Maintaining personal hygiene on the trail can be a bit challenging. That’s why, many hikers ask the question “Should I shower before I hike?”

For many people, taking a shower before hiking doesn’t make a lot of sense since they are bound to get sweaty and grimy a few hours into the hike. However, taking a shower before a hike can be a very good idea.

One of the reasons many hikers prefer to take a shower before they set off to hike is they have no idea when they will get the chance to take a bath on the trail. Also, if you are traveling in a group, taking a shower before is common courtesy. A bath before you take off can also help energize you.

In this guide, I can help you understand why it is a good idea to take a shower before you go for a hike. I can also advise you on how to bathe on the trail if you intend to take a multi-day hike and remain conscious of what kind of impact the products you use will have on the environment.

As a hiker, I always make it a habit to take a nice warm bath before I set off to hike. It can make a whole lot of difference to your energy levels and your ability to make friends on the trail!

Should You Take a Shower Before a Hike?

When it comes to personal hygiene on the trail, it is impossible to remain squeaky clean all the time. However, you should still keep a modicum of cleanliness, whether you are going out on a one-day hiking trip or a month-long excursion.

It is a good idea to take a shower before you hit the trails since it can do wonders for your mood and make you more comfortable. Even a single day hiking can take five to 10 hours and you may not feel your best if you are gritty and sticky from the start.

Showering Before a Hike

It is a good idea to take a shower before going out on a hike even though you may have taken one a day before. You may not notice it but you can accumulate a lot of grime and body odor in just a single day, even overnight, and it is not a great idea to take that with you in the Great Outdoors – particularly, if you are hiking with a group.

Your companions will appreciate it.

But I Already Showered the Night Before…

You do not want to go out bleary-eyed and wooly-headed on a hike. It is a good idea to take a 10-minute shower before you wake up and look less like a zombie and more like a hiker who intends to enjoy himself.

Your shower does not have to be a fully blown-out affair. You can just spend a few minutes quickly soaping and rinsing to get rid of the cobwebs. It is an even better idea if you can withstand having a cold shower.

A Shower Can Warm You Up As Well

A nice warm shower can be ideal before you go out on a hike. It can raise your body temperature, allow your blood to circulate quickly and is very effective in loosening up stiff muscles. It is a great warm-up routine before a hike or any other kind of workout or exercise.

If it is a hot morning and you would like a cold shower, it is very beneficial for your health as well. This pre-cooling before a hike can increase your body’s capacity for higher-intensity and prolonged exercises. This can give you more endurance on the trail.

What to Use When Taking a Shower Before a Hike?

When taking a shower before a hike, it is important to understand the kind of product that you should use that would keep you the most comfortable on the trail.

Avoid Using Scented Soaps and Shampoos

Soaps and shampoos that emit a strong fragrance are as effective in attracting woods and water. So if you do not want to be attracted by a swarm of flies and other creepy-crawlies, you should take care to use unscented soaps and shampoos before you set out to hike.

Avoid Deodorant

Some people would not mind using scented soaps or deodorant, but they might not be very receptive that they need to avoid deodorant.

However, deodorant poses the same problems as scented soaps and can attract a lot of bugs your way. In fact, you can even attract bears on the trails if you wear deodorant, which can be very risky if you are alone.

It is best to just embrace the scent of nature. If being stinky bothers you, just be extra diligent when washing your armpits and groin areas with soap.

What Products You Should Take on the Trail to Stay Clean

If you are going on a multi-day hike, you will still find some opportunity to take a shower or take care of your personal hygiene. Some of the things that you should pack with you include:

●     Biodegradable soap and shampoo

●     Unscented alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer (This can be used to clean your hands as well as disinfect kitchen utensils).

●     Toothpaste, toothbrush, and dental floss (You can use the floss as an improvised string if you want)

●     Unscented wet towelettes or wipes

●     Toilet paper

●     A quick-drying microfiber towel

Some things that you need not bring are the aforementioned deodorant, a razer, clunky mirrors and disposable products that you will need to throw away.

