Philmont Showers - Navy Showers
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From Everything2.com
On boats, where fresh water is a limited resource, it becomes necessary to refine personal hygiene beyond a level taught to youth. The "Navy Shower" is an accepted way to limit water use while maintaining an adequate level of bodily cleanliness. Following rules similar to those for brushing teeth, water is only used when absolutely necessary.
A typical Navy Shower algorithm:
- 1. Strip.
- 2. Turn on water.
- 3. Regardless of whether or not the water has reached desired temperature, wet entire body from toes to scalp.
- 4. Turn off water.
- 5. Using soap, shampoo, and other cleansing products, build up an acceptable amount of lather.
- 6. Turn on water again.
- 7. Rinse.
- 8. Turn off water.
- 9. Do not repeat, as you have already used more than enough water.
Note that this is the polar opposite of a Hollywood Shower and in fact rarely builds a level of psychological reassurance provided by allowing gallons of warm water to pour over one's body. But you've gotta do what you've gotta do.
A navy shower is a limited fresh water wash. My grandmother who went through the droughts of the 30's and the 50's said, if you really need to you can take a good bath in six cups of water. The other backcountry way to wash is to use a black garbage bag and three or four quarts of water. Leave the bag in the sun during the afternoon to warm the water, then comes bath time: go off in the woods, find a place to disrobe, sit down in the garbage bag and using your Sierra cup as a ladle to take your bath. For those of you not Navy, this is the equivlent of bathing in your helment liner.
Gary Boyd
Crew 151 CC
Georgetown, Tx
622-N-01
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