Trail hygiene - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

I was wondering if you all can share some of your hygiene tips while on the trail. What are some good ways of staying relatively clean on the trail? Thanks

Anthony

#2

I don’t mind good honest dirt. But being out & out greasy; well, I don’t like it a lot. I think you simply Can’t & don’t stay real clean, but one thing I do when I’m out camping; hiking, etc, is carry those small compact alcohol pads to clean off SOME of the grime; tho you have to pack out the empty pkgs. Also, I carry a small refillable bottle of Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Castille soap. It’s pretty “minty”, & wakes me up; makes me feel clean. It’s sort of multi purpose (& folks; reading the label is worth the cost of the bottle!),The original guy that made it (Dr. B.) was a bit shall we “out there” but he made one good soap. To me, it’s main function is a body wash. They claim that you can use it for toothpaste but YECCHH …I tried it…Once. Still like it as a body wash tho.

betty

#3

We take a lot of individually wrapped wipes and frequently use those for quick clean up–they are refreshing, but don’t really get you clean-clean…next trip, I am taking a small portable dog bowl (they are cloth, collapsible, and don’t weigh much). I will heat water and use biodegradable soap and a sponge to clean up.

gumball

#4

first of all, you’ll never be clean on the trail. simple as that. you may as well get used to it. even if you take a shower, you still have to walk around in the motel where your boots were walking. that takes care of your feet. then you have to touch dirty clothes. then as soon as you put your pack on, you have old back sweat to contend with. it’s generally gross.

if you’re in denial, don’t listen to the dr. bonner’s fanclub up there. on a 40 degree morning, nothing in the world could have made me waste my water so i could freeze my hands in a fit of frustration for five minutes of minty freshness. I didn’t even use it for dish washing. after a couple days out there, clean water will be good enough. as long as there’s a minimal amount of stuck-on ramen, you’ll be happy. some people claim to use dr. bonner’s in motels. they’re liars. they use the provided bottles of shampoo like everybody else. you’ll need maybe two ounces of the crap the whole way and it’ll be at some podunk campground where they sell packets of Suave for $8 each.

what i used, and what i finally got cheers to use, was Tampax wipes. they’re made to clean the filthiest thing known to man, so they can’t do much harm on a hiker’s pits, right? they smell better than baby wipes, they can be burned, they don’t require water, they don’t require leaving the damn tent, they can be used in the privacy of your own sleeping bag!

just do me a favor. when it gets cold, go outside with some nearly freezing water, a dirty pack towl, 2 sweaty bandanas, a bottle of dr. bonner’s, your sleeping bag, and a tampax wipe. make sure you’ve hiked at least 10 uphill miles that day, and try to include the dr. bonner’s in your pack for those uphill miles. stick the bottle in a ziplock if it makes you feel better.

ok. so here’s the fun part. get half naked. pour some drinking water on you and bandana 1. take out your busted, slimy bottle of dr. b. suds up bandana 1 and warsh behind your ears, etc. when you rinse, be sure all the grey water falls into the center of bandana 2. we wouldn’t want to leave a trace, now, would we? dry with your dirty little pack towel (might take a few ring-outs before you get close to dry) and get those clothes back on.

now, get in your sleeping bag, bring out the tampax, and get to work.

let me know how it turns out :wink:

grace

#5

I carried baby wipes and Dr Bronners peppermint soap. It was important to me to wash my private parts area every night to keep the crotch rash at bay. I saw many people have to get off in misery due to this affliction. Its caused by heat moisture and bacteria. A few minutes every night saves a lot of misery later.

Big B

#6

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not really necessary to bath every day. Remember stories from days gone by of the weekly bath, or lumberjacks who never changed clothes from fall to spring. After a few days, your natural bacteria will take care of some of the B.O. smell (really).

Myself, I took showers when I could get them. And I took swims in steams and ponds along the way. One benefit of hiking in Maine in late July and August was that I was able to have a swim almost every day, and at least once a day.

Didn’t carry wipes.

Peaks

#7

A small bottle of sanitary cleanser is a must. No need to rinse and it takes a very small amount to work. You can get sick from sticking your hand in the gorp bag after reading the shelter journal. You are responsible for your wellness on the trail.

pete56

#8

A lot of hikers carry a small bottle of Purell. It may not keep you “clean”, but it certainly helps kill nasty bacteria.

Purell

#9

Wipes are the coolest - put a few in a ziplock and scrub away. I hear some folks use alcohol swabs for the feet every night, too.

I use hand sanitizer before meals. I’ve read in several places that washing hands before meals and after “pit stops” has more to do with getting the squirts on long hikes than water treatment does.

I’ve also used hand sanitizer on “me parts” down there. Works about like an alcohol swab.

Has anyone used that no-rinse shampoo and body wash? I’ve seen it in stores but never on the trail.

Jeff

Jeff

#10

A simple rinse-down when you get to waterfalls or little pools of water can be refreshing. It’s not really even necessary to use soap.

Purell, or some kind of hand sanitizer is a must. You have to at least try to keep your hands somewhat clean at some point in the day.

Of course, if it is completely necessary for you to carry something to try to clean off with every day, then there are options. I started packing out either baby wipes or something similar. They are not that heavy, and get the dirt and grime off your legs and arms. Or, if you want to go all out, there are facial cloths with soap that you can get (noxema, biore, etc) that are easy to use - just add water.

