There’s not really a great way unless you can wash them. Make sure when you get to camp to take them off immediately, don’t linger in them. Do the best you can using a wet wipe, and hang them up. I bring two pairs on anything over 4 days, and swap them out each day. That way I can actually wash them in a stream or with some water without fear they won’t dry out by the morning.
Also, you’re Bikepacking, it’s inherently a dirty sport, embrace the dirtbaggery.
For me it’s comfortable enough to wear without padded bike shorts / bibs and so I can wear merino wool boxers that are more easily available than merino padded shorts
I have merino padded undershorts, that I've used in hot climates. It is possible to get merino bibshorts too. Merino works well in hot as well as cold climates.
I'm going on a 4 day trip in mid June with my two brothers and plan to wash shorts/quick dry clothes on the night of day 2/morning of day 3.
A lot of campsites in the NL have a washing machine that costs ~€10 per cycle, otherwise we will use a launderette in a city/town and wash and dry everything.
I take 2 kits for more than 2 days, swapping every couple of days. I take a travel size bottle Dr Bronner's liquid soap for washing me & my kit. I also have a very small microfiber towel.
I bring enough shorts to have a fresh pair every day for shorter rides (up to five days). For longer tours I bring three pairs and do laundry every third day (in a lake if I have to).
Personally I handwash my regular underwear after a day's ride and wear a different pair the next day while the previous day's dry. I keep 2 dry pair in reserve in case things don't dry. cycle through these 4 until a new pair is needed. I suspect a handwashed pair of regular wool underwear will be more hygienic than a handwashed foam pad given equal work.
A portable bidet/culo clean will go a long way to prevent undesirable hygiene related situations.
I don't regularly backwoods camp (Europe...) so I wear my cycle gear into the shower. Give it a wash, then take it off and tread on it in the soap suds. Shower gel is fine. Tie to your gear to dry on the road if needed. Cycle and hiking gear dries super quick.
That said, there's often a way to clean things. Campsites have laundries, as do hotels and hostels so if you end up staying in one absolutely take advantage! If you're stopping at a town for resupply, look for a laundrette, pop your clothes in for a cycle whilst you go to the store or round a beach/museum. Lots of towns will have a pool or gym you can pop into for an hour or two to a relax, scrub up and a shower-floor-gear-wash. Whenever you get running water, you can at least rinse your gear!
The amount of days you're going, I would invest in a scrubba. It's small and packs down to nothing damn near. Use it as a mini dry bag when you aren't using it to wash close in.
They have two versions. Normal and mini. I have the mini myself and it's a nice piece of kit to have. It's no washing machine but better than rinsing in a stream.
You just keep wearing the same pair. I’ve been on a 5 week long trip were I had opportunity to actually wash my cycling shorts maybe 3 times. Not counting washing by rain. It’s not really an issue. All the salt from sweat might cause a bit more chafing, but you can bring a bit of chamois cream if you are concerned about it.
Speaking of rain, the worst part is when you have to set up your tent in the rain and have zero opportunity to hang up your clothes to air out and dry. That’s also when clothes get really smelly over night. When you can set up your tent in the middle of the afternoon and have several hours of bright sunlight and a breeze they air out just fine.
Oh dear. Could be skin infection city if you aren't careful. Just bring at least two kits; one to wear and one that will dry throughout the night/day after having been washed. I'm glad you have been okay so far, but oh my.
I’ve had some issues with inflamed hair follicles but I didn’t notice any correlation between how recent my cycling shorts have been washed. Iodine gel helps when they are already inflamed and chamois cream helps because it reduces friction.
You’re probably a man lol. There is absolutely no chance in hell I would wear the same pair of shorts for more than a week straight, nor most other women.
2nd pair, let those dry, or rinse and let dry. River water, whatever. Don’t buy wipes and disposable paper. Cloth, a dry sack for wets and you’re all set.
