Trail Techniques: Backcountry Dishes 101
How to Keep Your Campsite Clean, Your Gear Fresh, and Our Waterways Protected
There’s nothing better than sitting around a campfire after a day of exploring Colorado’s backcountry, sipping on something cold from the van fridge, and swapping stories while dinner sizzles away. But eventually, there’s one tiny thing standing between you and total relaxation: the dishes.
Luckily, when you rent a Titus Adventures vehicle, we’ve got you covered. We provide everything you need to wash up quickly and responsibly: dishes, towel, water bins, biodegradable Campsuds dishsoap, and expert tips to make cleanup a breeze.
Washing dishes outdoors is simple but there are a few important techniques to know, especially when it comes to protecting fragile ecosystems. If you follow these steps, you’ll get sparkling clean dishes, keep wildlife safe, and leave the wilderness exactly the way you found it.
Why Dishwashing in the Wild Matters 🌿
When you’re camping, your actions have a bigger environmental impact than you might realize. That leftover spaghetti sauce on your plate? Wildlife can smell it from miles away. A splash of soapy dishwater in a creek? It can disrupt delicate aquatic ecosystems, even when the soap is labeled “biodegradable.”
That’s why Titus Adventures follows Leave No Trace principles — and why we make it easy for you to do the same.
The golden rule: wash dishes at least 200 feet away from creeks, rivers, or streams.
Even “eco-friendly” soaps like Campsuds are only biodegrade in soil, not water. That means if you wash dishes directly in a stream, you’re releasing concentrated soap into a living ecosystem where it lingers, potentially harming fish, plants, and microorganisms.
Step-by-Step: How to Do Camp Dishes
We’ve simplified dish duty into four easy steps. Here’s how to keep your kitchen kit clean, eco-friendly, and ready for your next meal:
Step 1: Scrape, Don’t Rinse
Before you wash, scrape all leftover food scraps into the trash.
Why it matters:
Food particles left in dishwater attract wildlife, from curious chipmunks to hungry bears.
Greasy, chunky water is harder to clean up and takes longer to biodegrade.
Cleaner dishes going into the bin = less soap needed later.
Titus Pro Tip:
We provide a lightweight scraper in your Titus kitchen kit. Use it to get plates and pots as clean as possible before they touch water.
Step 2: Wash in Bin #1 Using Campsuds Biodegradable Soap
This is where the magic happens. We include a bottle of Campsuds — the gold standard for eco-friendly backcountry cleaning — in every Titus vehicle.
How to do it:
Fill bin #1 with warm water if you have it (cold works too, but warm helps cut grease faster).
Add just a few drops of Campsuds. A little goes a long way — no need to overdo it!
Use the provided sponge to gently scrub each item, starting with the least dirty dishes first (cups, utensils) and finishing with greasy pots and pans last.
Why we love Campsuds:
100% biodegradable when used on land — microbes in the soil break it down naturally.
Made with plant-based ingredients and gentle on your skin.
Highly concentrated, meaning less waste, lighter packing, and longer-lasting bottles.
⚠️ Important:
Always set up your wash station at least 200 feet from any water source. That’s roughly 70 adult steps away. Campsuds is eco-friendly, but it only biodegrades when filtered through soil, not when dumped directly into rivers or lakes.
Step 3: Rinse in Bin #2 With Clean Water
Fill your second bin with clean water and give each dish a quick dunk or splash to remove soap residue.
Why it matters:
Leftover soap can leave a bad taste on dishes.
Minimizing soapy runoff helps keep your gray water cleaner, making disposal easier later.
Titus Pro Tip:
Use less soap in Step 2 so rinsing takes less water. It’s more eco-friendly and saves time.
Step 4: Towel Dry & Stow Away
Use the camp towel we provide to hand-dry dishes and stow them back in the Titus kitchen kit.
Why we don’t air-dry outdoors:
Food smells linger — and critters love sniffing out “clean” dishes.
Camp dust blows everywhere, undoing your hard work.
Packed-away dishes stay protected and ready for the next meal.
What to Do With Your Dishwater (“Gray Water”)
Once you’ve finished washing up, you’ll have two bins of used dishwater. Here’s the Leave No Trace way to dispose of it:
Strain out food particles using the mesh strainer provided in your Titus kit. Toss scraps into your trash bag.
Walk 200 feet from any water source (yep, that magic number again).
Scatter the gray water over a wide area, rather than dumping it in one spot. This helps the soil filter the water naturally.
Never dump dishwater in rivers, lakes, or campsites. It can pollute waterways, create odors, and attract wildlife right where you sleep.
Titus Pro Tips for Stress-Free Dish Duty
Plan Your Meals Smartly: Simple recipes = fewer greasy pots = faster cleanup.
Skip the “Paper Plate Trap”: Reusable dishes are better for the planet and easier to manage in the long run.
Wildlife Safety First: Always store food scraps, gray water bins, and dishes securely to avoid attracting animals.
Work as a Team: One person scrapes, one washes, one rinses, one dries. Done in minutes!
Use the Gear We Provide: From dish bins to sponges, Titus kits are stocked so you can focus on adventure — not logistics.
Adventure First. Cleanup Second.
Camping is about freedom and that’s exactly what a Titus Adventures vehicle gives you. By stocking your rig with everything you need for backcountry dish duty, we help you spend less time scrubbing and more time exploring.
So next time you’re out under the stars, cooking up your campfire feast, you’ll know exactly how to clean up quickly, safely, and sustainably.
