Sponge Bath

Some of you monkeys have quite fancy bathing gadgets when "roughing it". I was reading different articles and one guy started and washed top to bottom. But I thought he was wrong. Washing armpits and stuff half way through seems smelly. I think those should be almost last.

 

Because Nice Matters, armpits and stuff ain't half as bad as Klingon's around Uranus! (Pardon the Star Trek Pun) Since I ain't a canine, top to bottom works best in My Humble Opinion.
Thigh high in the River, after you break away enough ice to get to the slush, is deep enough for me to get everything clean with a little pot of warm water from the campfire. Any deeper and ......... well some parts ain't gonna get washed.

 

LOL! Not really a Trekkie but I get it!

Someone told me if you can smell yourself then everyone else smelt you long before that. Do not want to go through the Apocalypse known as the smelly one! That is why I think it is important that people know how to take a proper spit bath ahead of time.

 

We wet down with the garden sprayer or if water is really tight, a spray bottle.

Then soak a washcloth with about a 1/2 cup of water and get it really soaped up.

Scrub.

Use a second wet washcloth to get most of the soap mopped up, spray to rinse.

When all we had was our old 71 VW Campmoble, water was always a concern. So, the cheap and easy shower became a way to clean up in the NV desert heat before going to bed.

Of course, being young and nearly newlyweds, camping was a lot more fun with less gear....and less expensive.

 

Isn't that a sit bath? or even sitz bath?

 

I wish I still had my old aluminum wash basin. It was anodized gold, and almost 24" in diameter. It was about the same size as the old enamel one my folks used in camp, but with a wider rim. It may have been an issue item that I had to turn in, but it beat the heck out of doing double duty with your steel helmet or a canteen cup. Even in garrison overseas we spent lots of time on water rations, and having running water on a one-day-on, three-days-off schedule was pretty routine. M149 "water buffalo's" sat behind the barracks and we had one with potable water, and one non-potable. (inspected and certified by the Navy regularly) The potable water lasted a long time as long as there was beer to be had. The non-potable was used for washing, flushing toilets and cleaning. In the pleasant tropical climate we just washed up on the grass behind the barracks and went out on liberty. A wash basin with a wide rim is great for keeping your wash cloth out of the dirt and if modesty was necessary, which was never out where we were, I guess you could use it as a shield. Better than a canteen cup.

 

I've been thinking about this topic, and remembered that in all my apartments in Japan there were pallets to keep you off the wet tile. The wood dried quickly and was never slippery. This works in mud and snow too. Shower shoes are nice, and the reflective windshield sun shade can keep the cold, hot, wet ground off your socks while you get dressed. Rigged in a circle it can provide a wee bit of a shower stall for folks that are modest. (They also make a great all-weather work mat when you must get out and get under your automobile.)

 

We have a pallet made from Cypress in the outdoor shower and sunshades have been used for years to get on the ground here. Great Minds!