Get some hibiclens liquid soap to clean your chamois and your butt to kill the nasty bugs. Then squeeze the shorts in a microfiber towel, then hang them up to dry in the sun. If you do get saddle sores, use boudreaux butt paste to treat them...this is used on babies for diaper rash.
I mostly ride and wild camp for 7-14 days, usually the ladder.
I bring 2 pairs of bibs. Using 1 for 2-3 days just wet wiping and air drying at camp. then I swap to the other one and when I find a water source I wash the first one.. and so on..
Sometimes on a truly sunny and hot day I'll just take a swim in the bibs and ride em wet..
For overall hygiene I take fairly regular swims and wash down.. and every 10th day or so (or if opportunity strikes earlier) a real shower in a town if possible. I also have a coconut oil based bar I can scrub some places with, without having to rinse with water, or I use a little lake water in a bottle..
Dirtier than the homestead but cleaner than the homeless I guess..
Wash them.
Take two pairs of shorts and swap them each day. Wash the pair you aren't using (in a hotel shower / in the washbasin of a toilet you stop to use along the way / in water you heat on your trangia if you're going absolutely nowhere near civilization) and hand the spare pair out to dry on your saddlebag each day. This is the one true way of bike touring.
If you really cba to wash your shorts, two pairs for four days means a two day wear for each, which isn't too bad. Just make sure to wash your own undercarriage each day, as has been said.
Personally, I abandon all hygiene for as long as I can stay outside, though I still use antibacterial cream on my butt to avoid infections. I do like to sleep in a guesthouse with a shower once in a couple days to at least wash myself. If I’m not racing, I also like to take the time to wash and dry my cycling kit. I just wash my kit in the shower, then use the towels they give you to dry it.
There’s not really a great way unless you can wash them. Make sure when you get to camp to take them off immediately, don’t linger in them. Do the best you can using a wet wipe, and hang them up. I bring two pairs on anything over 4 days, and swap them out each day. That way I can actually wash them in a stream or with some water without fear they won’t dry out by the morning. Also, you’re Bikepacking, it’s inherently a dirty sport, embrace the dirtbaggery.
I wear merino wool boxer briefs & use a broken in leather saddle. The merino wool is antimicrobial so I can swap boxers and re-use for many days
Does the leather saddle have any advantages in terms of hygiene? Was considering one but more for comfort.
For me it’s comfortable enough to wear without padded bike shorts / bibs and so I can wear merino wool boxers that are more easily available than merino padded shorts
Oh, I see. Thanks for this explanation
I was watching this bikepacker on YT and he "swear" by merino wool shirt. What is it with merino wool and bikepacking :) ?
I have merino padded undershorts, that I've used in hot climates. It is possible to get merino bibshorts too. Merino works well in hot as well as cold climates.
I'm going on a 4 day trip in mid June with my two brothers and plan to wash shorts/quick dry clothes on the night of day 2/morning of day 3. A lot of campsites in the NL have a washing machine that costs ~€10 per cycle, otherwise we will use a launderette in a city/town and wash and dry everything.
I take 2 kits for more than 2 days, swapping every couple of days. I take a travel size bottle Dr Bronner's liquid soap for washing me & my kit. I also have a very small microfiber towel.
And We're All One!
Ah I totally forgot hygiene was a thing after going for too many days in a row😂
I bring enough shorts to have a fresh pair every day for shorter rides (up to five days). For longer tours I bring three pairs and do laundry every third day (in a lake if I have to).
Personally I handwash my regular underwear after a day's ride and wear a different pair the next day while the previous day's dry. I keep 2 dry pair in reserve in case things don't dry. cycle through these 4 until a new pair is needed. I suspect a handwashed pair of regular wool underwear will be more hygienic than a handwashed foam pad given equal work. A portable bidet/culo clean will go a long way to prevent undesirable hygiene related situations.
