Toiletries, tools, repair kits

Shampoo or other liquid soap

For washing up body and clothes, both outdoors and during town stops. Stored in 125ml Nalgene bottle, which is large enough to allow inserting thumb or little finger and thus removing only tiny amount of soap. Using only tiny amount of soap minimizes water required for rinsing after washing hands, which is important when dry camping. Some shampoos and liquid soaps cause problems: (a) too soapy and thus hard to rinse off using small amounts of water; (b) strong or unpleasant fragrance; (c) too strong, and thus deplete skin of oils. Pantene-classic shampoo with conditioner has none of these problems, and so that is what I normally use, even though it is most expensive brand. Since I typically refill bottle less than once a month, price not a major concern. Cheaper store-brands sometimes advertise they are similar to Pantene, and I will use these if available. Empty bottle weighs 25 grams, soap weighs about 140 grams for full bottle, thus total of 165 grams for full bottle, which is sufficient for at least a month of use. Plastic tends to crack after year or so, perhaps because something in soap damages plastic, so inspect before each trip. Because bottle is essential to my method of bathing outdoors, but is hard to find while traveling, I use same size bottle for holding some repair kit items, so as to have spares available in case shampoo bottle damaged or lost.

Toothbrush

Originally, I cut toothbrush handle shorter to save some grams and space, but now no longer bother. 15 grams.

Toothpaste

Because of receding gums, I use Sensodyne or equivalent toothpaste (5% potassium nitrate, plus fluoride). Transfer toothpaste from tube into 30ml jar (25 grams empty or 60 grams full), since jar encourages carrying and using less toothpaste, which offsets additional weight of jar versus tube.

Dental floss

Much floss is low-quality (breaks or shreds easily), maybe because cheap nylon-6 rather than nylon-66. As of 2023, I stock up on high-quality floss at Mercadona in Spain. 15 grams for 50 meters.

Jar of vaseline or tube of lip balm

In addition to lips, can also be applied to other parts of body where skin is excessively dry. Can also be used to lubricate hinges of pocketknife, o-rings of bicycle pumps, etc. 20g for 15ml jar, 10g for small tube.

Revivex Odor Eliminator (formerly known as Mirazyme by McNett)

By GearAid, ordered from Amazon or REI. Get rids of underarm and other hard-to-remove smells from clothing and gear. 45 grams for full 30ml Nalgene bottle, 160g for full 125ml Nalgene bottle, 260g for full 8oz bottle in plastic factory wrapping. Always carry small bottle. Additionally carry larger bottle if planning tango dancing.

Matches

Multiple uses: sear edges of nylon fabric to stop fraying; sterilize needles before using to clean out wound; cauterize wounds that won't stop bleeding (twice happened to my nose); start emergency fire (though normally I see fire as more likely to cause problems than solve them). Use strike on box matches, with striking part of box cut to fit into bottle. 10 grams, including plastic bottle.

Plastic whistle

Ordered from BackpackingLight. Carried permanently attached to inside neckpurse, so as to always be available for emergencies. 5 grams.

Acrylic mirror

Coghlan's brand, ordered from REI, measuring 2.75" wide by 4.25" high. For tick inspections and checking appearance of face. Carrying case (to protect from scratching) details here. 30 grams (20 grams mirror, 10 grams case).

Scissors with plastic blade cover

Purchased at Walmart in crafts section, but no longer available there. (Tools case can be used for carrying scissors without blade cover.) Various uses. 25 grams.

Disposable razors

Only used when staying in hotels, and hence could be purchased at local store before checking into hotel, but more convenient to always have a couple on hand. 20g for two.

Nail file, cuticle trimmer

Swiss army knife also contains nail file, though not as good. Carried in tools case. 10g.

Titanium spoon

Used for eating oats, ice-cream, sardines, yogurt, canned beans and vegetables, etc. Handle can be used for opening/closing bear canister screws. 20 grams.

Titanium cup

From BackpackingLight. 550ml capacity. For drinking water, to avoid placing mouth on water bottles and thus contaminating them. For preparing instant rice (holds about 200 grams instant rice, when filled to about 1 cm from rim), instant potatoes, oats (holds about 170 grams rolled oats, when filled to about 2cm from rim), couscous. Also useful for obtaining water from sinks or springs or other sources where there is not enough clearance for the water bottles. Together with a stuff sack and length of cord, could possibly be used to get water from wells, though I have never tried this. 45 grams.

