adventurepdx

I linked to that post more for the "why is shaving with a double-edged razor better than with a Gillette Mach 13 Razor", not for the other stuff. Like a lot of things, people get obsessive about their hobbies and routines, and it's easy to go down a rabbit hole with this stuff. (See also: Bikes and Bike Touring.)

When I decided to get into "old-school" shaving about ten years ago, I looked at a few blogs and YouTubes. Some people get really serious about this stuff, and spend a lot of time checking out different tools and a lot of money in the process doing it. There are men who think nothing of spending $200 on a shaving brush, a tool whose sole purpose is to lather shaving cream. Sure, that $200 brush can lather up a dollop of cream in milliseconds, but I'm okay spending a few extra seconds using my old brush I got off of Etsy for $10. And "high-fat" shaving cream doesn't need to be expensive--I tend to stick with Prorasso, easily available and usually $10. With that $10 brush I'm able to make a tube last for months, more life than I'd get out of a can of Edge Gel.

And yes, some people make more of a process out of shaving than others. If you're used to "I put some Barbasol on my face and used a disposable", then the advice of pre- and post-shave stuff seems like a lot. But some people like it, and for some people it's their way of getting a good shave. You don't necessarily need all those extras. As for the styptic pen, I've had one for "emergencies". But it burns like a hot pepper, so I rarely use the thing.

And shaving cream/soaps is a personal thing. What works for some may not work for others. It's all a matter of trial and error.

tcs

I'm guessing that tube of shave cream is 'lather on the face' (or do you use your dangle mug to work the lather?). That being your cycletour shaving kit, as I suggested in post no. 26, it would seem you are repurposing your oatmeal pot for a shaving basin, heating water over the camp stove (reasonable), and using yesterday's t-shirt for a towel (NTTAWWT).

Or maybe I'm just mired in ignorance*. Let's say we're at a Forest Service campsite with a pit toilet and a water spigot. Can someone guide me through their process with accoutrements of wet shaving on a camping cycletour? (For reference, I know about wet blade shaving at home; I alternate between a 1957 Schick Injector Hydro-magic and a 1915 GEM Damaskeene.)

BTW, wet shaving and camping cycletourists, the secret word for today is biodegradable:




*Would not be the first time.

adventurepdx

You could just put the cream on your face, but I do use the "dangle mug" to lather up. I might use a stove and (not oatmeal) pot to heat water. As for "towel", well, I use a towel. They do make travel towels as well. See photo (pen for scale):



Horses for courses.

What I put in my shaving kit depends on what kind of tour I'll be doing, and how long.

• Quick overnight or two nighter: I'd leave the kit at home.
• If I was going to do a tour where I'd be guaranteed a "real bathroom" at least every third day or so, I'd bring some level of my wet shave travel kit: travel razor, shaving cream, brush. Maybe I'd bring some aftershave in a small bottle, maybe I'd just use some Aloe Vera Gel (that's always in my travel kit). I don't usually do the wet shave with a spigot and hot water from the stove, though I have done it in the past.
• If I was doing a more bikepacking tour, a tour where Forest Service pit toilets would be the norm, or wanted to keep the kit minimal, I'd skip the kit above and bring a razor and either that stuff you depicted above, or possibly some shave oil, like the type Pacific sells: https://www.pacificshaving.com/natur...ing-oil-1-2oz/

Tourist in MSN

Basically the same thing I do at home. Get my face wet with my hands. I do not bother to run the water till it is hot, use cold. At home I use liquid hand soap but on a bike tour I use bar soap (usually Ivory) that I also use in the shower, rub the soap on my wet face to get my skin soapy. Then with my left hand (I am right handed) rub the soap around on my wet skin to get better more uniform coverage of soap where I plan to shave. Then with right hand, get the blade wet and shave. Traveling, I use a Bic, they clog up pretty easy with long whiskers or too many, so need to clean that out often.

I usually shave about once a week when traveling. I have a partial beard, so am only shaving part of my face. When you have a partial beard, it is less obvious when the part you shave has not been shaved for several days.

I try really hard to find campgrounds that have showers, and when they have showers they always have sinks. Since I also do sink laundry, I bring my own flat silicone drain stopper because campground sinks usually have no stoppers for me to do laundry.

Equipment: Bic razor, bar of soap (and storage box for soap), and drain stopper.

saddlesores

that's cool. it's all personal preference. one less thing (for me) to bother with.
first couple days may be itchy, but on a 6-month tour............you (well....I do) get used to it.

i might buy me a 25-cent "bric" knock off at the end of the tour to clean up before the flight home,
or before dealing with corrupt border officials at remote crossings.
depends on the budget at the end............heck, could also splurge for a $1 live barber shave.

autonomy

Second those recommendations. I have been using a DE razor for over a decade but my facial hair is more of a nuisance rather than a manly feature. I don't tour with this but I travel a bit. Arko sticks are excellent to fly with since they're neither pressurized nor liquid, and they're compact (you can even cut one in half). Astra blades have been really good to me, but my pack says they're in Russia so they might be hard to get soon. A 100 pack (500 blades) lasts a veeeery long time (possibly a decade). For home use Proraso shaving cream is awesome; it used to be more difficult to find in the US but now it's much easier (Amazon, even seen it at TJMaxx).

phughes

From what I have read, Astra is a subsidiary of Gillette. I am sure they manufacture them all over.

IPassGas

A lovely breakfast at camp and its time to get a move on. Break camp, just before taking down the drying cord strung between the trees that goes into an outer pannier pocket, I pull out the Panasonic shaver from the same pocket, do a shave whilst roaming the site looking for any debris, and then off we go. More time enjoying coffee at camp, less time shaving.

gauvins

Gillette brand is owned by P&G. My understanding is that most Gillette razor blades (Astra, Nacet, Gillette Blue, etc.) are currently made in St. Petersburg (RU). BIC (French brand, manufactured in Turkey), Feather (Japanese) or Derby (Turkey) usually receive good reviews,

phughes

Yeah, I just looked at both the Astra SS and Astra SP I have, and they were both made in St. Petersburg. I just bought the Astra SS recently from Amazon. Get them while there is stock.