Posted by: SwampDonkey
Keeping Clean in the Woods - 08/08/07 02:16 PM
Hi Everyone,
I frequently spend weeks in remote wilderness locations sharing a wall tent or small cabin working, hunting or fishing with 3 other men. By day three the smell in the camp starts to build and by the end of the trip it is usually very ripe, especially when working in warm weather.
I believe personal hygiene is important in the field, to keep the mood up in camp and to prevent personal illness. Ten years ago I picked up a preventable virus in a remote camp that knocked me flat-on-my-back for 6 weeks!
We first used a Solar Shower in the field and this works well, but outside of the summer season you have to heat the water over a stove or fire before adding it to the bag and it is messy to use indoors in the winter. We have also used a metal watering can that you hang over the fire to heat-up then elevate the can to have a shower outside. In the summer we usually just go swimming in the nearby lakes or rivers.
There are some interesting types of powered, portable showers on the market now, some which even have heaters built-in but we have not gone to the expense of these yet (to much other neat equipment to buy).
Large moist towellettes (think baby wipes) do a decent job for a sponge bath and are what we normally use when camping in the winter months. A hot sauna, then jump in the lake or roll in the snow, does a great job of cleaning you up also.
The difficulty is that in one of the camps I often frequent water has to be trucked in and is always in short supply.
A new product I tried last year is called "No Rinse Body Bath" and "No Rinse Shampoo" made by No Rinse Laboratories LLC of Centerville, Ohio, USA (note: I have no connection to this company at all).
To clean your body with this product you put 1 oz of the Body Bath in a quart of water and give yourself a good sponge bath. You towel dry and you are done, there is absolutely no need to rinse off and there is no soapy feeling.
To clean your hair with the shampoo you just spray it on your head (we found it best to have a partner help do this) and work-up a lather, then towel dry, thats it.
I was sceptical when I first tried these products but they worked as claimed, I felt clean and refreshed without any slippery residue.
The company claims that the products are used by NASA astronauts on space flights. I have found them to be an excellent addition to my remote travel kit and I am sure my companions appreciate me using it!
I bought the 2 - 8 oz bottles at Bass Pro, for about $6.00 each (CAN), they are priced at $3.99 in the USA (I have also seen them in other outdoor outfitting stores), trust me after a week in the bush they are like liquid gold.
We have had good results with these products and they would work well in a BOB or just when camping, they are worth giving a try.
Mike
I frequently spend weeks in remote wilderness locations sharing a wall tent or small cabin working, hunting or fishing with 3 other men. By day three the smell in the camp starts to build and by the end of the trip it is usually very ripe, especially when working in warm weather.
I believe personal hygiene is important in the field, to keep the mood up in camp and to prevent personal illness. Ten years ago I picked up a preventable virus in a remote camp that knocked me flat-on-my-back for 6 weeks!
We first used a Solar Shower in the field and this works well, but outside of the summer season you have to heat the water over a stove or fire before adding it to the bag and it is messy to use indoors in the winter. We have also used a metal watering can that you hang over the fire to heat-up then elevate the can to have a shower outside. In the summer we usually just go swimming in the nearby lakes or rivers.
There are some interesting types of powered, portable showers on the market now, some which even have heaters built-in but we have not gone to the expense of these yet (to much other neat equipment to buy).
Large moist towellettes (think baby wipes) do a decent job for a sponge bath and are what we normally use when camping in the winter months. A hot sauna, then jump in the lake or roll in the snow, does a great job of cleaning you up also.
The difficulty is that in one of the camps I often frequent water has to be trucked in and is always in short supply.
A new product I tried last year is called "No Rinse Body Bath" and "No Rinse Shampoo" made by No Rinse Laboratories LLC of Centerville, Ohio, USA (note: I have no connection to this company at all).
To clean your body with this product you put 1 oz of the Body Bath in a quart of water and give yourself a good sponge bath. You towel dry and you are done, there is absolutely no need to rinse off and there is no soapy feeling.
To clean your hair with the shampoo you just spray it on your head (we found it best to have a partner help do this) and work-up a lather, then towel dry, thats it.
I was sceptical when I first tried these products but they worked as claimed, I felt clean and refreshed without any slippery residue.
The company claims that the products are used by NASA astronauts on space flights. I have found them to be an excellent addition to my remote travel kit and I am sure my companions appreciate me using it!
I bought the 2 - 8 oz bottles at Bass Pro, for about $6.00 each (CAN), they are priced at $3.99 in the USA (I have also seen them in other outdoor outfitting stores), trust me after a week in the bush they are like liquid gold.
We have had good results with these products and they would work well in a BOB or just when camping, they are worth giving a try.
Mike