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Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > Adventure Medical Kit Bath Travel Wipes > Test Report by Rebecca Stacy
Age: 35 Gender: Female Height: 5' 3" (1.6 m) Weight: 150 lb (70 kg) Email address: becki_s_19 at hotmail dot com Location: Royal Oak, Michigan, USA Background: I got bitten by the backpacking bug in 1994 when I was a volunteer at the Grand Canyon. My first backpacking trip was the same week I arrived, with gear borrowed from trail crew supplies. My husband and I enjoy car camping and backpacking, mostly in Michigan. We've pared down our pack weight a bit, switching to a tarptent and smaller/lighter backpacks as part of our effort to re-work our gear list to cut weight without giving up the luxury items we enjoy (such as food that involves more than boiling water).
Product: Fresh Bath Travel Wipes Manufacturer: Adventure Medical Kits Manufacturer website: www.adventuremedicalkits.com Year: 2008 MSRP: $4.50 US for a package of eight Listed weight: n/a Measured Weight: 5.3 oz (150 g), 5.2 oz(148 g) [2 packages were provided to test] Basic Product Information: The Fresh Bath Travel Wipes come eight to a package, which is approximately 7.5"x4.5"x 0.5" (19x11x1.3 cm), but the plastic bag they are in can be folded to provide a package of about 5.5"x4.5"x0.5" (14x11x1.3 cm). The package says the Wipes: Are antibacterial Are PH-balanced Are alcohol-free Have micellized vitamins A & E for quicker and better absorption Contain aloe vera Neutralize odor Are gentle and non-irritating Do not require no water for rinsing Are bio-degradable. The Wipe size is listed as 8"x5" (20x13 cm), and "extra thick" , according to the package. The active ingredient is Benzalkonium Chloride (0.1%). The other ingredients are: water, PEG 80, Sorbitan Laurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, PEG 150 Distearate, Sodium Laureth-13 carboxylate, Phenoxyethanol, fragrance, Glycerol-polyethyleneglycol ricinoleate, d-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Aloe Vera Gel, Methchloroisothiazolone, Glycerine, Disodium EDTA, Vitamin A Palmitate, Quaternium-15, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid and Potassium Benzoate. The Wipes are removed from the bag by peeling back a large sticker on the front of the bag, and the bag can be re-sealed by using the same sticker. Used Wipes can be discarded in the trash or flushed, assuming I have such a place to do so. Instructions for the order of bathing (starting at the face and finishing with the buttocks) are given, to lessen the risk of cross contamination. I could not locate an expiration date on this product, though it does have what looks like a batch number (100.07) stamped on the back. Initial Impressions: While I don't want to open a pack until I am ready to start using the product (to keep it from drying out as much as possible), from what I can tell through the bag it feels like these might be softer/fluffier than baby wipes. No information is given on whether one Wipe will be sufficient for a complete bath under normal circumstances, though one thing I will investigate is whether I'll need more than one if I get especially dirty or dusty. My typical method of bathing in the backcountry is washing off with a pack towel and a little bio-degradable soap, which is acceptable to the governing agencies of most of the Michigan locales that I hike in, provided I bathe a sufficient distance from a water source. However, this year I am hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim. While I could not find anything saying that the soap is prohibited by the Park, I would prefer to use something other than bio-degradable soap in such an environment since the soap needs to break down in the soil, and if I spilled or scattered any soapy water in the Canyon I would worry that it would run off into the waterways at the next rain. The travel Wipes offer me another bathing option, though I will have to pack them out since there are no public trash receptacles or flush toilets at my campsites. The package size is fairly convenient for me, I could easily stash it in the top compartment of my backpack. Overall I like the idea of these wipes, and look forward to testing them in the backcountry. Likes: Non-rinse, a product I can use anywhere as long as I pack the Wipes out Dislikes: None at the time. This concludes my Initial Report.
I have used the Travel Wipes on an overnight backpacking trip in mid-May at Pinckney Recreation Area in Michigan, with temperatures topping out in the low 80's both days. I also used the wipes on a 4-night rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon in early June, during 1 day of day hiking in Grand Canyon National Park prior to the rim-to-rim. On my rim-to-rim hike, I traveled 6.9 miles (11.1 km) with an elevation loss of 4200 feet (1280 m) the first day, and 7.6 miles (12.2 km) with an elevation loss of 1550 feet (472 m) the second day. The 3rd day I day hiked part of the Clear Creek Trail in the morning, over 6 miles (9.7 km) round trip with an elevation gain and loss of 1520 feet (463 m). The evening of the third day I day hiked up Phantom Creek a little, about 5 miles (8 m) round trip with an elevation gain/loss of about 300 feet (91 m). The fourth day I backpacked 4.7 miles (7.6 km) with an elevation gain of 1350 feet (411 m), and a final hike out of 4.6 miles (7.4 km) with 3040 feet (927 m) of elevation gain on day five. During the Grand Canyon trip, the temperatures were in the mid to high 90's F (35-37 C) for most of my hike.My standard personal hygiene kit consists of all my 'necessities' tossed in a gallon-sized (3.8 L) zip-top plastic bag, and a package of the Travel Wipes fits neatly in with the rest of my things. Once opened, the package does re-seal well and so far nothing has managed to shift around and pop open the seal on the bag (though I do make sure the seal is as protected from the other lose items as I can make it). On the overnighter at Pinckney Recreation Area, I used one wipe at the end of the first day. This was sufficient for me at the time, since I didn't really sweat too much or accumulate much dust/dirt on the trip. The remainder of wipes in this package are still nice and moist, even after several months. The second pack I took with me for the Grand Canyon trek. Due to the hot weather & dustier environment, I managed to get pretty grungy. I used two wipes each evening at camp, usingfsize and up all eight wipes. A single wipe was technically enough to get most of the grunge off, but on this trip I found that washing off with a second wipe after the first really felt good and refreshing. The wipes remained moist throughout this trip. Since I am used to washing off with bio-degradable soap and a backpacking towel, switching to the smaller size of the Travel Wipes did take a little getting used to. The size and shape weren't too bad when I didn't have too much dirt or sweat, but on the Grand Canyon trip I found myself wishing they were wider. Overall, I enjoyed using the Travel Wipes and will probably use them again for some of my hikes where a disposable wipe makes more sense for me than washing off with soap. Likes:Non-rinse, a product I can use anywhere as long as I pack the Wipes out Works nicely and feels great. Dislikes: I wish the Wipes were a little bit bigger, so I wouldn't have to use two of them when I'm really sweaty and dusty. This concludes my Long Term Report. I would like to thank Adventure Medical Kits and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Fresh Bath Travel Wipes. Read more reviews of Adventure Medical Kits gear Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Stacy Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > Adventure Medical Kit Bath Travel Wipes > Test Report by Rebecca Stacy | ||||||||
