Originally Posted by
bhatnasx
Regarding laundry detergent, I actually carry a little box of powdered detergent (which protects cloting if it breaks open in your bag, unlike the liquid detergent). Also, if its an extended backpacking trip, I bring nylon cord so I can do my laundry in my hotel room sink and hang the clothes in my room. You can find a variety of uses for cord/rope when you're on the road...
Just because I'm on a budget trip or economising doesn't mean I have to drop my standards - and with a bad back I need to travel light.
Marseilles Soap is about the best toiletry item ever made.
A good quality olive oil based soap it's been manufactured and used for centuries.
Good as a soap for your body (tough on grime but very gentle - won't dry you out)
Excellent as a shampoo (as a female I'm particularly fussy about shampoo and wouldn't use any other kind of soap for this as it would leave my hair with the texture of dried straw)
Marvellous for washing your clothes with!
If you can get hold of it in Southern Europe you'll find it a very good price. If not, you can get it in huge bars at L'Occitane. It may seem expensive, but if you heat up a sharp knife with hot water you can easily make the huge block into 5 reasonably priced handy bars.
We use it on a daily basis as my husband has severe eczema and doesn't get on well with many soaps. He was fine with clinique, but that's an expensive habit if you're washing your whole body with it. He's been very happy with the Marseilles Soap and I'm a delighted convert (I grew up thinking of it as a clothes detergent as my Spanish grandmother has always used it for hand washing, it never even occurred to me until relatively recently to wash my body, let alone my hair with it!)
Top stuff!
http://usa.loccitane.com/product/pro...nt=25SA500BL&=
It's usually $8 (as I said, divide by 5 as it's a pretty big block - a divided portion should be all you need for a two or three week trip).
There's another version with a lavender scent (not my favourite fragrance) which is just the same under the Bon Mere title. Might have the added effect of keeping moths away from your luggage!
(you can get my preferred soap in a
smaller size but it isn't nearly as economical)