Trail Hygiene

[Sidetrail]

I'm planning a NOBO thru-hike in April of 2017. Been doing really well with gear selection thanks a lot to the posts and information on whiteblaze. I do need some help figuring out the best lite way to get "clean" at the end of the day. I originally was thinking just a light towel from REI and a 2 oz bottle of Bonners or Camp Suds. Total weight 6 oz for towel and soap. I like this but I used it on a hike this summer and it takes a lot of water to get the soap off. Next, I started looking at Wilderness Wipes from S2S. 8-pack weighs 4.75 oz. Fully biodegradable which is nice. Not sure how well they clean or if you can get resupplied easily. Finally, I found some No Rinse Body Wash that comes in a 2 oz bottle, weight 2.75 oz. Probably would need a small towel with that too. So, my question is what works from you? Also, what is easy to get resupplied with along the trail? Also, are towels common in hostels or do you need to carry a small one?

[PaulWorksHard]

Almost all hostels provide towels. However, it makes sense to carry a small (8" × 8") piece of PackTowl.

I try to always camp by water and rinse off every night, but never use soap while camping. If you want to be environmentally conscientious, using soap , even biodegradable soap is a hassle. Soap should be used away from all water sources, meaning you need to be able to carry a few quarts of water away from the source to wash up.And you are still getting soap into the ecosystem. As you correctly mention using soap requires more water. People might call me hypocritical because I wash right in the water source,, but downstream of where people are getting their water. By my calculus, the dirt I wash off is already in the environment.

Go into town every 5 days or so and get a real shower.

[Another Kevin]

I very much like being able to take a bath on the trail. I'll wash my socks at the same time if I've been hiking in muddy conditions. My feet don't mind wet socks (as long as I've put a water-repellent such as Gurney Goo on my feet), but gritty socks are a real problem for me.

What I use for bathing:

A sheet of Tyvek that doubles as a tent footprint or a ground sheet in shelters. Gives me a clean place to stand or sit while bathing. It's also a dry place to sit on breaks, a clean spot to spread out gear, and means that on the rare occasions I sleep in a shelter, I don't sleep on mouse poo. (Some shelters smell like hamster cages!)
A Sea to Summit silnylon bucket. I like having a half-bucket of 'dirty' water around camp anyway. It would do if my alky stove should blow up or spill, and is also a convenient tank to let silt settle out before filtering water.
A bandana. Very multi-purpose. Evey hiker should have a bandana or two.
A little piece of Sham-Wow from the dollar store, which is also useful in dealing with condensation inside a tent.
A small amount of Dr Bronner's.
My trowel, to dig a cathole for the wastewater.

I do not wash in water sources. I get 150 feet away. Wash water is in my cookpot, rinse water is in the bucket. If rinsing the soap is a hassle, you're using too much. It takes only a few drops on the bandana.

Wastewater goes into a cat hole or gets sprinkled widely, depending on the preferences of the land manager. A small amount of soap (rather than detergent) is pretty benign, environmentally, as long as it's going into soil rather than directly into a waterbody. Soil microbes degrade soap very fast - it's basically hyrdolyzed fat, and the bugs just love the stuff.

[Don H]

Wet Wipes

(Carry them out with the trash, don't dump them in the privy)

[Puddlefish]

A little vial of concentrated soap, the bottom few inches of a plastic milk jug (which squishes down flatish and springs back into usable shape,) and a cheap cotton bandana. Clean yourself away from streams, and rinse the bandana away from streams. Safety pin the bandana to the outside of your pack to dry as you hike, or pin around a branch overnight.

The milk jug can be a tiny sink, and double to collect water from shallow water sources.

[wannahike]

I use wet wipes too, and since you mention weight, open up the package at home and let them dry out then when you are ready to use just add some water.
Also start at your face and work down, get a lot more use of one wipe that way.

[AfterParty]

I have a pump sack for a pad that I can fill and use as a shower. Away from the source and trail.

[saltysack]

A small pack wet towel with just few drops of dr.B works wonders for me... I wipe down before putting my sleep cloths on.....yea most stay away from the peppermint scent due to animals but It sure feels refreshing to wipe off with......


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Don H]

I use wet wipes too, and since you mention weight, open up the package at home and let them dry out then when you are ready to use just add some water.
Also start at your face and work down, get a lot more use of one wipe that way.

The MSDS indicates 9% ethanol content. When you dry and then rehydrate you replace the alcohol with water.
They still work but I don't think as well. YMMV.

