It is just you, the open sky, and the great outdoors- sounds like a dream, right? The minimalism offered by camping and hiking is something that appeals to those that want to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life. Truly, nothing beats the chance to connect with nature and the rush you feel with every deep breath of fresh country air.
While being connected to nature is great and all, what do you do when you need to clean up? We are all well aware of how dirty you can get when camping. Dirt, grime, and slime is bound to cover every part of your body and don’t even get us started on the smell and general icky-ness of it all.
How clean or dirty you want to remain while in the backcountry is entirely up to you, and possibly how much of your stench your fellow camping companions are willing to tolerate. Some campers and backpackers don’t even notice their stench until it has been a couple of days but others prefer to maintain their freshness for as long as they can.
Just because you are out in the wild doesn’t mean that you have to live like wild animals. For the sake of your health and because you are a superior primate, you have to maintain good levels of hygiene even when you are roughing it out in the bush. The good news is that it is not that hard to stay clean while traipsing about the woods.
Some campsites offer campers 5star bathroom facilities while others only give you access to a hole in the ground and a nearby stream as your only source of water. In any case, there are plenty of ways to maintain your hygiene when camping. To help you out, here is what to bring with you if you love camping but hate feeling dirty:
Solar shower
Unless you prefer taking cold showers, then you will need a solar shower so that you can keep clean during your camping trip. Solar showers heat water using solar energy; all you have to do is add water inside the solar pouch and leave it for about 2 or 3 hours under direct sunlight before use.
Most camping solar showers are manufactured using a heat locking material within that allows water to heat up. Solar showers can be filled up easily; they are portable and can be used in any outdoor situation whether you are out camping or at a fun music festival.
Camping shower privacy tent
Shower privacy tents double up as makeshift restrooms for campers, providing private spaces away from peering eyes where campers can shower, as well as change in and out of their clothes easily. These camping shower privacy tents come in handy as many of them literally pop open so you never have to worry about all the prep work needed to set them up.
They also fold down easily into a flat surface so that you can move them from place to place with ease. When shopping for a privacy tent, consider investing in one that comes with a mesh top and a rain fly. Such a roof will ensure that the rain and bugs are kept out while allowing any trapped humidity to disperse.
Quality compostable wet wipes
Rinsing yourself off in a river or lake sounds invigorating and deeply primal, but it can get extremely cold outside, and the last thing on your mind may be a dip in a cold creek. Nonetheless, you still need to remain fresh and you don’t want to fill up your sleeping bag with grime from your treks and adventures. If you are close to a source of water, a simple wipe down using a quick-dry washcloth will do. If you are not, however, wet wipes can work just as well.
Hand sanitizer
Just because you are in the great outdoors heading nowhere and beyond doesn’t always mean that you will have access to clean water, which is where hand sanitizer comes in. A small bottle of hand sanitizer is all you need to keep your hands germ-free.
It will come in handy whenever you need to clean your hands before eating or right after you have finished going to the bathroom. Hand sanitizer also doesn’t have to be limited to hand use, although you should try your best to keep away from other sensitive areas of your body.
Biodegradable soap
The benefits of leave-no-trace hiking or camping cannot be denied. Lovers of the outdoors agree that leaving with everything that you arrived with during your camping trip is the best way to keep our trails and campgrounds litter free and natural. Nothing can ruin a camping trip faster than arriving at a great remote location only to be met by a trashed campsite.
Some of the best campsites have access to great lakes, rivers or streams where hikers can clean themselves up as well as their clothes and cookware. However, using conventional soap has unforeseen consequences on the waterways, which is why you should only use biodegradable soap.
Final Words
Camping sanitation, maintaining personal hygiene or funk eradications-whatever name you give it, staying clean is vital when you go out camping. Your health, the health (and sanity) of your fellow campers, your comfort, and the aesthetics of the great outdoors are all at stake and depend on your cleanliness.
When you are outdoors, it is not just about maintaining your looks. All the bugs, bacteria, viruses and all the other nasty elements you can find outside can pose risks to your health. But you can keep all of them at bay by maintaining personal and environmental cleanliness. Not only will you feel and smell better for it, but you will also be less likely to end up sick after your trip.
Lucky for you, however, it is entirely possible to remain relatively fresh as long as you have access to some fresh water. Sure, even the cleanest individual lets their normal hygiene ritual slit slightly while camping. However, this list of essentials will prevent you from going to bed sticky with nasty sweat and grime from your day.
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