# How long have you gone... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2000, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040 "2000-12-04T23:58:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2000, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/1 "2000-12-04T23:58:57Z")
without washing your body? I just realized that I went from about 5 p.m. Friday to 3-4 p.m. today (Monday). That’s a span of almost 72 hours without a shower or bath of any kind. Yes, this is gross, and no, I don’t do it often. But I’m stuck at home alone for a week or two before I move, so I just said fuck it. Has anyone here gone more than 72 hours? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/2 "2000-12-05T00:25:23Z")
I once went about 4-5 days. I wasn’t counting exactly. May have been longer. It was one of those times when I was home alone and just didn’t feel like it. Too lonely/bored to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/3 "2000-12-05T00:37:24Z")
6 days. Really bad case of the flu. Couldn’t even get out of bed to walk 15 miles barefoot uphill in the snow to school. Seriously, really bad flu, out of work (actually sent home from work) for a week. Lived on flat ginger ale, crackers and unset gelatin. But that shower sure felt good on day 7. ---
**Author:** ![OrcaChow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e47c2d/32.png) [@OrcaChow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OrcaChow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/4 "2000-12-05T00:50:34Z")
Six days while backpacking. The longest I’d gone without bathing while bathing facilities were available was last winter when I was deathly ill. Went five days without washing. Back in college, I went four days (Thanksgiving break) without bathing. I was finishing up a senior project. I was also up twenty to twenty-two hours each day working on it. Didn’t shave, didn’t change clothes, ate one meal a day. I was one scary-looking mofo by the time I got it done. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/5 "2000-12-05T00:50:46Z")
5 days… two 5 day spans within two weeks actually… I was at summer camp and we went on a 5 day hike in the mountains then we came back to the main camp then from there we went on a 5 day horse trip… so you can say we got pretty gross… those showers felt wonderful after that… ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/6 "2000-12-05T00:54:49Z")
When I was a small child, growing up in Montana, I was what is commonly reffered to as “White Trash”. Really really bad… I’m sure I smelled. Looking back, I’m really surprised I didn’t get lice or plague or something. I know that there were stretches where I would go for 2 weeks or more with no bath, and days without combing my hair. Looking back, I hate what I was. I’m much better now… during the summer, I have to bathe at least once a day… during the winter, if the schedule is hectic, I can get away with every other day… but I still prefer once a day. Ah well. Now to teach my kids proper hygeine… hehehehe ---
**Author:** ![Bettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/67e7ee/32.png) [@Bettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bettie)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/7 "2000-12-05T01:30:12Z")
The longest was 5 days. Checkpoint official during a sled dog race. I smelled bad enough on my own, but that was before taking urine samples from the dogs for drug testing. I washed my hair 3 times. There weren’t even suds the first time. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/8 "2000-12-05T01:36:51Z")
Probably about 4 days when I was stationed in the Saudi Aradian desert out in the middle of _nowhere_. This would have been in late December or January, and it was **cold**. As cold as I’ve ever been. Our showers were nothing more than a holding tank/spigot set-up over a wooden pallet. For privacy, wood panels had been constructed that covered from about your neck to your knees. Right out in the open. No tent. The water was supposed to be heated, but it rarely was. Most of the time you had to chip the ice off the spigot before opening it. The wind was howling up under the wood panels and whipping around your head. A _lot_ of people skipped showers under those conditions. Every once in a while you would hear a scream. That was someone risking a shower after deciding that they just coulnd’t stand the funk eminating from themselves in the sleeping bag. It got better, but for a few weeks, showers were rare. One girl was knocked out cold when the water hit her head. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/9 "2000-12-05T01:43:42Z")
I can only estimate. My father was big on camping where no one had camped before (no, ahem, facilities to speak of) when I was growing up. I also know that I went for a few days when I had my car accident, ankle surgery and cast. I’ve probably also gone without for a while during major illnesses. I don’t think that I’ve ever made it a full week without a shower or bath, but I would think that four or five days isn’t an unreasonable estimate. ---
