View Full Version : Need some suggestions....
In the name of multi-purpose gear and shaving a few more ounces off the old pack weight....I think I'm missing something here. What do you all recommend or use that could serve ALL of following purposes? Right now, I've got 1 bandana, small pack towel (cut in half), and wet wipes. I'm thinking I could do something better here.
1. Filter for water (I have a bandana and am using AM)
2. Something to use as just a cloth to wipe your hands on etc. throughout the day
3. Cloth to clean your body/feet/sweaty regions
Don't think I want to filter my water w/the same thing I just wiped my sweaty pits on you know?
The other thing I think I could do better with is that I've got hand sanitizer gel for obvious bathroom/eating reasons, but I also have a 1 oz thing of campsuds to wash my cooking pot with (I can't do freezerbag cooking...I taste the plastic, so I eat out of my pot). I like the gel because it doesn't require water/getting sudzy, etc., and I know it kills crap due to the alcohol content, but I can't wash my pot out w/gel.
These are the things I know I could somehow change up and lose a little weight. Suggestions? Thanks.
Fannypack
01-10-2007, 17:53
The other thing I think I could do better with is that I've got hand sanitizer gel for obvious bathroom/eating reasons, but I also have a 1 oz thing of campsuds to wash my cooking pot with
soap to wash pot is not necessary
Ditch the soap. You are cleaning your pot every time you boil water in it so it is safe anyway. Wipe the gunk out with your finger after eating and you sanitize it the next time you cook.
ditto 33W - use plain water and finger scrub the pot after eating
I use wet wipes for a lot of things. Cleaning hands, cleaning sporks and the expected cleaning of the bottom.
Not the same wipe, obviously.
They weigh more than dry tissue, but are far handier and can do many more things. Wouldn't filter my water through them, however.
TJ aka Teej
01-10-2007, 18:09
I use no-see-um netting, held on with a rubber band, to screen out gunk from my water bottles. Never use my bandana for that job - I know where it's been! :D
Fannypack
01-10-2007, 18:15
also carry 4 or 5 handkerchiefs
use one to wipe out your cook pot and rinse as often as possible in a stream to clean then hang on the outside of pack to air dry
hang hanky on a ring of the shoulder strap to use for sweat in eyes, nose, etc...(easy to get to it during the day)having several extra handkerchiefs allows u to have a dry clean one to replace the two i mention above
Suggestion: get a couple different color hankies (no white ones) , e.g., maybe always use the green ones for the pot & red ones for nose, etc....
-Carry a little square of Scotch Brite pad to clean your pot or use sand/abrasive soil or just your finger and water. No soap necessary.
-If you carry an alcohol stove, use the fuel for hand sanitizer.
-This may make some people cringe, but whatever. For nasty body areas, like pits, crotch, ass etc, I use one of my socks as a wash rag since they already smell like crap. Just rinse it out well before and after you clean yourself with it. Just a good rinse is enough for me to not mind sticking it on my foot again. I'm also disgusting though, so it's your call. For more sensitive areas like face and neck, water and your own hands is generally good enough to get tolerably clean on the trail. If I'm rinsing out a shirt anyway I sometimes use it as a wash rag.
-To strain water if need be, I usually find the cleanest bit of non-waterproof fabric I'm carrying. Corner of a t-shirt usually, and use that. Or like someon mentioned, just carry a rubber band and a little square of mesh or tightly woven fabric. Weighs nothing.
SalParadise
01-10-2007, 20:08
man, I tried those wet wipes once for a solution to my chafing, and boy what a painful mistake that was.
1 washcloth-size pack towel is the solution to everything. You can do a basic body-wash with just some water and don't need to bring the soap. I clipped it to a shoulder strap and then also had it to wipe down my hands and face.
cleaning a cookpot is not necessary. yesterday's dinner just reheats and you don't have to waste any food. or clean it with your finger, either one.
generally the stream water is pretty clear even without filtering, but you could carry a few coffee filters with you to filter it and a rubber band to tie it around your nalgene, and they'd weigh almost nothing.
SalParadise
01-10-2007, 20:11
-Carry a little square of Scotch Brite pad to clean your pot or use sand/abrasive soil
I don't know if the scouring pad worked for you, but I tried that with no success--tiny bits of food would stay permanently in there even after a rinsing, and the particles ended up moldy and pretty rank.
the sand/soil is a good suggestion, I've done that before with success.
-Carry a little square of Scotch Brite pad to clean your pot or use sand/abrasive soil or just your finger and water.
