Why Do All Backpackers Use Dr. Bronner's Soap

The CDC document cited by Jenny has an interesting bit of info in light of the fact that backpackers are most concerned with crypto.

“Furthermore, soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizers at removing or inactivating certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile ”

In keeping with the thread topic, I use Bonner’s because I have it, it works for my needs and I haven’t heard of an alternative that I’m ready to try.  AND, my wife is about at her limit of tolerating my boxes of camping gear.

For those of you using bar soap—doesn’t it get mushy or messy? Do you keep it in a baggie?

doesn’t it get mushy or messy?
Nope. Wash hands, shake soap bar free of excess water, drop into plas bag. Works for us over a month or two.

Cheers

Oh wait I have a better answer to the original question: We all use Dr. Bronners because we heard it was good from somewhere and bought a single bottle which will last us several lifetimes of backpacking trips.

It comes in nice small containers that don’t leak and a bigger bottle can be bought to refill them. It is biodegradable and can be used to wash hands, body,  hair and dishes too. It comes in different fragrances. What’s not to like…

I think the reason alot of backpackers like Bronners is because it’s been around for us (backsackagers) since the 1960s and their peppermint soap really got (and gets) the old nether regions to tingle.

Do I want my nether regions to tingle?????

Cheers

Tingling with soap… for those who haven’t another option, I suppose! Ha!

I still think Bronners smells awful, and I can’t imagine brushing my teeth with soap. Ick. And the film that it leaves on hair. Oh well, it’s a personal thing and why we have to have an entire grocery aisle dedicated to soap.

I actually use Dr Bs as my everyday soap & shampoo as well as my only soap while camping. I buy the bigger bottle (~24-32oz?) and that lasts me well over a year, maybe even two. I’d have to double check the numbers but I believe that makes it really cheap actually.

for camping, I repurposed a Visine bottle, maybe 1/2-1oz max… that’ll last quite a while. I use it to brush my teeth and all other cleaning (body, dishes if needed, etc). Using 2-3 drops at most gives minty yumminess and works great. And yes, I DO want my nether regions to tingle :) it’s like a 1000 little elves!

I agree with Rudy on this, for sure.  I also use the Visine bottle for soap—or more on a longer trip inside an empty ocean saline spray bottle—which is alittle larger.

It’s best you label these containers because once I woke up to put a few drops of wax softener in my plugged up ear and instead put in 3 in 1 machine oil—since both were in identical containers.  Half asleep.  (Oil is used to lubricate my trail tools—pruners and folding saw).

Well, yes, but did the oil work?

Cheers

Along those lines, I used to always brush my teeth with baking soda, kept in a Kodak 35mm film canister (when those were common).  On one long hiking trip I expected my leather boots to get wet, so I took some Sno-Seal along. A film canister seemed like a good way to store an appropriate quantity.

You know where this is going. And yes, one evening, fumbling in the dark, I pulled a film can out of my ditty bag, dipped my toothbrush in it, and began brushing vigorously.

It took days to get the taste of Sno-Seal out of my mouth.

But – looking on the bright side, water was beading up on my teeth, which was kinda’ cool.

You think that was bad?
Back in the days of waxed XC skis and removable skins here in Oz, one guy is reputed to have confused his tube of lip sunscreen with his tube of rubber cement for the skins.
Mind you, the cement did keep the UV off.

Cheers

“I actually use Dr Bs as my everyday soap & shampoo as well as my only soap while camping. I buy the bigger bottle (~24-32oz?) and that lasts me well over a year, maybe even two”

If you have any local “organic” grocery stores, you might find out they sell it in bulk.

(A “MOM’s” grocery  store took over an REI location nearby, and I was delighted to discover the bulk detergent section. They sell peppermint and lavender Dr. B’s in bulk!)

Ah, MOM’s! Other than people, that’s the only thing I miss from my time in Md. Where did they take over an REI?

