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Adventure Medical Fresh Bath Travel
Wipes
Test Series by Kurt Papke
Initial Report
May 10, 2008
Tester Information
| Name: |
Kurt Papke |
| Age: |
54 |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Height: |
6' 4" (193 cm) |
| Weight: |
220 lb (100 kg) |
| Email address: |
kwpapke at gmail dot com |
| City, State, Country: |
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA |
Backpacking background: mostly in Minnesota - have hiked all of the
Superior
Hiking Trail, starting on the Border Route.
Preferred/typical backpack trip is one week. Dayhiking in
Utah,
Colorado and Oregon. Mostly Spring/Fall seasons.
Comfort-weight hiker: I try to carry as few items as possible, but do
not go to extremes to reduce weight of items carried. I am not a
"clean freak" on my trips, but I do try to wash in some fashion daily
with biodegradable soap and/or wipes. I even use deodorant daily,
though I'm not sure why as I always hike solo.
Initial Report
Product Information
| Manufacturer: |
Adventure Medical Kits
|
| Year of manufacture: |
2008 |
Expiration date:
|
Not labeled
|
| Manufacturer website: |
http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com |
| Listed weight: |
N/A |
| Weight as received: |
5.3 oz (151 g) 5.2 oz (147 g) [2 packages]
|
Package dimensions (measured):
Wipe dimensions (listed):
|
4.75 x 7.0 x 0.75 inches, 12 x
18 x 2 cm
8 x 5 inches, 20 x 13 cm
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Package contents:
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8 Wipes
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| MSRP: |
$4.50 US per package
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Product Description
 Each Travel Wipes
package contains eight pre-moistened biodegradable, flushable Wipes.
The active ingredient is Benzalkonium Chloride, a widely used
biocide. Inert ingredients include Aloe Vera and micellized
vitamins A & E. The micellization process is a micro-emulsion
which claims to increase absorption of some vitamins up to
five-fold. The product claims rinse-free use.
I did not open the package to inspect the Wipes. My experience
with
the packaging of wipes is the sticky glue that keeps
the resealable tab closed degrades after lengthy contact with the
cleaning solution causing leaks. I didn't want them to dry out
prior to my trip use.
The Wipes are wider and at least twice as thick as the product I
typically use judging by the dimensions I could assess through the
packaging. There must be some folding of the Wipes in the package
as the listed wipe dimensions are larger than the package itself.
They appear to be substantial enough to clean quite a bit of
trail-dusted skin.
As mentioned above the packaging includes a resealable tab
closure. The graphic in the lower-left corner of the tab makes it
obvious where to peel up to access the Wipes.
The reverse side of the package has clear instructions for use
including a clearly ordered list of body areas that if followed should
minimize cross-contamination. The instructions do not include use
on the feet.
Initial Impressions
The number and size of the Wipes in a package appears to be a good
choice for backpackers: the Wipes should be large enough to do a decent
morning cleansing, and eight Wipes should be just enough for a one-week
trip with
both weekends included if used daily. The packages are quite wide
- they are a bit large for a pants pocket or the like.
They are quite a heavy product: the package weight is roughly twice
what my routine wipes weight for a package of 15, so each Wipe is
approximately 4x the weight of what I am accustomed to. I would
expect much greater cleaning capacity for that substantial a weight
penalty. They are also 4x the cost/package (8x cost/wipe) of what
I typically use.
Test Plan
I have
plans for a week-long May trek through the Boundary Waters (Border
Route
Trail) and a segment of the Superior Hiking Trail (about 120
miles). I will attempt to assess:
- Usability: how easy is it to pack the Wipes in my backpack?
How easy is it to remove and unfold Wipes for use?
- Reliability & robustness: do the Wipes fray and leave bits on
my bristly beard (or other body parts...)? Is there enough liquid
in the Wipes to cleanse crucial body parts? Is the last wipe as
moist as the first, i.e. is the seal effective?
- Functionality: how effective are the Wipes at removing
grime? How does my skin feel after using the non-rinse
formula? Do the vitamins and Aloe Vera seem to do anything for
my skin, e.g. mitigate irritation? How do I feel about using
these daily after a week?
- Aesthetics: how do the Wipes smell during use? Any residual
skin odor after use?
- Quantity/sizing: how many Wipes do I consume on a 1-week
trip? Do I have to break open the second pack? Is there any
liquid left in the pack after all eight Wipes are used?
This concludes my Initial Report on the Adventure Medical Fresh Bath
Travel Wipes.
The Field Report will be appended to this document in about 3 months.
Many thanks to Adventure Medical Kits and BackpackGearTest.org for the
opportunity to
test this product.
Read more reviews of Adventure Medical Kits gear
Read more gear reviews by Kurt Papke
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