I’ve actually heard that one of the in things that corporate bosses like to do is to send their underlings packing off to the wilderness to commune with nature. My friend, who’s what you call the quintessential yuppie, was appalled at the thought – not because of the physical exertions involved (she’s a gym junkie), but the fact that unlike the gym, she won’t be able to completely freshen up after a hard day’s trek. What she’s afraid of is the unhygienic practices that she was sure she’d be forced to follow because of the lack of facilities. Well, my friend, I hope you’re reading this:

You can do quick washings of your face, feet and hands if you save enough of the hot water you use in the mornings and early evenings for meals. What you do is have a handy wash cloth in your pack and dip it in the water. You just scrub said body parts clean with the cloth.

For longer trips, nothing is better than a whole-body wash-down. Take advantage of moving streams or rivers if you one during your trek (granted that it’s not too cold). Never, ever bathe in stagnant water. And please do the environment a favor and use biodegradable soaps (but even too much of that is bad).

Don’t forget to pack a small bottle of hand sanitizer. As water is of short supply, try to get the instant kind, which you can apply without having to use H20.

For clothes, pack more of the ones that touch the skin the most such as underwear, socks, and undershirts. Outer layers such as jackets and thick sweaters can be repeatedly worn. Plan how many changes you are going to have in one day. Bring at least 3 times as that number. So you can still have dry clothes when you wash the dirty ones.

Nothing is more annoying than to sleep in a bag and tent stinkier than you are. Ergo, keep your tent and sleeping bag clean. Make your rules (i.e. footwear outside) known so that your tent-buddy knows how to behave. Have just one different set of clothes for sleeping so you can change to this after you do a quick wash up. Since you only use it for sleeping, you can wear it two to three nights in a row, and then you can wash it in the morning and leave it to dry until before you go to bed at night. Try to get a sleeping bag liner too. It’s easier to wash than the whole sleeping bag, which could take days before it can dry properly.