For those of us who love the outdoors but also like to stay clean, the Lunatec Trekr washcloth is a must over a standard terry-cloth wash rag.
By Dan Sanchez
We all know it’s difficult to stay clean and…not smelly when were out in the backcountry. But many hikers, backpackers and campers still like to wash their face and hands before a meal or at the end of the day. Traditional terry cloth wash cloths are what many of us have used for quite some time and although they work for this purpose, they stay wet and over a couple of days, the moisture attracts mildew and you get the rest of the picture.
Lunatec manufactures a washcloth called the Trekr, that’s made from woven nylon and polyester fibers. At first glance it looks like a pot scrubber but it’s actually soft, lightweight and dries quickly. The fibers scrub away a full day’s sweat mixed with sunscreen and only takes a little bit of water to do it.
After a couple of uses, we found that the Trekr rinses easily and stays very clean, even after wiping out legs and arms down from a very dusty trail that left mud on the surface of the washcloth. The Trekr also dried in a matter of minutes, allowing us to roll it up into its own elastic band and easily stuff it into the top pocket of our pack.
While the Trekr cleans and dries quickly, it has no absorption properties so your face and hands will have to air dry. But outside, that’s not such a bad thing. The Trekr washcloth measures 27cm x 27cm and weights only 9-grams.
Lunatec also manufactures a dishcloth called the Scrubr which is more abrasive but very effective for cleaning baked on spaghetti or dried oatmeal off of your backpacking mug.
Both the Trekr and Scrubr performed well over a full weekend of use. Neither of the products ripped, came unsewn, became moldy or started to smell. These two products will be standard issue in our packs. For more information, visit www.lunatecgear.com