Our week long trip up to buck lake via ep 1 will end on june 6/7th.....my problem is, aside from driving back to Ely to take a shower, is that there is not a place to shower around there that I am aware of...I have contacted one of the marine owners around Moccasin Pt., and he said we would have to rent a room in their resorts to use the showers...we would like to take off straight south towards the cities, but maybe going to Ely to shower is our only option....any suggestions..?

Clean clothes left in the car, take a swim in the lake at the takeout or before breaking camp that morning, wipe on some deodorant, and you're good to go. It's not like it's a 3 day road trip back to Minneapolis; though even that wouldn't bother me.

Alan

I don't know if it's an option that will work for you or not, but I take a washcloth soaked in alcohol/water in a Ziploc and a towel to wipe down with and put on clean clothes when I exit.

I used No-Rinse Wash coming out of Beaverhouse a few years ago. It's no shower but does make the return ride bearable. Been keeping that and No-Rinse Shampoo in my ride home bag for years.

butthead

Leave a gallon jug of water in the car where the sun will hit it. You will have warm water for a wipe down if the weather cooperates.

rinse out a used gallon milk jug or two, or similar
fill with water and leave in vehicle
if you have two, throw just a little shampoo in one, shake it up
pour over head, about 25% at a time and use a scarf as a washcloth
use the last one to rinse
it'll be plenty good for the ride home

Not so bad if your solo but its a drag if your pal reeks........why is that it?

When I do a 3 day offshore trip or a canoe trip with others I always insist that they have "clean driving clothes" for the trip home. And I always have a garbage bag to stuff the dirty clothes in. Its usually the clothing which is so intolerable.

I think when I was younger getting stinky was part of the man thing, but as I got older I get the bad vibes of riding home in a stinky vehicle, going into a store and having folks make a path for you... I have a set of clean clothes, a gallon jug with water (left where it will be in the sun), towel and basic hygiene kit packed and in the vehicle. An army shower in the parking lot and change works wonders. I am good until I can get to a motel for the night or home. I drive a pick up so the clothes get spread out in the back with the topper windows open. Packing in an airtight bag can create some bad mildew if not careful, a lesson I learned the hard way.
Answer...not to smell.

I like the milk jug of water. Or a solar shower bag. Some ep's end with a long sweaty portage. But many end with a lake right there. Do you not wash while out there? How smelly are you? Like everything else, if you keep up with your hygene, it shouldn't be much of a deal to rinse off. With the cost of a couple showers a solo shower could be had and provide many smelly less moments. :)

quote nctry: "I like the milk jug of water. Or a solar shower bag. Some ep's end with a long sweaty portage. But many end with a lake right there. Do you not wash while out there? How smelly are you? Like everything else, if you keep up with your hygene, it shouldn't be much of a deal to rinse off. With the cost of a couple showers a solo shower could be had and provide many smelly less moments. :)"

i usually wipe down with unscented baby wipes....but my dad has washed off with lake water and has said that it is much better than just wiping off....usually when we go (late may/early june) the temps are fairly chilly, and the last thing i usually feel like doing is dippin in cold lake water. i usually smell pretty bad by the time we get out, the usually smells, i'm sure. but, i will have to try it this time. nothing beats a nice hot shower when you get out though!!

Adult size wipes can be bought like someone said

I like showers. I believe the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park has expanded and added campgrounds and I think they have or plan to have showers. It says "The new 33-site campground and three group camps are expected to open mid-summer of 2017." You could be the first!

Though a bit tangential, I shower every night I'm in the Bdub. I have a solar shower (which seldom heats the water very much). I get wet in the lake, soap up under the shower hung in a tree, and rinse off. This is all done far from the lake. If I have fuel left over at the end of a trip, I will heat a put to take the edge off the (usually) cold shower water.

My showers are usually on the cold side, but when it's all over..... that's quite a feeling!

This is just my nightly ritual. I have done the 12 days without a shower thing in the Army, and those days are over. I like to sleep clean and wake ready to go.

Mike

quote billconner: "I like showers. I believe the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park has expanded and added campgrounds and I think they have or plan to have showers. It says "The new 33-site campground and three group camps are expected to open mid-summer of 2017." You could be the first!"

Thanks for that info! Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park Planning I'm a big fan of State Parks as well as USFS campgrounds.

butthead

quote butthead: "I used No-Rinse Wash coming out of Beaverhouse a few years ago. It's no shower but does make the return ride bearable. Been keeping that and No-Rinse Shampoo in my ride home bag for years.
butthead"

I get the stuff at work but have seen it in camping supplies too. Been using it for camping for years. Good stuff!

No problem here, no sense of smell!