To Shave or not to Shave

“God knows what kind of responses will be posted here on this thread. LOL

But, here goes...

Since I am a guy I am used to shaving everyday. And sometimes every other day. Do you just let your beard grow on long trips. Or do you shave... I opt for shaving and carry the extra weight. Other wise I am scratching my beard all day.”

“Grow a real beard... mine dont itch at all.”

“I guess it helps to stop shaving several days before you leave for your trip. That's what HPM ends up doing. He's done this so often that his coworkers know he's going backpacking soon.”

“I refuse to carry a razor in the back country.”

“yep carring a razor would be like bringing a cellphone. :P

hehehe...”

“I carry one for long trips. I hate itching.”

“No razor for me in the backcountry.
I like the response I get from my wife when I get back home and try to give her a hug ..."get away from me til you get a shower...you're all prickly and you stink!"”

“I like to think of my beard as a landing strip!”

“I don't shave from Friday through Sunday, which is usually how long my trips have been. But I don't think I would shave on a longer trip.

Of course, if the OCD kicks in real bad, I might pluck most of my beard out anyway......”

“I dated a woman who shaved...












saved me a lot of flossing!”

“I'm not allowed to shave. I shaved off my beard and mustache once and Susan quit talking to me till it started comming back out. I recon it hides most of the Ugly.

So the answer to your question, Beard, Mustache, & Hair = Let it GROW!!!”

“I shaved once, while flossing. Ouch. Let me tell ya, ouch.”

“Any day I don't have to shave is a good day,


Ya bunch-a degenerates.”

“I rarely shave with a razor, but I do use a beard trimmer that keeps the hair growth to the 5 o'clock shadow look. Now I have never hiked with it but its been packed before. A few years back in the fire season while I was staged at some base in Anchorage. I threw my 'Red Bag' onto the ground and it must have triggered the 'taped' power switch. Because this thing fired away!!!! Vmmmmmmmm!! Boy did I have some explaining to do as I tore into the bag to shut the freaking thing off. Next time.... duct tape!”

“Yeah, I shaved my moustache off once. My mother told me to grow it back. It's a damn shame when you have a face your own mama doesn't love!”

“I hate shaving. Hate it. I'm thinking about growing a beard, but I'm like Phaedrus, it starts to itch.”

“I have a beard. So you know my preference.”

“As I sat down one evening within a small cafe,
A forty year old waitress to me these words did say:

"I see that you are a logger, and not just a common bum,
'Cause nobody but a logger stirs his coffee with is thumb.

My lover was a logger, there's none like him today;
If you'd pour whiskey on it he could eat a bale of hay

He never shaved his whiskers from off of his horny hide;
He'd just drive them in with a hammer and bite them off inside.

(more)”

“I grow a beard in October. I shave it in April.”

“That's hard core.”

“It reminds me of Gordon.”

“i had a full goatee going..my VP looks down on Goatee's and Fu man chu's....mustaches and beards are ok though....I'm down with the ocd picking at the beard!...least it's not my eyebrows anymore!

my goatee would turn bright orange too...weird”

“WLD, are you married or do you have a girly? For the woman's point of view on this . . . I'd say shave it. A scruffy face is hard to kiss.”

“I gave up shaving 24 years ago, my wife and kids have never seen me without it (defensive note: if I shave, I can go incognito!). I do trim it every 2 weeks,but that's a lot easier for trail times.”

“My razor weighs 1.2 ounces....”

“1.2 ounces? Forget that!!! j/k 8)

On my 10-day High Sierra Trail backpack, I didn't shave.
Regretted it too. It got pretty gnarly there at the end.”

“I'm with bacpac. I grow beards in the winter, shave in spring. But I never ever ever shave on a hiking trip. The growth tells me how long I've been out, just in case I lose my watch.”

“Good point chips76”

“my friends call me chips...u can keep calling me chips76”

“Harsh!”

“Now that is funny, chips. I mean that is funny, chips76.”

“how come gilligan never got a beard? oh crud, wrong thread”

“A slight deviation from bacpac and chips76 -- full beard from autumn to spring, mustache and goatee spring to fall. Heck, even when I'm in summer mode, I often go a week without shaving (in the Nort' Woods, the lumberjack look is pretty common), so I sure am not going to shave on a camping trip. I may have a disposable razor in my first aid kit, though, depending on the type of trip. Handy for cleaning area around wounds.”

“One of the pure joys of coming out of the woods is a long hot shower and a good shave. Its great to look and feel human again after a prolongued trip into the backwoods.”

“LOL, no problem chips76”

“No way am I going to shave on a backpacking trip, but I do hate that weird "neck beard" one gets without trimming.”

“Don't shave. It just seems like too much work for the trail. I don't shave my legs when I hike.

(Personally, I prefer facial hair on a guy)”

“Well, I am going to take my razor, but will decide on the trip. Depending on the big ole itchy face factor..

NewGirl, She said yes, my scracthy beard pokes her in the nose. OUCH!

But she adds, it sure is good in other ways..... LOL

So I would say ... Never mind I won't say...

Thanks all!”

“I took a disposable razor with the handle broken off for our 30 day trip. I shaved the legs before we saw our resuppliers and before we came out the last day.

SnowDude's face was hairless when I met him. I like mustaches and beards when they're trimmed.”

“My little sister's hubby went w/ out shaving once and she literally ended up w/ a whisker burn on her face. It looked kinda' like a rug burn, needless to say, he shaves every day now. She was not impressed.”

“Ouch! Then again, from a guys stand point. It is kind of fun to chase you women down, catch you and give you a beard burn... LOL

j/k :)”

“i don't know how you guys shave your faces! the ol' legs are torture enough, i just can't imagine. i like the beard-trimmed-perpetual-5:00-shadow deal myself. a little beard burn builds character! :-)”

“I bring a razor, but it stays in the vehicle at the trailhead with the change of clean clothes. I have a little ritual upon arriving back at the trailhead -- shave and change clothes, and stop at the first place to shower on the way home.

Otherwise I am not allowed back in the house.”

“I can not stand to go w/ out shaving. It drives me up the wall. Like WLD said, there is an itch factor that can't be denied. Also, leg hair sticks to the insides of your pants. Yuck!”

“One of the joys of backpacking is not having to shave.”

“My Dad used to wear a mustache for a couple of years at a time. He gave it up, because whenever he shaved it off, no one would even notice and mention it for weeks. Some guys have silky hair, and then the established beards and mustaches don't cause rugburn. I dated a guy like that once. He looked great with or without his beard and mustache.”

“I've never carried a razor in my pack but I've never been out for more than a week at a time. I normally can't stand to go without shaving my legs for more than a day but I don't even notice or think about it when I'm hiking. Too many other things (like how much I'm enjoying my surroundings) have the main focus of my attention.”

“This thread is so ripe for degeneration, it's like a bright, red apple hanging from the low branch of the tree. However, I will fight my baser instincts...

My wife doesn't really like my beard much but she puts up with it.”

“My wife complains about my stubbly beard if I don't shave.

She claims it scratches her thighs.”

“<pluck>”