Roughing it: things you miss & things you don't

In My Humble Opinion
21

Define rudimentary - were they already planning on camping or just sort of making do with what they had in the vehicle?

[keep in mind I keep a bail out MOLLE pack in my vehicle, if I add a day pack with my laptop and my 3 month dole of medications, I could make a quick stop at the bank to get my important paperwork and evacuate the country on pretty much 30 minutes notice as long as it is daylight so I can get into the bank.]

What I don’t do without:
*2 woobies and one rain poncho
*500 foot spool of 550 cord
*sapirka - works as a shovel, hand ax, fry pan …
*12 linen handkerchiefs - my dad had a huge number of these, impromptu wash cloths and reusable after washing butt wipes. Don’t judge the girl …
*I used to carry the oh my god sized box of tampons and same of pads [you can shove a tampon in a deep penetrating wound then slap a pad over it and duct tape it on in an emergency, or deal with girly issues] while i would still put them in camp supplies, for personal use [if I hadn’t had an hysterectomy ending the damned torment] I would add in 2 diva cups for the monthly bleeding out as they get emptied, washed and shoved back in. NO trash or running out of supplies.

  • roll of duct tape
    *box of the large contractor bags - use to hold garbage, hold supplies you need ot keep dry or in combination with the duct tape and 55 cord, build a shelter and make sure it is waterproof by making a roof liner out of opened up and taped together contractor bags.
    *hexamine fuel tabs, use them to start fires in iffy conditions, combine with a magnesium firelighter.
    *Montreal Steak Salt in the oh my god bottle. Really, makes almost anything palatable. Might consider adding in a bottle of tabasco sauce.
    *decent cooking pot, about 2 quart works for most small parties - if nothing else you can boil water and filter it through a few layers of linen hankie. Combine it with a water filter bottle and you are pretty safe. Add a couple metal plates and mugs, or just buy a compact trail kit and you are good to go.
    *crank flashlight - helpful if it also is a USB charger, though I do have a small solar setup. [a homemade version of this, it lives in a giant tote.]

Do keep in mind I lived in a camp ground through a 3 month job including Hurricane Hugo … and have camped all my life:p We joke about what would have happened if we had been in Florida for Hurricane Andrew - we would have absolutely destroyed CNN’s idiot reporters when they wandered into our encampment in some evacuation camp by telling them that ‘no, we didn’t lose anything, it is all packed in that trailer over there’ <pointing> and offering them a breakfast of crepes benedict and fresh drip coffee. As we are known to spend 2 weeks at Pennsic many summers, we have the gear to set up and live quite comfortably and not being so stupid as to ignore the weather, we would have been packing up our valuables in our 15 foot box truck, getting the gear ready, buying any supplies we were short on and being ready to evacuate as soon as it looked needful. Our camp setup includes a very nice cabin tent, 2 aluminum ‘army’ cots, a 96 quart cooler, and totes for our clothing and gear. I have a couple of the extra large zero gravity reclining camp chairs, and a couple of the heavy plastic folding tables, and firepit stuff. It helps that our roomie is a blacksmith and makes the fire pit goodies =) It wasn’t unknown for us to cook for 65-74 people for an evening of relaxing and fun - who knew medieval recreating could be useful =)

22

It’s not the body that stinks, it’s the bacteria in the dirty clothes – unless they are wool. Wool is naturally anti-microbial and doesn’t retain odors. I wear wool shirts (Smartwool and the like) all winter and really only wash them when I spill something on them; can sometimes go months without laundering them. On a long backpacking trip you can smell who is wearing wool and who is not from several feet away; those wearing synthetic wicking clothes really really stink.

As for toilet paper replacement, leaves can be ok (just be sure to avoid poison ivy), but a smooth rounded rock does a better job.

23

I’ve done this several times throughout my life so I’m more the second than the first; but I do remember back to those first couple outings. Nose-blind you may get but you will still smell.

