Personal hygiene

Touchy subject among some. I don't know why personal hygiene tends to go out the window when folks are in the wilderness; there's no reason for it. Get a small dry bag to hold all your toiletries. Use containers for your soap, shampoo, dental cleaning kit, and so on.

First of all - About biodegradable soap

[edit] Taking a crap

As far as going to the bathroom outdoors - buy a copy of Kathleen Meyer's How To Shit In The Woods. Read it. Follow her advice - ignore your friend's advice. Enough said.

[edit] Wash your hands

Many health problems can be avoided by cleaning your hands. Soap and water does the trick.

Hand sanitizers: If you can't wash or find it inconvenient, use the alcohol-based hand sanitizers available. These are gels that are mostly alcohol. Put a dab on your hands and wipe your hands until they dry. They won't be less dirty, but the dirt will be sterilized by the gel. Buy a big bottle of the stuff at your local drug store; stay away from the ones with scents and additives like aloe vera - the residues they leave behind taste awful and transfer to your food. Get some small plastic bottles and fill them from the big bottle. Now put one small bottle with your toilet paper, one in your lunch kit, one with your toiletries and so on. That way, if you go to the bathroom, you can clean your hands right away without soap and water. Stop for lunch - hey, clean your hands!

Note: Based on recent research, not all hand sanitizers are created equal and poor quality ones do not do a proper job of disinfecting. When you buy a hand sanitizer, make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol. Most of the better quality brands contain a little more that, while the cheap stuff can contain as little as 30%. Note that if you find a recipe for making your own sanitizer on the internet, ensure it too calls for at least 60% alcohol when mixed.

[edit] Want a hot shower?

Get a solar shower bag. Available at most outdoor gear shops and marine supply shops. They are great. On a sunny day, it takes about two hours or so to heat up enough water for a couple of showers. Hang the bag from a tree well away from the water and enjoy. There is nothing like the feeling of a hot shower in the middle of a long trip! Make sure the soapy water doesn't drain into the lakes and rivers - see Biodegradable soap.

[edit] The way to avoid needing too much water

Do what some call a Navy Shower. Navy ships get fresh water by running large reverse osmosis desalinators to convert sea water to clean fresh water. This is expensive, so sailors get a short, minimum water shower. Basically, you get only enough water to lather up and then enough water to rinse off. Use the same technique when camping and you can shower in as little as one liter of water.

Turn on the water and soak your hair. Turn off the water and lather up. Turn on and rinse. Turn off and wash your face. Turn on and rinse. Etcetera till you reach your toes. Don't let the water run continuously. BTW - you can do this at home too!