what can you do to keep clean?
2007-10-09 15:47:33 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Other - Outdoor Recreation
Buy a "SunShower". It's a black plastic bag (looks kind of like an oversized hot water bottle) with a hose nozzle and shut-off clamp that holds from one to 3 gallons of water (depends on what size you buy.) You fill it up and let it lay in the sun for a few hours. It absorbs the heat, can get up to about 105 degrees F, in fact, and you hang it in a tree and shower under it by releasing the clamp on the nozzle. I used one to wash my hair and shower every day for 3 weeks on an archaeology field crew out in a remote canyon in the Wyoming mountains. Boy, did that feel good after a hot dusty day of digging! You can order one from CampMor's online catalog. If this method isn't practical you can just use what I used to do on backbacking trips -- the mini-bucket sponge bath. I'd boil a little water with my campstove and then mix it with cold in a small plastic bucket I always carry in my backpack. Strip down and then quickly wash yourself all over with a lightweight wash cloth and dry yourself with a pack towel (this is a microfiber, fast-drying towel.) You don't really need soap (and the scent of soap can attract bugs and animals), just a good scrub, so rinsing isn't a big problem. Use what is left in the bucket to wash and rinse your hair. Let your washcloth and towel dry on a bush in the sun and they won't get funky.
2007-10-09 17:20:23 · answer #1 · answered by c_kayak_fun 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Why are you worried about keeping clean when youre back packing in the wilderness? If I get real muddy or grungy I just jump in the creek, stream, river, lake or ocean Im camping near. Ive been on 1 or 2 week back packing trips or longer without a shower or bath. No ones around so why bother. A wet wash cloth in the morning on my face is good to freshen up. No need to carry extra gear. that weight adds up fast!
2007-10-10 03:36:10 · answer #2 · answered by David H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For wilderness? Assuming that you are backpacking - I usually don't. You can jump in a lake or a creek (avoid using soap, it will contaminate the water) or use a moistened towel or washclothe.
When I was in Antarctica, I went for a whole month without taking a shower.
2007-10-17 18:14:48 · answer #3 · answered by Wayner 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jeez, you're out camping for christ sakes, in the WILDERNESS. If you gotta wash, jump in the stream or river.
Rough it, you're not going to die if you don't wash for a few days.
2007-10-10 02:03:47 · answer #4 · answered by hawaiianstyler 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