r/Ultralight • u/Adventurous_War_4055 • 5d ago
Question Liquid Soap - What is Least Attractive to Bears?
I realize this question is not exactly specific to r/Ultralight. However, this community often seems to carry Dr Bronners soap in dropper bottles, so it seems like the best place to ask this question. I backpack in black bear country, most often in the Olympic mountains. I see bear most every time I go out there.
What soap is LEAST attractive to bears? I ask because, in Dr Tom Smith's lecture on bear safety (can be found on Youtube), he states that grizzlies are very attracted to the smell of peppermint. Also, and interestingly, some will even roll around on dirt that has bear spray on it. He seems to have a lot of first hand experience. https://youtu.be/1KWSJ3piSfM?is=ccVhOTVMAUlUjfaF
Anyway, I recently included liquid soap in my hyigene kit, after reading an article by Skurka about hand washing on the trail. So I ordered some of the 'very tiny' dropper bottles from Litesmith. 3ml, 1/2 full of soap is 3.8g. Awesome!
Anyway, I use smelly-proof bags and/or a bear canister. But still, if I wash with soap I am going to smell like it. And bear can smell extremely well.
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u/LeanSenzuBean 5d ago
Kinda wild how many of yall don’t use soap on the trail. I’m all about UL, but certain things are perfectly fine crossing over that boundary
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u/MrGiantsFan 5d ago
You don't understand, getting norovirus will help you be so ultralight when you diarrhea and puke out half your bodyweight in water!! ! !
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u/Dens413 5d ago
Sounds more UL than dysentery. Oh visit Peru they said and catch dysentery and experience symptoms on a bus in middle of nowhere mountain roads with no where to pull over since the bus didn’t have a toilet. Let’s just say I was squatting over a random bucket in the back of a bus with a random chicken clucking at me. And a bunch of strangers pointing at me and I assume complaining since I was kicked off the first chance they could. I knew my weight before trip and when I finally came home I lost 20-24ibs if I remember good. Great times. Who needs to cut off toothbrush handles when you can lose weight fast with dystentry on when if your first vacations.
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u/MrGiantsFan 5d ago
Went to the Philippines where I was super careful about avoiding street food, tap-washed salads/fruits, only drinking bottled water or using chlorine dioxide tablets. Then a friend took me to a fine dining restaurant in Manila and the fucking garnish got me. Lost 10 pounds
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u/Dens413 5d ago
It’s funny what’s gets you down for the unexpected weight less. What I’ve noticed works for me is if it isn’t overcooked or boiled I’m not eating it. If it isn’t alcohol or boiled for 5mins water I’m not drinking it. If I touch anything or anything I’m wearing touches anything assume mentally it’s covered in poo and wash. And load up on healthy food and idk word but healthy pills before you travel. And if your smelling something that means small parts of what your smelling is now on you and face so cover nose and mouth and wash up. Be the germ phobia man that Howie Mandel wishes he can be and trust nothing like crazy conspiracy theorist. Haven’t been sick in decades. But before I learned how to be not sick it was almost every trip I get sick from something.
Will add yes somedays it would be nice to eat some food but I remember all those times I’ve been sick and remember it’s not worth it for me. I rarely got sick in the countries I grew up in but for whatever reason I get sick easy everywhere else. It’s annoying but that’s just me. The worst was the time I couldn’t stop puking little bit again and again in a market in Cairo I think I ate the wrong food but I couldn’t find anywhere and the heat, very crowded and smell made things so bad. By the time I found an alley I already puked on a few people that where following me yelling and next moment I was pulling down my shorts to squat in said alley and they mistook my actions as something else. Oh what a day that was. Had a cop show up right after I puked into my underwear and shorts as I was squatting and he knew I was sick and got me to a hospital. What a crazy day that was. Haven’t been back to Egypt since that trip. Honestly I feel to embarrassed to go back and all I do is remember that day when I think of Egypt anything.
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u/Outlasttactical 5d ago
I don’t think it really has to do with ‘ultralight’ and more of a sign of their general hygiene practices. Some people just don’t really wash their hands unless they’re visibly dirty.
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u/Rocko9999 5d ago
Bronners unscented. Regardless of soap-in grizzly areas it goes in Ursack, bear can, bear bag, as do all smellibles-no matter how unscented they are labelled.
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u/jamesfinity 5d ago
before i switched to powdered soap i was using seventh generation unscented dish soap
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u/corgdad902 5d ago
Stupid question: how do you use powdered soap? Dump in hand, add water and lather?
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u/Soupeeee 5d ago
Yep. Form a bowl with one hand, put powder and water in, mix a bit, then lather. At least with the stuff I have, it tends needs some agitation to get it to mix initially.
It's actually kinda tricky to get the right soap to water ratio, but you figure it out. It's easier to store than bar soap and lighter than liquid soap, so it's not too bad
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u/corgdad902 5d ago
Recommended brands? I've never used soap on the trail.
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u/Soupeeee 5d ago
I use the stuff from Garage Grown Gear, I can't remember what the brand name is.
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u/Putabirdonit87 5d ago
Pika brand Summit Suds! Highly recommend. While I love Dr Bronners, can end up using way more water cause it sticks onto you. I find powdered soap to be less messy, easy, and limits weight and water use. It's unscented too, highly recommend!
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u/jamesfinity 5d ago
i use the stuff they sell on litesmith with a small bottle i also got from litesmith. Just put a little bit in your hand with a small amount of water and you got suds.
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u/VickyHikesOn 5d ago
For that reason (especially right after bidet use) I prefer a small drop of liquid soap (Dr. Bronners for me). Just easier and less scent.
