I should win the Nobel Prize for this.
My dental industry wife gets dozens of those little toothpaste samples all year. We've been tossing them after they are empty. Little .75 oz. guys...empty tube feels like nothing.
Examining them closer, they appear to be injection moulded plastic and very tough. I re-inflated an empty one and they hold their shape. Washing them out with hot water and detergent, I found they can be easily refilled with whatever liquid/goo you want! In my case I injected (with a big shot syringe) Vaseline, for fire starting. You could also use it for honey, olive oil, jelly, whatever. You'll need to wash it several times to get all the toothpaste/minty stuff out, and let dry a day.
Just make sure you remark the tube with a sharpie, or hilarious results could happen.
Nobel Backpacking Prize 2010, here I come!

paul:



I probably won't be getting on any planes with you, Paul.

Well now that you put it that way, I'm scaring myself, here!

Just How much time do you have on your hands, LOL That is extreme!

Paul,

I also search for cures to our "disposable" culture. Honey and olive oil are very difficult to contain.

I bet you are a source of amusement for all the females in your home.

Yes, that is a sure thing for the 2010 Nobel Backpacking Prize.

Nice thinking. I've been looking for something to store flavor syrup (for protein/oat shakes) and I think you've found me the perfect solution.

Dryer three things
Homeland security will be contacting you for putting such an idea on the Internet.

The FDAA will be contacting you for violating the federal laws against repackaging.

And if you put booze in them the Bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms will be contacting you.

Learn to laugh at these ideas, then forget them, don't publish them, it attracts attention.

Question authority and the authorities will question you.
Jim

Geez Jim, you make it sound like I've stumbled on a state secret.....It's only a toothpaste tube for goodness sake!

We work in the other direction. WE take those little liquor bottles from the airlines, and use them the same way: for olive oil, honey, etc. They work great, and we haven't had one leak yet.

But I DO reuse the toothpaste tubes you've mentioned. When they are empty, I just hold them up against a new full-sized tube and refill them...Because I don't want to take a full-sized tube on the trail.

I wanted to point out that small, travel size toothpaste and shampoo can be had at Wal-Mart for those needing that 1st tube to be recycled.

Yes, about Jim. I often wondered whether he was as paranoid in life as he seems in here. Jeeeze, like you said, it is just a tooth paste tube....sabre11004...

Hey, I carried two nalgene bottles with me to and from Jamaica a few years ago. The dog sat down when I was going through customs in Miami on the way back (Geez, I only visited Bob Marley's family home for a couple hours) and I was then specially selected to have my bags checked.

After going through my stuff they let me go. When my wife and I were sitting outside the main terminal waiting for a shuttle I mentioned that I had enough liquid in those bottles, that were never checked either way and they could have been full of nitro-glycerin or just as bad, "Everclear", to do some serious damage and it seemed to me that was a huge freaking security hole.

Less than two weeks later they banned liquids on all flights. Were they listening to us while we sat outside and talked? I dunno.

"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not really spying on me."

Yeah, but as long as the Voices don't start making suggestions on how to deal with the paranoia, he's probably harmless...probably...

I will reuse tiny plastic bottles of hotel soap and shampoo. but toothpaste tubes? Sorry, I have better things to do. I am amazed that some people go to such extremes? I do have a Mountainsmith cross country pack and the fabric is made from thread of recycled plastic bottles. But it amazes me that washing out toothpaste tubes is safe and ok with some people? However, reusing alight weight Pepsi bottle to carry water is not safe? No we have Nalgenes? I will spend the time others spend wasing out toothpaste tubes enjoying mother nature! Perhaps I am extreme? God Bless America ,we can be!

The advantage I see with toothpaste tubes is that they seem less prone to leak. At least they can't be much worse than hotel soap and shampoo. I reuse those too, but I have to be diligent to keep those upright, otherwise I'll find empty bottles in a puddle of whatever was supposed to stay inside them.

I do agree that it seems like it'd be a huge hassle to clean out.

Do you have a link?

A link? No, I simply clean out the tubes and re-use them.

By the way, to clean these things out well, first make sure all the toothpaste is squeezed out. Second, blow in the opening to re-inflate the tube. Then, fill 3/4ths with really hot water, add a drop or to of dish detergent, and let stand overnight, shaking once in a awhile. Rinse a few times and they clean right up.

I also cut the end off a tube to see if they would behave like "food tubes" and clips. YES, they do! The tricky part is the clip, which I'm working on, but a drop of contact cement on the fold seems to do the trick, and you can pry it open to reuse.

Kent, they sell "food tubes" at REI that are reusable squeeze tubes.
http://www.rei.com/product/696007
I'm not sure what you mean by "safe". Toothpaste tubes are food grade plastic, very tough, and lighter weight than hotel shampoo bottles. They also have a food grade, inside coating that is very easy to clean. Cut the bottoms off and they are even easier.

Well good! You might want to spend your time learning to spell, using proper punctuation and grammar.

that sounds like a good idea.. I work at the grocery store, and we have toothpaste samples in single use packets. i grabbed a handful of them, and you can use them and i intend on melting them down in the fire.

Have you tried this with "normal" size tubes?

No but it should work fine in fact resealing the ends might be easier. I was only looking for a way to store vaselene for fire starting in something smaller than an ounce tube. The bigger tubes might be very useful.

dehydrated toothpaste=baking soda

Cut them into rectangular sections and they make a very good patch to go in between the wall and tube of your bike tyre if you get a tear in the side wall.

I always have four rectangular pieces in my patch kit cut to fit neatly into the sidewalls of a 26 inch mountain bike tyre. For my commuting bike which has skinnier tyres I can just fold them down a bit or trim them off to fit the skinnier tyre.

Cheers,
Michael.

I noted this site when I think Phat mentioned it a while ago, but Specialty Bottle seems to have a wide variety of choices, some of which could fulfill firestarting needs.