Jim should know whereof he speaks: as he explained on another thread, his "mission gear" often includes bikinis because he leads groups of young women learning to backpack. (That's his story, and he's sticking to it. )

But he's right; it's relatively easy to keep you and your gear pretty clean. In fact, I've always found I get dirtier in a shelter than I do just camping out in the woods (with the rare exception of when there's and inch of mud everywhere, and it's still raining.)

It takes some getting used to, but try not using a shelter (or go somewhere that doesn't have shelters.) Start easy: maybe plan an overnighter on an easy trail, and end the day only a couple of miles from your car. Camp there using a tent; you won't have to deal with food since you'll just have finished your supper (a mile or so earlier, if you want), and you can leave tomorrow's breakfast in the car - or treat yourself to breakfast at Denny's as a reward for skipping the shelter.

If you find in the middle of the night that you just absolutely can't make it in the tent, you can put on a headlamp and hike back to the car. Since you were only planning to be out overnight, it's not like it will wreck the trip.