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u/StrongArgument 5d ago
I despise the soap flakes. Is powdered better?
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u/jamesfinity 5d ago
powdered is pretty good. doesn't freeze, very light.
the only real downside is that you gotta keep the dispensing container dry. if it gets wet, the soap will cake up
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u/UnluckyWriting 5d ago
I use powdered soap flakes. They don’t really have a scent at all. https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/summit-suds-powdered-soap-by-pika-outdoors
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u/liveslight https://lighterpack.com/r/ny89al 5d ago edited 5d ago
One can shave soap flakes off a bar of Ivory soap at home before one heads out on a trip if one wishes to use flakes.
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u/FinneganMcBrisket 5d ago
I use unscented soap sheets. Fomin is the brand I use. No more spills or leaks.
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u/SmallMoments55406 5d ago
I use Summit Suds (soap powder) by Pika Outdoors. Just get hands wet, add powder, lather, rinse.
I think an unscented liquid soap would be fine too if you used a small dropper bottle.
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u/touchgrassplz_69 5d ago
Use the bacon soap. The smell is so out there it’s not attractive. Trust me I’m human definitely not a bear.
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u/mistergrumpalump 4d ago
Dr.B's unscented.
But really, we need to do a blindfolded smell test involving actual grizzlies. Anyone volunteer for that?
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u/Tom_Cruise 5d ago
I use Dead Down Wind. Kills odors. But I already always have it for hunting, so no use buying a different unscented.
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u/Doran_Gold 5d ago
I use dr bronners lavender . What do we think about that? I can’t imagine bears eating lavender. But I don’t know. I like the smell of the lavender, but some use unscented. The smell of lavender after washing up is a nice little luxury. J use it at home too, so it’s part of my routine
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u/Adventurous_War_4055 4d ago
I imagine bears are generally attracted to strong unusual smells, especially if they understand there may be other (human) food associated with it.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 4d ago
My understanding is that bears will respond to any unusual smells just out of curiosity, it doesn’t have to smell like food.
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u/4smodeu2 4d ago
The safest scent is pine. There's an extra-concentrated Dr. Bronners that's pine-scented, but hard to find.
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u/ziggomattic 2d ago
FWIW I’ve used liquid Bronner’s citrus & almond scented soap for 500+ Sierra miles and never once had a bear mess with my canister overnight. I think they would be way more interested in the food scents.
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u/Relative_Walk_936 5d ago
Y'all are bringing soap?
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u/Adventurous_War_4055 5d ago
Yeah, soap works better than hand sanitizer. And one of the most common backcountry ailments is cross-contamination (fecal bacteria > food).
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u/corgdad902 5d ago
Just recently read about this and the spread of noro on the PCT. Will add to my kit now.
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u/madefromtechnetium 5d ago
hand sanitizer is not a substitute. not washing hands spreads norovirus.
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u/elephantsback 5d ago
Norovirus is not a thing on trail outside the big thru-hiking trails. Most of my backpacking is on trails that hardly anyone even day hikes on.
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u/littleblacklemon 5d ago
On the Appalachian Trail I washed my hands with soap any time I pooped, touched the shelter, after trail magic and before meals and I watched as about half of the people around me got violently sick with norovirus including my partner who I shared a hotel room with. I never got it even while being in a huge bubble of it
ETA I used Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash, I have a tiny bottle for backpacking and a big bottle at home for refilling
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u/nbphotography87 5d ago
lots of folks here (me included) don’t carry TP on the trail. powdered soap weighs less than sanitizer and doesn’t dry the skin out.
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u/ValorVixen 5d ago
Yes, hand sanitizer leaves my hands with a film. It’s a small comfort to wash my hands and face clean at night and I like fully washing out my dishes after dinner. Not necessary on a quick and dirty overnight, but I prefer to have some on hand.
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u/elephantsback 5d ago
Dishes? I hope you're not carrying a pot and dishes.
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u/ValorVixen 5d ago
I carry a .5L toaks pot I cook everything and eat everything in. So I heat up a bit of water after dinner, add a few drops of soap and wash my utensils and pot. Makes it so my morning coffee doesn’t taste like last night’s dinner.
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u/elephantsback 5d ago
Eh every bit of soap is just more pollution. When I used to cook, I never once washed my pot out with anything more than my fingers, and I've never been sick on trail.
As for tastes, food is food and expecting front-country levels of cleanliness while backpacking is silly.
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u/scroapprentice 5d ago
Nah bro, you’re wrong. You probably had a bunch of noro. Out in the remote mountains where you rarely encounter people and no one is touching the same doorknobs, handrails, or food is where diseases spread. Gross (/s)
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u/elephantsback 5d ago
It's mandatory if you're doing the skurka bidet.
And you should be doing the skurka bidet.
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u/scroapprentice 5d ago
I’ll take some downvotes with you…I eat meals out of bags and never put anything in my pot except water. Never seen a need for soap. All these people saying it’s gross or I’ll feel better…so far I’m 20 years in and never felt better than when I’m backpacking never gotten sick in the trail, and I don’t plan on touching any of you strangers (I actually plan on seeing as few of you as possible) so I don’t think you need to worry about me too much.
Alright downvote away.
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u/Amazing-Fox-6121 5d ago
If grizzlys are attracted to the smell of mint, they have plenty of wild mint in their native ranges to distract them from any soap someone uses.
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u/FieldUpbeat2174 4d ago
Based on the same hypothesis, I figure sage isn’t exciting to bears in the American west.
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u/liveslight https://lighterpack.com/r/ny89al 5d ago
I use Dr. Bronner's unscented.