Someone left a comment on the last stealth camping post about hygiene. I noticed this was an issue as well and have been brainstorming. Though most of this I haven’t actually tried yet, these are my thoughts on the matter:

The thing is, if wild camping is mixed in with stay overs at hostels (say, every 3 days) then it becomes more practical (and accommodation costs are still down to nearly a third).

The way to handle the stuff intermittently would be:

Teeth - Bring in enough water to brush your teeth and “swish” afterward. This isn’t really a problem. If ultra eco-conscious, use Tom’s of Maine or other natural toothpaste (even make your own) or collect your “swish” water in a separate container for dumping and washing later on.

B.O. - Unavoidable, but if in a dryer climate this is less than an issue than say, in the Philippines. Possibly a basic small sponge that can be doused in drinking water and used to cleanse the more odoriferous areas. Washing the sponge obviously necessary every few days. I also recommend basic speed-stick deodorant for long-lasting coverage.

Clothes - I usually wear my Icebreaker shirts two or three times EACH before washing, so this isn’t really that much of an issue. They don’t begin to smell until the fourth time or so. If you MUST wash in between I could see filling a plastic garbage bag with water, laundry soap, and clothes, tying the end off, and kicking it around a bit.

So really, mixed in with hostel stays, I’m a lot less likely to end up getting a seat to myself on the train

In other news, I’m heading to Witzenhauzen tomorrow to visit two friends I met in a Hostel in Cologne (Imke and Jenni). I’ll be there for a couple days enjoying some local festivities and the room they are so graciously providing for me (though it looks like a good town to stealth in) and will move on after that to London where I will be joined by my mother on the 24th.

Though I would prefer to be “stealthing” full-time at this point, my mother isn’t quite as adventurous (in that way) as I so we will most-likely be staying in hostels and hotels. In a month, though, I will be back in Germany and stealthing like crazy.

I will be a wealth of knowledge then.