Shaving "in the wild"

[mikewithe]

Hello Gents
I'm still new here and still new to DE shaving. I am also an avid back country hiker and camper. Now when I say "back country" I mean it. I'm talking totally primitive; as in digging a hole for pooping. And, believe it or not, I try to stay fairly clean out there. Of course I don't use scented soaps or anything like that but I also don't go for more than three days without some form of cleaning, including shaving. So, with that in mind should I stay with my "schick slim twin" disposable? I have been using those for years to shave my head and only stopped using them on my face when I started wet shaving.

Here are some considerations

Pro disposable:

1. disposable is VERY light weight and every gram counts when your carrying it on your back.

2. small can of barbasol is also light when compared to soap, brush, bowl, etc.

3. Very little water required

Con Disposable:

1. they suck

2. they suck some more

3. they really really suck

Pro Gillette Slim Adjustable

1. Lighter than fat boy

2. can be used as a weapon in case of emergency (Throw it at - insert large scary mammal here - and run like hell.)

3. I'm spoiled now and I don't really want to shave with anything else.

4. Disposables really really REALLY suck.

Con Gillette Slim Adjustable:

1. Requires LOTS of water

2. Heavy enough that it can be used as a weapon in case of emergency (Throw it at - insert large scary mammal here - and run like hell.)

So, I'm sure you can see my dilemma. What do you guys think?

 

[insomniac]

I've heard good things about the Bic Sensitive in this forum. I believe it is a single bladed disposable.

+1 on the Barbasol, it's the best of the canned goo. Brushless cream could work too, but I think you still need water for that, which would need to be purified.

 

[jlindy]

+1 to the Bic sensitive's I've used them to good effect.

 

[Hansel]

I'd stick with the slim adjustable...I'm sure that it can't be THAT heavy.

That said, there are some lightweight DE razors available:
Lord "Tech":
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=L&t=34663

The standard Lord Tech razor shares an identical head, but the handle is a bit shorter. It shaves like a Gillette Tech, but it's much lighter as the handle section is Aluminum. These are cheap but well made.

Dorco PL-510:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=D&t=7763
SuperMax Kwik:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=S&t=146082

I own the latter, but they seem nearly identical. The SuperMax is 100% plastic and its about the same weight as a single blade disposable, but takes DE blades.

Also, +1 for the brushless cream. I had a small sample tube from somewhere some time back and it worked AOK.

 

[rwb]

i ues my belt knife ,i ues a small pocket hone and my boot to strop it ,no extra wieght and works great, as for the water ues lake or stream water.and small bar of hand soap.

 

[King of Kailua]

I don't think I'd pack a can of goo when a small puck would work. Maybe a cheap and simple puck of VdH would suit you well. They come in a handy plastic container. Glycerin would be a good choice for a simple soap that rinses easily.

 

[jener8tionx]

Why shave at all when out in the wild?

 

[moonshine44]

How about a NEW, or some similar three-piece razor, a puck of soap used like a shave stick or just use a shave stick, and a small diameter, light weight brush? The whole thing would fit into a very small package...

 

[WastedResources]

I never shave when I'm roughing it.

 

[bikermonster77]

I never shave when I'm roughing it.

+1

I like having some scruff out in the wild, makes me feel one with nature

 

[verdict]

Since you're a backpacker, I would like to ask...

Do you bring a bottle of Dr. Bronner's with you?

 

[Rocketeer]

+1

I like having some scruff out in the wild, makes me feel one with nature

Depends on how long you're going to be out there; and whether or not it is summer or winter.

After more than 3 or 4 days on the trail in warm weather, it's kind'a nice to grab a shave if you're near water resources. And if you're out there for more than a couple days, you are going to HAVE to be near a water source every couple days to replenish.

I always packed a small (hotel size) bar of soap and hand sanitizer for general hygiene. The bar of soap is also my shave soap. My signal mirror is my shaving mirror.

I've never owned a Dorco or any of the all plastic DEs, but my Lord Tech (aluminum) weighs 1.2 oz compared to 0.6 oz for the Gillette 3-blade disposable. (I still have a hand-full of them and I just weighed them.)

 

[Slivovitz]

Con Disposable:

1. they suck

2. they suck some more

3. they really really suck

So you don't like them, then?

Consider a Schick Injector. They're light, and an E or G type will take up as little space as a despicable disposable. Once you learn how to use them, they definitely do not suck, and a single blade will probably last longer than a single DE blade.

 

[Matt P]

I have an aluminum ball end Tech that weighs practically nothing. You could pack a cake of Williams and it could double as your hand/body soap. A cheap boar brush doesn't weigh much either and you can afford to loose/abuse it. Your Sierra cup would work as a lather mug too.

Man, I might have to start backpacking again just to try this out.

Edit: Just weighed my Tech. 31g or 1.1 oz

 

[Menhir]

So you don't like them, then?

Consider a Schick Injector. They're light, and an E or G type will take up as little space as a despicable disposable. Once you learn how to use them, they definitely do not suck, and a single blade will probably last longer than a single DE blade.

+1
I kept a plastic razor and some canned goo in my travel bag...and it does truly suck now that I'm used to a better way.

So I picked up an E type Schick Injector, ordered up some good blades and a shave stick and tossed in my good old VDH boar brush. The whole packet takes up very little room and I get I nice enjoyable shave if I want it.

 

[insomniac]

Since you're a backpacker, I would like to ask...

Do you bring a bottle of Dr. Bronner's with you?

Isn't that a requirement?


I did search the archives and it looks like it makes a bad shaving soap, so no weight savings there.

 

[AACJ]

Get a Bic Metal and some Williams soap. No need for a brush for one or two shave.

 

[Johnny Dale]

I never shave when I'm roughing it.

Same here! I'll wait till i get home and have a really great shave. SLANT TIME!!

 

[Wingnut]

The first week of April, I spent 6 days on the AT, starting from the PA/MD border and hiking South to the Bear's Den Trail Center (60 miles) with 3 friends. None of us shaved the whole time and, although we all looked a bit rough by the end of the trip, it was HEAVEN to get back to civiliation and shave. It might be worthwhile for you to anticipate that shave while you're gone rather than wind up with a poor shave while on-trail.

If you HAVE to shave, I'd recommend a good disposeable (Bic Sensitive and Metal get good press here as travel razors), a small container of brushless cream, and maybe a small bottle of witch hazel for your AS- light and serviceable, although it DOES use up a good bit of water... Don't bother trying to heat your shave water, though - I have found there's not a huge difference if, in a pinch, you use cold water. It's actually kind of refreshing!

And FWIW, I have tried shaving (and even brushing my teeth) with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint. I wouldn't recommend trying either.

 

[WinstonSmith]

The Spanish army made a neat little pack-up razor similar to the Tech, but with a two-piece handle of decent size and heft. I picked one up cheap in an auction, it's actually not a bad shaver at all. It comes in a little plastic container that'll hold a few blades too. It's not the lightest thing in the world, but it is compact.

You might try a small tube of Cremo cream or a similar brushless, run something like kyle's prep with a cup of boiled up water and a bandanna or something.