[LEL17] Personal care items for LEL

[Redlight]

My list (based on 1 x LEL and 3 x PBP):

travel toothbrush
Tiny tube of toothpaste
Mouthwash
antiseptic wipes
roll-on deodorant - just in case I get to shower

Oddly, I've never felt the need to shave;my beard simply seems to stop growing on longer events.  Similarly (we're getting very personal here) I don't bother with loo roll as I find that I don't need it until about 12 hours after I've finished.

[hellymedic]

Girls need tissues/bog roll. Not all loos will have a supply.
My hair and nails don't grow much on the move either.

[Carlosfandango]

I thought I'd review this topic and I can't believe it.

Look, I'm hardly Fred Flintstone but, mouthwash, antibacterial wipes, slippers, tissues, pyjamas! I don't use that lot in everyday life, let alone on an Audax.

Are you sure you lot are audacious?

[hellymedic]

I don't wear slippers at home, where floors are mostly carpeted and my soft shoes are worn all day.
Controls on LEL will mostly have hard floors with a 'no (cleated) shoes' rule so you'll be walking round in socks.
Toilet floors WILL be wet.

You might not mind this.
I would.
But I'm not doing LEL.

[Kim]

Also, who doesn't use bog roll on a daily basis?  (Apart from Redlight, apparently.)

IME on a long bike ride, good quality bogroll is worth its weight in all the little clumps of cheap bogroll that haven't disintegrated on contact with moisture and opted to spend the next 50 miles irritating your ladybits.   

[hellymedic]

I concur with teh Kim that a happy undercarriage is essential for comfort on a long ride and using a decent quality tissue for this is key.
YMMV...

[wajcgac]

Anyone know what the towel situation is this time round?

In 2013 the organisers at the last minute were badly let down by their suppliers. Thankfully I had decided that it was best if I popped a couple of small microfibre towels in my bag drops. They were small enough to take on to the next overnight stop where necessary so I was never without a towel to dry with after a shower.

I remember feeling quite relieved at one control having my own towel whilst being aware others had come to the rather unpleasant realisation that the few towels available were those in the already used pile 

I'm not sure what the plan is this time but the logistics of guaranteeing enough towels in the right place for 1500 riders can't be easy. I'm not able to enter this year but I'd pack some micro fibre towels again if I was, just in case.

[Redlight]

Also, who doesn't use bog roll on a daily basis?  (Apart from Redlight, apparently.)

I should probably clarify that this lack of due bodily process only seems to occur on long audaxes. 

Agree on the quality tissues - I find that cleaning the nether regions with antibacterial wipes to get rid of accumulated sweat every time I change shorts reduces chafing and other nasties.

Hadn't thought about the micro towel but that's a very good idea. I took one on PBP and it came in very useful when the control at which I took a shower had none available.

[Fidgetbuzz]

extremely likely that your small bag of goodies at the start will have several pairs of thin plastic overshoes for use at controls.. Alwyn and I like this idea. towels .. as part of the court settlement from last times fiasco .. we did end up with a stock  of towels .. we are aiming to buy  more .. but getting right numbers in right places is pretty difficult .. so carrying a small microfleece towel makes a lot of sense to me .

[Kim]

You should always know where your towel is.

[hellymedic]

My face flannel suggestion was also one for use as  a mini towel.
Dry in the breeze between controls.
Personally never got on with synthetic microfibre towels. It's gotta be cotton for me!

[mmmmartin]

it came in very useful when the control at which I took a shower had none available.

carrying a small microfleece towel makes a lot of sense to me

My preferred weapon of towel-age is made of colourful stretchy nylon material and is very thin so it dries very quickly, it comes in a shirt-shaped design. Between uses as a towel for drying the body it can be worn on the body while on the bike. Takes no space in the Carradice.

The drop bags could take a microfibre towel, and be used two on the way up and twice on the way back if the bags are placed with thought.

[Kim]

Personally never got on with synthetic microfibre towels. It's gotta be cotton for me!

I find the cheap 'fluffy' microfibre (the kind they make dusters out of) is much better at drying things - particularly hair - than the 'smooth' kind.  It holds more water, so does take a bit longer to dry.

Your hair may vary.

(Nitpicking towels is more of a touring thing than LEL though, where any non-smelly piece of dryish fabric will suffice, as long as there is one.)

[vorsprung]

I thought I'd review this topic and I can't believe it.

Look, I'm hardly Fred Flintstone but, mouthwash, antibacterial wipes, slippers, tissues, pyjamas! I don't use that lot in everyday life, let alone on an Audax.

