The Bathing Issues.

I'm trying to think of a way to bathe people easily, without effecting the local water source, or making it too cumbersome to carry water back.

Any ideas on getting water from point A to point B, river/stream friendly soap, ext.

 

How close are you to a clean water source ?

 

Well, I'm talking hypotheticals, right now... Hiking places say 100ft or more from the water, that way the soil can clean and purify the water before it ever reaches the water again

 

Rain Barrel Showers

 

The way I've seen this done (and participated) was on a canoe trip in a remote area. We had our food in plastic buckets, and there were always empty ones available. So you'd fill a bucket with water out of the river, and carry it up into the woods. Then you'd jump in the river, and while you were still wet, you'd run up to the bucket and soap yourself up. Then you'd get a friend (cutest person in sight who'd be willing) to pour the bucket of water over you to wash the soap into the ground. Then you'd do a final rinse in the river.

But really, this need for soap is pretty bogus. You can do a fair job of getting sweat and bug spray off just by having a swim. No swimsuit needed.

 

Sounds good to me, all of it.

 

If you do need soap, you really don't have to far from the water to avoid any contamination. Make sure the soap you use does not contain phosphates, as that is the main pollution source. It does make great fertilizer though, so if you do have soap with it, use it around some plant life.

To get water to your shower site, you can use any number of things, depending on your specific site, you may be able to run it from the stream through a pipe. Just need a source higher than your shower.

 

a nice warm, long, shower.

why anyone would want anything else idk.

 

So, would handmade soap work? I haven't made it before, so I'm not sure if it contains phosphates. I would want to be able to make our own soap.

 

I believe that glycerin soap, which is what you normally make at home, is a good soap to use.

 

This!

Also you can have 'grey water evaporators' to deal with the used water.

 

All bathing water should go into a gray water system and water the garden with it. Look up "gray water system" and you will get some ideas.

 

Very good idea, if you can set it up. If you are setting up a greywater system, you want to run everything but your toilets into it. Toilets must run into a septic system for disosal.