How to Stay CLEAN While Backpacking! | Miranda in the Wild 

Hey friends! Several of you have asked about period hygiene and hiking. I actually have a whole video on backpacking with your period! Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MneNcwh96Pc.html - Miranda

Protip: I keep my hair clean by going bald and not having any hair.

Extra thumbs up for not confusing the hot sauce with the bidet.

You get a lot of comments here so maybe you won't see this, but I've heard of folks who use a cheese grater to shred their soap then out it in a little baggy. This allows you to take a tiny piece to use, and then you won't have to wait for a slimy/wet block of soap (however small) to dry out.

To reinforce a reply I just left, foot hygiene can be super important. Feet can wreck a hike and more if they turn unhealthy. Maybe my habits are overkill, but perhaps a video on feet in general?

Thank you for mentioning Reef Safe sunscreen!! It’s critical for our coral reefs here in Florida and most people have never been educated on it!

If you just have to wash your hair, I'd suggest Clean Life No-Rinse Shampoo. dampen your hair, add a little of the shampoo, rub it in and towel out. No need to rinse. Repeat if necessary. I was turned onto this with my disabled wife. Occasionally, she is too rough for a regular shampoo, so I'd use this stuff. Works great. I tend to use less than 4oz for a single wash. They also make a no rinse body wash. 2oz added to 2 cups of water and you'll have enough for a complete towel bath. Since both these items are no rinse, you never have to worry about soap causing a rash. Best of all, its sold at REI.

Contacts: I'm an optometrist and specialized in contact lens fitting. Most of our patients wear individual fitted contacts that can be worn for up to a year. But for occasions like outdoor trips they get additional daily disposables, which can correct about 90% of refractive errors nowadays. A fresh, hygienic, new pair for every day and no need to carry a bottle around . A reusable lens (like yours) that is cleaned with an all-in-one solution (like yours) has to be rubbed and rinsed before storing in the case and that's not what I'd recommend with dirty hands that made a fire before... And there are additional helpers: when you use a "meniholder" tweezer and a dmv "soft lens handler" you don't have to touch the lens at all. An eye infection on a trip is pretty annoying and can become very naughty and dangerous if not treated early enough. With a hand sanitizer and daily disposables you don't have that risk and can enjoy your trip. By the way, there are contacts lens blisters as thing as a 4 pieces of paper, e.g. the "Miru flat pack".

Yep, in the backcountry we eat lots of jerky, seeds, nuts, etc... i always end up needing floss or toothpicks on the trail. I always just spit toothpaste into ziplock baggie I’m using for trash - I make my wife and kids do the same and it is one of a number of LNT practices I get a lot of ribbing for around our house.

I've lived by my scrubba bag for about a year and a half. Comes in handy when your NYC apartment doesn't have laundry

For lip balm try Vaseline. Lasts longer than the stick stuff. They sell it in small pots that are just wide enough for a finger. It is multipurpose. It can lubricate zippers, make a fire starter, I use it to seal small cuts under a bandage. Just be careful in heat, over 100 F (38C) it can melt. Double bonus they make a cocoa butter flavor.

Physical sun protection is also awesome. Shirts with UPF and sunglasses are useful!

Sunday mornings are better with a Miranda in the Wild video.

Thanks again Miranda and REI for such great info. There are so many channels, but few that put in the complete conversation like this. Especially when it comes to green solutions! Thanks so much. I'm always so proud to be a member!

I always bring an extra pair of contacts in their individual packaging as a backup - that way if something goes wrong with your first pair (like you lose all your solution or your lenses dry out or rip), you can pour out the liquid that is in the container into your lense case and re-use that AND you get some fresh lenses in case something happened to your first pair.

I appreciate the tip on how you organize it all in your back as well. Good stuff!

Miranda is the best!

Big grins from beginning to end! Great ideas. Thanks Miranda! As always, mad props to the Production/Post Production Team!!! :)

Another kick ass Miranda vid!! Gosh Darn!! Thank you!

I love watching your videos, you have a great personality and joking about things people really don't want to talk about helps.

Thanks for both the information & the entertainment. Your videos are always fun to watch. Stay well & safe .. Cheers.

My tip for contacts and glasses wearers.... Buy yourself a pair of prescription sunglasses and bring both your regular glasses and prescription sunglasses with one case. Guaranteed, you're going to be wearing one of them at all times unless you're sleeping. But this helps so you're not sticking dirty fingers in your eyes, or losing contacts. I loved that method before I got PRK.

