Originally posted on the PocketRanger blog.
When I hike, I sweat. When I sweat, I stink. Ask my wife, she’ll be the first to tell you. I work hard and play hard, but I certainly don’t smell like roses when I am hiking, cycling or training for hunting season. One of the products I have come to use for the past year during my excursions is the environmentally friendly Action Wipes.
As an avid outdoorsman, I am always on the move. I don’t always have time to use soap and water and many times I am well out of range of finding a water source. I am a stubborn guy and when I read up on Action Wipes about them being ‘natural’ and using ‘essential oils’ I thought ‘Great, this is another hippie product’. So I began using them. First, I used them during my afternoon, lunch hour hikes at work and then during training rides on my mountain bike. I also compared them to your average alcohol wipe and Hunter’s Specialties Scent-A-Way wipes.
Acton Wipes ingredients:
- Water
- Leuconostoc/Sorbus aucuparia fruit ferment filtrat (preservative derived from the berries of the Rowan shrub)
- Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate (coconut oil derived emollient, surfactant and preservative)
- Capryl Glucoside (sugarcane derived surfactant)
- Boswellia Carteri (Frankincense) Oil
- Eucalyptus Radiata (Eucalyptus) Oil
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil
- Cananga odorata (Ylang Ylang) Oil
My afternoon hikes during my lunch hour didn’t allow me time to shower, so I used an Action Wipe. These hikes were me hauling a backpack with 100 lbs. of sand for four miles in 80-90 degree temperatures. You will just have to imagine the sweating and odor. A few minutes with an Action Wipe smelling of natural, eucalyptus and I smelled great and felt great! My skin didn’t have that soapy residue that can happen when using regular soap. I felt clean, my skin was oil free and I smelled of those natural oils I was so quick to judge. One of the great things about the wipes is that they can be rinsed and reused again a couple times. Once you rinse, you will lose most of the essential oils, but it will work great like a wash cloth. Being able to utilize a wipe for a few times helps the environment and supports Action Wipes global commitment to helping the environment.
Action Wipes eliminate the need to pack soap, water and a cloth separately. This comes in very handy when you pack limited supplies on your back for some mountain biking, or just biking around town. A small packet with a single wipe can easily be tossed in a pack or placed in your pocket. In the heat of the high desert, you will sweat and your bike helmet will seem like it’s cooking your brain. There is nothing like a drink of water, a snack, and cleaning up with an Action Wipe at the end of a long ride. They feel cool and refreshing. The 9″x10″ wipe covers a large area and doesn’t slip as you wipe away dirt, grime and sweat.
Like I mentioned earlier, I compared Action Wipes to Hunter’s Specialties Scent-A-Way wipes and the HS wipes did clean, but they are thinner, come in a noisy packet of 20 and the pack tends to dry out quickly. Each Action Wipe is individually wrapped in a quiet pouch. The HS wipes also didn’t feel like they cleaned as well, plus I felt like I needed to use three of them to equal the cleanliness of one Action Wipe. Alcohol pads were also tested and they don’t even compare as they are truly only meant for your hands. They don’t smell good, they stink. They also have harsh chemicals and if you use them around your eye, the chemical will leave an unpleasant burning.
Why do I like Action Wipes so much? There are no harsh chemicals, no alcohol, they pack well and they are kid friendly! Plus, they can be reused not only as a wipe, but as a napkin, too. The single, large wipes retail for $1.49 each, but you can cut that to below a $1 each if you order a 30-pack. I tested the single, large wipes, but you can also order a 30-sheet soft pack if you prefer.
One of the side benefits I found with them is that bugs weren’t drawn to me as they normally are. One area where I have not tested them is in the field when hunting. With natural oils and scents I would imagine they would be a bit more scent-friendly with an animal, but only a good test will tell for sure. Personally, I would recommend these to anyone who is active in the outdoors, cares about the environment, has kids who are active, and wants to smell and feel clean with a simple wipe. Action Wipes are something I will keep in my pack, bike kit, and keep around for those outings with my daughter.
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