Equipment list – Washing and hygiene

Washing and hygieneCommentsAfter 4'000 kmAfter 10'000 km
Small towel (cotton, from Japanese Onsen), one eachTakes a bit longer to dry than synthetic but nicer on the skin.Very useful, easy to wash but not so fast to dry.Still carrying the same. This is Eva's favourite travel towel.
Travel towel (Miguel)Packtowl Personal Hand (42x92cm)Used for shower. Good size, dries fast but material could be softer.
A couple of washclothsUseful when washing with little water when wild camping.Not used very much, but sometimes useful.
Toothbrush (electrical)Call us crazy, but this is our "luxury item"! You only get one set of teeth in your life... Oral-B 3000Happy with itBattery life not so long when camping a lot. Would be great to charge on USB. But still much better than a manual toothbrush.
Toothpaste
Solid lotion barFor everything: face, body, hands, as lip balm...Happy with it as it's versatile, although it tends to get very soft in hot weather.Still mostly happy with this as it's so versatile. But it gets difficult to use in hot weather...
Aleppo soapBar of soap (any kind)Natural soap, can also be used for hair and clothes washingIt takes time to dry and has a tendency to get very soft.We now have each a bar of soap in a soap box. It lasts longer (and is more environmentally friendly) than liquid shower gel.
Comb
Small bottle of shampoo (Miguel)
Solid shampoo (Eva)Present from a friendVery nice and useful.Finished it up. But as Eva washes her hair very rarely while touring, she just uses whatever is on hand.
Nail clippers and file
Contact lenses liquid and containersStill using AOSept peroxide solution, without problem. Left inside a shoe during the night.
Spare contact lensesWe chose to continue using monthly contact lenses, which we find reasonably practical. Never had hygiene problems even when camping.
Small container of bicarbonateCan be used as deodorant, toothbrushing, removing stains, cooking...Almost never usedHave used it as deodorant during our weeks off the bike, and to make the occasional cake!
Dental flossApart from its original usage, can be used for many things (as shoestring, clothesline, etc.)
Shaver (with a couple of heads for her and him)
Sun creamEssential, used almost every day.We've been using whatever brand we could find, although we try to stick with the better known brands. Using SPF 50 most of the time (but minimum SPF 30).
Mosquito sprayVery useful a few timesAlthough not that much used in the end, when you need it it's so essential that it's worth carrying around.
Clothes hand washing liquid/powderUsed quite a lot although in Europe it is pretty easy to find washing machines.We hand wash a lot, so we always carry a supply of hand washing powder.
Universal sink plug + plug for small drainsVery useful (when the sink drain is not too small...). Bought small plug in UruguayWe noticed that our universal sink plug was not that universal after all... But it has been very useful at times.
Clothes line and a few pegsRelags expanderVery useful, and we bought a much longer line (actually a tent line with spanners) that we use when camping.Both the expander and the longer line are useful (one for inside the tent when wet outside, the other for all the time)
Clothes net for washing delicatesUseful to try to preserve merino t-shirts from getting holes in them.Eva uses it for dirty laundry and for washing delicates.
A few wet wipesNot usedWe now used them up just because we had them, but could have done without.
Women's department: Menstrual cup (Lunette) and washable panty liners (Lunapads)No waste and no need to shop for tampons or padsVery happy, most practical thing ever.Still happy and thinking that this is a must-have for travelling women.

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