Laundry

“How do you do backcountry laundry... if at all.”

“I am preparing for an extensive backcountry trip, extensive enough that I'll need to devise a way of doing laundry. My current plan is to pack a large garbage bag, drop a fistful of laundry into it, with biodegradable soap and water. I’ll grab the bag to close it and shake… agitating the laundry for a while. Then, I'll empty the soapy water and agitate with fresh water, repeating until I’m satisfied the soap is rinsed out.

Any backcountry laundry tips to offer???”

“There's really nothing to it. I generally just worry about the base layer (silkweight capaline, and sock liners for me). I wear one set every day and wash the other set every day.

I just take my cook pot and add a tiny amount of biodegradable camp soap and water. Clean it by rubbing the garmet against itself in the soapy water. Discard the soapy water (well away from stream), and go get new water. Rinse until the water runs clear (discarding rinse water away from stream).

The thin synthetic garmets will dry very quickly unless it is raining.”

“You're thinking like someone from the 21st century!

Take your clothes down to the creek and beat them on rocks, scrubbing them and wringing them like they did before they invented the washing machine.”

“I do it like aero. Our clothes are mostly capilene, so it dries fast.

We did it for 30 days, but got a clean set on the 10th and 22nd day resupplies.”

“hike nekked, no clothes to wash!”

“Find a laundry that picks up and delivers.

There will be a small fee, of course.”

“Uh, I wouldn't go w/ the hiking naked thing. Seems dangerous to me.”

“Jump in a river or lake with all your clothes on!!!!

8)”

“Done that too!”

“I just found an online pick-up and deliver laundry service. Screw the backpack, screw the stairs, screw the hot laundromat, screw saving up quarters.....I'd rather pay the extra and have someone else do it!”

“just make sure your thongs are clean when they pick them up. You don't want any marks on the string.”

“EEEEKS!”

“Oh gross!”