Are you sure you lot are audacious?

I know what you mean.  I am concerned about the amount of useless luggage some people will be carrying

Slippers and Pyjamas, agree these are bizarre.

However, antibac wipes have 101 uses including
 - toilet paper for an unscheduled no2
 - clean the chain
 - wipe oil off hands after remounting the chain (they are effective vs. oil)
It's tricky finding a small pack of them though


 

[hellymedic]

I think Sainsbury's sell little packs of 10 'Halo' wipes.
Wet Ones also come in pocket packs.

[Bunker22]

You should always know where your towel is.

You're a frood who really knows where your towel is.

[Moleman76]

Similarly (we're getting very personal here) I don't bother with loo roll as I find that I don't need it until about 12 hours after I've finished.

Perhaps add "prunes" to your list of essential items.  Think of all the extra weight you have to move up those inclines.

[Redlight]

Similarly (we're getting very personal here) I don't bother with loo roll as I find that I don't need it until about 12 hours after I've finished.

Perhaps add "prunes" to your list of essential items.  Think of all the extra weight you have to move up those inclines.

Believe me, with the excess weight I'm already carrying, a couple of pounds of whatever won't make a difference 

[hellymedic]

Anyway, the difference is trivial as I have observed in the 'Weight Loss' thread...

[igauk]

+1 for the mini packs of anti-bac wipes. Mine are 'Sani Hands' with a textured surface which is surprisingly effective at cleaning chains. Diarrhea tablets (to prevent not cause!). I have a robust constitution but live in fear of an unintended laxative/lycra interface, for which I blame Gred LeMond.

[madcow]

I thought I'd review this topic and I can't believe it.

Look, I'm hardly Fred Flintstone but, mouthwash, antibacterial wipes, slippers, tissues, pyjamas! I don't use that lot in everyday life, let alone on an Audax.

Are you sure you lot are audacious?

Whatever floats your boat, Carlos. I know that several people complained of "baguette mouth" at the end of PBP. The lining of the mouth is sore for some time afterwards. Ditto for chapped lips.
No point in adding to the discomfort.
Agree on the pyjamas though. I went on a hostelling tour where one participant brought a dressing gown. 
As for hotel or B+B? What's that all about?

[L CC]

Antibacterial wipes are too harsh for use on my neither regions. I use Simple face wipes. I have a first aid/care kit I take on every ride with a range of drugs and lotions & potions - but I'm a fat fecker which means that everything physical I do is harder on my body than if I were lighter. The difference between a BMI of 28 and 35 is hugely painful- chafing, bruising, numb feet and hands are all more frequent and severe when I'm heavier.

Hotels and B&B are a fine way of getting an uninterrupted shower, shit & sleep, (not necessarily in that order) and as such, should not be underrated.
I took a silk nightie and sleeping bag liner last time. I wasn't going to be sleeping in my stinky sweaty shorts and the German Approach is not something that anyone wants to see.

[mattc]

I thought I'd review this topic and I can't believe it.

Look, I'm hardly Fred Flintstone but, mouthwash, antibacterial wipes, slippers, tissues, pyjamas! I don't use that lot in everyday life, let alone on an Audax.

Are you sure you lot are audacious?

Whatever floats your boat, Carlos. I know that several people complained of "baguette mouth" at the end of PBP. The lining of the mouth is sore for some time afterwards. Ditto for chapped lips.
No point in adding to the discomfort.
Agree on the pyjamas though. I went on a hostelling tour where one participant brought a dressing gown. 
As for hotel or B+B? What's that all about?

Audax is about riding your bike a long way. (within a time limit that is some challenge, for many)

It's not about being in as much pain as possible, or suffering preventable health/hygiene/digestion issues on the way, or not getting any sleep for 4 nights, or smelling so bad that you get kicked out of Wetherspoons. There are no extra points for  such things 


(n.b. LWAB tends to describe me as part of the "hair-shirt fraternity" !)

[Somnolent]

I have a robust constitution but live in fear of an unintended laxative/lycra interface, for which I blame Gred LeMond.

Ditto, but one member of this parish (who may not wish to identify themselves) was having a major issue on PBP.
Sadly, his amusing commentary on resemblance to what bears did in the woods was cut from ESL's video.

[Phil W]

I carry a small tub of aloe Vera Vaseline for chapped lips which I can often get on longer rides. It's also good to smear over a graze should you come off.  Bonjela in case I get  mouth ulcers. About 10 ibuprofen tablets for pain relief. I also carry refreshing eye drops for when my eyes get tired or dry in a stiff wind.