Ask Lemmy

Probably pushing 2 months. I was thru hiking the Appalachian Trail and was in full on dirty hippie mode.

About three weeks, while I was training to be a truck driver.

I'd gotten my CDL through a trucking company's "apprenticeship" program, which was actually a super-predatory mill they ran to compensate for their insane turnover rate.

The final phase of this company's program, after I'd acquired my CDL but before receiving my own truck assignment, had me driving/riding on a "trainer's" truck for 20,000 miles, while the more-experienced trainer showed me all the ins and outs of life on the road. In theory, anyway.

In practice, I'd learned essentially everything there was to know after a couple of days. Enough to get by on my own, at least.

So my trainer suggested we run the truck as a team operation from then on, running long-distance, time-sensitive loads, forcing one of us to drive while the other slept, in order to burn through my training miles faster. The company was tracking training miles by the truck, not by the driver, apparently.

Rather than driving 400-500 miles per day, I was pushing 1000 miles per day, every day, the truck only stopping for fuel and to work with customers. Between pickups and deliveries, my trainer had this annoying habit of only visiting truck stops while I was asleep, and finding random industrial parks and highway shoulders to park on for shift changes. I never had time to take a shower.

I staved off the stink with copious amounts of baby wipes and Febreeze. I also found out later, that my trainer owned the truck we drove, and my wages were not taken out of the revenue for the loads he ran. So I was effectively free labor for him.

I don't work for that company anymore. I'm still in trucking, but I spend weekends at my house. And I try to shower at least every other day on the road.

probably a week

Probably about 1-2 weeks, unless jumping in a lake during that time counts. We were in the back country deep in Canada :)

A little over 3 months is my record. Mental health issues, naturally! 🥳 🎂 🎉

Several weeks. Usually I shower before leaving the house so when I was too depressed and anxious to leave the house I felt no reason to take one. But I don't shower as much as most people in general. Once a week maybe unless I'm sweaty or dirty. I also brush my teeth inconsistently. But I've never had a cavity, fungal infection or anything else hygiene related anywhere on my body. I also don't stink in case you're wondering 😅 I disinfect my pits and use deodorant daily, I always check myself and my clothes and I also ask friends sometimes to be sure.

a month,I was in the woods. there were no baths

Close to a month. Depression.

I did change my underwear though 🤷🏿‍♀️

Spent 2 weeks hiking in around the Red River Gorge, Kentucky and Sheltowee Trace back in the late 80's. Only time I got wet was when it rained, or found a creek to take a dip in.

When I got home, even my own Mother would not hug me. She sent me off to the bath where I stayed for over an hour.

A week or two probably, when in the army.

And since wr actually we're responsible for actual foods hygiene, we always got sauna/bathing priority. So never went more than two weeks imo.

If you swim in a pool every day, you don't need to really shower much.

This thread was way more interesting to read than I expected!

I am boring, probably 6, 7 days at max

About six weeks. I was attached to someone else's unit at NTC in California for a training excersize with them. There were no showers in the field, and the showers pre and post excersize were colder than a witches tit, and open as a gay mans asshole after all night orgy.

And that wasn't the worst part of the whole experience either.

Like 4 days, but I was LARPing and I was a sweaty, stinky mess from running around the entire time.

Two weeks while backpacking in New Mexico (unless you count getting rained on every day as a shower)

Several months now. Maybe a year. Long Covid with ME/CFS has permanently tied me to my bed. I basically spend my time collecting energy to go number 2, which is the last thing I can stand up for. And only because using a bedpan looks about as strenuous as walking to the toilet. And that way my wife can change my bedsheets.

But not being able to shower is awful. I stink. And I have to watch parts where skin is rubbing on skin for infections. Zinc salve and a cotton scarf help.

Three and a half weeks, 25 days. More than forty years ago I was lost in the wilderness on a school camp. Broke both ankles and couldn’t walk.

First thing that comes to mind is spending a week camping on the shores of Lake Mead many years ago. Didn't shower for a week, though one could argue that being scoured by lake water when you either go flying off an inner-tube or make a mistake while water skiing, does a fine job of taking the dirt off.

A week is my usual. I know, I know, but my mental health is a lot worse than my body odour.

Couple months. Severe depression does that to me and all health care just stops. It's bad.

4 days: family and work

Guessing something like 5-6 days. Staying at home with no human contact scheduled that is about the limit of my tolerance of filth vs laziness.

About 7-8 days, my water boiler broke in mid winter, and I just couldn't do cold showers at below freezing temperatures. Ended up boiling water and washed at the sink, went pretty alright tbh.

About six days while hiking a part of the appalachian trail and camping.