The illusion of clean is a common thread for many a backcountry and budget traveler. With a limited clothes closet—often along the line of this set of shirt and pants, that one, and the other one—getting things clean can be a challenge.

Well-placed spritzes of body spray and cologne can do the trick sometimes, as can some roll-on deodorants, but you’re just fooling yourself until you spring for that hotel room, turn on the shower, and sink into your personal laundromat complete with the free soap and shampoo now called detergent.

No one wants to harken back to the days of Admiral Robert E. Byrd’s 1928-30 Antarctic expedition when team explorers were instructed to wear the same underwear for 10 days (they would put on other underwear and after 20 days go back to the older underwear for that illusion of clean).

Now along comes the conceived-out-of-necessity Scrubba Wash Bag. Taking a four-month walkabout away from his job as a patent attorney to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in 2010, Ash Newland came up with the idea when he realized a mobile washboard was impractical.

Today we have the Scrubba Wash Bag. Frankly, it’s the next generation of a dry bag used by paddlers. It’s lighter and more compact than its predecessors. Plus, it also has a built-in nylon washboard, a clear panel so you can gaze inside, and an air valve allowing that extra air out before you start scrubbing.

The key here is that washboard, akin to those bubbly plastic mats found in the shower, which allows you that extra elbow grease to get that muddy stain out from the back of your pants from sitting where you shouldn’t have.

For those needing schooling in Backcountry Washing 101, steps are included in nice little graphics right on the screaming lime green colored bag. It boils down to six simple steps: fill, roll and clip, deflate, rub, rinse, dry.

So, put in a small load, water, and soap. The beauty is that the soap can be what you have. Liquid soap, shampoos, and bona fide detergent work. There are even graphics on the bag to let you know how much water to put in.

Then roll the top of the bag down a few times and attach the clip ends. Use that valve to deflate excess air. Pinch it.

Then rubba scrubba dubba, dude! A minute or two worked for me, but the manufacturer recommends three to five minutes.

After that, rinse with fresh water. Ring it out (that’s key) and hang it all to dry somewhere, like over there.

The bag is a simple tool and only weighs five ounces. It also collapses well, so it doesn’t take up much space. Plus, it also has another use. It can be a laundry bag, too.

On the downside, the little bugger’s pricey at $64.95. Of course, there is also a complete kit to buy that includes the Scrubba, towel and clothesline for drying, and a travel bag all for $104.95.

Is the Scrubba a necessity? Likely not. Is it a luxury? I believe so.

It certainly is a far cry from the days of long-distance bicycle travelers carrying a plastic bucket with affixed lid on the back of their rack or trailer filled with water and wash, letting the rhythm of the road make everything clean again.