Another important thing to consider is that you should only bring biodegradable products to your hike.

Why Use Biodegradable Products Only

When hiking, it is important that you keep the no-trace rule in mind.

Many of our everyday soaps and shampoos have harmful ingredients like sulfates, phosphates, parabens, and heavy metal like aluminum, which is hazardous to the environment. Soaps with phosphates can cause algae to bloom in the streams and lakes.

When going on a hike, it is important to concise the environment and only use organic and natural products that are biodegradable and do not harm the planet.

Also make sure you wash your body at least 200 feet from an open water source since the runoff water can leach into the lakes and stream, polluting them.

Keeping a Hand Sanitizer is Essential

You can only pack a limited quantity of water with you and there is no guarantee that you will find a clean water source each and every day to wash up. That is why it is important that you always pack a hand sanitizer, which can keep your hands clean.

It is important that hikers sanitize their hands every time they cook or eat meals. During hiking, your hands will end up filthy and the germs can easily transfer to your mouth.

A lot of times, hikers blame trail illnesses on drinking contaminated water when on a hike. However, it is just as possible that you got an infection because you were eating with dirty hands.

Since carrying a bottle of water for washing your hands is not always possible, just pack a small and compact hand sanitizer with you. Make sure it is an alcohol-based one since the potent ethyl alcohol will kill any germs on contact.

Just add a drop of sanitizer an inch in diameter to your hands and rub your hands together, taking care to clean in between your fingers. Wait about 30 seconds for the sanitizer to evaporate and then you can use it to disinfect your plates and spoons as well.

Getting sick on the trail is no fun, so it is crucial to keep a sanitizer on hand.

How to Take a Shower When Hiking?

You can either bring your own bath water with you or you can use the lake, stream, or river to clean yourself. Be sure to leave the natural spaces as clean as possible when you are done.

Lake/River Bathing

I strongly recommend taking a shower or bath in a lake or river, not just to keep clean, but because it is a load of fun. A swim in the lake can be a great way to cool off after a sweltering hike. However, make sure the water is not a place where other hikers collect water or fish.

Never use any sort of soap or shampoo when taking a bath in a river or lake.

Trail Showers

Another good way to stay clean on the trail is to take trail showers. Simply strip down in the woods and wash your body with a biodegradable soap, a washcloth, and a few liters of water.

Make sure to take your shower at least 200 feet from any lakes and streams. Your shower can lead to ground erosion and the soil along with your soapy water can flow to the open water source and pollute it.

Sponge Baths

You can take a sponge bath on the trail if you do not have enough water to take a bath, if there are no lakes or rivers nearby, or if it is too cold to take a full-on shower. Just add a few drops of biodegradable soap on a towel with a few splashes of water. Rub the cloth all over your body, paying extra attention to the important places like your armpit and groin.

You can also have a sponge bath with some wet towelettes or wipes.

Portable Shower

If you are going on a hike but don’t want to be without a proper shower days on end, then a portable shower is the next best thing to a home shower.

Portable showers are large backs that can accommodate up to 10 liters of water. These bags have an opening on the top that you can use to fill them with water. A shower hose is attached to the bottom end of the bag, which allows a jet of water to pass through.

These are not your standard backpacking tool and can add quite a lot of weight to your gear, but if going without showers is not something you want, you might be happy to carry this extra burden.

Keep in mind that you will not be able to enjoy a scalding hot shower with these bags since they are made with a polyurethane-coated nylon material which can get damaged due to excessive heat. However, warm water is fine. In fact, you can hang these bags in the sunlight so that their material absorbs the heat and warms the water inside.

To shower, hang the bag on a tree bough within reach so that you can adjust the flow of water from the shower head.

Once you have showered, you can fold the empty bag and place it in your backpack. At the next available water source, you can fill it up again and be prepared for another nice shower down the trail.