found superlight wep wipes, can you beat this?

[mik matra]

I have been using baby wet wipes for hygene control on multi day through hikes. They are around the 5grams per sheet weight range. They have been good but I finally found a lighter option….

the KFC (fast food giant) wet wipes. They come in those paper sealed little rectangles (5.5 x 4.5 cm). They weigh just 2.7 grams each.

Do you know of a lighter option for wet wipes?

[Ken Thompson]

You wind up with a lot of packaging that way. You could use Wet Ones in the 15 pack and let them dry out. Rehydrate one in camp.

Hang on, the bandanna crowd is coming…

[Richard Cullip]

Where's Mike Clelland when you need him……

[Erik Basil]

Before "Wet Ones", the KFC wipes are exactly what I used. As mentioned above, there's a lot of packaging per wipe, but the biggest shortcoming of the mini-wipes is that they're too small, too thin, and just plain "not enough".

The Wet Ones are substantial enough to clean well and to enable one to go: face-pits-crotch-feet, with effect. The little micro wipes would need 3-4 packs for that and might not be nearly as "microbial" in terms of killing bacteria. On seven days, a 15-pack of Wet Ones does perfectly and really isn't that much weight or volume. A quart-sized ziplock stuffed with wet-wipes swiped from a fast-food joint (or purchased from Smart & Final) would certainly take up more space, have more trash and maybe be heavier.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Jean Nate used to make a scent free dry towelette. You don't wet it until you want to use it. It is just another version of Ken's idea of drying out the wet ones before use.

[Donna C]

Aren't all of these wipes soaked in alcohol? Are you talking about rehydrating them back with water? If so,the bacterial properties are gone. if you rehydrate with alcohol, why bother drying them? You still have to carry extra alcohol for them and possibly your cooking.

[Renais A]

Wet ones use Benzethonium Chloride as the active disinfectant, carried in a base that includes alcohol. Thus, as noted on their web site, http://www.wetones.com/Faqs.aspx, they cannot be dried out and then rehydrated for use. However, like Erik, I have found that they are quite effective, and don't contribute much weight. A few wipes, along with a few paper towel pieces make up a nice kit for longer trips out, and, for me, really do make a difference in comfort. The single wipe packaging burns well, and the 15 pack package is fairly weight efficient already. There are some wipes that are sold dry, and intended to be wet before use, but I have not found them to be as effective, and they left me with a lasting fragrance on my skin. If you want to get the disinfecting properties of Benzethonium Chloride without a wipe, it is available in small bottles as well. The advantage of this material is that it, in theory, provides longer lasting disinfecting than alcohol.
Jim

[Ken Thompson]

No Donna, many of the wipes are alcohol free. Like Wet Ones. Most don't really disinfect either.

+1 for taking drying out Wet Ones and using them. Only take a few drops of water to bring them back to life. Not sure you will find anything lighter weight (beyond a multipurpose item you are already carrying)

[Daryl and Daryl]

I typically use two Wet Naps per day on the trail. Here's a link.
Naps

The ones I have weigh 3.3 grams each. They are a tad bit heavier than the KFC ones but you don't have to eat a lot of chicken to get them.

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