YMMV but my opinion is that it depends on a lot of things like weather, where you are, what you are getting to eat, do you/can you take some time for basic cleanliness washing up at steams or ponds, and a lot of other variables. YMMV but for me I did 20 days living 1750s conditions along the St Lawrence and Great Lakes and came out of it “unsmelly” enough to grab a beer at the end without being tossed from the place - or really having anyone notice except for me wearing funny clothes. Lots of reasonably clean water and time to at least wash and scrub down now and then with some sandy soil. Another time was 6 days in really hot weather near the Vermont border and I didn’t really have a chance to wash at all and I was eating a lot of dried food; that time I offended myself bad enough that I drove off with the windows open to the nearest motel just to get a shower for the ride home. I was going to use a truck stop with shower facilities but they wouldn’t let me in – the reek was bad enough that the truckers couldn’t stand me.

The civilization we carry with us doesn’t totally disappear for a long time; months or maybe even years. If there is a way to do some basic cleaning you will until winter and bear grease set in. And even then you will sometimes scrape off the old layer before adding a new one. Does your body stabilize in terms of odor or plateau in a sense? I doubt it. But over time you figure some ways to adapt and carry some personal care with you.

(And while we’re at it ------ bad breath. Yeah you find ways to wash the body but almost none of us take care of our teeth and breath. One thing I have noted on myself and others is that the halitosis can be epic.)

24

We go camping in the woods quite a bit. Last summer in the Baltic states, they have beautiful forests that go right up to the sea. We travelled around for over a month. Often we go with only stuff we can carry on our backs, even if we have a car.

Our tent is very light, the mat is heavier than the tent. If I don’t have a good mat I’m very uncomfortable. Our sleeping bags zip together, because cuddling :wink: We usually bring extra fleece blankets because they weigh nothing and nights can get cold. For a pillow you can stuff a jersey with other clothes, that works fine. We have really small pillows you stuff with other clothes, which is even better. But if I don’t have that I’m fine with a stuffed jersey.

I can get uncomfortable if I can’t sit leaning back. My back gets tired. We have several light weight solutions for that, recently an inflatable seat. If we don’t bring something I can pile up stuff and lean against that, but it gets old after a while and I makes me grumpy.

We have a tiny little wood burning stove, size of two fists. It’s more efficient than boiling water over a whole fire, especially in the morning when you don’t need the warmth and light and just want the coffee. It’s not quite as fast as gas, but you don’t need to carry around the fuel.

You need good, light weight cooking gear that fits together. You want enamel cups or your coffee will always taste of onion soup and mint tea and you will be miserable. You need good knives, obviously, and a swiss army knife with a corkscrew for when you make friends who brought wine but no corkscrew. Or you can impress them by putting the bottle in a shoe and gently banging it against a tree to work out the cork.

We have a LifeStraw that lets you drink dirty water straight from the source. Doesn’t filter out poisons, heavy metals and viruses though. Bringing water is still a good idea.

I don’t mind not showering at all. Baby wipes are amazing for when you’re actively dirty, like if your hands are muddy. Also if you want to have sex and haven’t washed in a while. :stuck_out_tongue: But they do create rubbish that you then need to lug around. We have very thin wash wafers that work on everything and are biodegradable. You can use them on your body, your washing up and your clothes, just wash them in a stream. I brush my teeth and spit in the bushes. I’m not going around with furry teeth, sorry Mother Nature.

A big scarf is good for everything: cold, sun on your shoulders, sitting on, swatting at horseflies, picking nettles, carrying things. Same goes for a hat: rain, shine & mushrooms.

You need good string for a washing line and hanging and securing things. Ziploc bags are great for keeping things dry and storing food.

I always bring battery string lights. They’re pretty and give off enough light to read by. Good batteries last a month.

Don’t bother with too much cotton. Good lambswool won’t smell or hold moisture. It keeps you warm and breathes, especially important for socks and a jersey. Synthetic thermal leggings are also amazing.

