Staying clean in the backcountry can undoubtedly benefit you in numerous ways. While excess dirt can make you exhausted, backpacking hygiene tips are essential to note before you hit the trail. Maybe it is not as easy as at home but not impossible at all. Here we go!
- Wash your hands with soap or use hand sanitizer
- Wipe yourself clean
- Do rinse out hiking clothes, a little, everyday
- Do not forget to clean your feet
- Pack extra sleeping clothes
- Brush your teeth and keep dental hygiene
- Prevent sharing food with others
- Clean pots and pans used
- Bring backcountry bidet
- Have a solar shower
- Bring a sleeping bag liner
With the right practices of hygiene, you can stay a lot more comfortable on hiking adventures. So here we bring you some pro backpacking hygiene tips to stay clean while you are outdoors.
Wash your hands with soap or use hand sanitizer
Cleaning your hands often is extremely important especially when outdoors. Make it a habit before you make meals; eat meals and every time after pee or poo. You can pack a little bottle of biodegradable soap on the backpack or get easily a few slices of soap from the home soap tray. Make sure you carefully pack them into your bag in a spate packing as they could be smelling.
You can wet your hands and scrub well with a sliver of soap and rinse off with water from a bottle. Respecting Leave No Trace principles you should never let soup get into streams or lakes.
Water and soap can remove all dirt from your hands and are extremely gentle on your hands. But if you have no access to soap and water at any time, use a hand sanitizer which should be definitely included in your gear list. Even CDC says the best option to clean your hands is washing with water and soap; there can be times you will find hand sanitizer works better.
Wipe yourself clean
Polishing your butt crack clean after number two is of utmost importance which otherwise often leads to scratching and discomfort. And this definitely results in an extremely painful condition too. So do not let it turn a monkey butt!
Bring enough toilet paper, wiping towels, and also you can use natural materials if you like as sticks and small rocks. Make sure you bury everything or carry all of them out as regulations apply.
Do rinse out hiking clothes, a little, everyday
When you are outdoors, you tend to be too active and exposed to dry climates with more chance to sweat. So wait until your hiking clothes get smelling or irritate your skin. The best is a little laundry every day.
Perspiration is salt in the main and can easily rinse off with water even with or without laundry detergent. You can easily soak your clothes in a plastic bag with water from a bottle or in a bucket. Then, hung them to dry and make sure you lock them safety pins. You can take hiking shirts and pants made of synthetic fabric as they can hang or wear to dry so fast. And clothes like socks that would take longer to dry, can pin to your backpack while hiking.
To stay high on your backpacking hygiene, remember to do a little laundry every camping day.
Do not forget to clean your feet
Your feet are one of the body parts with a high chance for perspiration. So do not forget to keep your feet clean while you are too busy in mountains. When you are backpacking your feet are covered in shoes and boots for most of the time and you may easily have a tendency to forget. But you have to take some time on each passing camping day to watch your feet and take sanitation at the top.
Here when we are talking about cleaning your feet, consider having extra pairs of socks. And when you get settled in the camp, pull off the hiking socks and take a look at the feet and check for blisters or any spots to treat if required. Just as you wash your face and hands for refreshment, wash your feet with water and soap to not to give any chance for athlete’s foot or other possible concerns.
Pack extra sleeping clothes
Sleeping in clean and comfortable clothes is high in importance when in the backcountry and the best idea is to have separate sets of clothes for sleeping. When you are on the trails, your hiking clothes can easily get wet and dirty especially if there are changes in climate. So having sleeping clothes separately in your pack is one of the best backpacking hygiene tips to stay clean. And having some extra would be rewarding. But do not over-pack!
Be sure you pack long-sleeved tops and bottoms that can use perfectly as warm Baselayers and combine them with sleep socks to make your sleep system complete. Wool Baselayers can be satisfying on longer trips as they can cover smells effectively.
Sleeping in clean clothes also helps in keeping your sleeping bag and quilt clean and free of oil. By doing that, you can keep your gear clean and without cleaning every day.
Brush your teeth and keep dental hygiene
Badmouth breath and tooth decay do not wait as you are backpacking. So brush your teeth and keep dental hygiene at the top of the considerations even when you are in the backcountry.
With brushed teeth you can definitely feel fresh and cleaning your teeth twice a day is nothing complex. But if backpackers going to drop off something from backpacking hygiene tips, that is oral hygiene. So have a travel-size toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste in your travel pack and would be good if you add a hand towel to the package.
If there is any chance you could miss out on cleaning your teeth, best to make a simple plan. Just make it brushing teeth after your morning meal and at the end of the day just before bed. And again, remember to floss too!
Prevent sharing food with others
One of the common ways could easily spread out germs is by sharing food with other campers. The best is politely refuse if someone from a neighboring tent offers snacks from a bag that has been shared with others too. It is important to remember not to share any food with others unless you are too familiar.
Unclean hands are a high source of germs and could easily lead to gastrointestinal diseases like norovirus. So remember to clean your hands properly before making and eating food and never share the leftovers with others.
Clean pots and pans used
Food practices are highly important among backpacking hygiene tips and that goes up to the camping kitchen. Cleaning your cookware before and after preparing meals is of utmost importance to live healthy while you are in the backcountry.
Make it a habit to wash your camping pots and pans after you have prepared meals. You do not have soap here as you can put some boiling water in the pots and pans for cleansing. And remember to scrub out used camping grills and cookware to prevent the growth of germs.
Bring backcountry bidet
Most of the campers head into the backcountry with a shovel and toilet paper. But what if you can get more sanitation after nature calls especially in number 2?
Yes, you can. Instead of just using toilet paper to wipe out, clean your back end with water. You can just pour some water into your hand and clean up. Use a water bottle or your hydration system for this. And once done, make sure you clean your hands properly.
This is helpful to clean your backside and will keep plenty of germs and irritation away. And with less use of toilet paper, it will reduce the amount of trash you take back home at the end of the journey.
Have a solar shower
A solar shower can be the perfect solution whenever you feel you are excess covered with dirt. Especially if you are planning for extended trips, a solar shower can be great refreshment.
As soap and shampoo are not allowed in natural water sources, you should consider a solar shower set up that can structure under a tree. Using a solar shower is easy and convenient while camping. It is all about filling the bag with water, keeping it open for the direct sun as per required time, and getting your showers once it is hung up.
Bring a sleeping bag liner
One of the most recommended backpacking hygiene tips is bringing a sleeping bag liner as it can keep your sleeping bag clean for longer. As the name sounds, it is to line the sleeping bag to keep it warm at the same time clean. And this is too helpful when you are on a long backpacking trip where you can easily clean your sleeping bag liner and leave it to dry in direct sun rather than cleaning your sleeping bag too often. So it leaves less trouble but more hygiene.
Camping Hygiene Essentials for Backpacking Hygiene Tips
Without weighing your backpack a lot you can get ready with your hygiene supplies. So here I bring you a backpacking hygiene kit that I find myself comfortable in considered hygiene on the trail.
- Leave no trace trowel
- 1/2 gallon-sized plastic bag (to rinse/agitation your clothes)
- Buff, bandana, or a camp towel small in size
- Some slivers of soap
- Safety pins for locking
- Toothbrush (travel-size) and a small tube of toothpaste
- Toilet paper
- Pee rag for women (addition to the wash towel)
- Repacked small tub of zinc oxide (first aid essential)
To enjoy time to the best on the trail, you have to be comfortable. Hope these backpacking hygiene tips would help to stay clean while backpacking.
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