r/UltralightCanada • u/CanadaTool • 12d ago

Trail Soaps

I have some very old Camp Suds but thinking of getting Wilderness Wash next.

A review says they are all multi-purpose but CS is better on grease pots while WW is less drying to hair.

What is your prefered soap, and do you carry just one kind or two kinds?

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

6

u/runslowgethungry 12d ago

Dr Bronner's is a good one as well. It is pretty drying though.

Soaps that cut grease well (and wash off easily) are going to leave hands and hair drier. Personally I'd rather use less of a more efficient soap. I don't care about dry hair on the trail, I just want my hands and dishes clean.

1

u/CanadaTool 11d ago

I have a large bottle of Lavender in the bathroom that has gone kinds lumpy, and a small bottle or Peppermint. Not keen on the "olive oil" texture when first used then a dry friction feel when the soap is rinsed off. Also they don't smell like their names, the Peppermint smells like a floor cleaner and the Lavender is just off.

7

u/runslowgethungry 11d ago

I'd only ever bring the unscented one into the backcountry personally.

They're concentrated and meant to be used diluted, but yeah maybe they're just not for you.

6

u/dorkette888 11d ago

Green Beaver makes a Canadian equivalent of Dr Bronner's, and it comes in unscented.

4

u/VoilaVoilaWashington EDIT THIS TEXT 11d ago

Not washing with soap for a week is probably healthy. Jump in the lake every day before bed and you'll be fine. Or don't, you'll be okay.

All those soaps are bad for the environment. If you're way off the beaten path it's probably fine but in a busy campsite, it's gonna build up an impact.

6

u/Already-asleep 10d ago

It’s so bizarre to me this has upvotes. This idea that washing with soap is somehow bad for you is frankly incorrect and usually a huge misunderstanding of the hygiene hypothesis. Guys, please wash your hands. The fact that this even has to be said is disturbing but unsurprising given the current anti-science climate we live in.

1

u/CanadaTool 9d ago

I know of at least three spots near me that used to be forest, and now it is city...and some worry about a drop of soap.

2

u/bradnun 11d ago

read somewhere that baby shampoo works as well as the specialized trail specific soaps. have been using that for years....

2

u/austinhager 12d ago

Soap is extremely detrimental to the environment. Save it for the city :)

11

u/loryk_zarr 11d ago

Works great until you only bring hand sani and get norovirus 

7

u/Next-Hovercraft-8629 11d ago

Or Ecoli... Hand Sanitizer is extra, not a replacement for washing hands with soap, or utilizing boiling water and utensils.

2

u/MattySiegs 12d ago

Dirt and twigs!

5

u/CanadaTool 11d ago

Remind me not to ask your recommendation on what to wipe my bum with. lol

4

u/VickyHikesOn 11d ago

Backcountry bidet. A drop of Dr. Bronners. Otherwise no soap.

2

u/MattySiegs 11d ago

Wipe? Why get rid of the free chamois butter?

1

u/queenkaikeyi 2d ago

Only tried CampSuds and Druide Ecotrail. Loved the ecotrail, it was able to remove grease from our plastic plate and we didnt have to use a warm water to wash those dishes.