I just don’t know if it’s really even worth it to try to have showers or baths out on the trail. However, when you come in from a hike and have almost an inch of caked mud on your legs, it comes in handy to have something to clean off with before you crawl into your sleeping bag.

bearbait

#11

Is it certain that Purell kills giardia?

Eric

#12

Rain is the opportunity to take a shower (in Summer and also in Winter if you’re up to it)

Why do people get sick on the trail—poor hygiene, poor eating habits, eating bad or slightly contimated food, picking up bacteria and germs from others—and yes now and then but rarely from bad water. Water has been blamed falsely for many cases of bad stomach upsets, the runs, etc.

Carry a wash cloth and soap. It’s easy to take a sponge bath in summer, spring, and fall almost practically anywhere. In winter, wipes would of course be the way to go. Hand Sanitazier is also really good.

See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#13

It is an anti-bacterial sanitizer. I’m not sure, specifically, what that covers. You may need to write Purell a letter.

It’s a good start, though.

bearbait

#14

Funny - it’s an anti-bacterial, and the CDC link says for teachers to have a bottle of it in the classroom to protect against viruses. I’ve never heard of it killing viruses.

Also funny, they say it’s “99.99% effective in killing most of the germs that cause illness.” Not that it kills 99.99% of the germs that make you sick - just 99.99% effective at killing the ones they picked out to include in the “most” category.

Still a good product, though - just interesting how they can spin the numbers to market it.

I didn’t find anything mentioning alcohol-based sanitizers and giardia specifically, though.

Jeff

Jeff

#15

I just hiked the trail and never once used anything to sanitize or wipe my hands. i tried to avoid getting a human waste products on my hands and that seemed to work well. I however did carry some hemroid wipes to cut down on some of the sensitive chaffing spots. Seemed to work great for me. good luck out there.

Camel

Camel

#16

I’ll certainly agree with some of the posts made about sanitization on the trail.

I suspect that the water gets blamed for too many cases of the trots when it’s really poor sanitization on the part on the individual. Athletes know enough never to share water bottles. Same goes for hikers. Likewise, don’t allow others to put their hands into your gorp bag.

Clean your pot and utensil after use, not just when you get to town. Don’t let the nasties build up. Carry camp suds or Dr. Bonner’s. A small bottle (2 oz) should last you a long time.

Likewise, a dab of Purell is a good idea to use on your hands.

Peaks

#17

I can’t stand the smell of Dr. Bronners – too strong, too concentrated. But the label is interesting. I tried it when I first started hiking. I tried baby wipes – I found them too heavy for me. When I’m in an area with good streams or lakes, I will swim or wash up, if it’s warm enough. If it’s really cold, I don’t sweat all that much, so I can stand to wash less often. If I’m really sticky, and there is time and water at the end of the day, I’ll put water in my water bag, grab some soap (Camp Suds) and a bandana, and take a ‘shower’ off in the woods far from the stream. It feels wonderful. Getting clean at the end of the day gives a real psychological boost - I feel energized and much happier than if I don’t get cleaned up. Unfortunately with western hiking it is rarer to sleep where there is a water source, so bathing is more a matter of rinsing off exposed body parts in passing - then getting hot, sweaty and dirty again. If I’m really dirty, I can’t sleep. I hate using drinking water to get clean - but I will. I just use less. Soap is rarely used. I usually make hot chocolate after dinner, so the boiling water takes care of cleaning the pot and spoon. I mostly carry soap in case of injury. Purell is a good idea, though we don’t usually carry it. On the AT I met a guy who heated water every day to bathe and wash his hair. He was just out of the navy and couldn’t stand to be dirty. He was unusual. I’m not sure how long he lasted.

Ginny

#18

my best day on the trail was dropping into a creek about 12" deep and washing clothes and all. Most of the time i just washed out my shirt and kept walking.

I threw Willow in at dismal creek falls because she was the only person who didn’t wash off there. After she got wet, she was over her stage fright.

honey pie and hoss were kings of water fall showers, but you have to get into NC and TN to have significant water fall action. Best sound ever heard was the water rolling as I entered Cherokkee National forrest. What a sound. It was still too cold for me.

One thing i did that i think was best for me was to not use my hands when I ate. After a while you get used to being dirty, but using a clean, boil sanitized spoon to cook and eat with must be a good thing.

Sharing food is also an area where you need to be aware of. After a bit of running with a few hiking buds, you know you can eat after them because they are probably using better hygenx, hehehe, at least most folks had to be cleaner than me.

I also suggest that you don’t go over board on your feet. Keeping them clean, even so clean you could play footsy may be one of the reasons for some of the blisters. Some people don’t give their feet time to harden. If that makes sense. But what do I know, if i cut myself, i pick up some moss or a bit of mud to clog up the wound and as a coagulation inducement.

When it is all over, we all return to dirt. don’t worry, hike on.

burn

#19

I just went nasty-girl style. I was worried about cleanliness for about a week or so and then I couldn’t be bothered. I ocassionally washed my hands and face in a stream. The one thing I did do was keep my hands clean with alcohol sanitizer. There’s something quite enjoyable about being just plain dirty and not caring. I did use a sleeping bag liner and separate sleeping clothes from hiking clothes to not make my sleeping bag filthy. Any kind of soap, even Dr. Bronner’s and Camp Sudz pollutes water sources and I wanted no part of it.

Tell it like it is

#20

Have a set of cloths for hiking and a set for sleeping. And when you get to town wash your ass

Virginian