[joec]

I usually use wet wipes, but do carry a packable shower (got from REI, I think) if I will be camping close to a stream. It weighs next to nothing, and is worth it if it works out that I can use it.

[nsherry61]

A few tips that may be useful:
Bath and "do laundry" in the afternoon, at a good water source, well before you stop to make camp. So sure, you'll then hike an hour or so before stopping for bed, but it will be well past the heat of the day, you laundry will have time to dry, you won't get chilled by the evening coolness, and you are not limited to your camp water supply for bathing.

Don't use soap (you don't really need it) for washing in the back-country except for hands after relieving yourself, before putting in contacts, or for your face if you have skin issues that require some extra cleanliness.

I'm a big fan of full-on skinny dipping (even if it's sitting in shallow water) whenever possible. On a hot, day start with your cloths on then remove them, scrub them, ring them out, dry them by twisting them in your towel if you like, and put them back on to dry while you hike the next hour or two.

If it's cold out, don't do laundry except socks until you hit town.

[scrabbler]

Forget about wipes. A cotton bandana and some water do virtually the same thing.

[KDogg]

I used Dr. Bonner's at the beginning of the trail but stopped using it at some point. Got used to being dirty and actually had a hard time getting used to taking showers every day again after my thru. Always carried a small pack of wet wipes to wipe my butt if I felt like I needed to (no...don't put in privy even if they say biodegradable). Took full dunks in hiking clothes when we passed a lake that looked good for swimming (no soap). Had one set of hiking clothes and one set of sleeping clothes - never slept in my hiking clothes. Carried a clothes line and hung my hiking clothes every afternoon (take them down before bed...they will be soaked from dew in the morning). If possible (during warm wether) I "washed" and wrung out my hiking clothes (no soap). When I really got dusty/dirty from dry trail I would use my water bottle to "wash"; again, no soap. You really get used to being "dirty". In retrospect I feel that I worried a bit too much about it before and at the beginning.

[garlic08]

Simplifying resupply is always a good idea, I feel. With that in mind, I often don't carry soap at all, and when I do it's a scrap of motel bar soap in a ziplock. A bandanna is all I use for bathing, and rinsing the clothes out on a warm afternoon sure feels good, at least for an hour or two. If I don't bathe every day, that's okay, but I bathe often enough for good skin health. I've seen nasty boils, rashes and infections on other hikers and keep clean to avoid those. Your skin is your largest organ, so take good care of it.

[Hangfire]

Cottonelle wipes, they used to come in a green pack, available at any grocery/drug store. When you climb into your tent at night and get ready for bed, start with your face and neck and work your way down, this is also a great way to check for ticks as well. I always went to bed clean and smelling reasonably well all while being able to do so inside my tent without making any kind of mess.

The one drawback with the cottonelles was they sometimes came in big backs, like 85 sheets which was definitely way more than you needed so you'd have to find somebody to take the rest if you didn't want to carry 3 weeks worth.

Also if you need wipes for bathroom breaks, coleman sells a biodegradable version that you can find at most walmarts along the trail. I'd love to see if they actually break down in a privy stack over the course of a season. I may throw some in my composter just to experiment.

[Turk6177]

If it is warm, I take a swim and scrub with no soap with my bandana.

For my normal daily cleanings, I use hand sanitizer wipes on the pits and down below. I feel the alcohol in the wipes prevents bacteria growth. So far I have not had any issues with funk or rashes by using these.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Old Hiker]

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Camp-Soap-Cleaner-sheets/dp/B003EMAFO2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476919461&sr=8-2&keywords=soap+sheets

Tear a sheet in half, good for your hands. Twist your gatorade bottle cap 1/4 turn and will sprinkle out instead of pouring. Clean(ish) bandana to dry.

Wet wipes for hot days/nights. Face, pits, middle front, middle back. IN THAT ORDER !!! :)

[egilbe]

I swim whenever possible. Hand sanitizer after using the bathroom and before eating. That's it. Take a shower at the hostel or hotel when I resupply. My GF has proclaimed that 5 days without a shower is about as long as she can stand. She said that on day 9 without a shower :) I didn't think she or I smelled that bad. Learn to embrace the funk. It won't kill you.

[evyck da fleet]

I swim whenever possible. Hand sanitizer after using the bathroom and before eating. That's it. Take a shower at the hostel or hotel when I resupply. My GF has proclaimed that 5 days without a shower is about as long as she can stand. She said that on day 9 without a shower :) I didn't think she or I smelled that bad. Learn to embrace the funk. It won't kill you.