Hi Miranda! Thanks so so much for these videos. It's amazing how many little things you just can't think through as an about-to-be beginner backpacker without the experience. I would love to see a video on how you organize your backpacking pack and also one on preventing/dealing with blisters! Again - love these videos :)

Currently at camp on a bike tour! Your videos were a big inspiration for me and taught me all the things I needed to know! Keep up the great work!

I find a solution of 1:1 water to which hazel great for the nasty sweaty areas like armpits. Nothing else gives the same clean "just showered" feeling.

I love your videos. Great tips, without being stupid gear heavy. So much wonderful good sense. Thank you so much! ❤️

These are some awesome tips! The contact lenses in the glasses case is a pretty smart idea honestly. I think maybe the only thing I could recommend is getting a smaller bottle for the contact solution. That way you're not carrying around more solution than you need. Aim for a bottle small enough to fit in your glasses case while you're wearing your glasses.

Wear thin gloves at almost all times, that's the only thing that has kept my hands from being a mess if I'm out there more than 2 days. Lighter than lotion and helps more imho.

I totally love your video's! Always education and enjoyable!!!

Uh, can there be more info on feet hygiene? How to keep them dry, or avoid nail/toe/skin problem in that department

Feeling cleaner tip: keep a pair of underwear and socks just for sleeping. Forget the washing towel and bring an extra buff or two. Wash them out. Buffs are easier to not loss on trail as they can be threaded on backpack straps and don't come untied.

Eyewear tips: 1) bring some daily contacts for backpacking. They don’t need to be cleaned but you’ll have some trash to carry out. You can order as small as a 30 day supply and make them your sport/hiking contacts. 2) ask your eye doc for a free travel sized solution and a case, if you need it. 3) get a pair of thin, flexible frames for backpacking.

Thank you for this video. Great presentation. Love your sense of humor.

Lasik is life changing in so many ways, but especially in the outdoors, it's well worth considering!

I like the way I was trained in the army. Keep a stainless bowl in a multi day ruck. Use it for a bird bath. Keep it far away from camp to keep animals away.

underrated and totally important topic. Thanks for making this video

This was surprisingly practical and enlightening.

Bro, this is AWESOME! Excited for my hiking/ canoe trip!

😎Another super awesome video guys!! Keep up the great work!! 🔥🔥🔥

Old Lady on the Trail did a wet bandana bath that soaked in ziplock. This was on thru hikes. I like soap. Thanks for the tips.

use charcoal tooth powder - unflavored. It has no scent, and well, it's just charcoal powder and some minerals. So you're basically just spitting dirt on the ground when you're done.

In the vein of the reef safe sun screen, it would be worth mentioning that all of this washing and rinsing should be done away from water sources. Even biodegradable soap takes time to break down and can cause harm if it goes directly into lakes, streams, etc; not to mention the funk that is getting washed out with it.

Effective and simple!

Lasik was the best decision ever, but also one of my most expensive purchases. Honestly well worth it!

Thank you Miranda, for mentioning contact lenses. I have personally used two different travel sized bottles of saline/contact solution (not at the same time) for backpacking and traveling. I've also gotten really good with being able to do a quick and thorough wash of my thumbs and index fingers to be able to put in or take out my contacts (good if you're limited on how much water you are able to use). For anyone who doesn't use the daily disposable lenses, practice putting your contacts in and taking them out without looking in the mirror, in case you don't have a small mirror (or one with your compass). Do bring an extra pair of lenses if you don't have daily disposables. ;)

lol Im so glad you finally got your own channel! it’s awesome!🤘🏽❤️

Lasik is AWESOME! Scariest thing I ever did but also best thing!

Your videos are very informative and helpful. 🙏

I like this new funny way of presenting! 😅👍

Easy for such a natural beauty.

Great advice, thanks!

We love you @miranda!!!

Please don't rinse your soapy hair, face, wash cloth, etc. in lakes and streams. You just send bubbles into pristine waters. Miranda never mentioned a sponge bath without soap, in a lake or stream. The colder, the better! Washing with snow works too. Washing sweat off you will also reduce your attractiveness to mosquitoes.

I use daily ware contacts. Disadvantage is trash. Advantages are a nice clean pair every morning, don’t need to carry solution, and easy to bring extras just in case.

Loved the tip on cleaning out hair with good ol' Gold Bond :) I never carry a flosser, must try. What I can add - You can refill a small travel size toothpaste tube with a large one, for rest of your life. Just connect the openings real tight and squeeze - I started using daily contact lenses. It creates more trash, but is more hygienic. Also, it's ok to lose one, you have a few extra... And i just switched to using them less often, saving on the $$ PS: I just got LASIK few months ago. ITS TOTALLY WORTH IT - Cutting nails with a swiss knife scissor, for multi-day hikes, be careful :) Or remembering to cut them just before leaving. :) - I carry a small HumanGear GotTubb of PawPaw cream for lips, chafing, healing wounds, etc.I have the giant tub that I refill from, every few weeks. - Merino underwear FTW! IT costs 5x much, but is totally worth it - Less washing and feels cleaner :) - Change of clean socks for campsite. Please 🙏🏽 - I want to try the RAW sunscreen tin that REI sells next. Seems like a good option, and zero waste

Awesome video! Don’t forget you should be carrying a compass and if you get one with a mirror you not only have a better compass but you also have a signal mirror and of course you can ensure you look spectacular!

