Shaving while camping
- Thread starter smackey
- Start date
As a former army reservist, shaving in the great outdoors is something they actually teach. With a folding cup-canteen steel, and when I did it, horrible smelling hexamine.
And a smart-arsed Corporal with a cartrige razor with the blades taken out, showing you how to do it in 30 seconds.
Then I went armoured (if you aint cav, you aint - even if only part-time) and instead of being frugal with 500ml of water the tradition is to use more water than is humanly possible, then throw it still steaming out the back door - in full view of the infantry.
Of course in these conditions, it's not much different to shaving at home, except you smell more, and might have some camoflage cream still in there before you start your prep.
I stopped reserve service when the kids came along, and I'm currently planning our first camping trip for the next school holidays (8 years later). Car-camping, with a seemingly 15 room tent (ok, 3 rooms), with camp stretchers for the kids, self-inflating mattress for me... it's hardly fair to call it "camping" which really should involve only what you can carry on your back.
And a smart-arsed Corporal with a cartrige razor with the blades taken out, showing you how to do it in 30 seconds.
Then I went armoured (if you aint cav, you aint - even if only part-time) and instead of being frugal with 500ml of water the tradition is to use more water than is humanly possible, then throw it still steaming out the back door - in full view of the infantry.
Of course in these conditions, it's not much different to shaving at home, except you smell more, and might have some camoflage cream still in there before you start your prep.
I stopped reserve service when the kids came along, and I'm currently planning our first camping trip for the next school holidays (8 years later). Car-camping, with a seemingly 15 room tent (ok, 3 rooms), with camp stretchers for the kids, self-inflating mattress for me... it's hardly fair to call it "camping" which really should involve only what you can carry on your back.
I went to Honduras this past march-april. I was in the mountains. no electricity, no hot water, no mirrors, nothin. i didnt shave or know what i looked like for nearly 6 days. i will NEVER make the mistake of not shaving.......even in isolation.......EVER AGAIN. when i finally did see myself......it wasn't pretty. 
i will NEVER make the mistake of not shaving.......even in isolation.......EVER AGAIN. when i finally did see myself......it wasn't pretty.
And shaving will change that, how exactly?
You leave openings a mile wide, some of us will walk on through!
Its a Merkur "Mergress". A custom modification to the Merkur Progress adjustable.
You can read about it on this thread from the Vendors' Corner
I always shave when camping however I must say my home away from home includes a flat panel TV, AC and a Microwave..... 31 footer....
That's the type of camping I'm talking about!!!
This sleeping in tents stuff with no egyptian cotton and room service stuff is for the birds
I can't imagine anything more satisfying than making your own hot water over a crackling campfire, lathering up in an enameled camping bowl, and ending up smooth-skinned in the still-cool morning air.
Damn, I gotta convince the wife that we need to try camping.
Damn, I gotta convince the wife that we need to try camping.
Not shaving is one of the perks of camping for me.
My shave-love hasn't quite reached that point yet I suppose. A few more months.
My shave-love hasn't quite reached that point yet I suppose. A few more months.
I can't imagine anything more satisfying than making your own hot water over a crackling campfire, lathering up in an enameled camping bowl, and ending up smooth-skinned in the still-cool morning air.
Damn, I gotta convince the wife that we need to try camping.
Yep, but you do not need hot water. I am shaving with cold water now, and that's good too
A small piece of Palmolive (euro) shave stick, a disposable twin blade, a piece of alum and a 5 dollar boar is all you need...
The last two camping trips I've been on were back-country trips. I brought my shave gear on both of them and only used it once. I enjoy not shaving, partially because the best shave ever is returning to civilization and clearing off a week's worth of growth. But, there is a great satisfaction of a straight razor and a bowl of lather resting on the canoe in the middle of no where too.
I think I was the only guy to take a razor to his face for the whole of my brother's stag weekend. We were in a hostel so not exactly roughing it but I really felt the need to shave before we hit the town that night (that's relative - we were in Fort William for those of you who know Northern Scotland). Did a quick face lathering 3 pass in the sink at the corner of our room with one guy asking me "Why are you shaving for a third time?".
It's noticeable I haven't shaved after about 36 hours and it starts to get really itchy. Plus taking more than a couple of days growth off is still a bit of a chore even with a fresh Feather blade. So wherever I was going I'd want to take along a shaving kit. I'd take along my boar brush and a small tube of cream, probably the Palmolive, and for a razor I'd either take my Feather portable or a couple of single blade Bic sensitive disposables.
There is something very attractive about shaving in the outdoors, more so from the descriptions here. I haven't been camping for some years but I can't wait to try it.
It's noticeable I haven't shaved after about 36 hours and it starts to get really itchy. Plus taking more than a couple of days growth off is still a bit of a chore even with a fresh Feather blade. So wherever I was going I'd want to take along a shaving kit. I'd take along my boar brush and a small tube of cream, probably the Palmolive, and for a razor I'd either take my Feather portable or a couple of single blade Bic sensitive disposables.
There is something very attractive about shaving in the outdoors, more so from the descriptions here. I haven't been camping for some years but I can't wait to try it.
Disclaimer: I know how wacky this sounds even while I'm writing it.
Just got back from a canoe camping trip. What I usually do for a daily shower, water temp permitting, is to jump in the river, fill a watering can while I'm in there, then go away from the shore, soap up, and rinse off with the aforementioned watering can.
I was curious to see how much lather my brush would hold, so this time I shaved before the above procedure, then used my brush and lather instead of soap. I discovered that: a) There was enough lather left over after shaving for pretty much my entire body, and b) that TOBS Avocado even works as a shampoo, at least with my 3/4" hair.
