Camping

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. . . Yes Hikers, You Can Still Be Clean and Sanitary

Hiking and back packing is a dirty business, out hiking the dusty trail all day long, sweating in the heat of the mid-day sun, carrying your back-pack and using the same pair of hiking socks for three days to keep the weight of your backpack down . . . after 2 days on the hiking trail, I always ask myself why am I doing this. but, by the 5th day (without a shower) I have become numb to logic and have resorted to simply enjoying the beauty of the great outdoors – but now there’s no excuse not to have a shower while you’re camping. Okay, so we’re not talking the power showers we have at home which can dimple your butt cheeks if you drop the soap, but cleanliness is next to godliness apparently, and whilst we can’t all be “godly” all of the time, we can still make an effort to be clean and a little less smelly.

Choosing Camping Bathroom Essentials

• Showers for Hikers & Campers – Hikers might have to make do with a dip under a waterfall . . . that is, if they can find a handy waterfall in the back country, if not a quick wipe rub down with a no rinse bathing wipe might have to do, which can actually be quite fun if you can find a fellow hiking buddy to rub down your back. Campers, however, do have many more options. Solar heated camp showers are all the rage these days, they are available in different sizes up to about 5 gallon . . . wonder if that’s enough water to share with your camping buddies or if you have to make sure that you get in there first? Anyway, a warm (I won’t say hot, but you never know your luck) shower is always an acceptable treat after a day in the great outdoors.

I know what you boys were waiting for . . . I bet you watched it right to the end didn’t you, and now you’re all hoping to “see her on the trail” . . . . unfortunately all showering hikers do not look like Cindy!

• Toilets for Hikers & Campers – again, there is a wide divide between the type of toileting facilities you can take with your on a regular camping trip, and the trowel you will need for a hike through the back country. Camping portable toilets are available complete with waste bags full of bio-gel or not, to dispose of . . . . you know what I’m talking about, the stuff you need to bury with your trowel whilst your hiking. Make sure that you are well clear of the hiking trail before you answer the call of nature . . . no, not to prevent photographs of you with your pants down from appearing on Facebook, but to be environmentally friendly and cause minimum impact to the hiking trail. Lady hikers might be interested in a device which enables them to pee in an upright position without wetting their hiking boots, just like a hiking dude . . . then again, they might not be interested at all!

I’m kinda’ glad that’s all he showed us . . . .

. . . and I’m kinda’ glad we didn’t get a working demonstration . . . we can just use our imagination!

• Soaps & Shampoos for Campers & Hikers – we all have our favorite brands of soap and shampoo (for extra body and less frizz maybe), but it won’t necessarily be suitable for a hiking or camping trip. The soap and shampoo which you use (presumably you will use something of the sort occasionally) must be bio-degradable and ideally organic. That way you are much less likely to pollute the lakes, streams and waterways. There’s also a great range of no-rinse shampoos and soaps available for hikers and campers . . . great for when the water supply is running low. Hikers and campers do prefer little things, so there’s a great range of little storage bottles available which means that you don’t have to carry a load of stuff in your backpack which you’re never gonna’ use.
• Dental Hygiene for Campers & Hikers – we’re talking toothbrushes! I know that the majority of toothbrushes are small and lightweight (unless you have one of those electrically powered jobs which buzz their way around your teeth leaving your gums numb but your teeth sparkling . . . they’re no good for back packing trips at all . . . too heavy and limited electricity supply), anyway, what do you do with your toothbrush just after you’ve cleaned your teeth . . . when it’s all wet . . . . you have a clever hiking or camping toothbrush which folds back inside it’s own handle keeping your other stuff dry and the toothbrush head clean . . . that’s exactly what you do with it.

Protect Your Hiking Stash of Smellies

By “smellies” I’m not referring back to the camp toilet section, but actually to your nicely smelling stuff . . . soaps and shampoos (honey is good for the skin and tasty for bears . . . citrus is good at keeping the mozzies at bay, but also smells rather tasty), so if you are hiking in bear country it’s important that you stash your smellies inside your bear canister just to be on the safe side.

Yes, as I suspected. He can smell the toothpaste and desperately needs to clean his teeth and get rid of his ”morning breath”.