What Leave No Trace principles apply to camp showers?
If you are camping in the backcountry, whether on a backpacking trip or at a dispersed site, it’s important to follow Leave No Trace principles to minimize disruption to the surrounding ecosystem. The most important part of this is to set up your camp shower at least 200 feet (with some recommendations going up to 300 feet) from any surrounding water sources, as well as the trail or any surrounding campsites. If you use soap, which most campers and backpackers agree isn’t really necessary, then it’s important to use as little as possible by lathering up a bandana or camping washcloth and using that to clean off. While it’s essential to ensure that none of the water that you are using for your shower makes its way back to a water source, using a biodegradable soap can also help minimize the impact to the environment.