Swiss-army knife

Wenger spartan model, ordered from campmor.com. Includes knife, nail file, can opener, bottle opener, cork screw and hole punch. 55 grams.

Can opener

Coghlan's brand P-51 (some people mistakenly call it P-38) military-style can opener, ordered from REI or Campmor, plus carrying case (sewing details here). Works better than swiss-army knife can opener on some types of cans. Also allows replacing swiss-army knife with regular knife while traveling, without losing can opener capability, which is essential. 10g.

Universal sink stopper

Useful for performing laundry in the sink at hotels and campgrounds. "Universal" means stopper is flat round piece of rubbery plastic, and so works with any size drain opening. 15 grams.

Rope for inverted rowing calisthenics

6m mil-550 nylon rope, doubled and protected from abrasion inside 42" long cordura tunnel (cut 1.5" wide, hem ends, fold to .75", stitch with 3/16" seam allowance, zigzag seam, fray check on stitching), wrapped around tree or pole and attached with clove hitch to either hiking stick or 13cm piece of tubing (cut from old hiking stick and sand ends smooth), allowing for inverted rowing (substitute for pullups when camping) by leaning backwards and pulling with one arm. Mil-550 rope has static load rating of 550 lbs, so maybe 110 lbs dynamic load for rowing exercise. Doubled rope would thus support dynamic load of maybe 220 lbs, or more than my weight of 170 lbs. Doubled rope also provides backup for case where one rope breaks but other doesn't. 55g for rope and tunnel, 15g for optional tubing handle.

Garden shears

For pruning thorns that cannot be knocked down by hiking stick. Carried in tools case (inside neck purse whenever possibility of thorns blocking trail, otherwise inside backpack). 70g plus 30g for tools case.
garden shears

Repair items in bottle 1

125ml Nalgene bottle. Spare in case soap bottle damaged or lost. 25 grams.
2 x 8" lengths of 3mm tent stake pull cord. 2 grams.
6x5" scraps of fabric matching pants, shirts, poncho, tarp, with zigzagged edges to stop fraying. 6 grams.
Seam-ripper. 4 grams.
2 x spare mitten hook (keeper cords on hat and poncho), S-hook (underside of tarp ridgeline), large cordlock (backpack, bicycle rack and saddle bags), 3 x medium cordlocks (stuff sacks), 2 x small cordlocks (bugbivy), small buttons (shirt). 20 grams.
Spool of polyester thread. 5 grams.
Sewing needles, straight pins, brass safety pins (brass doesn't rust as badly as steel), heavy-duty sewing machine needle for removing splinters, piece of supplex fabric for holding needles and pins. 8 grams.
Cotter pin for pulling drawcord through stuff sack tunnel. 2 grams.
Pro-Tick Remedy^TM tick spoon, ordered from REI. For adult ticks. Nymph ticks can be scraped off with fingernail. 2 grams.

Repair items stored in bottle 2

125ml Nalgene bottle. Protects tube of seamgrip and silnet from being crushed. Spare in case soap bottle damaged or lost. 25 grams.
25' of 2mm braided polyester. 10 grams.
Small roll duct tape. Among other uses, can cover cracked skin on feet, giving skin chance to heal. 10 grams.
Brush for seamgrip and silnet. 5 grams.
1/4 oz tube of Silnet by McNett, for tarp. 10 grams.
1/4 oz tube of Seamgrip by McNett, for poncho, MSR Dromedary bladders, perhaps other repairs. Alternatives to seamgrip are shoe-goo and barge cement. Cured result of both seamgrip and shoe-goo is polyurethane, but seamgrip is less viscous in the uncured state. Barge Cement (a product of Quabaug corporation, US manufacturer of Vibram rubber soles) works very well for attaching clean flat rubber and leather together, but may not work as well as seamgrip and shoe-goo for less than fully clean or less than perfectly flat surfaces. 10 grams.

