#scrubba

A Scrubba could help with this...

Everyone who has ever gone camping knows dirty laundry will pile up.  For us as long-distance hikers, we know dirty socks are the worst laundry offenders.  While we would often do what we call a "pre-rinse cycle" with our socks by washing them out in the shower with us when we were getting ready to do laundry, we always tried to think of an easier way to do it.  Enter the Scrubba. This dry bag has a built in "washing board" for scrubbing your laundry.  If you're using this bad boy in the backcountry, it's a great way to practice Leave No Trace ethics while cleaning up your smelly hiker clothes at the same time. 

I decided to give the Scrubba a try washing some of NoKey's hiking clothes.  The bag has a water fill line on it for dirty clothes and has two levels depending on how much you're trying to wash.  Since I would be primarily using this in the backcountry, I did it my way.  I put in a pair of long shorts, a T shirt, boxer briefs, a pair of socks, and NoKey's signature balaclava.  I poured in 750 mL of water (24 oz) and a squirt of Dr. Bronner's.  I let out air before rolling down the bag.  Then, I used the valve build in on the side of the bag to let out more air.  Then, I commenced to scrubbing!  The directions on the bag recommend washing from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, but with NoKey's clothes I opted for 3 minutes.  The scrubbing is actually not hard at all.  I bounced the bag around a few times and scrubbed some more.  The bag recommends dumping water out and then putting in clean water to rinse.  Since I'm a hiker, I like to preserve water (and nature) by only dumping one load of gray water.  I pulled each item out of the bag one by one and rinsed it and wrung it into the bag.  I think hung it all out to dry.  I then dispersed the gray water around the area away from the tent. 

I really liked using this bag. I like seeing the directions clearly printed on the bag and the window for checking on how much dirt comes off your clothes. I also liked that it can use much less water than it calls for depending on what you're washing.  It was easy to use very Leave No Trace friendly.  I also liked the fact that I can use the bag as a stuff sack for clothing.  At less than 5 ounces, it's comparable in weight to other dry bags on the market with a few extra features.  I would recommend this bag to anyone who does extending backpacking trips or even run-cations - a good way to pre-rinse those race clothes and keep them separate in your luggage!  As for water usage, I only used 48 ounces of water to wash and rinse five pieces of clothing - much less than I would have doing a rinse in a hostel or hotel sink during a hike. 

In practice, I was pleasantly surprised – after drying, my towel had lost its toothpaste stains, and no longer smelt like a recently deceased rodent. The water that rinsed away was suitably post-wash colour, as if to prove it had worked, and the bag itself didn’t leak. Portable washboard win! I started off thinking the Scrubba was a bit gimmicky, but I’m a convert – it’s now going into the permanent camping accoutrements collection.

Gadgets que simplifican tus viajes

Así como los viajeros evolucionan, así lo hacen los objetos que les resultan indispensables para emprender una aventura.

El enchufe universal, el teléfono inteligente y la guía del destino que se visita conservan su lugar en la maleta, pero últimamente una gran cantidad de gadgets se han agregado a esta lista de objetos que simplifican una travesía. Aquí te presentamos algunos de ellos.

Micro Luggage. Es una maleta scooter que funciona con baterías, cuenta con GPS y alcanza los 20 kilómetros por hora. Podrás desplazarte cómodamente sin necesidad de cargar.

Scrubba. Es una bolsa que pesa 150 gramos en donde podrás lavar tu ropa. Ideal para los viajeros aventureros que desean lavar su propia ropa en donde quiera que se encuentren.

Bluetrack. Este dispositivo GPS te permitirá rastrear tu equipaje desde tu smartphone, así sabrás en todo momento en dónde está tu maleta.