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Zero Waste Travel: Toiletry Kit Camping Edition

Travel

Last Updated on January 23, 2024

So, we’re going on a camping trip! And, I’m a little nervous; because, I’ve never gone camping before…. Well, I went once with my family when I was three-ish? But, I don’t think it counts. I hardly even remember it. 

zero waste travel toiletry kit from www.goingzerowaste.com #zerowaste #sustainable #ecofriendly #travel

So, I’m doing lots of planning aka spreadsheets and hoping I’ll be prepared! I will definitely do a full report on how it goes. I’d have to say planning all of the food is what makes me most nervous. Thankfully I think I have the toiletry thing down pat! 

I’m trying to keep what I’m packing pretty minimal, since we don’t have much room. 

So, what am I packing in my toiletry bag? 

Deodorant: So, this seems pretty important if I’m going to be camping/hiking for 5 days. Sweating seems to be pretty inevitable. 

Toothpowder: Healthy teeth are important. 

Toothbrush: I love my brush with bamboo toothbrush! 

Holder: I really hate throwing my toothbrush into my bag naked. The bristles always get bent which shrinks the lifespan of the brush. Brush with Bamboo, my favorite people. makes these awesome toothbrush holders out of bamboo. So they’re compostable. They also have a hole in the bottom so they don’t mold like the plastic one I had previously. 

Castile Soap: Castile soap is a multi-purpose wonder. You can use it on your teeth, but if you’ve ever done it, it’s not pleasant. We will be using this for our dishes, face soap, and body soap. I don’t think I’ll be washing my hair, but if I really need to, I’ll probably use dr. bronners.

Moisturizer: Dr. Bronners is super drying on my skin. I have really dry skin, so moisturizing is super important. 

Hair Brush: I will be keeping my hair in a braid or pony tail most of the time. 

Bug Spray: I’m whipping up another batch of bug spray this week. 

Sunscreen: I still have some sunscreen left from my PZW days. But, I’m going to be making some and testing it out. 

I’ll be uploading my bug spray and sunscreen recipes soon. I’m hoping we don’t run into any issues. But if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them! 

What do you like to take camping? 

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  1. What kind of camping will you be doing? As in cabins/campsites vs. pitching a tent in the woods. Do you anticipate having restrooms along your trails?

    1. Pitching a tent in the woods! Yes, we had some vault toilets around and a water spicket… and thanks to spell check I just realized it’s spigot. My whole life has been a lie.

      1. Ha, those tricky words! I have some advice for restroom-less camping/hiking as well, should you find yourself hiking away from the sites. A ‘shit-kit’ is a small bag that includes toilet paper, hand sanitizer and something useful for digging holes that you could access easily from your pack. But I don’t particularly like digging a hole just for peeing, so I also bring along a pee-rag, a bandanna that I use to dab after I pee, and tie to outside of my pack. You can clean it back at your site with boiled water.

  2. Love these tips! Can’t wait to see the recipe for bug spray and sunscreen! Also, does you sunscreen contain beewax or something else from animals? If yes, I’d love to see another option to use instead 🙂
    I would love to be able to do my own but I’ve only found a recipe which includes the beewax :/

    1. Hi, I do my sunscreen from coconut oil and carrot macerate (i don’t know if it’s the right word, something like concentrate.) It looks VERY orange, but do wonders 🙂 I have a sun allergy, I know what I’m talking about.

  3. It’s nice to read that someone else finds Dr Bronners really drying. I’ve tried to use it on my face and body, but it’s too much. I’ve reverted back to an unpackaged bar soap, and while it isn’t perfect, my skin is definitely less dry. Have a great camping trip and thank you for your excellent blog!

    1. Yes! So dry. Like the mojave desert on my face. I don’t know how an unpackaged bar soap isn’t perfect? Sounds like it’s totally perfect! Especially if it’s great for your body chemistry.

      1. Soap still dries out my skin. Have tried many varieties and the hunt continues. I’d love to not have to moisturize after showering (one less thing to pack on holidays too!)

        1. Hi I just found this site called Chagrin Valley that sells all sorts of natural bar soaps. I haven’t personally tried any yet (though there’s a bunch of samples in the mail!) but the reviews are really great and many of them are made with a lot of oils.
          Maybe one of their moisturizing soaps would work?

  4. What would you recommend for traveling with shampoo and conditioner when traveling on a plane? Glass can be heavy and break in a suitcase and I’m trying to avoid plastic.

  5. I would say thats a good toiletry bag. I love camping and would only add conditioner, tangly hair is hard to style into easy to take care of hair unless you plan on doing all over braids.

  6. Some really nice tips! That’s all you need really & I am definitely going to check out the 30 SPF mineral sunscreen option too. Thanks for that. I’ve had a few friends who have just applied coconut oil and gotten burnt pretty badly.