Bagball: a smelly traveler’s best friend?

While flipping through the latest issue of Time Out: Chicago, I noticed a small blurb on the Bagball: a little sphere you place in your gym bag that releases flavored fumes to combat sweaty-smelling clothing.

The product targets three demographics: 1) the aforementioned gym monkeys, 2) hunters (to help mask your human smell from the animals — yikes) and 3) your house. Oddly enough, they’re missing out on a huge core group, one where smelly clothes in overstuffed bags are the norm: travelers.

How great would it be to have one of thee little balls floating around your backpack? If I had a dime for every time I pulled a wrinkly shirt out of my pack only to sniff it and dry heave (while still putting it on, of course), I could afford at least three or four loads of overpriced loads of hostel laundry.

While daydreaming of the wonders of having fresh smelling travel clothes, I realized that I could probably come up with something cheaper, and more portable, to keep me smelling fresh on the road. For instance, a few dryer sheets floating around my bag would probably do the trick, and take up a lot less space to boot.

But if you’re interested in giving the Bagball a go on your next trip, they can be had from their website for $7.99 a pop.