Clean

I've found that a lot of what makes a long trip sustainable (and enjoyable) is bringing some comfort with you. Bike/backpacking are notorious for bringing folks to the limits of their hygiene comfort and beyond. Daily showers are out of the question and most days you're putting on smelly clothes. It can be uncomfortable and I wanted to find a way to make it more tolerable. My bathroom cabinet has a slew of lotions, serums, masks, homemade concoctions, powders and creams. The limiting factor of not having those treat yoself items is weight and volume. I narrowed down my favorite items and then swapped out their larger often glass containers for smaller, plastic ones and made travel sized portions. For something like a face serum, that comes in a 1 ounce glass bottle, I was able to make tiny 3 week portions using empty lipbalm containers (8mL)! I found out that my face lotion already comes in a "try me size" and working with the company (www.facenaturals.com , they're awesome) I was able to stock up on 1/4 ounce sizes. I'm also carrying (and sending in resupply boxes), nontoxic/environmentally friendly laundry pods so that I can launder those stinky socks and clothes. Does all of this compensate for a warm shower every morning? No, absolutely not...but it does make it a lot more comfortable and I think that's ultimately the trick.