Wash hands together....hack?

[tombolino]

So if there is no water source, creek, etc and I just have my Platypus and bottle of water while backpacking....is there any hack out there to wash my hands bathroom style using the Platypus? I want to be able to rub my hands together. So either add some kind of showery mouth to bottles or platypus or......a bowl....or suggests?

[FrogLevel]

Fill mouth up with water, shoot stream of water into hands.

That's what I do. Maybe i'm insane but it works.

[TNhiker]

Fill mouth up with water, shoot stream of water into hands.

That's what I do. Maybe i'm insane but it works.



but you're a frog----that's normal behavior for a frog......

[Tipi Walter]

Fill mouth up with water, shoot stream of water into hands.

That's what I do. Maybe i'm insane but it works.

That's exactly what I do. Take a big mouthful of water. Dribble on outstretched hands. (Helps to do this while squatting on your haunches). Take another mouthful of water. Squirt bronners into hands---thoroughly wash---now rinse with that mouthful of water already in your mouth. Repeat with 3 or 4 more mouthfuls. Use a cook pot of water for easier filling of mouth---so you won't get your platy bladder soapy.

[BuckeyeBill]

I have a MSR Dromlite 6L bag that has a 3-in-1 cap. I hang it up and can get water to filter or wash my dishes, hands or face. they weigh 6.5 oz. empty. 6L is enough for dinner, washing, drinking and morning breakfast and coffee.

[MuddyWaters]

Carry small piece plastic sheet
Even saran wrap works

Make depression in ground, move rock
Your making a clean puddle
Wash
Discard water
Rinse

Only needs to be 1/4" deep
Pat hands in it, rub together

[theoilman]

hand sanitizer

[Five Tango]

Open a ziplock bag.Pour in some water.Insert a small kitchen sponge or a dime sized dehydrated towel.Wet the hands and rub a small amount of soap on them.Wipe clean with the sponge,towel,or bandanna.You can do it without getting soapy water on the ground if you're careful.Soap is way over rated anyway.........

[Dogwood]

So if there is no water source, creek, etc and I just have my Platypus and bottle of water while backpacking....is there any hack out there to wash my hands bathroom style using the Platypus? I want to be able to rub my hands together. So either add some kind of showery mouth to bottles or platypus or......a bowl....or suggests?

So you're carrying water to wash your hands. How about planning for washing hands at water sources but NOT in the water source when you filled the Platy? Avoid carrying water to wash hands. R U already carrying TP? If so how about switching to a small pack of Wet Wipes? Burn when dry. Good for tinder in wet conditions once dry. Carry any disinfectant as part of a FAK? Carry any anti-desicant, anti- maceration, or anti-friction cream/lotion/salve for things like feet or hands? They often have anti bacterial properties such as Bert's Bees Req Q Ointment or Cutical Lemon Butter. Dry sand like beach sand or if it's wet makes a nice abrasive for washing. Lichen, mosses, evergreen needles, and other leaves can be sustainably used to "wash" hands. They can hold water too. Perhaps the second easiest beyond washing hands when filling the platy is the smoke around a campfire without any chemicals which makes for a smoke bath that kills bacteria that cause odor. Tannins in plants especially but not only the bark have astringent and anti bacterial properties. Many of these plants through all four seasons are found abundantly on the AT i.e; oaks, cedars, poplar, hemlock, etc. A small strip of bark WITHOUT killing or girdling or otherwise damaging or destroying the plant can work. Tannins are also found in leaves and fruits of plants on the east coast. Cranberry is one such fruit. Witch Hazel(Hamamelis virginica, etc) is another. In late spring through summer on the AT, PCT and CDT I've found yarrow( Achillea millefolium), typically white but can be yellow or pinkish on the AT, to rub on hands and legs with cuts as it has natural antiseptic properties. It was used during the Civil War as a wound dressing. In abundant fall yellow skyrocket like bloom now with similar analgesic, antiseptic, and astringent properties, as well as other properties if ingested, is Goldenrod(Solidago spp). Do NOT confuse Solidago with other plants species called Goldenrod of hay fever concern!

[Alligator]

Make a stuff sack out of a lemon or onion mesh sack. Fold the top over 2-3 times about a 1/2 inch and weave string through it with a cord lock. Then you can hang it and tilt it down. I have a cap I drilled small holes in that I use for washing hands and dishes. I use the mesh bag for keeping my spoon, soap dropper bottle, small green scrubbie and salt and pepper in.

[Hikes in Rain]

I made a wash basin from the bottom half of a gallon milk jug. Almost weightless, and just by coincidence (didn't plan it), my cookpot fits inside it.

[Five Tango]

I made a wash basin from the bottom half of a gallon milk jug. Almost weightless, and just by coincidence (didn't plan it), my cookpot fits inside it.

I put my SP600 in a quart sized screw top container which serves as a coozy for the freezer bag and makes a great little bath tub.A small sponge and/or some Wysi wipes(dehydrated towels) do wonders.Few things outdoors surpass a hot Wysi wipe on the face and hands before breakfast in the morning.

[garlic08]

I'll sometimes wash without water, using sage leaves or spruce needles. There's a little moisture, some friction, and great scent.

I mostly do that on long desert water carries, sometimes forty miles or more, when not a drop of water is going to hit the ground.

[Leo L.]

While hiking, I hardly ever wash my hands as a single task.
When doing a bathroom run, I usually wash my bum and the hands, the same when doing a sponge bath at or near the end of the day's walking.
Opposite of what most people in the US think, I strongly belive that constantly cleaning, washing and sanitizing everything leads to more bad than good.

I really like to brush my hands over herbs and scented shrubs in the desert and put a few leaves in my shirt pocket, just to get a different/better smell around myself.

[Leo L.]

Just to add:During my desert trips riding a motorbike, I've learned to wash my hands with soap and water (riding a bike in the desert will blacken your hands) by holding a PET water bottle stuck between my knees, squeezing out small amounts of water on demand.

[Crossup]

Agree these are the bomb- I go a step further by carrying the shower head/hose which I use for several things plus showers. But for me a big bonus is since I'm not concerned with speed, pack weight is secondary so I often come into campsites that have no water with 6L+. Nine times out of ten I'll end up giving several liters to others who did not plan well or have something to carry extra water in.


I have a MSR Dromlite 6L bag that has a 3-in-1 cap. I hang it up and can get water to filter or wash my dishes, hands or face. they weigh 6.5 oz. empty. 6L is enough for dinner, washing, drinking and morning breakfast and coffee.

[tombolino]

wow! Some epic cool solutions here. Plenty to work with. You all are cool! :)