Part of the joy of being on a multi-day river trip and camping out every night is leaving fussy things like bubble baths and wardrobe changes behind. But some modicum of cleanliness is good for your personal relations with other river trippers and keeps rashes, chafing, and cracked skin at bay. Plus, good camping hygiene prevents spreading bacteria that could cause serious illnesses including norovirus.
Here are 17 hard-won personal hygiene tips for staying clean and comfortable on river trips. Some of these guidelines would work well for car campers, too. (Note: This post includes some affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission if you buy something.)
1. Learn the soap disposal method specified by the river authorities
Leave No Trace principles specify disposing of dirty water at least 200 feet away from any body of water. But on many large-volume rivers in the American West that are popular with river runners (such as the Colorado River through Grand Canyon), the governing body (often the U.S. National Park Service, Forest Service, or Bureau of Land Management) instructs you to use biodegradable soap only in the main flow of the river. That means you strain dishwater into the river. But on small-volume rivers, the rules about how to dispose of soap might sound more like the Leave No Trace principles. Before your river trip, carefully read the guidelines for waste disposal issued by the group managing the river.
2. Bring a reasonable amount of clean clothes (you’re not on a backpacking trip!)
If your river trip includes a few rafts to haul gear, there’s no reason to scrimp on clothing—within reason. On a typical weeklong raft trip, I’m able to bring clean underwear for each day and enough socks to wear a clean pair every other night on the river (unless it’s warm enough that socks aren’t necessary). No need to turn your undies inside out! Of course, if you’re on a kayak-supported trip, you’ll need to pack like a backpacker and plan to occasionally do some river camp laundry sessions.
3. Bring a hand-wash station (or two)
Setting up an effective hand-wash station on a river trip is fairly simple and critical for keeping bacteria at bay, especially in the camp kitchen. Our crew brings a couple of stations: One for the kitchen and one near the groover. You can make a hand-wash station for less than $60, or you can buy one from Down River Equipment in Denver that is comparatively expensive but compact and square so it packs down well in the raft gear. However you acquire it, a hand-wash station is the first line of defense against gastrointestinal illnesses like norovirus, which has been a serious problem in Grand Canyon and other river corridors.
4. Bring synthetic fabrics for day, natural fabrics for night
Cotton clothes are a no-go on the river because when they get wet, they stay wet, making you cold and uncomfortable, which is a distraction—and dangerous if you’re paddling in cold water. Although you don’t need paddling-specific clothes from head to toe, it’s worth investing in a few pairs of quick-drying underwear (my favorite is Patagonia Active Hipster for women, which are expensive but they last for years) and some paddling-specific layers such as neoprene pants and bottoms for cold-weather paddling. But running shorts made of synthetic materials work fine for paddling in hot weather, as do the shirt you might have picked up at your last 5K run.
At night, you’ll want to sleep in natural, breathable fabrics, so bring cotton or wool shorts, T-shirts, or long underwear for wearing in your tent. (For a longer discussion about what to wear paddling, see “What to Wear Kayaking”). If you’re camping in wet, damp weather, consider bring a few merino wool pieces for sleepwear: The running community has gone crazy for merino wool, so you can find plenty of light, breathable wool options that will keep you warmer if they get damp than cotton will. REI carries affordable wool tops for women and men, and long wool base layers.
5. Keep clean clothes away from dirty
Using separate mesh packing cubes for keeping your clean clothes from dirty is worth the extra effort and takes little extra room in your dry bag. Especially for anyone not using a duffel-style dry bag for personal clothes (we highly recommend the Watershed Colorado), you’ll avoid having to dump your roll-top dry bag out every time you need to find that specific cotton shirt you want to sleep in. I typically put underwear and socks in one cube, synthetic tops in another one, and bottoms in a third.
I put hiking or running shoes for wearing around river camp or hiking in the bottom of the dry bag and throw dirty clothing in a drawstring mesh bag along with the shoes. Next go the cubes of clean clothes. Clothes I wore on the river and plan to use the following day get clipped to the outside of the tent (if the weather is nice) so they can air out. Bring a small rope and a few clips (or a purpose-built camp laundry setup) to rig a line inside the tent if it’s raining. (Also check out “Tips for Choosing and Using Dry Bags for River Trips.”) At night, sleep in the outfit that you wear only in the tent and use a sleeping bag liner to keep dirt and oils off your sleeping bag.