Great video!

Great video, Miranda...👍

I'm a gas permeable contact wearer. I also bring my glasses, because if I lost a contact, I probably wouldn't be able to find my way back to the trailhead. When I clean my contacts in the evening, I ash my hands first, then clean them over a bowl so if I drop a contact (a regular occurrence) the bowl will catch it and not the ground.

Hi Miranda! That video reminds me of one of a similar topic. Hygiene in a space station.

Thanks for mentioning reef safe sunscreen! Heading to Florida next week. Thanks!

Put some dabs of toothpaste on a sheet of parchment dusted with baking soda. Let it dry over a few days. Use a tried dab each time you brush 👍

I have super sensitive skin and love Neutrogena hyaluronic acid sunscreen. It’s super hydrating

Friendly reminder to folks to not wash yourself or clothes directly in a water source (stream, river, lake, etc). Leave No Trace principles apply in that you should be doing this 200ft from water as the soap (even 'natural' soaps) can damage the eco system of the water. || Contacts: I just got dailies and I like them a lot. I carry the smallest bottle of solution available with only a tiny bit in it just*in*case* I drop a contact when putting it in. My optometrist recycles the packaging so I save them up and take them to their office when I have a bag full. Hard glasses cases are a B, but needed. Ugh. {rolls eyes} || Wash cloth: I designate corners for things. One corner is for my armpits, second is for my lady bits, third is for the backdoor, fourth is a free for all; use the hanging hook as your marker to not confuse the corners; fold the butt part into itself before folding the towel as a whole. I carry a second towel for my face.

For contacts, I just take daily contacts with me. I always bring enough for one extra day just in case I lose one. When I was using monthly contacts, I would get a year supply of monthlies and a month supply of daily contacts to use during backpacking and seasonal allergy season. Now I wear daily contacts all of the time.

I've made my own toothpaste dots (super good for short trips) and I like soap leaves(body, hair, hands) lightweight, bio-safe and tsa approved👍

Great video as always. Since you brought up the subject of quick dry underwear AND REI sells EXOFFICIO products, a video on that would be spectacular ! I have 2 sets. Wear one set, carry one set. So easy to wash/rinse out. Dries on the hammock line within a couple of hours.

I just heat some water up in my cook pot & use a bandanna to clean myself. It works pretty good. The hot water feels great!

1.during lunch, socks off and air then out. Take a rag and wipe off dirt. Moisture and thin powdery silty dirt cause blisters and stank. 2. Use foot powder in shoes to air out before bed. It works. Sprinkle powder in shoes. Tap shoes together lightly. Careful not to breathe in powder Duh. 3. Buy shoes at least 1/2 size larger and use WOOL toe sock LINERS. Absolutely zero toe blisters. 4. Hiking is the art of keeping your feet happy. Period. Um... this should be #1. 5. Special circumstance: all day rain for days at a time. Coat feet with any number of natural products after you wash and dry them at camp each night. Cant remember name of the product I use off top of my head. 5. Every night if I’m gone for four or more days, or every other night I clean up. Wash rag with a couple of DROPS of Castile peppermint soap. Store in tiny dropper bottle with two broccoli rubber bands to keep tip from leaking (use this trick on contact soln bottle too). Nature friendly in my pits and bits. And feet. After couple of days do my hair with same method. Makes HUGE difference in outlook. Therefore I don’t need to keep washing my sleep quilt gear as much. Down really doesn’t like frequent washing anyway. 6. Underarm deodorant: hear me out! Personal choice but I do it partly to make it easier to gets my pits clean when I get to a trail town. If I wait a week. I’d have to take three showers to get the stink out. Honestly. It’s gets THAT BAD. Try getting literally thrown off a plane because you hiked weeks and only showered each week. The bacteria sinks in to your skin. I could show you a microscopic view but it’s not pretty. As a side bonus, I can actually stand the smell of myself and u can freely walk by a day hiker without the obligatory pruned up cringy face they do. You’ve seen it. Lol. Wouldn’t hurt to keep cleaner during COVID times anyway. So that’s what works for me and coincidentally my two buddies when we do our 3-4 week hikes. Hike your hike. And don’t listen to those that say you are required to reek if YOU don’t want to. You really do learn stuff after years of hiking. P. S. Hand sanitizer after each poop AND water filtering. You’d be amazed what livestock, beavers, carry water born.

