Body powder is messy. I don't know how many times I put that old sifter-top bottle back in the medicine cabinet to the frustration of those four words rattling 'round my head. But what to do about it? After all, putting on body powder was only a luxury line item in the busy bullet list of my morning routine; it was something I did on those occasions when I felt at ease with the pace of my morning. No matter how I approached putting powder on my body, it was going to come shackled to a clean-up process that nearly outweighed the comfort it afforded me. Powder ended up all over the bathroom floor and my hands were covered in it. It transferred to my clothes via my fingers and to the rug and floors around my bathroom via my feet.
So I tried a lot of different approaches to control the mess that those classic powder bottles created: there’s a variety of uncomfortable and hilarious postures, sprinkling powder onto myself or down into my underwear, the naked-man powder-handed swat. Frustrated by the amount of powder that would end up on the floor instead of where I wanted it, I felt obliged to try some alternative products. I tried aerosol sprays that felt like they were cryogenically freezing my junk when I applied them and expensive specialty creams and deodorant-style sticks. Those are worth a try for sure, but for me, none of them beat powder for the anti-chaffing and odor control properties and having a variety of cost-effective options available at the local corner store make it the ideal option, IF I could develop a better way to apply it. I spent a lot of time thinking about it; was there a way to save powder?
With the motivation bouncing around in my head, one evening I found myself at a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game when it hit me. On the backside of the pitchers mound sat a rosin bag - that sack that looks like a sand filled, knotted sock. For pitchers, nothing has more effect on the ability to control the direction and spin of the ball than grip, and the history of the game has been riddled with instances of pitchers using “illegal” foreign substances on their fingers to get an edge. However, since 1925 rosin powder has been the only legal grip aid allowed on the mound, and having only one ungloved hand, you don’t see pitchers futzing around with traditional powder bottles and sifter tops. That rosin bag applies a light layer of powder through the fabric when they touch it. That moment was the genesis of the idea for the Sack Sack.
For the next few weeks, I evaluated countless textiles for their powder application characteristics. I tested wovens and knits, naturals and synthetics of every softness and texture. Ultimately, I found the magic combination was a woven cotton flannel paired with a knit jersey liner on the inside. It turns out that the thermo-insulating properties of flannel also make it perfect for applying powder; the brushed cotton fibers create tiny air cells just over the surface of the weave which encapsulate powder particles and hang on up until the moment the surface is agitated. The back of every Sack Sack is covered in microsuede, a material that simultaneously prevents powder from coming through the back side of the device while also making it feel great in your hand.
I wanted to give the Sack Sack features that make it an indispensable part of every body powder user's every-morning routine, not just a luxury line item, so I designed the device to be refillable with your favorite powder product inside, machine-washable between fills, and Dopp kit sized so that it can be taken with you on your travels. After months of testing and building prototype after prototype, getting feedback from friends and family, I built the Classic Sack Sack you see here today, complete with the hidden zipper, diamond stitched applicator, and leak-stop back.
So there you have it, let’s call it part one of the Sack Sack story. I’m sure that you’ll find yourself quickly becoming a one-handed body powder pro and loving it so much that it becomes a regular part of your morning story. Enjoy!
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