Gearhead: Scrubba makes a river wash a snap

Scrubba dubs its hand-powered, take-it-with-you wash bag 'the world's smallest washing machine.' They're joking, but yet it's a fitting way to describing this nifty laundry system. While the Scrubba won't match a 150-pound electric Maytag for getting out the grime, at less than 5 ounces it's a lot easier to stow in your backpack and take on the trail.

The way it works is simple. You open the bag, fill up to 40% of its volume with clothes, and add water along with laundry liquid. After rolling/clipping the bag and expelling air via a double-closure twist valve, you rub the clothes against an internal 'washboard' constructed from hundreds of flexible but resilient urethane nodes. After 30 seconds (quick wash) to 3 minutes (machine-quality wash), you wring out and dry the clothes on a towel or portable clothesline.

The bag, made from microbial- and hydrolysis-resistant polyether TPU, measures 21.3' x 12.6' when laid flat; when rolled for storage, it's 6.3' x 2.4' x 2.4'. Volume is 13 liters, with a washing volume of 3-4 liters. Instructions and filling levels are printed on the exterior. $55. www.thescrubba.com