Preparing to Be Sanitary in the Back-Country
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With the summer season coming all too quickly to an end, there’s time yet for a couple back-country adventures. Remember, September is still mostly a summer month!
One of the perks of going camping this time of year, at least in southern parts of Canada, is that it’s very likely to be dry, warm weather. Chances are you won’t even need your rain gear! (Don’t let that likelihood stop you from being prepared, just in case, though.) On the down side, the dryness of the weather also means that you probably shouldn’t be building any campfires.
But we aren’t here today to talk about the pros and cons of camping in late summer, we’re here to talk about sanitation.
If you’re simply going on a quick jaunt into the wilderness, you might think all you need is a roll of toilet paper (or even better, Toilet Tissue on the Go) and that a good water filter will be sure to keep you from getting sick. But while these items will definitely help keep you clean and healthy, the truth of the matter is that there’s something a lot of people are missing, when they go camping: the power of hand washing.
Often, the cause of illness after time spent “roughing it” is simply due to poor hygiene, especially unwashed hands. Below are a few tips on how to stay as clean and healthy as possible, starting with your hands:
- Keep your fingernails short. The less room there is under your nails for bacteria to grow, the better! Clip your nails before embarking on an adventure, and if you’re going for more than a few days, bring your clippers with you!
- Bring hand sanitizer with you, and/or disinfectant wipes.
- Wash or sanitize your hands before you eat.
- Wash or sanitize your hands whenever else you get the urge!
Camping can be messy and that’s half the fun of it. The best way to keep the fun going is to get in the habit of staying clean in the ways that matter, so that you can remain healthy! For a toilet set that includes gloves, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and more, check out our complete toilet set and other sanitary options!
You might also want to consider the “sanitation” of the environment you’re inhabiting while camping. So in our next post, we’re going to talk a little about that!
Article contributed by Sophie Wooding – Avid gardener and cyclist in Victoria, BC and Content Writer for Frontier.io
