Hand Sanitizers

[AKA Pete]

I must be the odd one. I usually just wipe my hands on my pants. But I do the best wash after breakfast and supper. Few ounces of warm water and my bandana followed by a baby wipe. I try and keep the camp site - and me - as food particle clean as I can to cut down on flies.

That's why I prefer colder weather.

[Floridahanger]

Not the only one, but, then, they do call me odd as well.

It's very simple actually.
1) Shake hand(s) vigorously to "remove" loose nasty.
2) Wipe hand(s) on shirt or pants.
3) Rinse with a little water. Done.

Done within view of others helps, since they will want to take care of the food at that time. Sit back and relax.

[GoatHanger]

3. Regarding backpacking specifically, if you get "sick" from getting poo on your hands, you suck at going to the bathroom

I laughed.

[genixia]

Just going to leave this out here.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014...e-and-i-do-too

Dr Bonners for me whenever possible. I carry a miniscule bottle of hand sanitizer for pack-on pee breaks and first aid purposes.

[Dunlop]

I like using the wet ones wipes, works for dishes and hands - just not for bathroom duty.

[OneClick]

I like using the wet ones wipes, works for dishes and hands - just not for bathroom duty.

I used these wipes for the first time when I lost my toileties bag hiking in 2 weekends ago and had to stop at CVS for a quick resupply. I picked up a travel pack of wipes, not sure what brand. They were convenient, but just getting them on my hands a bit made me smell like an airplane chemical toilet for the next hour. If they make an unscented version, I'm game.

[perdidochas]

+1
Pouring all those 'antibacterial' chemicals into the environment couldn't be connected to the evolution of 'superbugs', could it??

the antibacterial chemicals in most hand sanitizers is alcohol, which can be a natural product.

[joefbtg28]

They can also be used as a fire starter.

+1 in 3 season trips I have been foregoing another fire starter sometimes because the alcohol on some tinder works soooo well.

[bkrgi]

Furthering on the discussion of chlorinated water here is a little food for thought... not sure to what truth it all fits in but seems to make sense and make one go hummm
http://www.foodrenegade.com/chlorina...ill-gut-flora/

Personal I believe we as a Urban society are living in a too sterile of a environment.
For me living in a rural/farm environment and being exposed to what I have been, I should be DEAD, if you where to listen to all the propaganda, but so far am perfectly healthy.

I question, given all the propaganda, how the heck did the human race survive all these thousands of yrs when "cleanliness" wasn't even on the radar.
I do agree as a Urban society we do need a degree of sanitation to fend off the bad bugs and resulting casualties....but research can be taken further to further understand what all this "clean" does to the human system....have we truly gone to far and thus paying the price in a different form of casualties. The bugs may not be killing us but the chems may be??

As this discussion goes we can create many more questions than answers but as individuals we must sort through and do what works for self.....so goes with equipment choices on this whole forum....do what works for you...

Personally I will stick with soap and water ....and ingest a little dirt here and there ,tastes not bad but is a little gritty at times

[GreatBigDave]

OOOhhh! Chlorine! so scary! Cholera must be better than chlorine. People used to life a full life and die at the ripe old age of 30 in low population densities. Diseases regularly killed off most of the people local to the outbreak. Now, we're all local.

Drink the water right out of the lake, see what a case of Giardia does to the serenity of your intestinal flora.

I agree - eat a little dirt, it's no more likely to hurt you than a little chlorine. Let's be reasonable.

Anybody notice the ad for shower and bath chlorine filter in the middle of the article?