Washing clothes and self over 6-8 weeks on the AAWT

[onward]

Hi
The longest multi-day walk I have done so far is 9 nights. I washed the socks and undies a couple of times and lived in the pants and shirt. The socks hung on my pack didn’t dry because wool isn’t great for that; the undies being synthetic dried ok. I have just bought some merino undies and on the first washing remembered the drying times!

For myself, I do like to wash my hair every few days and use a towel with some warm water and tea-tree oil to wipe myself down most days. Never had to think about shaving, and as much as I had a beard for 30 years I don’t want to grow another (too much grey now!).

Wondering what people do on trips such as the AAWT; have washing/rest days, take extra clothes, have clean clothes with the food drops; shave at food drops? Any hints?

Thanks

[walkon]

I simply washed when I felt like it. I took synthetic jocks and they washed well on track. I had a laundry wash at Thredbo and Hotham but mostly just washed the clothes on track and either hung them up in the bush or wore them to walk dry which doesn't take long.

I've never put a razor in my pack ever and on the track who cares anyway.

mmmm opening a recovered food tin which has had hiking clothes festering in it for ages doesn't sound very appealing to me

[Lophophaps]

Wash when you can, which may not be that often. You need several things: hot weather, a creek or river, and arriving in camp early enough to get clothes dry. I've never been keen on hanging clothing off a pack, gets lost or ripped. I don't shave on a walk - power points are few and far between. River crossing are good for washing feet and maybe socks. If it's raining, put a bar of soap under the hat for an hour or so and then remove.

[north-north-west]

Never understood why so many people are so paranoid about cleanliness when they're out bush. Hygiene for food preparation and toileting, yes that's important, but grotty hair, dirty fingernails and smelly clothes won't hurt you and the wildlife doesn't care. It's not really a time or place for vanity.
As far as clothing is concerned, the only clean stuff I've ever had in food drops is fresh socks and jocks, the latter being far more important for females.

And if you do insist on washing, please be careful about what you use and where you do it. Most soaps and shampoos are not good for the environment. There are fewer and fewer relatively unpolluted watercourses around and every little bit of inappropriate chemicals added to them does damage - however minor one person's contribution may be it is cumulative. The warm water and tea tree oil is a good way to go, but it's going to significantly affect the amount of fuel you need (end of MIB lecture and apologies if it's unnecessary).

Oh, and as for opening up the container with dirty clothes afterwards, as long as the stuff is dry it won't fester. You can always make sure there's a sealable plastic bag in there for the grotty stuff anyway, and use a nose plug when you chuck it in the washing machine.

[GPSGuided]

What about foot hygiene, especially across hot days and soggy tracks? Without clean dry socks and regular washes, watch out for fungal infection and other nasties.


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[onward]

I appreciate the comments, all good food for thought and a good dose of reality, I guess I won’t ask a question about what is the best cologne

[jobell]

Plain water went a long way in my case on the AAWT and when that wasn't available a back up pack of wet wipes took care of the essentials. A certain amount of dirt though really does have to be embraced when out for that long!

I'm very particular about my foot hygiene - I wash them down every night best I can and check on them for hot spots or developing problems. Better to treat early than regret later is my thing. After multiple wet and soggy days paw paw ointment was my savior for my feet - even applied over the top of the more persistent dirt it did the trick and also doubled up for insect bite relief as well as applied to scrapes etc and as lip balm. I also rinse my socks every night - if I can (when water is available) and dry them overnight or the next day on the back of my pack (using nappy pins to secure them to the straps) to ensure that built up dirt and sweat didn't adversely affect my feet. My walking companion didn't do this and the built up dirt in his socks had a lot to do with the state of his feet by the end of the walk - which let's just say wasn't pretty. Although he would argue differently.