Backpacking background: I started backpacking two years ago with my wife and two children (ages 8 and 10 at the time). We have been car camping for 20+ years. Most of our backpacking has been three season camping in the Sierras, 6000 -12,000 ft (1800 m - 3658 m) and on the Northern California Coast. We mostly do a combination of car camping and backpacking. Our family recently switched from one 4 person tent to using two 2 person tents. I usually carry most of the weight and my internal frame pack weighs between 40-50 lb (18-22 kg).

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: All Terrain
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.allterrainco.com
MSRP: US$6.99
Other details:
12 fl oz. (354 ml) in clear plastic bottle with flip up lid.
Ingredients are Purified water, sodium coco sulphate, coco betaine, coco amide, vegetable glycerin, sodium chloride (sea salt), olive oil and citric acid.

The label states the product was not tested on animals, is biodegradable, and concentrated.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This product comes in a no nonsense plastic bottle with a simple label. I appreciate the simplicity of the packaging.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Directions are simple and printed right on the side of the bottle.

The directions simply state "Wet hands and areas to wash. Work into rich lather, then rinse well."

Pure and simple, their product is a soap and it does not get much simpler to use. The manufacture kept the directions as simple as their product.

TRYING IT OUT

I was very interested to try this soap out for the first time. When the test call came out I noticed that the product came in both a peppermint and an unscented variety. Spending most of my camping time each year in bear country I thought it would be really great to have an unscented soap to use.

Opening the container I was pleasantly surprised to find that the soap had no smell what so ever! I thought for sure that there would be some smell but there was not.

Using the soap, following the directions on the bottle, I was able to wash my hands the first time without going back to read the instructions again. The soap lathered like the label said it would and my hands came out clean without any fragrance from the soap.

TESTING STRATEGY

I plan on using this soap around the house as well as camping and backpacking. The label says that this soap is mild, cleans well, and is mild enough to use as shampoo. I will use it to wash my self and my hair to see how it does.

SUMMARY

This soap claims to be biodegradable, mild, and can be used for washing anything anytime. So far I am happy with the lack of smell and it seems to clean my hands well. I will see how it does of the next couple of months.

Test Report by Sam Stamey

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