Can your characters bring a well-trained dog? They’re the best! Warm and always happy. Collecting firewood = fun game. Finding the others = fun game. Washing up in the river = fun game. Peeing at night = omg night time adventure! My girl flushes & retrieves game (should that be necessary) and she’s a warning system. She loves camping, get out the tent and she goes nuts. It does mean you need to feed a dog, check them for ticks and you will probably have a wet dog in your tent at some point. Worth it :slight_smile:

I can’t think of anything we bring but don’t use. Sometimes my husband doesn’t read the book he brings, but then I read his book. I also can’t think of any convenience I’d object to, besides something like an RV with a tv.

Being cold and/or wet is awful. If it rains more than a day everything gets wet. It’s ok if you stay in one place, inside the tent stays mostly dry. But if you need to get up and move in the rain, it’s awful. Bugs are annoying. Have you ever tried doing a poo with mozzies and horseflies buzzing around your bum? Makes you rather vulnerable. I don’t like not being able to sit leaning back, but it doesn’t bother my husband. Sounds at night don’t bother me, at worst they keep me up by being interesting. I don’t need to get used to anything anymore, no change of mindset in the first few days. Not showering was something I got used to, I think, but now it’s fine from day one. If the weather is bad it sometimes bothers me when I have been getting changed sitting down, bit by bit, for a long time. I just want to stand up, take off all my clothes and then put on all new clothes. That can get annoying.

Sounds like a cool book you’re writing! :slight_smile:

25

I’m going to echo the fact nights are a big issue. You don’t realize it till your camping but it gets dark at night. Really dark. And lanterns only light up so much. Your limited on the lighted distance you can travel and what you can do. So you go to bed early. Especially in winter camping where it gets dark at 6 pm. Now there are times you can sit up and watch the stars which is pretty cool.

26

There’s a difference between not using shampoo,soap, deodorant etc and not bathing/showering. The stories I’ve seen about not using soap etc always still involve bathing/showering and hair washing , but either using water only or some substitute (like baking soda or apple cider vinegar) for soap, shampoo and deodorant. If a person does not bathe at all, their body odor will not become less offensive with time ( while I have never done that, it happens fairly often with the clients at my job) but it’s entirely possible that someone camping near a stream who goes for a swim every day won’t reek even without soap ,shampoo or deodorant.

27

I can second this - a while ago I decided to experiment with the “no poo” thing (that’s no shampoo, not lifelong clenching) and decided what the hey, might as well take the experiment whole hog. And thus it came to pass that I don’t use shampoo, body soap, or deodorant - the only soap I use is to wash my hands (which I do rather a lot). If there have been any problems I haven’t detected them, and if anybody else has detected them they’ve been extremely circumspect about it, for years.

It’s important to note that I don’t physically exert myself much though, so little sweating, and I shower every day. If I don’t, even if I don’t do any physical activity at all, by the end of day 2 I start developing a detectable odor.

(Other notes: male, short hair. That hair length matters with the “no poo” thing, I gather. Also my hair got straighter when I went off shampoo, for some reason.)

28

More and more good info. I was suspicious of the whole “don’t smell after a while” thing, but I totally buy that regular scrubs with stream water and sand will do a body good.

Also so interesting, and gratifying to hear about wool. I always want to dress my wilderness campers in wool, and then I think “but surely they’d want some fancy synthetics…?” Maybe not.

The specific setting is Croatan National Forest in North Carolina, in early September. Anyone been there? Any observations?

ETA a reply to Begbert: some people are just lucky and don’t have BO. My husband is one of them.

29

I recently went backpack camping in Pukaskwa National Park (Canada). It was only two nights, so I could have survived with a lot less that what I brought. The sites had a fire ring, log benches, and a shared outhouse (no TP) and bear box.
We were near the White River or Lake Superior, so fresh water was not an issue (I used a gravity fed filter). Things I brought but did not need: rain pants (it was misty the first morning or else I would not have brought) and bug spray (the ranger said bugs could be bad, but they were not bad at all). I brought a paperback book (I really like reading in a tent before going to sleep)
One nice thing – I had a small water bottle (they are often handed out at bike events) that I used for going #1 at night (it was ~40F so not having to go outside was nice)

For hygiene I used purelle and brushed my teeth. I also use deodorant and alternated shirts. (fresh underwear) I did have a washcloth (used for dishes) and a sponge (used to wipe the tent rainfly) that I could have used to clean up if the trip was longer.