Pretty much this. Hand sanitizer and a liner for the sleeping bag. I don't worry about showering on the trail because I can't smell myself and its the first thing I'm going to do when I hit town along with laundry. If I happen to have time, I may clean up a bit with a bandanna and DrB the night before but I'm still gonna stink when I hit town.

[The Cleaner]

Wet wipes or other pre-packaged towels should be banned from all USFS and NPS lands.Many people use them and just toss them in a fire pit for others to burn.Some just chunk them out of sight then when the weeds are gone there they lay.If you can't stand being a bit dirty or use an LNT method you should hike in cold weather or find another hobby.Used wet wipes the are about the most left behind item at AT shelters36614 now with used fuel canisters in 2nd place.

[Christoph]

Wet Wipes here, also. But I let them dry out in the sun and when I'm ready to use them, just add a little water on each and they're good as new. This helps keep a little weight down if you carry a lot of them at once like I do. That and a bandana to (sort of) dry off with. In towns, hit up a shower whenever possible and press on.

[Kc Fiedler]

I'm planning a NOBO thru-hike in April of 2017. Been doing really well with gear selection thanks a lot to the posts and information on whiteblaze. I do need some help figuring out the best lite way to get "clean" at the end of the day. I originally was thinking just a light towel from REI and a 2 oz bottle of Bonners or Camp Suds. Total weight 6 oz for towel and soap. I like this but I used it on a hike this summer and it takes a lot of water to get the soap off. Next, I started looking at Wilderness Wipes from S2S. 8-pack weighs 4.75 oz. Fully biodegradable which is nice. Not sure how well they clean or if you can get resupplied easily. Finally, I found some No Rinse Body Wash that comes in a 2 oz bottle, weight 2.75 oz. Probably would need a small towel with that too. So, my question is what works from you? Also, what is easy to get resupplied with along the trail? Also, are towels common in hostels or do you need to carry a small one?
I carry a 1 fl oz dropper bottle of Dr B's and it will last me weeks at a time for showering, washing, doing dishes, cleaning minor wounds, etc. One mistake people often make is using too much Dr B's. A single drop from my bottle (carried in a pouch on my shoulder strap) is enough to easily was both hands.

Use too much and you'll be rinsing for ages.

As others have said, I think it's critical to follow LNT principles as ethically as possible when choosing to wash yourself in the backcountry.

Wet Wipes

(Carry them out with the trash, don't dump them in the privy)
It's so critical to make sure if you're going to use extra supplies for cleaning (even if they're biodegradable) that they get packed out. It makes me sad to see the things people leave in privys, shelters, fire rings, and try to bury in cat holes.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[dudeijuststarted]

i do what all animals do to get clean.

lick myself.

[shelb]

I used to fret over this a lot more... however, in the last few years, I have relaxed more. (Note: my longest hike has been 210 miles).

Wet wipes (at least one a day on the genitals, especially since I am female!)
Bandana: Once a day - use fresh water to wipe down face, arms, legs - and rest of body - reaching under clothing if necessary due to lack of privacy.
Water - pour it over head to rinse hair once a day.
Soap? NO - I don't use it. (I do bring hand sanitizer to use several times a day)
Shower? Yes, about once a week in town.... Although, I have gone 10 days without (phew!)

[Feral Bill]

I use a white gas stove (Svea) and heat enough water to wash my hands after breakfast and dinner. Pour the water over them Moroccan restaurant style. That's as far as I'm going in a fundamentally futile pursuit.

[swjohnsey]

I mostly just stay dirty. I won't pass up an opportunity to take a swim. You won't find many places on the AT.

[Leo L.]

Usually when arriving in the camp spot sweaty, a sponge bath is the very first I do, then change into camp clothes.
Only then I continue with the usual chores like shelter setup and cooking (which for me is just heating water).

For bathroom I use water exclusively (no TP) and have a tiny tube of liquid baby soap handy.

[Heliotrope]

i do what all animals do to get clean.

lick myself.

Lmao! Perhaps if you are so good at it you could offer your services to other hikers. [emoji12]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JC13]

A small travel pack of anti-bacterial wipes and packed out after use in a ziplock. Used one most nights before swapping into sleep clothes. Shower usually every 5 days on trail.

[rocketsocks]

i do what all animals do to get clean.

lick myself.


