Fur trimming for long trips to reduce odor

I like to keep my armpit hair trimmed for hikes. Sometimes I trim down “other” places if the hair starts chafing. Just make sure you trim those places a week before the trip so that any irritation occurs before the trips starts.

I’m a lady and shave my pits. It doesn’t make you less stinky. Honestly after a day nobody notices anymore. Don’t worry so much. I don’t shave “down there” and what keeps things fresher is a hiking skirt worn in the full Scotsman fashion. Perhaps letting your pits get more air would help.

I don’t think it makes a difference as far as smell, but I trim bc I think it makes it easier to wash and dry…

+1 for trim not shave.

Also makes finding ticks easier….

Doug, how about a ditty about that?   :)

Yes I trim pits and chest about every 3mo. nether regions every 3-4 weeks. and sometimes legs right before summer just to keep cool.

I feel like its a little stickier without hair so i use Gold Bond to help with that…

Remember it is bacteria that cause most of the stink. So if you have the privacy, expose things to the high altitude sun for a few minutes, treat those little beasties to more UV than they can handle. I call this an “air shower”.

Personally it seems like my clothes smell worse than I do mostly, if I can rinse the clothes out pretty often it helps a lot.

• Thank you Piper for pointing out that (in the U.S.), most females shave. We are still smelly. Daily wipe down and if a lake is available, a dunking. Otherwise, a wash up in the stream (if available).

Shave your butt?  Dear lord don’t so that.  Just don’t.  Trim is fine.

I’ve recently started using a “crystal deodorant” spray (developed a reaction to antiperspirant), and it works quite well in daily use.   I haven’t had the chance to try it on the trail, but I’ve tried it on the nether regions with great shorter term results.   Some Amazon reviewers recommended spraying it on your clothes as well to keep them from stinking.  Can repackage into a teeny spray bottle to take with you.

A separate note: I have tested doing a final wipe with a little hand sanitizer on the TP.  It is a very, um, attention getting sensation, but worked great as a substitute for proper hygiene on the trail.

I have used crystal deodorant for at least 15 years and it works great, I spray my feet and inside my shoes if I am going sockless and never had a problem with odor.

On Iong long hikes I wash! And for underarms I don’t shave just trim and use a bit of alum stone ‘deodorant’ – works amazingly well and as it’s a small and solid thing it’s not that heavy and over time is worn down. The brand we have in the UK is called ‘salt of the earth’ can also be used to seal bites and stop them itching, and after a razor based shave if that’s your thing.

 I trim bc I think it makes it easier to wash and dry

iago hit the nail on the head IMHO. The biggest benefit of having shorter hair is speedier drying after a swim or a wash, regardless of any odor reduction benefits. Second biggest benefit of short hair is less grimy feeling in bed if you don’t have occasion to wash or swim during the day. Feeling overly grimy at in bed is something I like to avoid, especially if it’s a warm night. Unless it’s a week+ trip, I usually don’t use soap on hair or body – washing with water seems to provide an acceptable baseline level of grime.

For general odor reduction, rinsing out the hiking shirt and socks at least once per day help the most for me – the shirt dries quickly while wearing it in summer. However, if my feet get wet – especially if they stay wet – then the feet and shoes become the biggest cause of odor. Simply rinsing the feet with water does little to help. I mitigate stinky feet by putting several drops of essential oils on them each morning (tea tree, thyme, or an antibacterial blend) under the socks. The oil’s inherent smell is essentially gone by evening and it helps a lot with foot and shoe odor. A tiny drop of essential oil also works well for brushing the teeth without toothpaste, and serves triple function in the first aid kit as an antibacterial for cuts or scrapes.

For buttocks hygiene and odor control after a bowl movement, I use a “bidet” (700mL bottle with 90 degree squirt attachment). After removing most of the residual with leaves or rocks (or snow preferably), I then rinse with the “bidet”, polish with a piece or two of TP, then finish with a quick wipe with an alcohol wipe.