Repair items stored loose

1" dual-pull side-release (backpack sternum and hip straps). 5 grams.
3/4" ladder lock (backpack shoulder strap) by Sea-to-Summit, purchased at REI. Never had one of these fail. Because normal ladder locks are sewn-in, they cannot be field-repaired. Sea-to-Summit ladder lock has metal rod which can be unscrewed using small phillips head screwdriver, so as to slip into webbing. I don't carry such a screwdriver, but one should be easy to find in towns. In the meantime, or if webbing breaks, carry backpack using one-shoulder carry method. 5 grams.
Hiking staff rubber tip. Used when transporting disassembled hiking staff inside backpack. 10g.
Spigot caps for 330ml water bottle used for cleaning. Not always easier to find, which I why I care spares. 10g for 3.

Flashlight

(Optional) Carried in neckpurse and thus easily accessible at all times. Includes wrist cord to prevent dropping while carrying in hand, or for attaching to keeper cord on shirt, if necessary to have both hands free while defecating at night while camping. ARC Flashlight brand ARC-AAA Premium single LED flashlight. (Fenix brand appears similar.) About 5 hours high level white light output using a single AAA battery (1.7V lithium works better than alkaline in sub-freezing weather and is less likely to leak, however avoid 3.6V rechargeable lithium, since the higher voltage may overheat the LED), and perhaps an additional 5 hours of lower level output. In Guatemala, I once had a bad experience when the lights went out while I was using a filthy indoor toilet and I didn't have a flashlight available. Ever since, I've been sure to carry a flashlight with me at all times. [As of 2023, replaced by smartphone.] 15 grams for flashlight with lithium AAA battery, plus 10 grams for spare battery.

Foot powder

(Optional) For killing fungi that cause foot odor. Desenex and other foot powders, with Miconazole Nitrate 2% as active ingredient, work well for me. Other people, with different body chemistry and hence different fungi, might need something else. Long ago in Europe, I wasn't able to find Desenex or anything else with Miconazole Nitrate 2% there when I developed fungus infection (presumably, from showers at cheap hotel). Instead, I bought mixture of boric acid, talc and some sort of zinc compound which inhibits perspiration, which is widely available at pharmacies in Spain and which seemed to work well enough. But this mixture is not my first choice, since I prefer not to inhibit perspiration in my feet. In hot dry weather, perspiration is desirable, so as to keep feet cool and moisturized. [As of 2023, no longer carry because haven't had fungus problems in over 5 years.] 30 grams for full 30ml Nalgene bottle.

Sheath knife

(optional) Cold Steel Double Agent with Clip Point blade. Carried in handlebar bag of bicycle during day. Kept in bugbivy at night. For defense against cougar or black bear attacks while bicycle touring in forested areas of United States. 100g.

Sunglasses

(optional) For long periods of snow travel. Use cheap polycarbonate sunglasses and replace when lenses get scratched. Screws on cheap sunglasses are sometimes loose, but can be secured as follows: unscrew, apply drop of superglue, screw back in, allow glue to dry. Glue bond is weak and breaks when arms are folded, but glue residue is sufficient to tighten up screws and prevent them from falling out. [As of 2023, not needed because no longer hiking long distances over snow.] 25 grams typically.

Ear plugs

(optional) Silicone style more effective and longer-lasting than wax or foam. For noisy hotel rooms or campgrounds. [As of 2023, haven't used these in 5 years, so no longer carried.] 10 grams for 2 ear plugs (one pair) inside small plastic case.

Water purification tablets

(Optional) Either Katadyn Micropur or Potable Aqua tablets, whose active ingredient is chlorine dioxide, or MSR Aquatab tablets, with active ingredient sodium dichloroisocyanurate, which generates free chlorine. Both chlorine dioxide and free chlorine are powerful oxidizers. Kills bacteria and viruses and possibly protozoa cysts (with enough waiting time) but probably not helminth eggs. Can also be used to sterilize water bottles and water bladder. [As of 2023, no longer carry in Europe because never drink from truly dirty sources there and bottles are generic and can be easily replaced. Continue to carry while bicycle touring to clean bladders.] 20 grams for 30 chlorine-dioxide tablets plus 25 grams for 125ml Nalgene bottle, so 45 grams total.