hygene when out and about

[swkieran]

what are the solar showers like,what methods do other people use to keep them selves clean if youre out for a few days,ano brushing youre teeth and having a shave would be simple enough,youll have spare clothes etc :camping:

[Shewie]

I don't bother to shave unless I'm out for longer than a week and then the growth becomes irritating. I always brush my teeth morning and night but that's only because I've spent a small fortune getting them fixed over the last few years.

For washing I just take a small bar of soap (complementary from hotels normally :)) I've also got some soap impregnated towels which are good, just put a splash of water in the palm of your hand and scrunch it up.

I like to smell nice so carry a can of deodorant unless I'm tracking.

Along with the usual tick and midgey/mosi stuff that's about all I carry hygiene wise.

[GaryBeaner]

I tend to have a wash with warm water (leaves from a birch tree stirred in and strained make a niceish soapy lather!) and a wipe with a disposable face pad thing nicked from the missus(honest!). Tend not to worry about doing my teeth unless there's company!
I have to admit as I get older and clumsier I keep thinking about some disinfectant wipes for the first aid kit.

[garethw]

Hi there
Other than teeth I don't bother washing anything other than my hands when out camping/fishing etc. This is unless I can get to a proper shower. Often on the motorways in France you can get a shower for small charge, or I call in to a campsite for a night which lets me wash myself andy any mess kit I carry properly. I do keep a change of clothes in case I get very wet or can get to a shower.
cheers
Gareth

[Kiltie]

I use the 'dry shower' method often, basically tip about a tablespoon of talcum powder into a clean woolen sock then give yourself a good scrub all over, makes you feel really clean and refreshed and smelling like a baby, also helps prevent 'Betty Swollocks' if you catch my drift ;)

[phil41181]

teeth, talc and one of them steel soap thing's they are the dog's things you know :). they never run out, get rid of all smells and are non scented also good if your into tracking. I carry some hand gel (alcohol) for cleaning the hands.

[Aaron Rushton]

yep toothbrush and toothpaste is all i need. NEVER brin smellies, not even soap, when hunting. i once wwent out hunting after just WEARING my cammo jacket to a fancy dress party and i cleared a field of rabbits and i was using just normal stalking techniques which usually bag me a few. your quarry, wether it be rabbit, deer, boar or even squirrel, have extemely good noses.

[Celt_Ginger]

It's a wire brush and Detol all over for me!

I usually brush teeth, clean body with wet wipes, powder my feet and groin, and I always take moist toilet paper with me in case I have a particulary sticky poo and end up as a contender for Ireland's champion A*se wiper! Even moist toilet paper will burn with the dry stuff as i always burn my toilet paper.

[resnikov]

Baby wet wipes, the non scented ones I find very good to clean myself with. Always brush my teeth.

[swkieran]

some good answers there thx guys,teeth are important you only get 1 set.lmao @ celt gingers answer

[OKBushcraft]

Shaving-uh, no. Haven't in 20+ years no need to start now.
I warm water in my canteen cup and wash with it. Small amount of soap for the hair, beard, etc.
I brush my teeth.
I carry unscented baby wipes.
Sometimes handcleaner.
Cornstarch makes a great powder for the neather areas, is unscented. I have done lots of labourous jobs over the years in the heat and it does great to keep from being galded.
I don't use deoderant in the bush, no since in it to me. Not to say someone else may not think I should...

[Martin]

Nice warm flannel, soaked in a can of hot water, really makes you feel fresh. Also love to clean my teeth when I'm out. Rarely bother shaving and don't bother with deodorant. The flannel can also be used to clean the more err, intimate areas to good effect. Alcohol hand gel for a quick hand clean before and after preparing food is a good idea. I guess it's all pretty much common sense and good hygeine practice really. Like the idea of the steel 'soap' bar thingy although I haven't seen them for a few years now.

Martin

[Ken]

..... Like the idea of the steel 'soap' bar thingy although I haven't seen them for a few years now.

Martin

I think I might need one of those!

Ken

[Martin]

I think I might need one of those!

Ken

You know you do Ken!! :D :D :D

[RobbC]

I normally carry half a bar of grampas pine tar soap, u can use it for shampoo, bathing, showering and it is great for people with skin problems such as dandruff. where i go camping there is a small stream that is fed by a spring, that is where i wash myself(not in winter!). other than tht i carry a small face cloth and of course toothbrush and toothpaste. Martin i thought you would just use the shower in your caravan!

Robb

[Martin]

... Martin i thought you would just use the shower in your caravan!

Robb

Why aren't you at school? Whippersnapper!!!! :p

Martin

[RobbC]

Why aren't you at school? Whippersnapper!!!!

Martin Im ill actualy :(

[Martin]

Im ill actualy :(

Hasn't stopped you from being cheeky though has it?! :p

Martin

[RobbC]

Hasn't stopped you from being cheeky though has it?!

Martin Just cause im ill doesnt mean i cant type:p

Robb

[paul standley]

It's a wire brush and Detol all over for me!

I usually brush teeth, clean body with wet wipes, powder my feet and groin, and I always take moist toilet paper with me in case I have a particulary sticky poo and end up as a contender for Ireland's champion A*se wiper! Even moist toilet paper will burn with the dry stuff as i always burn my toilet paper.

same for me...! - was waiting for someone else to say it first...!

[Realbark]

I have a small drawstring bag that has a small kit in it. Hotel size soap, half a microfleece towel, toothbrush and paste, wetwipes and a razor with brush (mini) and shaving cream as well as a sample size stick deoderant. Sounds a lot but although i have a beard i feel fresh with a shave n toothbrush. The whole lot packs into about 3" x 4" bag and weighs Fanny Adams. I also have a flexi mirror which has ductape arround the outside in the same bag. If anyone is interested i will post a pic of the full kit, packed and unpacked.