Lmao! Perhaps if you are so good at it you could offer your services to other hikers. [emoji12]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalki don't know dude...I get pretty Schweddy! :D

[Odd Man Out]

i don't know dude...I get pretty Schweddy! :D

I was going to ask what you are,wiping clean, but the answer is just tooooooooo obvious.

[Turk6177]

Wet wipes or other pre-packaged towels should be banned from all USFS and NPS lands.Many people use them and just toss them in a fire pit for others to burn.Some just chunk them out of sight then when the weeds are gone there they lay.If you can't stand being a bit dirty or use an LNT method you should hike in cold weather or find another hobby.Used wet wipes the are about the most left behind item at AT shelters36614 now with used fuel canisters in 2nd place.

I got used to hiking my paper out while in the JMT. If you use a gallon zip lock bag inside another bag, you can carry that stuff to the next trash can without a problem


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GoLight]

I very much like being able to take a bath on the trail. I'll wash my socks at the same time if I've been hiking in muddy conditions. My feet don't mind wet socks (as long as I've put a water-repellent such as Gurney Goo on my feet), but gritty socks are a real problem for me.

What I use for bathing:

A sheet of Tyvek that doubles as a tent footprint or a ground sheet in shelters. Gives me a clean place to stand or sit while bathing. It's also a dry place to sit on breaks, a clean spot to spread out gear, and means that on the rare occasions I sleep in a shelter, I don't sleep on mouse poo. (Some shelters smell like hamster cages!)
A Sea to Summit silnylon bucket. I like having a half-bucket of 'dirty' water around camp anyway. It would do if my alky stove should blow up or spill, and is also a convenient tank to let silt settle out before filtering water.
A bandana. Very multi-purpose. Evey hiker should have a bandana or two.
A little piece of Sham-Wow from the dollar store, which is also useful in dealing with condensation inside a tent.
A small amount of Dr Bronner's.
My trowel, to dig a cathole for the wastewater.

I do not wash in water sources. I get 150 feet away. Wash water is in my cookpot, rinse water is in the bucket. If rinsing the soap is a hassle, you're using too much. It takes only a few drops on the bandana.

Wastewater goes into a cat hole or gets sprinkled widely, depending on the preferences of the land manager. A small amount of soap (rather than detergent) is pretty benign, environmentally, as long as it's going into soil rather than directly into a waterbody. Soil microbes degrade soap very fast - it's basically hyrdolyzed fat, and the bugs just love the stuff.

Just to elaborate Kevin´s excellent post......I learned camp hygiene from a fellow engineer in the outback of Australia where clean water arrived once a week in jerry cans strapped to a jeep bumper. Every drop was precious, but keeping clean was the best way to maintain camp harmony.
On the trail I set up my rain fly first, then my hammock, then use my rain fly dry bag as a water bucket and haul back about 1 gallon of water. Filter half for drinking and cooking and brushing teeth.
The rest is heated to warm, then do the bandana bath. Use the Dr. Bonner just enough to smell it but not see suds, it rinses right off. I also shave with it and I use tiny scissors to keep my hair buzz cut so not a lot of washing and rinsing of hair is required. For long hair dudes with bushy beards and women with long hair you probably need twice or three times as much water as I use.
I don´t bother with a cat hole because the rinse water just spills off my ground sheet and goes into the ground. Like was said before, its trail dirt, so its from around here, just relocated a bit.
If I do capture rinse water I set it aside and let it settle then filter it for drinking and cooking and brushing teeth. It takes longer to describe it than it actually takes me to do a bandana bath.
It takes about a two quarts of water to do this kind of bath and wash clothes. Wash something every day, especially socks and underwear, and always bath before putting on my night clothes and climbing in my sleeping bag. I feel good, I don´t stink, the bag doesn´t stink and people don´t cringe when I hitch a ride or shop in a store.

[ryply76]

Yessss wet wipes are a life safer.

[theinfamousj]

I recently switched from a bandana to a microfiber cloth the same size as a bandana. Reasons why:

+ more effective cleaning with just water and the cloth... And then all I have to do is clean the cloth with a tiny bit of Dr. B's rather than my whole body.

+ No rinsing/rinse water for my body because of the above point.

+ The only reason I had a bandana around was because my glasses were wiped with cotton. They are so much cleaner/clearer when wiped with the microfiber cloth.

+ It can double as a toothbrush. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[rocketsocks]

Nothin' absorbs less and a new bandana, ya gotta throw em in the dirt and stomp the crisp out of em.