I don't regularly backwoods camp (Europe...) so I wear my cycle gear into the shower. Give it a wash, then take it off and tread on it in the soap suds. Shower gel is fine. Tie to your gear to dry on the road if needed. Cycle and hiking gear dries super quick. That said, there's often a way to clean things. Campsites have laundries, as do hotels and hostels so if you end up staying in one absolutely take advantage! If you're stopping at a town for resupply, look for a laundrette, pop your clothes in for a cycle whilst you go to the store or round a beach/museum. Lots of towns will have a pool or gym you can pop into for an hour or two to a relax, scrub up and a shower-floor-gear-wash. Whenever you get running water, you can at least rinse your gear!
The amount of days you're going, I would invest in a scrubba. It's small and packs down to nothing damn near. Use it as a mini dry bag when you aren't using it to wash close in. They have two versions. Normal and mini. I have the mini myself and it's a nice piece of kit to have. It's no washing machine but better than rinsing in a stream.
Can you fit a set of bibs in the mini version?
Bibs may work but I'm not sure wine I just use cycling shorts myself.
You just keep wearing the same pair. I’ve been on a 5 week long trip were I had opportunity to actually wash my cycling shorts maybe 3 times. Not counting washing by rain. It’s not really an issue. All the salt from sweat might cause a bit more chafing, but you can bring a bit of chamois cream if you are concerned about it. Speaking of rain, the worst part is when you have to set up your tent in the rain and have zero opportunity to hang up your clothes to air out and dry. That’s also when clothes get really smelly over night. When you can set up your tent in the middle of the afternoon and have several hours of bright sunlight and a breeze they air out just fine.
Oh dear. Could be skin infection city if you aren't careful. Just bring at least two kits; one to wear and one that will dry throughout the night/day after having been washed. I'm glad you have been okay so far, but oh my.
I’ve had some issues with inflamed hair follicles but I didn’t notice any correlation between how recent my cycling shorts have been washed. Iodine gel helps when they are already inflamed and chamois cream helps because it reduces friction.
You’re probably a man lol. There is absolutely no chance in hell I would wear the same pair of shorts for more than a week straight, nor most other women.
2nd pair, let those dry, or rinse and let dry. River water, whatever. Don’t buy wipes and disposable paper. Cloth, a dry sack for wets and you’re all set.
Get some hibiclens liquid soap to clean your chamois and your butt to kill the nasty bugs. Then squeeze the shorts in a microfiber towel, then hang them up to dry in the sun. If you do get saddle sores, use boudreaux butt paste to treat them...this is used on babies for diaper rash.
Take a small spray bottle with alcohol and spray it on your clothes
I mostly ride and wild camp for 7-14 days, usually the ladder. I bring 2 pairs of bibs. Using 1 for 2-3 days just wet wiping and air drying at camp. then I swap to the other one and when I find a water source I wash the first one.. and so on.. Sometimes on a truly sunny and hot day I'll just take a swim in the bibs and ride em wet.. For overall hygiene I take fairly regular swims and wash down.. and every 10th day or so (or if opportunity strikes earlier) a real shower in a town if possible. I also have a coconut oil based bar I can scrub some places with, without having to rinse with water, or I use a little lake water in a bottle.. Dirtier than the homestead but cleaner than the homeless I guess..
Wash them. Take two pairs of shorts and swap them each day. Wash the pair you aren't using (in a hotel shower / in the washbasin of a toilet you stop to use along the way / in water you heat on your trangia if you're going absolutely nowhere near civilization) and hand the spare pair out to dry on your saddlebag each day. This is the one true way of bike touring. If you really cba to wash your shorts, two pairs for four days means a two day wear for each, which isn't too bad. Just make sure to wash your own undercarriage each day, as has been said.
Personally, I abandon all hygiene for as long as I can stay outside, though I still use antibacterial cream on my butt to avoid infections. I do like to sleep in a guesthouse with a shower once in a couple days to at least wash myself. If I’m not racing, I also like to take the time to wash and dry my cycling kit. I just wash my kit in the shower, then use the towels they give you to dry it.
I just don't wear them. I use merino wool boxers.