can anyone beat my toothbrush and paste weight?

[mik matra]

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.

[Here There]

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:

[Here There]

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

-David

[Mike M]

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

[Brian Johns]

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.

[mik matra]

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.

[Paul Wozniak]

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.

[Tony Wong]

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

[Mike M]

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

[Nico .]

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/

[Franco Darioli]

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

[James Marco]

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

[Mary R]

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.".

[M B]

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.

[Franco Darioli]

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)

[M B]

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.

[mik matra]

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 :).

[Justin Baker]

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.

[David Adair]

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.:)

[Gary Dunckel]

"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.

[Mary D]

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!)

[Anonymous]

Yeah, skip the toothpaste.

[mik matra]

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.

[JW]

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

[mik matra]

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.

[Author]

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