3 Reason why Wet-Wipes are essential for Oppikoppi

Oppikoppi isn’t you usual camping experience. One year an Oppikoppi-noob friend of mine was very surprised that there was no green grass in the camping area. Oppikoppi is, dusty, dirty, crazy and also shit-loads of fun. But as with anything, there are some things that can make your experience more enjoyable.

Yes, a tent and camping gear like a sleeping bag is essential. But some other things might not be as obvious. Below I’m going to explain to you why wet-wipes (or baby-wipes, as the mothers call them) will make your life at Oppikoppi a more fun experience. You are going to have fun, aren’t you?

No showers, wet-wipes keep you smelling better

Yes, there are showers at Oppikoppi. But I can guarantee you that you have a way better chance of finding your tent at 02:30 on Satruday morning through a drunken haze, than you have of taking a shower at Oppikoppi. Most pleople, including me, just rought it out for three or four days with no shower. This is where wet-wipes will first show it’s awesome powers.

I said wet-wipes will have you smelling better, not great. They key with a “wet-wipes shower”, as it has become affectionately known amongst those in the know, is to freshen you up when it feels like nothing else will freshen you up. The key areas of the body that need a wipe most often is your your face, your ass, your armpits and your smelly crotch.

Buy bulk, you can never have enough wet-wipes. Nothing sucks more than realizing you are out of wipes when you just used your last one on your ass or crotch, but you still need to wipe your face.

Toilet paper doesn’t clean your ass like a wet-wipe

As you might notice, hygiene is a recurring subject around Oppikoppi. You will be dirty, fact. In fact, so dirty that you will be having at least two showers when you eventually get home. This is why you will want to use wet-wipes as effectively as you possibly can, to keep yourself kinda clean.

Toilet paper might be an effective way of keeping your ass clean in the city, but you can also have two showers daily in the city. As the point above states, that is a luxury you should not expect to have at Oppikoppi. This is why I prefer to use wet-wipes to wipe my ass at Oppikoppi. When it comes to cleaning this particularly smelly part of your body, every bit helps. That is why mothers have been wiping baby’s ass with wet-wipes for years.

You’ll want to clean your hands ever now and then

There are no taps with running water in the camping area. That is why you should take as much water as you can, like 10 litres minimum. This is also why you should take wet-wipes. Let’s look at a common scenario from personal Oppikoppi:

You wake up and it feels like last night’s headline act took place in your head. Your mouth is dry and your head hurts so much you can hear yourself blink. It’s so bad, you think you might be dead, and this is hell. You step out of your tent only to be greeted by the brightest sunshine ever and a friend with a bottle of tequila: “Here, brush your teeth.” says your friend while extending the bottle of tequila.

You take a big swig from the bottle. It’s only half way down before it start coming back up, followed by what you can only assume is last night’s booze and horrible festival food. You try and block the stream with your hands, to no avail. It’s a mess and your hands are covered in tequila-puke. Luckily you have plenty of water to wash your hands.

But even after the water wash, the tequila-puke smell still lingers on your hands. This is where a wet-wipe rubdown will work wonders for your sensitive stomach. Do I need to say any more?

Wet-wipes truly is THE Oppikoppi essential

Unlike most of the shit you’ll find in stores these days, wet-wipes are an Oppikoppi essential, not just a nice to have. If you forget your tent poles (yes, personal experience once again) you can bunk up in a friend’s tent or sleep in your car. If you forget food, someone will feed you. Hell, even when you have no booze, someone will share. But wet-wipes are worth it’s weight in gold at Oppikoppi.

So take as many as your pocket will allow. Bulk buy, it doesn’t cost that much. Here is a special for two 64 packs of wet-wipes for the only R69. So that’s less than R35 and you and at least one friend will have enough wet-wipes to do all of the above and more. And by ordering online you don’t have to stand in a line a s actual shop. I’ve ordered mine already, because I know that I will need my wet-wipes.