Tips to Stay Clean While Camping (Part 1)

(Sue Guangjian/pexels)

Listen up, campers. Just because you’re out there in the dirt for days on end doesn’t mean that YOU have to be dirty.

There are ways to enjoy the great outdoors without your stench scaring off the wildlife or clearing out the campground.

At Packer’s Pine, we’re all about helping people stay clean the natural way, and we’re coming at you with 10 tips to make that happen on your next camping trip.

1. Wash Your Hands

Supplies:

• Eco-friendly hand sanitizer
• Hand washing station:
  • 3 sturdy poles (bring them along or find 3 long, thick branches of similar heights around your campsite)
  • 10 feet of rope (cut into lengths of 8 feet and 2 feet)
  • 1 golf tee
  • 1-gallon water container with handle (a thoroughly washed milk jug works well)
  • Bar of biodegradable soap (we proudly recommend Packer’s Pine outdoor soap)
  • Pantyhose (only one leg is needed)

In the words of the great Captain Obvious: wash your hands. But the part that’s not so obvious is how you accomplish it when you’re in the middle of a forest with no running water. Times like these require you to get a little resourceful.

Hand sanitizer works well in a pinch (there are eco-friendly versions out there), or you can carry a dromedary (collapsible water bag) for an on-the-go hand rinse. But when it’s time to set up camp, and you want a good ol’ fashioned hand wash, you can set up an official hand washing station that works for the whole group.

Here’s how. Create a tripod with your 3 poles or sticks and lash them together at the top (with your 8 feet of rope) so they stand independently. Then, tie the 2 feet of rope to the lashings so that it dangles down, and tie the end of it to the handle of your empty water container. Make a small hole in the base of the water container and plug the hole with the golf tee. Now, fill it with water.

Next, slide your bar of soap into the bottom of one leg of a pair of pantyhose. Tie the stocking to the tripod so that the soap hangs down.

Users can remove the golf tee, wet their hands, plug up the jug, lather their hands with the soap, remove the golf tee again, and rinse. This setup is great for brushing teeth, too.

2. Protect Your Feet

Supplies:

• Moisture-wicking socks
• Nail clippers
• Dry shoes for the campsite
• Foot powder (optional)

After a day on the trail, few things can stink worse and hurt more than your feet. You can avoid the moisture from rain or sweat buildup if you pack the right socks. Skip the cotton socks (which hang onto moisture like sponges) and choose socks made from moisture-wicking materials (like Merino wool or synthetic fabrics). These socks will actually pull moisture away from your feet.

Make sure your toenails are trimmed so they aren’t getting in the way while you walk. A pair of nail clippers will save you if you end up with an uncomfortable hang nail.

If you get debris in your shoes, don’t keep walking. Stop and remove it. When you get back to the campsite, rinse your feet. If you’re near a body of water, you’re in luck. If not, you can use water from the aforementioned handwashing station.

Let your feet air dry, then switch to your dry shoes for camp (preferably slip-ons that you can get in and out of easily at night. More on that in the “Tent” section). Let your hiking shoes air out. If rain is coming, pull those shoes under the shelter because most of us like walking in sloshy shoes about as much as we like walking on shattered glass. You can sprinkle a little foot powder in your hiking shoes to help them stay dry and fresh.

3. Brush Those Pearly Whites

Supplies:

• Toothbrush
• Eco-friendly toothpaste
• Floss (and zipper bag for packing it out)

Ten out of ten dentists say you still have to brush and floss while camping! If you’re not close to bathroom facilities, your challenges are:

• Access to running water
• Toothpaste that won’t hurt the environment

Purchase eco-friendly toothpaste in advance. If you’ve set up the aforementioned water station (see “Wash Your Hands”), you’ll find it easy to wet and rinse your brush. Make sure to pack out your floss in a zipper bag if there are no garbage facilities nearby.

4. Tidy Your Tent

Supplies:

• Handheld broom

Being outside doesn’t give you an excuse to slack off and let your sleeping space turn into a disaster. Your tent is your new bedroom; keep it clean.

You can start by picking a good site for pitching your tent. See that beautiful tree that you think will provide shelter and shade? Avoid it! If a rogue storm blows in, you could get a wake-up call from a heavy branch. And if it rains, you might get a little protection from the tree but hours of drip-drip-dripping afterward. Orient your tent so that the opening is opposite of the direction the wind is blowing (to keep out the rain and gusts). Beyond that, seek out level ground free of any major outcroppings unless you like boulders in the small of your back.

Use a groundsheet beneath your tent and a rainfly or tarp over it. When you set up your tent, sweep the dirt off the floor and out of the tent. Keep food and drinks outside. Spilled crumbs and soda drips make poor bedfellows, and they’re a “welcome sign” for critters. Keep wet clothes outside of the tent, as they could invite condensation.

It helps if your dry shoes are easy to slip in and out of, so you can leave them outside your tent (assuming there’s no rain) and avoid tracking in debris. They’ll also be easy to slip on at night if you have to take a wee in the wee hours.

5. Save the Sleeping Bag (from Sweat!)

Supplies:

• Pajamas
• Sleeping bag liner

Imagine hauling your sweaty body into bed every night and never changing the sheets. Is it any different when you don’t wash your sleeping bag?

“But washing your sleeping bag is worse than setting up a tent in the rain,” you protest. And we don’t exactly disagree. Most normal washing machines can’t handle sleeping bags, so that means a trip to the laundromat, where so much can go wrong.

You probably don’t go to the laundromat much, so you’ll likely forget to bring laundry detergent. That means you’ll be paying for the laundromat’s “liquid gold.” Then, you’ll probably discover that the laundromat doesn’t take credit cards, and you’ll be frantically rummaging through your car cushions for quarters, but nobody has seen quarters since before Covid so you’re probably out of luck.

Spare yourself the agony. Get yourself a sleeping bag liner. They slide inside your bag and are soft and light. Depending on the type you get, they can even provide extra insulation on chilly nights. When you’re done with your camping trip, pop them in your washer. No quarters needed.

Don’t sleep in the same clothes you’ve been hiking in. That’s icky! Take the time to change into PJs each night and air out your clothes. We recommend breathable, cotton PJs.

If you have a little time at camp, you can unzip your sleeping bag, hang it on a tree branch, and give it some ventilation. (Just don’t forget it’s there when you break camp!)

See what we mean? Hygienic camping is possible with a little preparation and care. And the good news is we’re only halfway done with our clean camping tips, so watch for our next blog with five more practical tips to keep you nice and neat in nature.

Video

Infographic

Enjoy the outdoors without scaring off wildlife or clearing out the campground. This infographic offers ten tips for staying clean in a natural way on your next camping trip.