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The Scrubba Untouched Wash Bag review
The Scrubba Untouched is the laundry companion you have been looking for. It is a wash bag designed for backpacking, camping, and overlanding trips. It’s not only portable but very efficient too. Outfitted with an effective closing system, an air bleed valve, and most importantly, a patented scrubbing mat on the inside, this wash bag is valuable to bring along on your adventure.
What is the Scrubba Untouched Wash Bag?
We love to camp in remote wild spaces, preferably with access to water. We thrive in such places and love to spend weeks on end here. Of course, that sounds great, but it comes with a certain set of challenges too. One of those challenges is the quickly growing bag of laundry, which is a direct result of being so far away from civilization. Over the years we’ve done our laundry in rivers, lakes, and buckets. Of course, this works okay-ish, but we felt like there should be a better solution. Especially in regions where there was a lot of mud, we struggled to do our laundry efficiently. That’s where the Scrubba came in, and so far it has proven to be a great asset for our overland gear arsenal.
The Scrubba Untouched is a pocket-sized wash bag, suited for any kind of travel. It combines the design of a camping water bag, with the old-fashioned stone washboards you might remember from your past trips. This combination turns out to be very effective in cleaning your clothes, whilst also saving water. The integrated scrubbing washboard efficiently removes stains, requiring way less manual labor than a normal hand wash. Although a wash bag in itself is not unique on the market, the internal ‘nobules’ make the Scrubba stand out from anything else.
Scrubba helps you to achieve a machine-quality wash in six steps, which is very welcome on our travels in which we constantly live outside and everything gets dirty and dusty. It includes a transparent window so you can check the state of your clothes or the dirtiness of the water. The outer material is slightly rough, helping you to grip onto it and make the cleaning movement more pleasant. The bag is outfitted with a twist-style air valve to remove any air, aiding in an effective wash. Due to its small size and weight of only 150 grams, you can bring it along wherever you go. Ideal for backpacking and hiking trips, weekend endeavors, or long-term overlanding.
We opted for the Untouched version, which is the undyed and unbleached version of their line-up. Thanks to a lack of chemicals used in its production it is their most environment-friendly product to date, saving water and lowering its carbon footprint. Besides that, all new Scrubba wash bags are made from 100% recycled textiles.
Scrubba’s six steps
- Fill with laundry, water, and bio-soap
- Roll down the top and clip it for a watertight seal
- Deflate, removing air bubbles
- Scrub, and wash your laundry using the integrated washboard
- Rinse by refreshing the water (away from open water sources)
- Dry your clothing on a line (or your bull bar)
Pros
- Small and packable.
- Lightweight and great for any trip (even lightweight backpacking!).
- The integrated scrubbing washboard is very efficient once you get the hang of it.
- In our opinion, a bucket with water is great for bulk-cleaning laundry. Although it takes a bit more effort to process a big batch of laundry in the Scrubba, the integrated scrubbing board is way more effective in removing dust and stains. In all honesty, it provides a superior result in comparison to a hand wash in a bucket or stream.
- Made from 100% textiles.
- The Untouched version contains no dyes and is therefore the most environmentally friendly option.
Cons
- The material of the bag is relatively thin, making it prone to punctures. However, we have not experienced it yet. Just be aware of this when there are thorns or sharp rocks around. The thin material of course enhances portability when traveling. It might be good to know that the bag is easily repairable with a bicycle tyre repair patch if a puncture does occur.
- Using the scrubbing profile efficiently takes some getting used to, but after one or two batches you get the hang of it, after which it works as a charm and improves efficiency tremendously.
- The Untouched version is dye-free and therefore white, which easily stains on overland trips. Of course, that does not impact its efficiency.
- We would love to have a handle on the bottom side for easy emptying of the bag. We did see their newest bag actually has a new water in/outlet system.
Would we buy it again?
Although expensive, we believe the Scrubba Untouched can be a great addition to your gear. We love its effectiveness in really removing stains and getting dust out of the fabric’s fibers. When washing our laundry in a bucket, it gets clean-ish and the water becomes brownish. When we wash the same dirty batch in the Scrubba wash bag, the water immediately turns dark brown, multiple times even, indicating the washboard works the dust out of our clothes.
Looking at its storage size, it is a no-brainer and you can literally store it anywhere you want. It’s really small when folded.
We have used it for a while now and we are really happy with it. Although we like to use a normal bucket or sink for large batches of clothing when there’s enough water at hand, the Scrubba really shines when water is scarce or you really want to properly clean your clothes. It’s just way more effective than a quick bucket wash. The way it forces the water through your clothing, combined with the scrubbing profile, makes it really efficient. For long-term travel, it’s great to have something that helps you to keep your limited amount of clothes really clean, and the Scrubba definitely does that.
Our approach for gear reviews
As long-term overlanders we fully understand the need for high-quality and reliable gear. We know that if gear isn’t up to standard it can hinder your adventures, resulting in discomfort or a dangerous situation.
We write our reviews after extensive testing and with you – an adventurous overlander – in mind. We hope you appreciate our information, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Pro tips
The wash bag is actually really simple to use. For us, using the wash bag correctly, and making full use of the integrated washboard, was a matter of trial and error. We found that it takes a certain balance between the amount of clothing and water, to function properly. They do provide you with the ratio on the bag, but in our experience, it depends on what you put on there. Socks and underwear are easily mixed around in the bag, whilst t-shirts and pants are a different story. It is especially with the latter two that we advise not to overdo it with the amount of clothes. As per their advice, it works best if you put in sets of clothes (a T-shirt, some socks and a few pieces of underwear for example).
Use only biodegradable soap from natural sources. We want to keep our wild spaces clean and healthy. Therefore, use only bio-soaps and dispose of the water at least 100 meters away from any open water source. This prevents contamination and helps minimize your impact on the environment around you.
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Hi there adventurer! A quick heads-up: This product is provided (for free or at a discount) to us in support of our adventures. This review contains opinions of our own and is not influenced by the collaboration. We know the importance of high-quality gear and truthful reviews, you will rely on it on the trails, and so do we. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you and stay adventurous!
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