6. Do laundry if necessary
Although a laundry session typically doesn’t come up on a river trip (because you can bring enough clothes), rinsing out clothes in the river even without using soap can remove the worst of the grime and odor. On a longer trip like Grand Canyon, you’ll likely need to do some laundry. If you’re on a silty river (such as the Green River through Desolation Canyon), your clothes will likely look worse after a dip in the river. In that case, you might need to do a proper laundry session.
Grab a couple of buckets of river water, wash out the offending items with the smallest amount of biodegradable soap that will do the job, rinse in a second bucket, and hang to dry. To dispose of the dirty water, either strain it into the river (in a large-volume river) or dilute it with not-soapy water and pour it out at least 200 feet from any water source. (Follow the dirty water disposal guidelines for the stretch of river you’re running.)
7. Bring a solar shower and a towel
Solar showers are another side benefit of having a few rafts along for carrying gear. A warm-water shower feels like heaven after the third or fourth day of paddling. If you’re paddling in hot weather, a good solar shower will yield hot water in just a few hours on the raft if it’s pointed toward the sun. Use the shower in the place that makes most sense for the river you’re floating: In the main current for large-volume rivers and away from the water source for small-volume rivers.
Limit your use of soap in general, and use only biodegradable soap. For a complete review of our favorite solar showers, see “Best Sun Showers for River Trips.” (The upshot: Our favorite portable camp shower is the Advanced Elements Summer Shower.) Don’t forget your towel: Microfiber, quick-drying camp towels are available in every size and pattern now. I like the feel of the Nomadix Ultralight but also have a classic PackTowel that works great.
8. Practice good groover hygiene
For those new to rafting, using the groover (an old term for a portable toilet, which is required on most permitted rivers for packing out human waste) for the first time is mysterious. But the river groover system will make sense after a while, and if you offer to set up and take down the groover, you’ll likely get invited on many river trips. For complete guidelines on how to choose a portable toilet for river trips that’s approved for use on permitted rivers, check out “Picking the Best River Toilet,” which includes tips for setting up the groover and a list of handy accessories. Your groover setup will include toilet paper, baby wipes, antibacterial hand soap, and ideally a separate hand-wash station as well. Keep in mind that nothing goes in the groover except poop and toilet paper, so bring sealable smell-proof bags to dispose of used feminine hygiene products in the main camp trash.
9. Bring wet wipes and washcloths for quick clean-ups
Because you’ll be packing out a fair amount of trash on a raft trip anyway, especially on long trips, biodegradable wipes are a wise additional to your personal care kit. Many types of wipes are available for camping that fit nearly every situation, including mid-sized ones like these Sea to Summit Wilderness Wipes, face-specific wipes like Hustle Clean Body Wipes, wipes that can handle your entire body, and sanitizing wipes like these Sea to Summit ones. When I get off the river each day and the initial unpacking is done, I look forward to removing the grime from my face with a wipe or a quick splash in the river. To cut down on the use of disposable wipes, I bring a few washcloths to scrub my face, then dry them in the sun.
10. Leave fragrant body oils, lotions, and deodorant at home
Pungent body potions will attract bears and other critters, so use products that are as devoid of scent as possible. It’s nearly impossible to find soap that is completely fragrance free: Even biodegradable camp soaps typically have a light fragrance, but choices like the classic CampSuds have very light scents.
Choose products that will have the least impact on flora and fauna as possible. An accumulation of even biodegradable soap can strip a trout’s essential slimy mucus layer, so on small-volume rivers, using any sort of soap in the river is discouraged. Unless you have unusually strong body odor, you can likely get away without deodorant. And you will have plenty of opportunities to rinse your hair, so you can leave the dry shampoo at home as well. A splash of river water makes a perfect face wash.
11. Brush and floss your teeth
You can carry through with your good dental hygiene on the river: Any toothpaste with natural ingredients (Tom’s or Dr. Bronner’s both work fine) is a good choice on or off the river.
On a river trip, you have several choices for how to brush your teeth in a way that leaves the least impact on the water supply and doesn’t attract unwanted animals. Because you’re packing trash out on a river trip, there’s not much reason to spit onto the sand or grass anywhere in camp. On a large-volume river, the simplest way to dispose of your toothpaste is to brush near the river, swish well with plenty of water, and spit in the river—ideally in the current rather than in an eddy.
On small-volume rivers where you want to avoid leaving toothpaste evidence behind (even away from the water source), you can spit toothpaste into the fire pit ashes that will be carried out (don’t do this while everyone is enjoying the fire, of course), or directly into a receptacle that you can put in the kitchen trash. Do floss your teeth, and make sure the floss makes it into the camp trash to be carried out.
