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can anyone beat my toothbrush and paste weight?


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Home Forums General Forums SuperUltraLight (SUL) Backpacking Discussion can anyone beat my toothbrush and paste weight?

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  • #1295640
    mik matra
    BPL Member

    @mikmik

    Locale: Brisbane AUSTRALIA

    I have a toothbrush and toothpaste (in it's own tube big enough for I'd say 7 days once a day brush) that weighs .39ounce or 11grams.

    #1925325
    Here There
    BPL Member

    @cowexnihilo

    I'll play but you might consider it cheating…

    Take a small twig (evergreen is nice) and chew the end until it gets fuzzy. Brush thoroughly for a piney-fresh feel, then return to nature.

    Weight: 0 grams

    -David

    Here's a random picture I found in case you're not sure what I'm talking about:

    Twig Brush

    #1925327
    Here There
    BPL Member

    @cowexnihilo

    Out of curiosity, care to share a pic of your setup? What kind of toothbrush is it?

    -David

    #1925331
    Mike M
    BPL Member

    @mtwarden

    Locale: Montana

    I'd like to hear what it is as well-on shorter trips I use a Wisp toothbrush w/ a tiny vial of toothpowder (the stuff that comes w/ the Wisp goes into the garbage- it doesn't work imo)- it's very light, but the Wisp is only good for a couple of days and as the "bristles" break down pretty quickly

    #1925393
    Brian Johns
    BPL Member

    @bcutlerj

    Locale: NorCal

    The tooth paste Zpacks sells with its setup is 7 grams (weigh declines with use), smallest I've ever seen. The brush is 4.5 grams, 9 grams if you bring the handle extension piece.

    #1925402
    mik matra
    BPL Member

    @mikmik

    Locale: Brisbane AUSTRALIA

    I have tried to upload images before to BPL with zero luck. Will take some pics and get back to you hopefully will be able to do so. But in the mean time it is basically a cut down toothbrush modified from a travel pack and the smallest tube of paste I have ever seen. I bought it from the 'travel section' of the chemist (drugstore).

    ps;I started with those whisps(?) too but found them to be next to useless. One thing is that the toothpaste provided on each one is too small an amount and the handle is too short to effectively reach around in my mouth. Also the head was tiny….too much hard work. The dentist told me that plaque removal is not about how hard you brush but brushing softly for a longer time.

    Stay tuned pics to come.

    #1925417
    Paul Wozniak
    Member

    @paulw

    Locale: Midwest

    Not sure about your toothbrush but I can beat your toothpaste weight. I don't bring toothpaste or toothpowder. I think toothpaste is not much different than deodorant (which I also don't bring) – mostly there for the smell. At least short term where fluoride doesn't matter.

    I believe brushing twice per day with a water rinse and using a tootpick (ala Victoronix Classic) is plenty good over a week. I could be wrong but nobody has complained yet.

    I too would like to see your toothbrush. Mine is a childs brush from the dollar store.

    #1925469
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    Mik,

    If you are trying to upload your pictures, you may have to use software to resize them to below 4 megs.

    Or simply reduce the quality of the photos so that they will be able to upload.

    I have a 10 megapixel pocket camera and I have to resize each shot to get them to upload.

    When I had a 3.2 megapixel camera, I did not have to resize anything.

    -Tony

    #1925470
    Mike M
    BPL Member

    @mtwarden

    Locale: Montana

    also have to use html format, not the "normal" IMG that most forums use

    #1925519
    Nico .
    BPL Member

    @nickb

    Locale: Los Padres National Forest

    4.2 grams for the toothbrush head attachment. Connects to the ti stake or fire steel you already carry to create a longer handle.

    http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/3668/

    #1925537
    Franco Darioli
    Spectator

    @franco

    Locale: Gauche, CU.

    Nico
    I can think of better and easier ways to introduce extra germs into my mouth , but that is a good start…

    #1925554
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Paul, Yeah, toothpast is NOT necessary for most hiking.
    A smallish tooth brush head works fine.

    #1925638
    Mary R
    BPL Member

    @pietimer

    I discussed the toothpaste need with my dentist a few weeks ago. He said "If you brush well, you can go a long time without toothpaste.". To get get some clarification, I added "Well, sometimes I'm out for a few weeks…". He then replied "That's fine. You can go a long, long time with out toothpaste.".

    #1925737
    M B
    BPL Member

    @livingontheroad

    I rarely bring a toothbrush.
    Im not planning on making out with any of my hiking buddies.
    I can do without brushing for a couple weeks
    People did it for thousands and thousands of years

    But when I do, its a cut down one and a tiny ziplock with a bit of baking soda.

    #1925744
    Franco Darioli
    Spectator

    @franco

    Locale: Gauche, CU.

