Wet wipes, of all things, have come a long way over the last few decades. While any plumber worth their salt will tell you flushable wipes aren’t great to flush- there are many uses beyond your behind for wet wipes. Finding the best wet wipes for survival isn’t a cakewalk with all of the brands and types available.
This is where we come in. We’ve researched the best wet wipes for survival, tested them, and now the results are in: the overall best, an EDC option, and a water-only option. If you need some wipes for hygiene on the go, one of our picks will keep you clean.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
- The Best Wet Wipes
- Individual Wet Wipes
- Water Wet Wipes
- Everything We Recommend
- The Wet Wipes We Compared
- What to Look For
- What is Wet Wipes Shelf Life
- Who Needs Wet Wipes?
The Best Wet Wipes
Combat Wipes
Reliable, Versatile, and a Good Value
Refreshing and effective wipes for getting and staying clean that reseal well in the original packaging.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Combat Wipes have several types of wipes they offer: Commando, Gaia, and Active. Commando has a unique heavy-duty black nonwoven, but we found the Active wipes to be the best all-around as they still have a thick nonwoven material.
Here is everything you get with this pack of wipes:
- 25 wipes
- 100% textured viscose nonwoven with purified water and aloe
- 7.1″ x 8.3″
- 6.0 ounces
With thick quality paired with good value and versatility, it’s easy to see why Combat Wipes tops the rest.
Individual Wet Wipes
Defense Body Wipes
Lightweight, Convenient, and Trusted
Individually packaged convenience for a large hygiene solution anywhere and in any kit.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Defense Body Wipes are large and individually packaged making them ideal for kits of any kind. Having individually packaged wipes lets you not worry about sealing containers or water escaping wipe containers to soil the rest of your bag.
The size is great, with a massive 30″ x 9″ nonwoven material that’ll let you quickly wipe down pretty much anything.
Here is how these wipes measure up:
- 30 individually wrapped wipes
- 100% textured viscose nonwoven with distilled water, tea tree & eucalyptus oil
- 30.7″ x 9″
- 0.4 ounces (each)
If you are looking for individual wipes for everyday carry or survival kits, the Defense Individually Wrapped Body Wipes are the best option.
Water Wet Wipes
WaterWipes XL
Lotion-Free, Natural, and Effective
Wipe off everything, from yourself to your gear without extra additives to keep it versatile.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Sometimes you want just the basics without anything added. WaterWipes serve this up best with their relatively large wipes that are almost completely water. This is ideal for wiping down equipment, gear, or people with skin sensitivities.
Here are the specs:
- 16 wipes
- 100% textured viscose nonwoven with 99.9% purified water (fruit extract preservation)
- 7.8″ x 11.8″
- 8.2 ounces
With simple ingredients paired with a robust wipe, the WaterWipes XL Bathing Wipes are a versatile choice anyone can take advantage of.
Everything We Recommend
Refreshing and effective wipes for getting and staying clean that reseal well in the original packaging.
Where to Buy
*at time of reviewing
Individually packaged convenience for a large hygiene solution anywhere and in any kit.
Where to Buy
*at time of reviewing
Wipe off everything, from yourself to your gear without extra additives to keep it versatile.
Where to Buy
*at time of reviewing
The Wet Wipes We Compared
Our research narrowed the field down to a few brands and types of wet wipes that we compared: Cottonelle, Dude Wipes, WaterWipes, Combat Wipes, Wet Ones, Pura, Defense, Charmin, Johnson’s, and more.
You can see our full list of review criteria below in theWhat to Look Forsection, with an explanation for each.
We considered a wide range of wet wipes and moist towelettes with different cleaning agents, lotions, etc. Chemical-laden caustic solutions were ruled out relatively quickly due to versatility. Alcohol wipes certainly can have their place but are not great for repeated use on your gear or your skin.
We’re always looking for new and better gear, so if you have some towelettes that work well, let us know in the comments. We review most of our tested gear annually so we can try to get it in the next roundup round and see if it will beat out our top picks.
What to Look For
The best wet wipes have a few features to look for:
- Value
- Quality
- Packaging
- Size & Weight
- Versatility
When you get the right blend of these, you can find the perfect towelettes to help you stay clean on the go. Below, we break down what each of these features means for the wipes that truly set themselves apart.
