Victory Shaving Pacific Peril with Oleo Pucker

That’s an interesting list. I’m seeing a lot of citrus heavy scents in there. Personally I’m a very seasonal shaver so I had to try to balance it out. Is Ethos a hard triple millled sorta thing? Or is it a croap?


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[woodpusher]

It's been years since I have had a banana split.

 

[Soap Thing]

That is quite a list of soaps! I have to get back with you on which 12 I would take with me. I will be frank though. I probably would take half as many as I don't think I would be able to go through a puck or a tub in a month. I am not sure I would do a monthly soap by scent either. That's just me. Let me give this a little thought and I'll get back to you!

I’m a very seasonal shaver so that’s why it’s there’s so many varying scents. Plus I wanted to take things I haven’t reviewed on my YouTube channel yet. I highly doubt I’ll exhaust most of these tubs, most of them will probably come back home with me, I think a couple are half full and I’ll exhaust them while I’m gone.


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[Scuttlesoap]

That’s an interesting list. I’m seeing a lot of citrus heavy scents in there. Personally I’m a very seasonal shaver so I had to try to balance it out. Is Ethos a hard triple millled sorta thing? Or is it a croap?


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I’m a citrus and boozy freak with a little smattering of old school Fougéres and Chypres. I did through in a couple fun soda scents

Most of Ethos is a croap style base. However, he is now releasing some items in his F base (for firm) - which is what his Fresco is in. The F base is not hard like triple milled - more like your standard artisans lime Barrister & Mann or CBL in terms of firmness.

 

[Soap Thing]

I’m a citrus and boozy freak with a little smattering of old school Fougéres and Chypres. I did through in a couple fun soda scents [emoji23]

Most of Ethos is a croap style base. However, he is now releasing some items in his F base (for firm) - which is what his Fresco is in. The F base is not hard like triple milled - more like your standard artisans lime Barrister & Mann or CBL in terms of firmness.

I definitely need to check out the F base then. Sounds like serious business.


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[Spider]

my YouTube channel

Didn’t know you had one. Have you added your videos here on The Cadre?

 

[Soap Thing]

Didn’t know you had one. Have you added your videos here on The Cadre?

Not yet. I’m doing a TSC video for the Rudolph gift exchange unboxing, but a lot of my videos are not in compliance with the TSC TOU, or at the very least they kind of ride the line. So out of respect for the Cadre, because I like being a part of the group, it’s easier to just not associate my channel with the forum.


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[Jaro1069]

I didnt know you had a youtube channel either !! I just went and looked and yes I subscribed to it so I guess im #226 !!!
I have to say when I saw you that you look like you'd be Air Force... Honestly when I saw you I thought of the guy from Stargate !!
Chief Master Sergeant Norman Walter Davis Harriman

But you had more hair !!