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May 26, 2010 at 7:03 pm #1259488
What do you take on trips to stay clean? Soap? Purell? Both? Something different?
May 26, 2010 at 7:09 pm #1614240Sea To Summit hand sanitizer is nice and comes in a pretty small bottle.
I only bring soap on longer trips, where I'll be having to really wash up at some point and might have multiple pots/utensils to clean.
Sea To Summit makes a good biodegradable soap as well.May 26, 2010 at 7:13 pm #1614246May 26, 2010 at 7:21 pm #1614251Sea to Summit dehydrated soap…comes in little leaves/strips.
Toss a few of the leaves into a ziploc bag, dribble some water in there, and let it sit or knead it a little. Instant liquid soap.
Works pretty well. Lots of people use Dr. Bronner's too.
May 26, 2010 at 7:22 pm #1614252I hate to scare my upcoming trip partners, but I honestly can't recall when I last used soap.
May 26, 2010 at 7:35 pm #1614259A wet wipe goes a long way if you keep adding water. Discard when it turns black and grab the next one.
Otherwise, nothing at all except prehaps rinsing in a stream/lake and some hand santizer.
May 26, 2010 at 8:13 pm #1614279I usually like taking both. I didn't think of sanitizer as a fire starter though – pretty cool.
May 26, 2010 at 8:58 pm #1614303Just Dr. Bronners to wash my hands, maybe my feet if they get really dirty and could lead to blisters. If there is a lake or river, and it is not too cold, I may go for a swim. My wife hates it, and says the truck stinks after I return from the trailhead. But I can't smell anything :)
So, Craig you have nothing too worry about… other than Starbucks may not let us in to get that victory Frappachino at the end of the hike.
May 26, 2010 at 9:41 pm #1614338If the opportunity presents itself I may take the time to do a light wash up with some Dr. Bronners freak soap. Swimming holes and brief dips in a creek or river are sufficient enough for me. I've been burning wood for boils lately so I'm slightly funkier than usual post trip. It doesn't help that I'm determined to not wash my BPL Beartooth Merino Hoody until the end of summer or when I just can't stand it anymore. So far it's smelling like an odd mix of teatree oil, sheep and ash.
May 26, 2010 at 9:44 pm #1614342"So far it's smelling like an odd mix of teatree oil, sheep and ash"
Whats with sheep? …Actually, nevermind
May 26, 2010 at 9:46 pm #1614343They keep crawling under my quilt at night.
May 26, 2010 at 9:46 pm #1614344HA!
May 26, 2010 at 10:19 pm #1614354Whatever you choose, just do a good job with your hands around meal time. I once missed a "spot" and around 1am wondered when the vomiting was going to start. Remember you can't really leap out of a zipped up sleeping bag, bivy, or tent in an emergency.
May 26, 2010 at 10:24 pm #1614356That's one reason why I try to never touch my food with my hands.
May 27, 2010 at 5:29 am #1614414I take no-rinse (www.norinse.com) on longer trips.
I don't get why people are proud of the fact that they don't try to stay clean.May 27, 2010 at 7:09 am #1614441A mini dropper bottle with some Bronner's peppermint is what we use. Might be able to get away with a micro dropper bottle.
I'm also switching to an acly stove, and will burn Everclear in it, in part because of the multiple use of the fuel – burn, sterilize, medicate…
May 27, 2010 at 7:55 am #1614456quite a bit more expensive though. It would allow me to take away the triple anti biotic ointment, but that only weighs 2 grams anyway. I actually don't like alcohol as a pain killer, it doesn't work that well for me, i can be drunk with a broken leg and still be in agony.
May 27, 2010 at 8:24 am #1614464I use Dr. Bronner's and/or alcohol gel in smaller bottles. When you do want to clean up, you can go a long ways with a small bowl of warm water, a little Dr. Bronner's and a synthetic cloth like the MSR Nano or a cut down PackTowl, or the good ol' bandana. It's just the basic sponge bath, but can make you feel pretty good.
A cut down milk jug bottom makes a good Leave No Trace sink and washtub to keep the soapy water out of the water sources. Little weight and you can stuff it full of odds and ends in the pack. Pick the size that suits you.
May 27, 2010 at 11:04 am #1614524I pretty much do it like Dale, except I don't carry alcohol gel, just regular alcohol.
May 27, 2010 at 11:34 am #1614529I love the stuff. A small squeeze bottle of it takes care of everything. I also use it as toothpaste. I also do laundry on a longer trip with it by adding it and hot water to a ziplock with my socks and undies.
May 27, 2010 at 10:30 pm #1614728"I don't get why people are proud of the fact that they don't try to stay clean."
I don't believe anyone here is actually proud of the fact that they "don't try to stay clean"; we all have different opinions on what the definition of clean is. After I'm finished hiking all day I fail to find "try(ing) to stay clean" to be high on my to do list when the very next morning I'm going to sweat it out on the trail. I can take a shower and wash up for supper every night of the week when I'm at home with the family, when I'm outdoors I like to break free of the routine. Sure, my hands get washed, most of the time, but a longhandled spoon and ziplock bag cooking isn't exactly preparing sushi. Also, it isn't always possible or convenient to clean yourself, I've hiked in dry regions where every ounce of water carried was designated solely for hydration and cooking, in that case, oh well, I go to sleep grimy. There is something to be said about maintaining a certain level of hygiene, but for the most part, dirt and dried sweat isn't going to hurt you.
May 27, 2010 at 11:39 pm #1614754…
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