Hiking Washing Machine

In my last post I talked about what clothes I take with me hiking and mentioned that I usually wash them every day. I probably don’t get them as clean as one could (I usually just wash them in a river or stream without soap or detergent). And I usually just put them back on wet. My back is my best ultralight clothes drier!

However if you want to be meticulous about this you may want to try this interesting invention, the Scrubba Wash Bag. Basically it is just a waterproof bag (such as Sea to Summit make – and which you probably carry your clothes, sleeping bag etc in – if you don’t want them to get soaked – a pack liner bag is a good idea too).

This one has been modified though so that it has welts of ridges on the inside so that when you knead your clothes in it it has the same effect as those old wash boards folks used to use before the advent of washing machines. This agitation (in the presence of a small amount of detergent – and well away from waterways) will definitely get you clothes much cleaner. Of course you can also use it to carry your sleeping bag in at other times. I weighs 145 grams and costs approx from A$64.96 eg https://www.backpackinglight.com.au/

See:  https://thescrubba.com.au/

Mind you I suspect many people will find they get a satisfactory enough result by using one of the Sea to Summit Ultrasil Dry bags they already carry eg the 8/13litre (at 30/40 grams) and costing approx SA$25-30 – or like me they could just keep washing out their clothes in the nearest stream!

See Also:

http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dry-bags-sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-nano/

http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-tardis-folding-space/

http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-many-clothes-should-i-take-in-my-pack/