LightBackpacking.com

I admit that when I’m on a two to three-day backpack I sometimes skip flossing and occasionally, brushing. Call it lazy. Or think of it as a break from the daily routine.

At the same time, I think personal hygiene can be just what you need to feel refreshed after a day of sweat, grime and dust on the trail. Washing up. Brushing and flossing. Putting on clean nightclothes before crawling into your sleeping bag. All add to your trail quality of life.

As an ultralight backpacker, you don’t need to skimp on these niceties. That goes for dental hygiene as well.

I’ve searched far and wide for lightweight alternatives to traditional products and family size containers. The drugstore or your dentist are good sources of such items. Here are some ideas:

• Really light, really easy: use your finger as a toothbrush. Bring a few lengths of floss in a tiny container, plastic bag or plastic wrap.

• The disposable foam sucker: literally pink foam rubber on a sucker stick with mint flavoring. Hospitals supply them as a mouth freshener. They can’t weigh more than a fraction of an ounce.

• Travel size Glide floss: a small metal container of floss the size of a quarter and 1/8th-inch thick.

• One-use Reach Easy Slide: a package with one strand of floss. A few of these will last several seasons.

• Floss bow Dental Pick and the Pick-A-Dent: alternative to floss.

• Cool Mint Listerine gel: flat tubes hold a weeks worth of toothpaste.

Samples are a wonderful source of ultralight supplies from dental hygiene to condiments such as sugar, cream, salt, pepper, mayo, mustard, soy sauce and more.

Be creative. Be light. Be one with your pack. Leave no trace.