Ladies, what are some tips in keeping dry and fresh while camping?
Posted: August 21st, 2010 | Author: Mitch | Filed under: Camping Tips | Tags: chemicals, genitals | 3 Comments »I’m camping again for four days without a shower. You know how it is at the end of the second hiking day and the genitals just aren’t comfortable. Can I get some serious, good suggestions from women, avoiding the usage of wipes (don’t like the chemicals)?
Just go to a natural foods store and get a package of baby wipes — little or no "chemicals" in those. That and changing your undies a couple of times a day. Take the lightweight stretch nylon type that you can wash out and quick dry overnight. A washcloth, a small plastic bowl of water and a mild liquid soap like Dr. Bronners are all you need for a quick sponge bath in the woods. For warm weather trips I like to take a SunShower unit. It’s a black plastic bag with a nozzle on the end. You fill it with water (only takes about a gallon) and lay it in the sun for a few hours — it heats up enough to hang it on a branch and shower under it or just hold it in your hand, open the valve and rinse off with nice hot water. I’ve used one of these daily on 3 week long archaeology field camps.
And in those instances when you don’t have enough water for a sponge bath, a generous sprinkling of baby powder can do wonders. I always carry a travel size of baby powder — feels good on hot feet in hiking boots all day and can help with chafing from shorts too.
If you are sheepish about disrobing and cleaning up around other people in camp, carry a cheap ($3 to $5) plastic rain poncho. It’s handy to slip one over your head giving you a personal "privacy tent", handy for when you have to squat in the woods, to change clothes or wash up underneath whenever there are no bushes to obscure you. And those cheap ponchos can be really handy as gear covers if it rains.
I have never felt keeping clean and comfortable in the woods was much of a big deal — doesn’t really take much effort.
Anybody that goes 4 days without a shower is going to smell…nothing takes smell away except a good cleaning…anything else is just covering the oder…if I was you I’d take my own water, soap and washcloth and get myself clean
great site