New Colgate WISP mini-toothbrush

Colgate has a new mini-toothbrush out on the market. I happened to see it in Walmart a few months ago so I thought I would give it a try for backpacking.  I think the price was under $2 for 4 of them (they are also available on Amazon ) It is a very cute tiny little disposable brush, weighs less then a 1/2 ounce, 3 1/2 inches long.  You don’t need to use toothpaste with it – is has a small liquid filled bead in the center of the brush that takes the place of toothpaste.  You don’t need water or to rinse you mouth out when using it. The WISP also has a flexible toothpick on the opposite end which is very useful. So for those of us interested in shaving ounces off our pack weight this sounded like a perfect replacement for a toothbrush and tooth paste.  For a weekend on the trail it works out great, for longer trips I don’t think it is a good solution.

The WISP is a one time use item (you can reuse it but the liquid filled bead only lasts one time) so for a weekend trip you need to carry two or three.  For longer trips it becomes impractical to carry so many.  I also didn’t really get the felling that the WISP did as good a job in cleaning my teeth as the little fold-up toothbrush I normally carry.