Dehydrated toothpaste

[wayno]

well according to physics more energy will be needed to carry and extra 20 grams
but when you weigh maybe 80,000 grams or more and you're carrying 7000 grams or more of overnight kit... the difference is unoticeable.
the reality ther comes a point where gram counting is a purely academic exercise, you could put on thousands of grams in weight between walks, put on hundreds or over a thousand grams if you get wet....
making a toothbrush more packable. how many cubic milimetres is that in a pack thats tens of thousands of cubic centimetres?

[Orion]

As I already wrote above, it isn't about 20 grams, it's N * 20 grams, where N>>1.

The fact that you would consider taking less food means you agree with me. Each item of food, on its own, is not significant. It's only when you add it all up that it matters.

[frenchy_84]

but 1n=1 weeks worth, so for a 2 week trip N still only equals 2, a massive 40grams, you can add it up to over a months worth of toothpaste and its still insignifcant.

[wayno]

oh wow. now 40 grams, now we're really talking. awesome, i'll go and start dehydrating all my toothpaste now...
sometmes i think ultralighters should be kept apart from the rest of us, i see other forums where they will complain about an extra ten grams... i think for most people n times 20 grams just doesnt come into their consideration... but for ultralighters every gram does count and always will...

[Orion]

I assume you really are confused and not just being snarky for the sake of it.

What I meant by "N" was the number of small savings that can accumulate, be it from toothpaste, toothbrushes, stuff sacks, first aid tape, or whatever.

Last year I shaved about 250g by doing things like cutting my toothbrush in half. Now you could argue that 250g isn't very much but it was part of the whole picture of saving weight whereever possible. For certain classes of trips I think it matters. In my case, I'm not sure I would have been able to do the trip I did without this approach.

[wayno]

dont get me wrong , its a good thing to look at saving weight but at some point it can just be too much time and effort spendt on too little savings, i've taken about five kilos or more off my gear by changing gear. if theres a few hundred grams in it i'll consider it depending on the expense effort required, but often i won't bother if its getting under half a kilo, i don't notice that little difference, i went through everything in a short tine space and made the big savings then... thers so many factors that influence weight, how much water and good you have to carry, i'm not going to short change myself on items like that, not interested in being overly hungry or thirsty.. and i personally have never noticed the difference saving a coupe of hundred grams. after saving five kilos it doesnt compare... if it comes time to renew gear and i think its worth getting something lighter i'll give it a go then, its about keeping it in perspective for me, i wouldnt advocate to anyone to worry about dehydrating their toothpaste or cutting off their toothbrush handle, to me its not really that important compared to choosing appropriate gear.

[Orion]

I fully agree with that. It depends. And there is always some point where it doesn't matter.

Last weekend I skied in to snow camp with a steel coffee grinder, a porcelain mug, two wine glasses and a bottle of wine in my pack.

I still had the half toothbrush though. It's not as pointy and it fits better. Works just the same. Easy choice.

[wayno]

wher i would pay attention to saving the odd hundred grams is more in bulky items like clothes and sleeping bag, can save a lot of space going through all clothes and sleeping bag, and can then use a smaller pack b, better ergonomics for weight distribution. alround easier walking.

[Stibb]

making a toothbrush more packable. how many cubic milimetres is that in a pack thats tens of thousands of cubic centimetres?

Lol, enough! No, a brush is not very large but it is just too long to fit in my little designated zipper bag. Just like having a foldable spork that fits into my cookset is more packable than a long spork that doesn't fit. Just makes life a little bit easier
relax! you don't have to do it...

[Onestepmore]

two wine glasses and a bottle of wine in my pack.
.

Cheers hun
In agreement there
Bring some of the tiny bud lights too for atmosphere (I put a link in the Christmas dinner thread)
It's meant to be fun

PS my dehydrated toothpaste blobs worked out great. A little like chewing an antacid mint intially, then just like normal
If anyone wants any pictures i'll post

[Orion]

"tiny bud lights"

For just a second there I thought you were suggesting I carry in lousy American beer along with the wine.
Ah yes, the battery-powered blinking Christmas LEDs on a string. I already have them!

I'd be curious to see your photos of the dehydrated paste.

I tried to dry some the other day, just for fun and to see how it would come out. But after about 5 hours in the dehydrator it wasn't going anywhere. It had a tough skin but was otherwise really soft. So I gave up and pulled the plug. I use the gel type of toothpaste so maybe that's the problem?

[Son of a Beach]

I find that taking no toothpaste at all (and no toothbrush at all on shorter trips) saves even more weight!