Brian

30

10 days is usually about the longest I am out of touch while 4 days would be more typical. I don’t miss anything. Coffee tastes better, food tastes better. The night sounds and stars are better. I always hate leaving. Over a longer period of time I am sure I would miss having running water and refrigeration. I enjoy physical work but am also getting older so gathering and cutting firewood might grow old quickly. I now consider renting remote cabins as a more viable semi long term option to tent camping if I were going to be out over a month or so.

31

A zip lock bag with toilet paper.

A sleeping pad is an absolute must. It insulates you from the cold ground. A good night’s sleep is essential on a backpacking trip.

Here’s several reviewed with photos. The OP can describe the pad in the book.

They roll up and are easy to attach to your gear.

32

If you are in the woods, and you don’t want to sleep in a tent on the ground, you can hitch up a hammock to a couple of trees.

33

You’ve never tried an air mattress? They are lightweight, easily foldable, and with a hand-pump, you’re only out about 5 minutes. Very comfortable.

34

Rule of threes - three minutes without air, three hours without shelter/heat (in freezing cold), three days without water and three weeks without food.

The smell is awful, but you don’t notice it, at least what you are used to - I opened a gymnasium door which housed over 100 soldiers that had been living rough on the tundra in Feb and it was like a physical slap in the face. Even though I had also gone over a week without a shower, I was used to my own smell, and those around me.

You get dirty faster than you think, under your nails, just filthy.

Still, what I would need - knife, flint/matches, cotton balls with some Vaseline (great kindling and they are waterproof), a tarp/ground sheet (I can make a lean-to or of what I can find, but it’s easier with a ground sheet and some bungy-cords/paracord), water or a container and some purification tablets, some food or snares, toilet paper…

What I would like - food, baby wipes, bug repellant, bug net, sleeping bag, air mattress, pillow, tooth brush, collapsible wash basins, soap, hairbrush.

I think that’s everything. I won’t be super happy though.

35

Yes, I’ve been there many times. Your campers will be miserable that time of year w/o some deet. Early September is still summer in the Croatan.

I’ve backpacked it and four-wheeled it. I’ve fished the ponds and creeks. I’ve canoed the White Oak and sailed the Neuse. There are still some long-leaf pine savannas there, easily accessible. Lots of rednecks, too. What other questions do you have about it?

Oh, to address the OP. The thing I miss most is a cold, fizzy drink. My first objective when getting back to the car is to locate a cold Dr. Pepper in a can. Ahhhhh… the luxury!

eta… staying away from civilization would be a challenge in the Croatan. Not impossible, but challenging.

36

There are extenuating story-circumstances that I won’t bore you with (this is an apocalyptic story).

Bummer to hear about the bugs. I grew up in fairly buggy country, but I’ve been in the PNW for over two years now, and I forgot. Noooo skeeters here, heh heh.

Maybe I can swing it for the Uwharrie forest. Further inland. Fewer bugs without the pocosins to breed them, you think? Is that flatland or piedmont or is it getting fairly hilly by then…? Google maps is good for examining forestation of an area but not always so great for evaluating elevation.

37

The Uwharries are wonderful, and more remote, imo. More ticks up there than skeeters, though you’ll find plenty of both all over NC. Areas further west experience more of a real winter that may affect the bugs’ prolificacy. But not until later October, even up there.

It’s much hillier. Well, anywhere is hillier than the Croatan, but the Uwharries are more similar to mountains than to piedmont. The topography will bring the challenge the way the thick, wet pocosin would have; you’ll have to choose your routes accordingly. However, due to the flatness and the easily accessible timber-resource history, there are more roads and paths through the Croatan.

Oh, another interesting fact about the Uwharries is the presence of former gold (and other mineral) mines. It was the epicenter of NC’s gold rush around the turn of the 19th century. Also, there is a state-run, off-road-vehicle network (of roads/paths) through part of the forest. I’ll stop rambling, but I’ve got more if you’ve got more.