OP question, why Dr. B’s?  Available (1) unscented (2) in small bottles.  I decant to a blue-capped microbottle for shorter trips.  I’ve used S2S Wilderness Wash too; bought some of that this summer when the REI I was at was out of the small size of Dr. B unscented.  Works about the same.  What’s it good for?  Soap and water personal cleanup.  Feet occasionally when a water rinse doesn’t get ground-in dirt off.  Hands after catholes and at other times as needed.  Nether regions after cathole at least once per day.  This takes more water than unscented wipes but on a daily basis it works way better at eliminating chafing and soreness.  I only use wipes at dry camps if short on water.  Note re: hand sanitizer.  Invented to limit spread of microbes in hospital settings where people have otherwise clean hands, just need to keep those microbes at bay without having to wash hands constantly.  If hands are dirty, as in with actual visible dirt on them, which mine usually are in the backcountry except for right after washing, that dirt can still harbor microbes even after hand sanitizer use.  Maybe if you used copious amounts, but then on a longer hike you’d have to carry an awful lot of it.  A bit of soap is much less voluminous and the water can be replenished as needed.  My husband carries a small bar soap but it is always damp and gets gummy in his ditty bag.  Microbottle easier and less messy.

Peppermint? Lavender?  Ack no!  (1) ouch! (2) animals!

Yer not a REAL backpacker if’n ya don’t use Dr. Bonners for yer teeth, flavoring yer coffee and fer an underarm cootie killer. ’nuff sed.

As to why Dr B’s, mostly packaging and availability.   I prefer using liquid soap over bar soap when traveling/hiking as I can get by with a small dropper bottle.  Throwing a wet bar of soap into a ziplock can get messy.

I like Dr B’s for hands but I live in a dry climate and it dries my skin out further so I’ll use other soaps as a body wash.

I’m exposed to a lot of diseases at work for the past couple decades and adopted a belt and suspenders approach to hand sanitizing.   I wash with soap and water, dry, and then apply sanitizer.  This is a several time per day routine.

I think my hands have literally reached their breaking point though with painful cracking skin and am actively looking to find a moisturizing substitute for my hand sanitizer.

To add,

I don’t see the point of using Dr B’s as tooth paste as it tastes awful with no perceivable benefit (from what I can tell).  I’ll typically brush without toothpaste while on the trail.  My breath may not be fresh and minty but my teeth are sufficiently clean by just brushing with water.

^^^ yes it dries the skin pretty badly.

Not the subject of the OP but at home I am back to using only salt and olive oil for my face and my arms when taking a shower. The salt scrubs, the olive oil moisturizes and the taste is pretty good too. Since I am swimming every day I figured I should do something to counter the effects of the pool water. My skin is nicer than it has been in many years and I don’t use any creams at all, just a bit of olive oil once a day besides in the shower.

That’s interesting Kat.   I used baking soda as my shampoo for a year or so as a no-poo option.  I seem to remember some woman somewhere mentioning that she used olive oil as a conditioner.   My hair stays pretty short so I never had a reason to try it.   I may try it on my hands.  Nothing to lose unless a bear drags me out of my shelter by my hands…

I’m another one that use Dr Bs everyday as soap and shampoo (short hair). Either Peppermint or Tea Tree. I can’t say that I’ve ever brushed my teeth with it. Would have to try Peppermint for that.

I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s for decades. It works well for me, thus I have never had the need to search for something better, new, or improved.

However, perhaps this background may entice some to support the company and its products…

Interview with Ralph Bronner

15 things you may not know about Dr Bronner’s Soap

I use it because I like it, not because of the articles I linked to. But it sounds like a wonderful company to work for.

Why Do All Backpackers Use Dr. Bronner’s Soap?

For all the good reading it provides…

Been using it since 1975, haven’t found a reason to change.

But what got you all to buy it the first time? Marketing? Thinking like Eric?

Touched my tongue with mint Bronner and had a gag reflex puking episode, so pass on that use. I just don’t find it to be great soap. And the low temp weirdness with consistency made it frustrating.