Squeeze Tube Containers: Uses and Refill Steps
Ok so of course any long distance hiker will tell you to repackage your items, especially those in bulky, excessive materials (who am I kidding... everything is super-wrapped now a days). The most common way of storing your toothpaste, butter, peanut butter and other jelly-like materials are in squeeze tubes. Luckily you can buy some of these already in the simplest, most effective container... but what about when you run out? And what to do with soft, gooey stick butter?
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Steps are really simple.
- Take a razor or sharp knife and cut long the flat, folded end opposite the cap side.
- Be sure to cut only enough off to open the tube. Too much and you won't be able to reuse it as often.
- Create a double boiler by placing a small soup can of water in a pot of boiling water.
- Remove the screw cap, or open the snap top, and place the squeeze bottle into the boiler and heat to just below boiling. You can also run it under hot tap water if you prefer.
- Once the interior contents have liquefied and drained out (aka, clean), remove from the boiler.
- You can now fill with whatever you want (peanut butter in an old toothpaste tube, etc). Scoop and pack into the open end you created in step 1. For peanut butter, you may want to melt it first, that way it pours in like warm honey.
- Once about 3/4 full, press the open end shut and tightly fold over and in (essentially sealing the end). Use a butane lighter to slightly melt the plastic and then firmly crimp with a needlenose pliers. Repeat a few times to ensure a seal.
- TEST YOUR SEAL!!!! Nothing worse than having peanut butter ooze all over your pack contents
So now you can pull out the ol' Crest tube and squeeze a line of goo on your tortilla shell. Your friends will think you've lost it, but you know you have found the perfect container for your peanut butter.
This also works well for about 6 refills on the travel or "sample"-sized toothpaste tubes if you don't want to buy new minitubes and just want to refill from your home stock.