    People did it for thousands and thousands of years

    yes people with bad teeth …
    3500 years ago the Egyptians already used a stick very similar to the one posted above by David with a mixture of rock salt ,mint and pepper as a "toothpaste'
    Apparently that mix caused gum bleeding but it was a sure sign that there was already then a need for oral hygiene.
    BTW, here in Australia we have plenty of gum trees, twigs from them make a good eucalyptus oil impregnated toothpick.
    (eucalyptus oil is antiseptic and a deodoriser)

    #1925986
    M B
    BPL Member

    @livingontheroad

    You dont HAVE to brush your teeth.
    It is grooming, just like shaving, or brushing hair.

    Any inference that you will damage your teeth or health by not brushing for a week or two is totally absurd.

    #1926056
    mik matra
    BPL Member

    @mikmik

    Locale: Brisbane AUSTRALIA

    11grams

    It's basically a $2 travel pack toothbrush from the drug store/chemist. I just cut away all the useless bits but am kind of thinking that a cut down child's brush might be about the same weight.

    I love the feeling of clean teeth going to bed……that's how I roll :).

    #1926684
    Justin Baker
    BPL Member

    @justin_baker

    Locale: Santa Rosa, CA

    J. David Lantz,

    I do the same thing. Another woodsy thing you can do is find a fibrous plant, strip off a fiber, and use that to floss your teeth. Just make sure it's not poisonous.

    #1926686
    David Adair
    Spectator

    @davidadair

    Locale: West Dakota

    I have a tooth brush that a hotel gave me when I forgot mine. Full size and weighs 10 grams. It needs to be replaced so I must remember to forget my brush next time I go there.:)

    #1926689
    Gary Dunckel
    BPL Member

    @zia-grill-guy

    Locale: Boulder

    "You dont HAVE to brush your teeth…"

    True. You just have to brush the ones you want to keep.

    "Any inference that you will damage your teeth or health by not brushing for a week or two is totally absurd."

    As a dentist, I find that statement absurd, MB. 2-3 days of not brushing will most certainly have an effect on oral health. I'm not trying to smack you down, but I don't want others to think they can get away with what you are suggesting.

    Changing the topic, here's a photo of a man in Mali using what the Arabs call a miswak to clean his teeth. It's cut from a root of a very fibrous desert bush. They chew on the end for awhile to separate the fibers. It isn't a perfect brush, but it works sort of OK.

    Miswak

    #1926693
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    Restorative dentistry is very expensive. I have quite a few thousand $$$ invested in my teeth. No way will I go without a brush with handle (travel brush is the lightest and most effective for its weight, I've found) and floss. (The floss can substitute for thread if sewing repairs are needed.) I do use baking soda (with my dentist's blessing), which is lighter and more versatile than toothpaste and doesn't leave white spots on the ground or foliage when I spit it out.

    No way will I save a few grams with the result of spending a lot of $$$ that I could have spent for something else, like transportation for a backpacking trip or for gear! (With apologies to the dentists here!)

    #1926700
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Yeah, skip the toothpaste.

    #1927367
    mik matra
    BPL Member

    @mikmik

    Locale: Brisbane AUSTRALIA

    Interesting how some of you forgo some of the basic hygiene and personal grooming whilst out in the wilderness. I guess you can say you'd 'feel' closer to nature this way and if that's your thing then yeehaa to you. I just do not enjoy a trip where I cannot 1.brush my teeth (I hate the furry feeling to start with). 2.Wiping sweaty bits and pits, even just wiping these few parts with a wet towel or wetwipes (which are lighter) enables bits not to stick and stink and so your camp relax and sleep are just that more enjoyable. 3.deodorant, 1 day is not too bad, 2nd and consequent days are just plain wrong without step 2. and a deodorant application. One of the dudes I go hiking with has a how shall I put this….unique body odour, if I smelt like that to someone else I would not feel comfortable sharing the same area as them out of embarasment.

    That's me and no I am not loosing sleep over whatever grams/ounces this costs me.

    #1927395
    JW
    BPL Member

    @litetrail

    I long time ago I MYOG'd this setup, still using it and love it. I now use my Swedish FireSteel Mini as the handle.

    I've been to the dentist and ain't no one going to convince me to take a finger brush or baby's tootbrush. David's technique with the stick is actually very effective too. In India they use the neem tree twigs which are a natural antiseptic or some anti-x'ish quality.

    Here's the original post from 2006:
    SUL Toothbrush — with REAL Full Size Head

    set

    #1927447
    mik matra
    BPL Member

    @mikmik

    Locale: Brisbane AUSTRALIA

    Not bad at all especially if you have multi add-ons.

    My spoon is a party plastic spoon weighing in at 5.something grams. So my toothbrush + paste + spoon comes to 16.something grams very close to your mark. I was actually going to hack saw bits out of the end of the spoon to make it into a spork, not for the savings in weight but more so for the extra benefit of the semi fork front edge of the spoon.

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