Laundry on tour

iain_j

What do you do about washing your kit on tour? I guess it's easy enough staying at hostels/B&B's but what about places without washing machines, or camping?

Also do you do your stuff every day, or take say 3 days' worth of kit and wash it when it's all worn - cheaper and less hassle but more chance for bugs to fester?

andymiller

Travelwash.

Campsites also have sinks (though worth taking a universal plug). More upmarket ones will have a laundrette.

I'd guess most people wash shorts every day but other things when they get to a campsite with a laundrette. Merino wool is good because it doesn't get smelly.

xilios

We carry 3 sets of everything with us but when the weather is dicy (meaning chance of rain) we wash every evening and hang the wash in a net over the rear racks.
When we know the weather is going to be nice for several days we can skip a day or two.
I also second what andymiller said, you need to bring a universal plug for the campsites.

inaperfectworld

i wash a pair of cycle shorts each day and a cycle top which i wear over a silk mix base (as i need the back pockets of the cycle shirt,) and one sock. the silk mix base(merino does the same job) never seem s to pong despite being worn by day and by evening. also i like the 3 sock trick: left to right then wash
the tip for drying if you are ina b&b is helpful: use the bath towel and roll up wet things in it then twist rolled up towel and stuff incl. shorts will be more or less dry by morning

andrew_s

I give the chammy a rub over with soap, then throw the shorts, socks and shirt in the bottom of the shower and give them a good trampling whilst I wash me. Followed up by a rinse in a sink and wringing out in a towel if there is one. If they aren't dry by the morning they spend the day in a mesh bag on top of my luggage.
Wild camping or if it's too cold to stand much chance of drying out, I put up with being smelly.

FAT_ROB

As any ex student knows you can get many days wear out of one pair of pants

Rightway

Back to front

Inside out right way

Back to front inside out

Commando


although I wouldnt recommend this last one on a bike!

Lycra dries in about 20 seconds

FAT_ROB

As any ex student knows you can get many days wear out of one pair of pants

Rightway

Back to front

Inside out right way

Back to front inside out

Commando


although I wouldnt recommend this last one on a bike!

Lycra dries in about 20 seconds

Cunobelin

As an old git - I prefer my luxuries and tend to use B&B or similar.

Most can be washed using the shower technique and usingthe towel. I also invested in "Travel clothing " such as Rohan which is fine for the evenings as it notony washes well, but travels well.

Launderettes are a problem as they are gradually disappearing, and tumble drying is often unsuitable for modern textiles.

yer gran

I use the shower method or just give short liners a good scrub in a stream or lake when wild camping - without any soap; its generally doubling as my drinking water. Socks get the same treatment. Always use merino wool tops for the non-smell factors already mentioned.
I depart from the mesh bag technique for drying on the move and safety pin clothes to the panniers - dry in 20 mins on a warm day.

iain_j

I've heard of the "wrap clothes in a towel" technique before, does it work well with lightweight travel towels (this sort)?

tardington

My last tour we stopped at Tongue YH, and they washed our things for us. Did basic washing in the showers at campsites, trusty Lifeventure Universal Soap! (dishes, me, clothes all sparkly. Not so good for long hair though...) A travel towel is a must - I had a small triathlon towel which I had to dry with a bungee on the back of the bike - just lucky it dry most mornings!

Being prepared to be smelly means you have to wash less. Also people keep telling me that merino things smell less readily...

Cunobelin

iain_j wrote:

I've heard of the "wrap clothes in a towel" technique before, does it work well with lightweight travel towels (this sort)?

Yes....

1footedninja

clothes wear till they stink! then wash, if there quick drying clothes then a bonus.

towel , travel small one is fine, take a washcloth as well and when just out of the shower/bath wipe yourself down with that first , gets rid of most of water so your main towel can dry quicker after drying yourself with that also.

I take 2/3 of most things, wear one then other for when your cleaning the other set, back-up emergancy clothing such as a very thin lite shirt, and shorts from Ground effect and there merino hoodie is excellent, toasty and warm.

I take a bit of thin rope stuff and a few pegs as well and can nearly always find somewhere to put a makeshift washing line up near to my camp.

pretty much it, oh! I have a fold up bucket thing which I can use to wash clothes in or have a wash in, in the morning, pretty much all you need if out in the middle of knowhere.

zenzinnia

Many campsites have a washing machine and a drier these days - I didn't see much reason to use them normally as I wash stuff under my feet in the shower etc and have a little twisted elastic washng line that I think is great. It lets me run a line between my tent and my bike and hang things up. My last tour to Scotland in September however got very wet and I eventually resorted to using a campsite drier. I even needed to put my travel towel in - everything came out lovely. I'll certainly do it again, especially for things like warm socks, my cap (which can get very sweaty/greasy but dosn't dry well) etc. I just need to find a way of getting shoes dry (and I hate wearing sandles before anyone suggests it).

alfablue

for the shoes, I use Shimano MT90 boots whilst touring (at least in the UK anyway), they are Gore-Tex lined so they don't get wet inside. Quite acceptable for off the bike use, so I only have to take one pair of shoes. They have a Vibram sole and are very successful as walking boots for the odd hike whilst touring.

andymiller

Oh and the other tip would be - wear black and avoid light colours that show the dirt.

lloyd_bower

I usually tour in warmer climes, so doing washing and having it dry overnight is not much of a problem, I take a small bit of string/rope to hang things up.

Intrigued by the towel idea to frying things, but I travel with small travel towel so that's inpracticable. Shoewise I use a lightweight pair specialised mtb shoes, which even when wet dry very quickly, and carry a pair lightweight Innov-8 trainers along as usually fit in some walking as well.

Darker colours is a good idea too, as even clean lighter colours can soon pick up dust if touring on unpaved roads.

singlespeedexplosif

use as much merino as possible. Wash non-merino things in shower when you wash yourself then use the roll up in towel technique as before. Travel towels work brilliantly for this.

magfos

We've always used the three set system for clothes - one on, one in the wash and one spare. We wear outdoor shirts which can double up as reasonable evening wear and lycra knicks when riding and have a pair of shorts and a pair of longs for after.

Each evening wash the shirt and knicks in the shower (they are often dry by morning or get hung on the bike to dry - nappy safety pins are good for this if you can find them) and put on next days shirt, etc. I generally find that one set of clothes stays in the panniers and only rarely sees the light of day.

This system has worked for cycling tours all over Europe and Australia as well as an 870 kilometre walk across Spain. It's not much good if you are bush camping though.