12. Pack a period hygiene kit if needed
Menstruating people on river trips have it easier than backpackers because a decent amount of trash will be packed out on the raft anyway, so you can dispose of hygiene items by sealing them up tight in individual plastic bags and sending them out with the camp trash bag. Essentials for the period kit include tampons, menstrual cups, or pads, plus wipes and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Include a small roll of plastic bags for used wipes and tampons: These opaque, smell-proof bags are perfect for this purpose. Keep your period kit in your day bag for easy access.
13. Keep your skin hydrated and crack-free
One of the worst pains on a river trip comes from skin cracking after being continually wet and dried over many days, which strips the skin of oils. Especially on a long river trip like Grand Canyon, you can form serious, painful cracks on your heels and fingers, making activities of daily living (such as undoing cam straps) a miserable experience.
The best strategy is prevention: Do not allow your skin to become excessively dry. To protect your feet from cracking, I recommend applying generous amounts of A & D ointment (the baby diaper rash treatment) to your feet and wearing cotton socks over them each night while you sleep. The socks will keep the ointment from sliming your sleeping bag.
My favorite hand cream is Neutrogena Norwegian Formula (be sure to choose the unscented version)—in my experience, it works better than Gold’s, Bag Balm, or creams that were made specifically for rafters. I keep a tube in my day bag and constantly reapply, then pull on my paddling gloves. Although your hands will get wet, the cream creates a protective layer that keeps cracking at bay. If the skin does split on one of your fingers, apply some triple antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin (any generic version will do) that includes lidocaine or some other pain reliever. Bring along a box of waterproof adhesive bandages to encase the ointment: These Nexcare Max Hold bandages are specifically made for fingers and heels. I have used them on many river trips, and they stick longer than any others I’ve tried. Be sure to reapply the ointment and bandage at night before you go to sleep. In the morning, take off the bandages and let your skin breath for a couple of hours, then reapply the ointment and badges right before you launch.
For the rest of your skin, a twice-daily application of a good, unscented moisturizer such as Eucerin Advanced Repair Body Cream works wonders.
14. Keep your eyes hydrated
As with your skin, your eyes will take a beating from sun, dry air, and water—even if you wear sunglasses much of the time. I bring single-use eye drops because I’m allergic to the preservative that’s typically used in eye drops and contact lens solutions. Even if weren’t allergic to drops, I find the little single-use tubes convenient because you won’t fumble the cap and risk contaminating the tip of the eye drop bottle. I flood my eyes in the evening with TheraTears before I go to bed, and again the next morning, and my eyes immediately feel better and see better.
15. Wear sunscreen as a backup for sun-protection clothing
Of course, wear sunscreen. Never launch on a river trip without a good supply of sunscreen that has an SPF rating of at least 30. Over time, I’ve started using less sunscreen and wearing more sun-protection clothes, an approach that is more comfortable and saves money on sunscreen. For a full rundown of what to wear on hot-weather river trips to avoid sunburn and worse, see “Best Sun-Protection Clothing for River Trips.”
For skin that can’t be covered, choose a sunscreen that will have the least impact on the river environment. Choosing a “reef-safe” sunscreen is a good start, but given the controversy about what that label means, check that your sunscreen is a lotion rather than spray (to limit dispersal), mineral-based, and non-nano. Non-nano means the sunscreen particles are larger than 100 nanometers so they won’t absorb into your skin, which is safer for you and the river environment. Badger Protect Land & Sea Clear Zinc and Thinksport Clear Zinc are both good choices that won’t leave your skin ghostly white.
16. Bring poison ivy and bug bite remedies
Although this tip veers into the area of first aid, you’ll be grateful at some point to have your own stash of poison ivy scrub such as Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub, which my friends and I used after a foray through a forest of poison ivy on the Smith River and came away relatively unscathed. Also bring your own bug spray and bug bite remedies so you can get relief without waiting for someone else to locate the group supply. After much trial and error, I have settled on Sawyer Picaridin insect repellent and After Bite for bug bite relief.
17. Leave clean clothes in the take-out vehicle
Once you re-enter civilization, your funky self will likely start to annoy almost immediately. Even if a few hours of driving are between you and a hot shower, doing a quick wipe-down with disposable body wipes before donning clean clothes for the ride is a joy.
Stay clean while river camping for safety and comfort
Although a river trip isn’t a formal affair, following a simple personal hygiene plan while river camping will keep you feeling (and smelling) good.
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