Surviveware Biodegradable Shower Wipes Review
On a route where water is scarce, washing with it is not an option, and a body wipe is the difference between a tolerable second night and an unpleasant one.
The verdictWorth the pack space on any route where water is rationed. Pack them out, including the biodegradable ones.
The case for wipes is specific rather than general. When water has to be carried and every litre is for drinking or cooking, washing with it is indefensible, and that is exactly the situation on desert and high plateau routes. A single body-sized wipe at the end of the day makes a two-day dry stretch far more tolerable.
These are noticeably larger than baby wipes, which matters because the alternative is using three or four small ones and carrying the same weight in packaging. The resealable pack keeps the rest from drying out, which is the failure mode that wastes half a packet.
Biodegradable is a slow process and it does not make burying them acceptable. These take months to break down in soil, and animals dig them up long before that happens, which is how a buried wipe ends up on the trail. They get packed out in a dedicated bag along with everything else.
Where water is genuinely available, a microfibre cloth and a few drops of castile soap does the same job for a fraction of the weight, the cost and the waste, and it keeps working all trip. Wipes earn their place only when that option does not exist, which is a narrower set of routes than most people assume.
What works
- Body-sized rather than baby-wipe sized
- Resealable pack keeps the rest damp
- Very large owner review base
What doesn't
- Must be packed out, not buried
- Heavier and pricier than soap and a cloth
- Single-use where a cloth is not
Buy it if
Dry camps and routes with scarce water
Skip it if
You have water to spare, where soap and a cloth is cheaper
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