How To Wash Your Hands on a Backpacking Trip (Hand Sanitizer Is NOT the Answer)

Back when I was getting ready for my first thru-hike (the Appalachian Trail), I would stay up late at night obsessively researching minor the most minor gear details, like whether to carry Campsuds or Dr. Bronners as my hand soap of choice.

It turns out that both Bronners and Campsuds are perfectly legitimate choices. But proper hand-washing technique while thru-hiking actually is a subject worth researching, as the logistics on trail are more complicated than you might expect.

Hundreds of thru-hikers come down with norovirus every year on crowded trails like the AT, largely due to improper hand-washing. Using the right type of soap and good technique can help protect you (and everyone around you) from stomach bug, but you also need to ensure that you’re observing Leave No Trace principles and using soap products in a way that won’t attract wildlife to your camp at night. 

PSA: Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Is Not Enough

Photo: Brandon Chase

Hand sanitizer is very convenient because it doesn’t require any rinsing. You don’t need to worry about soap residue getting into water sources and you don’t have to fuss with the struggle of rinsing your soapy hands when you’re solo (it is a major struggle). 

Unfortunately, while alcohol-based hand sanitizers can kill many germs and even some viruses, they are ineffective against norovirus (among other pathogens). That means you can hand-sanitize all you want, but it won’t protect you from your fellow poopy-handed hikers (or protect your fellow hikers from your poopy hands). 

Washing with actual soap and water is one of the most effective ways to remove norovirus from your hands. That means you’ll need to pack out real soap to do the job properly. 

Which Soaps Are Best for Backpacking?

Photo: Katie Frawley

Many hikers opt for biodegradable soaps like the aforementioned Dr. Bronners or Campsuds to lessen their impact on the natural environment. Even if you’re using something biodegradable, though, remember that you still need to do all your hand-washing at least 200 feet from any water source. Biodegradable or not, soap residue is still harmful to aquatic life. 

Bronners is popular because it’s a highly concentrated castile soap. A few drops are all you need to wash your hands, so you can carry a very small bottle and it will still go a long way. Its multifunctionality also appeals: besides hand-washing, castile soap works well for washing dishes, hair, laundry, and more. 

Bar soap is another alternative. Liquids like Bronners weigh more than bar soap and are more likely to leak and cause a mess in your pack. Many hikers swear by soap leaves, which are essentially paper-thin slices of bar soap that provide just enough lather for an individual hand-washing when mixed with water backcountry. You can buy pre-sliced soap leaves or make your own by shaving a bar of soap at home. 

Whichever soap you choose, try to find a mild or unscented version if possible, but note that even “unscented” soaps still count as smellable items to wildlife, so you still need to store them in your bear bag overnight. 

Another Viable Alternative: Hypochlorous Acid

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) spray is a viable alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizer. While the alcohol version does not kill norovirus or other harmful microbes like Clostridium difficil (C. diff), HOCl spray does, and it’s safe and non-irritating to use on your skin. Like regular hand sanitizer, it requires no rinsing, which can save you a lot of fuss in the backcountry.

For mysterious reasons, a lot of us have never heard of hypochlorous acid spray (or at least hadn’t before the pandemic), but I think more backpackers should consider using it on trail. It’s still not quite the same as actual hand-washing with soap and water, which actually removes grime from your skin rather than just disinfecting the grime, but it’s a lot better than alcohol-based sanitizer.

It’s what I’ll be carrying on my next thru-hike. And yes, I will still store it in my bear canister overnight with the rest of my smellables.

How Do You Wash Your Hands Overnight?

Say you need to use the privy overnight. How do you wash your hands afterward, considering your smellable items (including soap) should be hanging from a tree in your bear bag? You probably won’t want the hassle of getting it down in the dark just to wash your hands.

If you just peed in the woods (i.e. you didn’t go into a privy), hand washing can probably wait until morning. It’s not ideal, but realistically, it’s what most hikers do.

If you pooped, unfortunately there isn’t really a good solution other than to get out your soap (ideally before pooping, otherwise you’ll handle your food bag with dirty hands). A backcountry bidet can go a long way here toward keeping your hands clean during the pooping process, but you’ll probably still need to wipe and therefore will still need to wash your hands. 

Hand-Washing Techniques

A backcountry bidet can keep your hands cleaner to begin with and also makes rinsing them easier. Photo: Owen Eigenbrot

Stay 200 feet away from any water source while washing, per Leave No Trace. If you’re using a concentrated soap like Campsuds or Bronners, you’ll only need a few drops to create a good lather on your hands. Make sure to wash for at least 30 seconds before rinsing the soap off.

Rinsing is a major pain in the butt if you’re alone, but a backcountry bidet attachment for your water bottle can help a lot because it produces a more powerful, concentrated jet of water. 

Again, if this all sounds like way too much of a hassle to you, consider carrying a hypochlorous acid spray disinfectant instead. It’s not quite the same as washing with actual soap and water (which could also be used to wash other things, like your cooking pot), but if it makes you more likely to actually sanitize your hands while you’re out there then it might be a better choice for you.

Photo: Taylor Ciambra

Who knew hand-washing in the backcountry could be so complicated? (I did, thanks to my freakish deep-dive research tendencies.) But it’s worth taking a little extra care of your hygiene to avoid norovirus and help minimize its spread among other hikers.