**Author:** ![Kakkerlak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@Kakkerlak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kakkerlak)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/10 "2000-12-05T01:55:51Z")
And that, friends, is why I do my camping on rivers and boats. It’s remarkable how you can get along without soap. The Lower Salmon River in Idaho is a zero-pollution tradition and we don’t use soap, and pack out our scat. You can go six or seven days and the most trouble is a scraggly beard and tangly hair. Of course, in the 105 degree summertimes you spend a lot of time in the river. Now, let’s ask how long I’ve gone at work without abusing a moron on the tech support line…er… restart… ---
**Author:** ![Philbuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@Philbuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philbuck)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/11 "2000-12-05T02:15:43Z")
Without a true shower or bath: 34 days while working and backpacking in the southern Cascades. We did, however, have streams, lakes, etc., so we stayed somewhat decent; five weeks without shaving, however, was something I didn’t enjoy (I _hate_ facial hair). Without any form of washing other than a damp washcloth and occasional soap on the hands and face: 17 days or so, on two separate occasions, while on work crews in New Mexico. (and those were both followed by additional 10- or 11-day stretches while backpacking). When everyone smells the same, no one cares… ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/12 "2000-12-05T02:23:12Z")
I haven’t taken a shower since friday. I havent done much of anything since friday, except for working on my brother’s Pinewood Derby car. And surfing the SDMB, of course. Note: I normally shower every day. ---
**Author:** ![relic\_11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/50afbb/32.png) [@relic\_11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/relic_11)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/13 "2000-12-05T02:28:15Z")
When I was living at home, there were times I couldn’t remember the last time my dad took a shower. Reason #295 I don’t like him, He stanky. ---
**Author:** ![User\_10K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@User\_10K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/User_10K)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/14 "2000-12-05T02:38:52Z")
I’ve been wilderness camping for a week. You tend to not notice in a pine forest. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/15 "2000-12-05T02:41:15Z")
Back in the day, when I was a mere child, I would go all week without bathing. Didn’t have time for that shower stuff, with all that playing with the neighbors and stuff. I only bathed on sundays and that was good enough for me. Then puberty set in and I then began bathing everyday, have ever since. If it wasn’t for the females 😃 I would still be bathing once a week. Thank God for women.(preferably nekid)😃 Ouch! I just got a spider bite. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/16 "2000-12-05T02:42:44Z")
Is it just me, or does this sound like a conversation that belongs in **Unbreakable**? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/17 "2000-12-05T03:04:53Z")
About 4-5 days, on two occasions. Once when I was unbelievably sick, with diarrhea attacks every 15-30 minutes. Nothing but sleep, water, and panic rushes to the toilet for 5 days. The other time was a little more pleasant: a week fishing in the mountains in Alaska. In both cases, boy did that shower feel good. –sublight. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/18 "2000-12-05T03:13:29Z")
a month or so. On several seperate occasions. I smelled pretty fine. No problems. I try and take a shower every day though. 99% of the time I do. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/19 "2000-12-05T03:24:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Roachman \* > \*\* > It’s remarkable how you can get along without soap. The Lower Salmon River in Idaho is a zero-pollution tradition and we don’t use soap, and pack out our scat. \*\* Coincidentally, my experience also involves the Salmon River valley. But I wasn’t camping there; I was driving home from visting my sister who lives there. I went more than three and a half days without a shower, and without sleeping in a real bed. This doesn’t count childhood when I bathed only once a week. I started showering every other day in the 6th grade and every day in the 8th. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040/20 "2000-12-05T03:37:01Z")
Thirteen Days. I had the flu, and I stayed in bed for nearly two weeks in the same pajamas with the same braid in my hair. It was really awful to comb that bitch out when I felt better! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-have-you-gone/44040.md?page=2)