I use the so-called "freezer bag cooking method" popularized by "Sarbar" on her excellent trailcooking.com website. Actually, it's rehydrating dried or quick-cooking food in a freezer bag, kept warm by means of a cozy. I then eat the food out of said bag.

With this method, the only item needing washing is my spoon--I just lick it, rinse with water, dry and I'm ready to go. The used plastic bag is resealed and goes back into my food bag for disposal when I get home.

As you can probably deduce, I hate washing dishes! Sarbar is my heroine!

Food waste should always be packed out, never buried--critters will go to elaborate lengths to dig it up, turning any popular camp site into a garbage dump. As for soap, even biodegradable soap is deadly to aquatic life and should be disposed of at least 200 feet from any water source.

For washing clothes (usually just dirty socks), a two gallon plastic bag works great as a "washing machine." Its other use is for hiking clothing that gets wet in the daytime--that way I can keep it in the sleeping bag so it's at least warm, if not dry, when I put it back on in the morning. The bag is less bulky than a hard-sided container.

When taking my grandkids out, I do have to do a little dishwashing--in that case I wipe the dish with a small piece of paper towel (packed out with garbage), then rinse with very hot water (I heat up a little after the meal). If it's untreated water, I let it boil a minute before using.

As you can see by the responses here, there is more than one way to do things! In other words, Your Mileage May Vary!


Edited by OregonMouse (08/17/14 05:47 PM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey