I have notice that almost no one lists a tooth brush in their BOB. For a long term (72 hours or longer) bug out it seems to me that it would be nice to have a small airline style tooth brush on hand. I keep one in my BOB, it weighs almost nothing and takes up very little room.

I am curious what your thoughts are on this.

well i have a tooth brush in my BOB, complete with toothpaste. I even toss in a few brush aways in it as a back-up or when i'm out of water. It's in my hygiene bag, which is filled with towlets, soap, etc. You got to keep your self clean to prevent infection and such.

I have a ziplock bag with toothbrush and paste, comb, small hairbrush, washcloth, hand towel, tube of liquid soap, small bottle of shampoo & conditioner, skin moisturizer, heavy-duty hand lotion, small jar of petroleum jelly, nail clipper, nail file, and probably a few other things.

Sue

I have an XL McNett Micronet Towel (35"x62") and carrier in my BOB. It's a micro-fiber towel that can hold five times its weight in water, or so they claim. I must admit that it is very absorbent, but I've never weighed it both wet and dry to verify this... <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

As a test, I laid the towel out on the grass after a heavy dew, and was able to soak up a lot of water with it by dragging it a couple of yards. I wish I had the foresight to wring the towel out into a Nalgene bottle to see how much water it had soaked up.

The towel is a micro-fiber weave, so if you keep a corner clean it can also be used as a lens cleaner, and it performs well in this capacity.

It also makes a rather absorbent shemagh... You have to love multi-purpose equipment... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The carrier that came with it has two mesh pockets, a waterproof back and a nylon hang loop so you can attach it to a backpack, have the towel dry while you're on the move, and keep other hygiene items in the back without fear of them getting unnecessarily wet.

The McNett Micronet Towel is probably the same towel, or at least appears to be made of the same material as the MSR PackTowels, REI MultiTowels and others, but it was either cheaper, larger or the carrier was of a much hardier design than the others on the market so I went with it.

Oh... And now we get to the reason I posted on this thread...

I keep soap, and extra small bottle of hand sanitizer, a small bottle of deodorant, a roll of Charmin' To Go Toilet paper, Dental Floss, and an Aurell Toob Toothbrush (with refillable toothpaste tube in the handle) in the back pocket.

Though the Charmin' To Go has a plastic sheath, the second I use it for the first time (pardon the disgusting thought) it's going right out of the hygiene bag. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

And a quick word on the Aurell Toob Toothbrush...

I'll probably replace it. I was looking for something to save space and weight, but truth be told it's not much smaller than a regular toothbrush and travel size tube of toothpaste. It's also a touch on the flimsy side, and the bristles aren't up to snuff. Gee, I should have figured that out because they sell brush refills.

Gimmicky... I was weak... I admit it... <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I could have gone the light backpacker route and drilled holes in the handle of a regular toothbrush if I were really all that worried about the weight of dental hygiene. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Toothbrushes are one of those things that we often forget when we amass the SAKs, Leathermen, water filters, fishing gear, metal signal mirrors... you know the standard stuff. I inherited a 'grab and go' bag from my dad - he had forgotten little things like matches and anything to do with hygine, including toothbrush.
What about hair brushes and such? I know that my hair needs to be tamed when in the city, if in the outback I am not sure what would happen! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Rena
(survivalgene)

I don't even think about it. There is a toothbrush, toothpaste and a comb in my ditch kit. If you can't bathe or shave, brushing your hair and making your mouth not taste like a coyote mistook it for a tree still makes you feel a lot better. If there is time, add a smoke bath, and I feel much more human.