One thing that I always try to do when I go to Ethiopia to adopt a child is to bring supplies to the orphanage where my children lived. Awhile back I wrote about using Rubbermaids as auxiliary pieces of luggage for this purpose.

My sister who just returned from Ethiopia gathered supplies for her son's orphanage that she had planned to deliver to Ethiopia in this way, but due to several mix-ups in Washington D.C. the luggage never made it farther than Dulles. She toted the whole heap home, and I volunteered to deliver them when I travel(hopefully) later this year for our adoption.

Two big bins came back to our house. One of them was a Sterilite brand bin, and as you can see, it did not survive the travel. The transit authority had to tape the gaping hole in it's bottom.


The other was a Rubbermaid, just as I recommended in that previous blog post, but it was the clear type of plastic. It fared better than the Sterilite, but it STILL had some small cracks in the bottom. I was surprised at how beat up these pieces looked, especially considering that they only made it 1/3 of the way to Ethiopia.


The type of bin that fares best for international travel in my experience is the Rubbermaid Roughneck. The rubber used in the Roughneck is more flexible and sturdy than the plastic used for other brands of bins, making it an excellent choice to withstand the rigors of international travel.

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The 18 gallon size is within the dimensional limits for international air travel. It is a good size so that even if you pack it all the way full, it will probably weigh less than the allowable luggage weight limit of 50 pounds, unless you're carrying something really heavy like books.


I've taken some pictures so you can see how I retrofit the handles with zip-ties, so that the lids will stay on securely. I have seen people zip-tie all four sides. But I feel that two zip-ties in each handle is adequate in most cases. The beauty of using zip-ties is that they are extremely durable, and yet they are easy for the transit authority to remove for a search. The TSA can then reseal it with their own zip-ties after the search is complete.

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Bringing supplies to our children's orphanages is another easy way for adoptive parents to benefit the children who still wait. And if you want, on the way home you can use the Rubbermaid to carry souvenirs from your child's birth country.



Related Links:

Packing for Baby

Packing Light

(And to read about my current homestudy cleaning frenzy, check out It's Sucking Me Dowwwwn!)