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Hygiene

Showering

  • Visit nearby towns whenever possible for a proper shower and laundry.
  • Bring Pocket Wilderness Wash leaves as a lightweight hand soap.
    • At huts, wipe down worn clothing using a Towel dampened from provided rainwater tanks with a few drops of liquid Wilderness Wash. Prioritise chamois area, underarms, and feet.
    • Use isopropyl from sanitiser bottle on the chamois area for something more antiseptic.
  • Carry a partial roll of toilet paper in a zip-lock bag (compress and flatten the roll, remove the cardboard tube). The hut pit toilets don’t reliably have paper. Resupply at town stops.

Insects

  • Apply Bushman’s 80% DEET roll-on each evening at camp.
    • Caution: DEET dissolves some plastics and synthetic materials. It can damage bar tape, GPS screens, and frame decals. Wash hands before touching the bike after applying.
  • Pre-treat sleeping clothes with permethrin before departure.
  • Pack a lightweight head net as hut campsites between Collie and Manjimup are notorious at dusk. Also flies are bad at some points on the trail!

Instant Sanitizer / Rubbing Alcohol

100ml squeeze bottle of 70%+ isopropyl alcohol. Triples as hand sanitiser, wound cleaning, and chamois area wipedown on no-shower hut nights. Saddle sore prevention matters more than most first aid over two weeks.

Laundry

  • Bring two pairs of knicks, rotating daily.
  • Chamois cream applied every morning. This is non-negotiable over two weeks.
    • Can recommend Aussie Butt Cream
    • We can also consider Assos Chamois Creme as it’s formulated for for long tours. It contains a mild antiseptic and is specifically formulated to last all day without reapplication. More expensive.
  • Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash 50ml Bottle
    • Hand-wash chamois and base layer at huts in a dry bag with a few drops of wilderness wash, hang overnight. The chamois must be clean and dry each morning.
  • Antibacterial laundry sheets.
  • Wet weather plan: if it rains and overnight-hung chamois won’t dry, wring out thoroughly with your camp towel, apply chamois cream generously, and ride in damp knicks. Bring cream for this reason.

Full machine wash at town stops every third night. Don’t bother washing outer layers unless genuinely filthy.