Sponge's Top 10 - Personal Hygiene /
Water Treatment / Poop Kit Items
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It's not a matter of IF if will happen...it's only WHEN. But at some point you will need to poop in the woods - no latrine or toilet within 15 miles. When that happens, you'll be thankful for this titanium tool with serrated edges capable of cutting tough soil and roots. Dig that cathole with confidence!
OK, so you've dug your cathole and done your business. Time to grab some leaves, hope they don't leave a weird rash and wipe away, right? Wrong, exclaims Sponge! Use the Holey Hiker Bidet instead - which attaches to any standard water bottle, turning it into a gentle cleaner of your bum.
These are pretty incredible - dry, they look like thick tablets, but add a little water and you have a full-size wipe perfect for, eh, wiping, or other purposes - like cleaning gear. Best of all? These are compostable and a travel tube is included, allowing you to carry 20 very conveniently.
It's important to keep your hands clean on the trail - if not, you could welcome a nasty norovirus to your hiking itinerary. This soap is incredibly concentrated - you only need a few small drops. Sponge actually divided this into two even smaller containers - he found it perfect for not only washing hands, but his entire body when showering was available on the trail.
Diarrhea is never fun, but while hiking? Sponge can't imagine a worse combo. That's why for less than $4.50 this is such a wise investment. It may especially prove handy after "gracious" eating in town on a zero mile day - especially if your body has been sufficing off dehydrated meals up until that point.
While Sponge prefers his Sawyer Squeeze to treat his drinking water (see #6), this is a back-up he keeps in his cooking bag...just in case. Drinking untreated water can lead to noroviruses and diarrhea (see #4), so these tabs, which weigh less an an ounce are worth carrying.
This is the gold standard for hikers wanting safe drinking water on the trail - it weighs just 2 oz and treats up to 100,000 gallons. Sponge uses gravity filtering for his Sawyer, but those in a hurry can 'squeeze' a water bottle to force water through the Sawyer quicker. Just be sure to back-wash it, following instructions after each trail trip is over.
Sponge has noticed that some hikers tend to neglect their teeth on the trails. Since dental hygiene can lead to other health issues, it's best to keep pearly whites clean with a folding toothbrush like this. Lightweight, yet more sturdy than a sawed off manual toothbrush, this design also folds the bristles within, so they don't get snagged on anything else in your bag.
Sometimes you don't have full access to soap and water - but need to make sure your hands are clean (like after touching a latrine handle or such). In those cases, a dab of hand sanitizer does the trick. This one has a moisturizer worked in. Another fun fact? In a pinch, a little hand sanitizer is also a great fire starter!
These are super small - easy to pack and double in usefulness to treat wounds or clean and sanitize gear or cooking utensils . A 200-pack is less than $6 and can last you a multitude of trips.