Ditto that. A 1" x 2" square of "Scrunge" works well also. The Scrunge weighs 0.1 oz when dry, 0.4 oz after being used and wrung out by hand.
Lone Wolf
01-10-2007, 20:22
Ditto that. A 1" x 2" square of "Scrunge" works well also. The Scrunge weighs 0.1 oz when dry, 0.4 oz after being used and wrung out by hand.
how ***n anal is that?:rolleyes: crissakes
I've learned of a new wipe, the preparation H medicated wipe, with astringent and moisturizer. It's good all over. I even wipe my face with them. Those things are money!
Blissful
01-10-2007, 20:28
Michele, You may want to look at those Oil of Olay face wipes or similar "Equate" brand from Wal mart - you can cut them in half if you need to so you use less, they are dry too so they weigh little, and can use them for a quick wash as they suds up. I plan to carry a few and put some in mail drops. if I have a clean face and hands at camp, I feel clean.
But I am also bringing a small hunk of ivory bar to do some ziploc "wash" of socks and undies.
how ***n anal is that?:rolleyes: crissakes
***, do I have something better to do? Not really. Winter in New England is ugly without snow, and there's no snow. The skiing and the photography suck this time of year. So I'm planning the bejezus out of next years hike and doing practice hikes. Unlike some folks I know, my time off (from work) is kinda limited. I have a fairly ambitious project laid out for a six-week chunk of free time. Now how much effort does it take to throw a chunka sponge on a scale? What's the harm in knowing? D'ya think I'll have more fun on the trail, not thinking about my pack weight? :rolleyes: D'ya think I'll be a better hiker in some way by leaving my Lekis behind?
SalParadise
01-10-2007, 20:35
Now how much effort does it take to throw a chunka sponge on a scale?
You Know You're A Hiker When....
Lone Wolf
01-10-2007, 20:36
***,
W T F I presume?:)
Lone Wolf
01-10-2007, 20:38
Unlike some folks I know, my time off (from work) is kinda limited.
Really? You're on here 20 hours a day. W T F do you do for work?
W T F do you do for work?
Look who's asking ... :p
W T F I presume?:)
. . . .Indeed.
I've learned of a new wipe, the preparation H medicated wipe, with astringent and moisturizer. It's good all over. I even wipe my face with them. Those things are money!
Well, since this is not the politics forum so I'll let this one go. Too easy.
Well, since this is not the politics forum so I'll let this one go. Too easy.
I wipe my face first, of course....
Jim Adams
01-16-2007, 23:21
Wipe your hands on your shirt, pants, etc.
:banana The bears will love you!!!
geek
rswanson
01-17-2007, 14:27
Hey, I think I read once, somewhere about a pre-soaped or medicated wipe that was dry and 'suds-up' with a little water. Anyone happen to know the brand?
1) Coffee filters are lightweight, I get several filterings out of one coffee filter thingy. The ones I use are for a commercial coffe maker and I don't drink coffee so don't know if there is a size / quality diff.
2) My "clean up rag" is a microfiber cleaning cloth. Holds a rediculous amount of water/dirt/etc. & cleans with a quick swish in a bit of water & a squeeze. (well away from water sources naturally).
3) see #2, AND, castile soap towletts. (Triad Disposables, Inc. Brookfield, WI 53045)
I agree with the thought of "why wash your pot?". I do freezer bag cooking, but when i used one, I would clean the pot a bit extra w a touch of TP, then let the cooking water do it's stuff next time.
Doctari.
Dingus Khan
01-17-2007, 17:29
Whatever happened to dr bronners soap and a bandana?
i too ran into the nasty stench of a 2 week old scrubber - back in the day when i was cooking on plain aluminum... ugh talk about hard work. never again.
I do however like things clean and will use bronner's soap for everything - dishes, socks and swamp rot... i'll let your imagination fill that one in.
as for filtering water, i stick with a katahdin hiker pro with aqua mira backup, so no filtering needed, a bit extra weight but i am comfortable with it and it is piece of mind - besides the lack of cloudy and floater filled "sterile" water.
Gee, guess I'll never be an ultralighter. I carry small bottle of camp suds, and use it mostly to clean my cooking pot. I didn't use much. And I carry hand sanitzer as well.
My advice for those in doubt is to start out with both, and then adjust accordingly. Plenty of places to drop gear, or pick up substitutes. See what works best for you.
johnny quest
01-17-2007, 17:57
i find that the longer im in the bush the nastier acting i get. i have to admit i will use one bandanna for everything. EVERYTHING.