You people who dry out toothpaste or cut toothbrushes in half just aren't trying hard enough!

Or maybe I'm just a dirty old man.

But seriously... do you really need toothpaste when bushwalking?

[Orion]

Do you need to practice dental hygiene whilst bushwalking?
I guess it depends on how much time you spend out there.

If you're at it enough, at some point your teeth will fall out... which will provide for further weight savings.

Seriously though, I've read that toothpaste itself is not so necessary. The action of the bristles does enough on its own.

[Son of a Beach]

Brushing without using toothpaste is more than adequate for most people most of the time. Adding toothpaste is obviously better, but not as much as some people think.

[Stibb]

Hey, it's only 10-20g or so, so why not bring it. Jeez, those ultra lightweighters

[Onestepmore]

I find that taking no toothpaste at all (and no toothbrush at all on shorter trips) saves even more weight!

You people who dry out toothpaste or cut toothbrushes in half just aren't trying hard enough!

Or maybe I'm just a dirty old man.

But seriously... do you really need toothpaste when bushwalking?

No nookies for you methinks!

[Nuts]

I cut the end off my toothbrush, i agree- one can do without the motor and battery pack. What about toothpaste chewing gum, add something to the dehy drops? or just take gum.. and a good book

[Onestepmore]

or just take gum.. and a good book

You're doing it wrong

[Nuts]

Aye.. or not at all.

[Igorius]

Hahahaha

That's what we call in Germany: Grammjäger - Does anyone know a proper translation for this world?
If you directly translate it it means "gram-hunter"

Funny discussion. I never worried too much about my toothpaste or toothbrush

[Orion]

Here in the USA we have an expression, the meaning of which I believe is self-evident:
"Take care of the ounces and the pounds take care of themselves".

Let me translate that for those of you in the rest of the world:

"Take care of the decagrams and the kilograms take care of themselves."

[Strider]

Sounds like a reworking of the old "Save your pennies and the pounds will follow".

What the hell is a decagram??

[Orion]

Sounds like a reworking of the old "Save your pennies and the pounds will follow".

You're probably right. Funny, I usually lean over to pick up a penny.... except when in Australia!

What the hell is a decagram??

The decagram (dag) is a unit of mass in the metric system. Deca = 10 and 1 dag = 10^1 grams.
It's the closest metric unit to the ounce.
You could say "Take care of the grams... kilograms" but it's a poorer approximation/translation.

Examples:
Cutting my toothbrush in half saves about 1 dag.
Leaving the toothpaste at home (for a weeklong trip) saves about 3 dag.

Or:
Taking a bottle of wine on a trip costs about 130 dag.
My coffee rig and beans for 4 cups weighs about 90 dag.

I'm not sure I'm proving my point with these last two examples!

As an aside, I like the size of the ounce better than the gram.
You can feel an ounce. A gram? It's too small.
The decagram is also a nice unit but it is relatively unknown.

[Onestepmore]

Mm, I have some european cookbooks with decilitres in them. A little odd eg 6 dL = 600 mL

PS taking 4 little toothpaste buds out tomorrow with hubby for an overnighter
Will see how they go 'in the field'
Lol, one of my dogs accidently ate one when I was bagging them up frm the dehydrator. He didn't froth or anything, just looked a bit peturbed.

[walk2wineries]

short adult toothbrushes a bit awkward. I look for children's brushes with no cartoon characters; if I really wanted a tiny one I'd take the brush part of my electric toothbrush. Maybe it would fit on a tungsten tent peg? must try

[GPSGuided]

People do know that for good dental/gum health, floss is more effective than brushing. Right? As such, I propose that UUL packers should just carry one 40cm length of quality dental floss (2 grams?) and use it for the week/s. Finger brushing and slice of mint can be used as supplement. Done!

[bumblefoot]

I agree with Wayno, better to save more weight with your gear, etc than to agonise about 20g on toothpaste of all things. The other answer is, just get fitter so you can carry this "extra" weight without whinging about it.

I'm going out snow shoeing for 7 days next week and fully expect my pack to weigh over 20 kg without water. But I know I'll be snug and warm in my decent sleeping bag and bomb proof 4 season tent. I will have a shovel, comprehensive first aid kit, comprehensive repair kit for all sorts of things, and lots of warm clothes. (I weigh 55kg and feel the cold a lot).I'll have plenty of (mostly dehydrated) food, soups, hot chocolate, etc and (IMO) it's just not worth going without some of these things to save a few grams.