Laundry

[Addie]

Opinion or Suggestions?

Im traveling with 3 kids( 8, 10, 11.5), usually about 10-14 days at a time. Stopping to use a laundry mat (about 2hrs) is not the best thing for us. Do you all just pack enough cloths to cover that time period? I would love to bring my spin dryer (although it 110v and uses 83 watt) and my wonder wash which is hand cranked. Neither of these are tiny, but seem to work well. It would mean we could bring much less clothing, just wash n dry small load daily-especially with hitting the beach- make life easier on me.

 

[Ted]

Addie,

Probably not the answer you are looking for but when we do a two week trip we always do one night in a motel mid week. That gives us a chance to wash all the gear (and ourselves) and sneak in a restaurant meal unlike anything we could do in camp and head back out for the second week restocked and ready to go.

 

[DLN]

Ditto Ted, but don't need the motel with the Casita shower.

 

[MarkBC]

When I'm camping I just let my clothes get dirty...they sort-of reach a steady-state where they don't seem to get dirtier after a while.

But I almost always camp by myself, and I hardly ever offend myself with dirt.

Seriously, I almost always have leftover (clean) clothes at the end of a trip 'cause I never change as frequently as I think I will.

I keep a clean/nice set of clothes put away for if/when I go into town and want to eat in a restaurant. Like Ted, I usually clean-up/rejuvenate once a week with a motel.

 

[Darryla]

Or you could camp at a KOA type campground every 3 or 4 days. They have great showers and laundry. For what its worth, many of them have things for the kids to do.

Darryl

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

We pack enough clean clothes for two weeks using one dry bag per person. Everybody chooses a different color.

We only need to launder after the second week. With the dry bags, the clean clothes don't absorb humidity and odors, so they stay fresh. Another thing: With so many (little) people in so tight a space, spills are bound to happen, so dry bags are good insurance there, too.

This has worked well for three different meanders >2 weeks.

 

[Hittheroad]

We use the Wonder Wash and have been happy with it (after some reinforcement of the frame). We also use it as a storage container to save space but it still takes up lots of room and we do wonder if we should just take more clothes and leave it home. Since you never know when you are going to fall in the mud or spill beer it seems slightly safer to be ready to wash. Long trips (5 to 6 weeks) we still find a trip or two to the motel laundry useful.

 

[Addie]

We use the Wonder Wash and have been happy with it (after some reinforcement of the frame). We also use it as a storage container to save space but it still takes up lots of room and we do wonder if we should just take more clothes and leave it home. Since you never know when you are going to fall in the mud or spill beer it seems slightly safer to be ready to wash. Long trips (5 to 6 weeks) we still find a trip or two to the motel laundry useful.

This will be our first trip with a camper, normally we toss every thing into the back of the truck- footlocker for sleeping gear, 1 for cloths, 1 for rest of gear, rubber dingy and fishing gear/ chairs fit in there also. We don't usually stay for more than a day at any location as it mostly to visit family- is you stay longer than a day you end up spending $$$. Last yr had to wash cloths 2x mostly cause the weather wasn't what we expected, and kids get cloths nasty quick. Thinking to bring the cloths spinner- will be my highest watt usage but 1-2 min gets cloths mostly dry, would made a quick hand wash to keep stuff cleaner. Oh and we either camp in family driveways or where truckers pullover- it's free and the only way we can afford to do these trips.

 

[SunMan]

Two weeks is the max we've ever done and are able to pack pretty easily for it. I figure one week worth of clothes for two weeks (wearing the same clothes for 2 days). Like Mark I generally come home with clean clothes as I tend get pretty feral.

The sheet for our feather bed and pillow cases usually get a wash and rinse with some Doc Bronner's if were are in warmer climes.

 

[chnlisle]

Ditto Sunny.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I figure one week worth of clothes for two weeks (wearing the same clothes for 2 days).

This last trip I wore the same pants the whole trip, but I did wash them once towards the end in addition to letting them air out a couple evenings. I also wore the same Icebreaker long sleeve top for the whole trip, slept in it most nights as well.

Oh yeah, it was an eight week trip.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Or you could camp at a KOA type campground every 3 or 4 days. They have great showers and laundry. For what its worth, many of them have things for the kids to do.

Darryl


This is what I was going to recommend.

 

[MarkBC]

...I wore the same pants the whole trip...I also wore the same Icebreaker long sleeve top for the whole trip, slept in it most nights as well. Oh yeah, it was an eight week trip.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

 

[Gormley Green]

We've been on the road a while now, and try to do the KOA type thing from time to time. Or a motel is always nice for body and soul once every week or fortnight. We keep our dirty laundry under the couch crammed into a Thermarest stuff sack. Managed to get by doing laundry every 2 weeks, mostly just for socks and underwear.

 

[K7MDL]

Fill a large dry bag with your dirty laundry, fill 3/4 full with water and some soap of your choice, seal the top, let most of the air out. Shake it up a bit. Leave it lay out in the sun all day (like a solar shower, will soak and heat up). Go have fun. Come back, shake and punch it up some, drain, fill and dump to rinse. If you have running water, final rinse under the faucet. Hang to dry.

 

[highz]

Fill a large dry bag with your dirty laundry, fill 3/4 full with water and some soap of your choice, seal the top, let most of the air out. Shake it up a bit. Leave it lay out in the sun all day (like a solar shower, will soak and heat up). Go have fun. Come back, shake and punch it up some, drain, fill and dump to rinse. If you have running water, final rinse under the faucet. Hang to dry.

This is very similar to the Peace Corps method: Put dirty clothes in plastic tub with soap & water. Put on tight sealing lid. Put tub in truck and drive over unpaved roads for a while. Drain the tub and wring the clothes out and put 'em all back in the tub with fresh water. Drive some more, empty the tub and hang the clothes to dry.

I like the idea of using a dry bag.

 

[LuckyDan]

My travels rarely require much clothes changing or "going to town" so I pack few clothes. My personal plan is I pack versatile outer wear and more underwear and socks. My washing needs usually revolve around getting something so sweaty it needs washed or I've been in poison oak or ivy and need to wear the same thing again. When the need occurs I use a little water heated on the stove in a small bucket and Travel Suds or Campsuds or Technu if oak or ivy is involved and just "smoosh" around the clothes in the bucket with my hands. Then I refill the bucket with clean water and smoosh again to rinse and hang or drape to dry. Same approach worked in regards to my kids clothes.

Believe it or not, I have washed off a piece or two of clothing at the car wash by hanging them on the clips for floor mats and such and using the pressure wand.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Believe it or not, I have washed off a piece or two of clothing at the car wash by hanging them on the clips for floor mats and such and using the pressure wand.


That's a good idea. (I have often wished I could shower at a car wash.)

 

[DanoT]

Shower with your clothes on.