Value: Cost vs. Benefit
The amount of money you spend on something like moist towelettes shouldn’t blow out your entire budget. There is a wide range of prices in our picks, so there is no need to spend beyond your means. You can also find some for free at medical clinics, restaurants, and other establishments that offer them to customers and patients. Grab a few extra for your survival kits while you are there.
You never want to spend too much money on one resource, even when it comes to hygiene. It’s better to diversify your spending to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios.
Quality
The quality of a wet wipe is based on several factors ranging from nonwoven weight to the cleaning and preserving agents.
Getting tears in the nonwoven material, or having it deteriorate with use is not ideal. Nonwovens are not as structurally sound as woven fabrics but hold liquid well with titration.
Packaging
Packing is a crucial part of wet wipes to contain the ‘wet’. We’ve experienced leaking wet wipes or opening them to find them all dried out- neither of which are ideal when you need them for something important.
Besides sticking with trusted brands, looking at the packaging quality can give you a hint at how well it will hold up with regular use or abuse. Individually wrapped wet wipes work exceptionally well, and even if you stash them in large quantities it doesn’t add much more additional space or weight.
Size & Weight
Water is always a concern for mobile survival kits like bug out bags due to its weight. Although wet wipes are mostly water, they still don’t weigh very much or take up much space.
You still don’t want to overload any mobile kits with them, but the shelf life will let you stash some in your prepper pantry. You can expect to stash about half a pound of wet wipes in a mobile kit to address hygiene for a few weeks. The number of wipes varies based on the wipe size but is proportionate to how many you’ll need to use.
Versatility
Many wet wipes have more uses than just wiping yourself down. Wet wipes are often included in decontamination kits for gear and equipment, not just people. Wet wipes are used to clean gas masks and other worn gear quickly and easily.
High lotion content isn’t ideal for those versatile uses, which is why we often go with our water-only pick in our own kits.
What is Wet Wipes Shelf Life?
All wet wipes are generally made up of the same main ingredients: a non-woven cloth and at least 90% water. Turns out, this presents a breeding ground for bacteria and other microbial growth.
Most wet wipes last 2-3 years on the shelf when stored unopened in cool dark places. Being open, heat, and sunlight can all shorten this shelf life quickly.
Preservative additives help manufacturers achieve this, which is also why alcohol-based wet wipes are so common. The major downside to alcohol wipes is that they can be irritating to the skin, damaging to equipment, and are just generally less versatile.
Preserving wet wipes is a problem that moist towelette manufacturers have been trying to tackle for a long time now that alcohol wipes are less common and water wipes, aloe wipes, and others are much more popular for staying clean.
Who Needs Wet Wipes?
Almost everyone can use wet wipes. While they are useful in a wide variety of situations, we only consider them essential for one type of niche survival kit:
- Nuclear Survival Kit
Towelettes are great at removing particle contaminants but are also convenient enough to consider adding to your:
- Everyday Carry
Having extra never hurt- I always find uses for them in cleaning up kids and tools beyond just keeping myself clean.
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We have vast prepping and survival experience and bring in outside experts when needed. Hours on end are spent testing gear in stressful conditions and using specialized testing gear to verify claims. We assign performance criteria and impartially rate each tested item. Learn more about how we test.
Sources and References
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the ideal wet wipes are useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical survival experience:
Aschenbeck, K., et al. (2017). Allergenic Ingredients in Personal Hygiene Wet Wipes. Dermatitis. Volume 28. Issue 5. Pages 317 – 322. (Source)
Salama, P., et al. (2021). Why Are Wet Wipes So Difficult to Preserve? Understanding the Intrinsic Causes. Cosmetics. Volume 8. Issue 3. Page 73. (Source)
Zhang, Y., et al. (2022). Waste flow of wet wipes and decision-making mechanism for consumers’ discarding behaviors. Journal of Cleaner Production. Volume 364. Issue 6. Page 564 – 571. (Source)
The Final Word
Wet wipes make hygiene on the go much easier, and are lightweight and low profile. Whether you are stashing some in your gym bag, or keeping your bug out bag equipped, the best wet wipes for survival will get the job done.
Here are a few other reviews and guides our subscribers have found helpful:
- Best Toilet Paper Tablets
- Best Off-Grid Shower Options
- Everyday Carry List | 25 EDC Essentials
We presented quite a lot of information, but as always: if you have any questions let us know and we would be happy to help. Our testing found the Combat Wipes to be the best option given their value, quality, packaging, size/weight, and versatility.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
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