For washing my face, I use a small Norwex microfiber cloth (the "body cloth") and warm water. Cleans really well without soap!

I got lasik and it's made backpacking hygiene much more convenient! As much as a game changer as a menstrual cup.

Someone mightve suggested this already, but you could wear disposable, daily contract lenses. They're all seperately packaged in their own blister packet and you use a new pair every day. No need for solution or containers! AcuVue dailies works like a dream, but there are many options available worldwide.

As far as contacts, I bring enough cases filled with solution for the number of nights that I'm there, and then I bring contact drops to moisturize. Saved a bunch of space.

I’m curious where are you filming this? You have some cool backdrops. I’m guessing it’s an REI staff room, but the exercise bike is throwing me off! I love how you and the production team change up the filming sites.

"Please don't mix up your hot sauce and your bidet." Does your camera guy speak from experience?? 😂😂

We're barred from doing basically anything right now in Ontario because of Covid...but I'm stocking up on cool ideas from REI and Miranda in preparation of being back to a state of semi normal :)

.. also take advantage of streams, rivers and lakes when near ,, NO soap products ... If near , a morning swim is an awesome wake up and feels great ....

I’m a backpacker who also has a soap company, I make a hikers soap that’s only 1.5oz and is packed in a small tin. It’s good from head to toe, including for hair and rinses out super fast. it’s also made from very minimal ingredients that are environmentally safe for all water sources, including streams and lakes :) It’s also super absorbent so minimal drying.

A little container of aloe, a tin of Shea butter, & tea tree oil are also skincare must-takes for camping & hiking

LOL. Always entertaining.

Personal opinion for discussion: Teeth and hands are the only mandatory items to keep clean, IMO. All others are purely optional, unless you have a skin or hair condition that requires additional maintenance. Just embrace the funk until you get to town.

Butt paste from the baby section works well for chaffing as well lot better than the powders. Baby wipes are must have

I can relate with the pain as a contact-wearer myself

what fun! and you are a McGuyver fan - what a woman. We are off 'into Africa' for 3 months and I have ditched my deodorant - I have been using a crystal which is smaller than a roll-on and way more effective - it seems to munch the bacteria that cause the smell and I'm really impressed. Thanks for the tips - we are not backpacking but when you are overlanding every bit of space counts.

I have one of those metal glasses frames that compress down kinda well, and I've been meaning to design and 3D print a custom case to carry it with the minimal volume. You could probably build one out of basswood board (available at Michaels) too. You shouldn't have to enclose it entirely. As long as you have a flat, padded board in front of the lens and a couple triangular frames around that to prevent the arms(?) from being crushed, I think that should be enough.

Miranda is so funny I love her video's.

Very good!

For dark hair mix arrowroot powder or baking soda w/ unsweetened cocoa powder and/or charcoal powder for diy dry shampoo 😊

Great job

Miranda reminds me of a modern-day Anne of Green Gables, only reinforced by the little sticky-outy pieces in the braids :)

How about you carry a signaling mirror...it doubles as a real mirror as well. Non breakable (as Miranda likes to say). Good thoughts overall thanks for the information.

Miranda told me I look great 🥰

Good toothpaste tip. I had no idea about whale spray. I'm always learning something.

I use lots of water and soap to keep my hands clean. Worth it.

Huge endorsement for daily contacts while backpacking!!! They're way more hygienic cuz you just throw the used ones into your pack out trash and get fresh new ones each morning. And who doesn't love the feeling of fresh contacts!! Plus, it might actually be lighter for short/medium length trips (e.g.

LASIK! Get it! Worth every single dollar. But a good fix for foggy glasses, you can get anti-fog wipes on Amazon and they’re about the size of a antiseptic wipe packet. I use them for sunglasses and safety glasses at work. LASIK is still the best choice. I paid $4k for mine and honestly say it was worth 5x that.

For contacts, I buy the type that you can wear overnight and then just pack an extra set. Much lighter and smaller than glasses and solution.

I use the same body washing at home when I'm not washing my hair, it saves a lot of water and energy to heat that water compared to showering everyday

I use a 5ml dropper bottle filled with unscented liquid Castille soap in my poop bag for washing. I have a washcloth sized microfiber in my poop kit and a larger one in my hygiene bag for full body drying.

As someone who has had corneal refractive surgery I can 100% confirm that if LASIK or PRK is an option for you, seriously consider doing it! Made my life so much better