[robin]

I carry a small soap, flannel, small towel, toothbrush, tooth powder, razor and small deodorant stick in case I feel the need to visit a pub. One thing extra I take for shaving is a single platter from the inside of an old computer hard drive, they are fairly light, tough, have a mirror finish and with a central hole double up as a great signalling mirror should the need ever arise.

I should really take some antibacterial hand gel as well but have never got round to buying any.

[resnikov]

One thing extra I take for shaving is a single platter from the inside of an old computer hard drive, they are fairly light, tough, have a mirror finish and with a central hole double up as a great signalling mirror should the need ever arise.


Thats a good idea, might have to rip open oe of the many dead hard drives in the office.

[jbrown14]

I carry a toothbrush with a chopped-down handle to save space, just brush my teeth with clean water and rinse with same.

For bathing, most of that is done either with unscented baby wipes (which my wife uses on our twins buns anyway) or I have a small square from a pack towel which I use with some clean water and Dr. Bronner's peppermint castille liquid soap. I've used the soap to brush my teeth as indicated on the bottle, but it doesn't taste very good. Does a great job on the hair and face, though. Quick rinse with a pot of cold water and I'm ready to rock.

[bigstan]

I just stink till i get home. At least you can always find me in the dark.

[OKBushcraft]

I am always game for pics of gear.

[Fletching]

Just been thinking about the old 'Shewee' dilemma again (don't ask!) and I notice that the company makes a male version:

http://www.shewee.com/newstore/products/Shewee-Absorbent-Pouch-%28Twin-Pack%29-in-association-with-Travel-John.html

I'm wondering if wallpaper paste in a ziplock bag/coke bottle might do the same trick in those awkward 'can't be arsed to get out the tent at 3am' moments. Alternatively, I'll be experimenting with a sawn-off plastic funnel and a condom after I've knocked back a couple more of these delightful (and medicinal, I must point out) tinnies.

...I'll then probably be getting the mop out. ;)

[Martin]

Three thoughts here. Firstly, we don't need a 'HeWee' as we already have the plumbing sorted. Secondly, if you want to pee into a pot at night why not just do it and put the lid back on? Thirdly, if you really don't like the thought of it sloshing about, why not try cat litter?

Martin

[Fletching]

Three thoughts here. Firstly, we don't need a 'HeWee' as we already have the plumbing sorted. Secondly, if you want to pee into a pot at night why not just do it and put the lid back on? Thirdly, if you really don't like the thought of it sloshing about, why not try cat litter?

Martin

I pee where you're coming from, but a bag with wallpaper paste takes up a lot less space than a pot (you have to clean and might get knocked over) and cat litter. And what's poor tiddles going to use if you nick it? ;)

[Martin]

I pee where you're coming from, but a bag with wallpaper paste takes up a lot less space than a pot (you have to clean and might get knocked over) and cat litter. And what's poor tiddles going to use if you nick it? ;)

Err, you could substitute the bottle with a bag filled with cat litter which I'm led to believe forms a hard lump when it gets wet?

Martin

[Ken]

Err, you could substitute the bottle with a bag filled with cat litter which I'm led to believe forms a hard lump when it gets wet?

Martin

Correct!

[jbrown14]

I know that alot of mountaineers and even just expeditionaries who are out in the winter keep a separate "pee bottle" like a widemouth Nalgene for those 3 am calls of nature when they don't want to get out of the sleeping bag. The main thing to worry about is getting it confused with your bottle of potable liquids in that morning haze before the first cup of coffee (or tea.) :D

[Fletching]

...The main thing to worry about is getting it confused with your bottle of potable liquids in that morning haze before the first cup of coffee (or tea.) :D

...and the amount that the bottle can hold!

[Martin]

...and the amount that the bottle can hold!

Boasting again Steve? :rolleyes:

Martin

[Freddy]

Like the idea of the steel 'soap' bar thingy although I haven't seen them for a few years now.
Link, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Odour-Beater-Stainless-Steel-Everlasting/dp/B002PCZFSS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1297380366&sr=8-2


The main thing to worry about is getting it confused with your bottle of potable liquids in that morning haze before the first cup of coffee (or tea.) :D
Bright orange tape around the pee bottle works for me. Well i've not made a mistake yet.

[jbrown14]

Bright orange tape around the pee bottle works for me. Well i've not made a mistake yet.

Good idea, that. Some guys I know of wrap it in a heavy layer of duct tape so the tactile sensation is all they'll need to tell them it's the right (or wrong bottle.) Personally, I've just found it difficult to answer the call of nature laying down in my sleeping bag, or even kneeling or standing half bundled in it (shy bladder?) No matter how cold it is I suck it up, take a deep breath, head some steps away from camp and...well, you get the idea. :o

[Fletching]

Bright orange tape around the pee bottle works for me. Well i've not made a mistake yet.

Have you smelt your breath lately? :rolleyes:

Only kiddding. I wouldn't take the p*ss like that.

[Alba Albion]

Mini toothpast from Superdrug. Sawn off toothbrush. Anti persperant deoderant, cause I stink like a pig after a few days of sweating. Anti fungle talc for trired feet, does groin as well. Wet wipes very handy for all sorts. Pee bottle for the night, from Boots, holds a litre and it's usually 1/2 to 3/4 full by morn. A bar of wrights coal tar soap cut in half. Shaving is just one luxury too much especially when pack weight is kept to a min.

[klause]

...and the amount that the bottle can hold!

Depends on how many beers youve had - and if youve had too many you might not bother getting up at all ! haha...

[comanighttrain]

I carry a wee bottle of unscented all purpose travel soap usually, and tooth brush and paste. Thats it really... My mate who tags along usually smokes so we usually reek of tabacco anyway