Best soaps for camping

Are there any other biodegradable soaps out there suitable for camping BESIDES Dr. Bronners? Preferences?

If not Dr. Bonners . . .
then what are you going to read when you’re taking a dump in the woods? :stuck_out_tongue: The manifesto on that bottle is hours of entertainment!

LOL! (nm)

Something to think about…
You may already know all this, but just in case you or others might consider biodegradable soaps good for any outdoor/camping application, this is useful information:



http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/biodegradable_soap.html



Melissa

soap
I have used Dr. Bronners for ages, it willeven lather up in salt water. They have the liquid and the bar soap. As previously stated the labels are really great reading too…

Campsuds
We sparingly use Campsuds. A little goes a long way so while it may not be perfect it has a minimal impact.



Tom

Campsuds & Dr. Bronners…

thanks for posting that

Any thing without phosphates
I am fed up with seeing all the green algae in places that used to be pristene, pure and clear



cheers,

jackL

I use
Ivory, 99 44/100 percent pure. It floats.

Campsuds - NM

?
You’re supposed to take soap when you go camping?



Alan

My, how times change.
In the '60s we used Ivory Bar soap to bathe while floating in lakes in the Canada Shield. Why? Because only Ivory floated. Others sank.



Jim

dr bronners
Here’s my Dr. Bronners story. Years ago when I was in grad school, I spent a summer hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. At one shelter, I washed my cookware with Dr. Bronners but didn’t want to dump the suds in the stream. So I poured the soapy water in a hole in a nearby tree. A swarm of bees then poured out of the tree and chased me for a quite a distance. Guess the bees didn’t like Dr. Bronners.

Ditto, didn’t know that (nm)

Soap and insects
When I first saw this post my first thought was “any soap that doesn’t attract mosquitoes.” Yes, biodegradable, non-phosphate, floating is nice, but I, and I assume others, have noticed that the mosquitoes usually are worst on the first few days. After a day or two I’m not bothered so much. Anyone else notice that?

Makes me think I might be carrying around some residual perfumes or something from soaps that insects, with their amazing abilities to detect odors in the parts per billion range, might be latching on to. After a day or two insects must think I must smell pretty much like anything else out there.

Oh course dousing them with used Dr. Bonner’s would aggravate almost any bug, I would think. Heck, I’d object to it too.

Good story, Tarwheel (nm)

I’ve been using campsuds for awhile but
have Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash on order:

http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/73



They also make Soap Flakes that are ultra light (good for backpacking) and take up next to no space:

http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/55

Try these
http://www.soapshed.com/store/Outdoor-and-Camping-c-290.html

Different flavors of Dr. Bronners
I agree that the “standard” and most commonly sold Doc Bronner peppermint or lavendar (even eucalyptus) are a little to fragrant (and tingly) for camp use, but if you can find it, the almond is not as flowery and quite nice. Leaves a mildly vanilla scent but I have not been bothered with insects or anything else from using it. But then I don’t shower with it – just wash dishes and hands for sanitation reasons. For bathing, a good scrub with just plain water and a rough washcloth is all you need to be clean – no soap residue for rashes or to attract critters. You’ll actually “stink” less if you don’t kill the natural bacterial balance on your skin with soap.



But, you can even camp without soap. Eight drops per gallon on chlorine bleach in water will disinfect your dishes and alcohol hand cleaner is better for your hands after visiting the little boys’ tree. People tend to use too much soap for everything – the suds are just for show (they are added surfactants and contribute to water pollution) and don’t really do anything to clean. I’ve spent thousands of days camping and probably only use a tablespoon of soap a year on trips. Had the same 4 ounce bottle of Dr. B’s almond soap since 2003 and it is still half full.