Men with trimmed beards look nice. Props to guys with silver. I see so many clean shaven men who would look...er....more manly if you will, if they just grew a beard!

But no scraggly hippie beards though.....

Sarah,

Some men, myself included, don't possess dense enough facial hair to grow a decent beard. After a month I simply look scruffy and homeless and that is the longest I can stand it. Shaving is the lesser of two evils.

I am blessed/cursed with a heavy beard.

I am technically clean shaven. But my 5 o'clock shadow may be considered a light beard by many people. ;)

(OK...an exaggeration, but not by much! :D)

I always shave closely prior to a backpack trip. For one thing, I think of how many grams that must save me for the start. But then I let it grow out during the trip, and that saves me from needing sunscreen on my face.

--B.G.--

" I think of how many grams that must save me for the start"

I am scared to find out how many grams of hair I carry on every trip.....

During a talk with Coup from Golite, he said he shaved everywhere for the weight savings before his Colorado Trail hike. >3oz.

@ Kat How about weight when wet?

Edited by kthompson on 11/01/2011 19:19:18 MDT.

I like to start a hike with a clean shave because it is much easier to put on sunblock. The more stubble you get, the harder it is to get it. Same thing surfing, I always shave before just so I can get a good coat of that wonderful sunblock.

My beards too multi-colored anyways.

BTW Matthew and Doug, thanks. Your's are the only replies that have given any advice on the topic. -Let the chaff continue.

edited for: credit where credit is due!

Edited by WarrenGreer on 11/02/2011 18:33:59 MDT.

@ Kat How about weight when wet?

Pounds!

Kat's hair when wet: This came up on the last trip. We really need to have her wear a PFD for winter creek crossings just to be on the safe side.

At my wife's request, I stopped shaving when we got married. That was nearly 38 years ago.






But I generally keep it trimmed....

"But I generally keep it trimmed...."

I would expect nothing else from a Barber.

Really though the wet shave is the most enjoyable, best quality shave.

I hope the OP will give it a go.

Tried it before (a few times) and don't dig it. Thanks for the encouragement though.

I recently purchased a 1962 Gillette Slim Double edge adjustable safety razor off Ebay for $30.
The thing is built to last, is made of solid brass and is nickel plated. I get a 10 pack of double edged safety razors for $1.39.
The shave is unbelievable and extremely close. I will never go back to the disposable Mach 3, type blades ever again.
I thoroughly recomend wet shaving for anyone that is thinking of "converting."

"I would expect nothing else from a Barber."

Groan! I should have expected that!!! ;)

Warren,

I found the Norelco's do the best job. But that was years ago. Not sure if they build a quality product anymore.

Take a look at professional atheletes who normally are clean shaven. They have a stubble when they play. A clean shave causes irritation when you sweat a lot.

But why do we shave? It isn't natural... it is just a ploy by Madison Avenue to purchase shaving gear, accessories, and fu fu smelling chemicals. So... Occupy Madison Avenue!

... it is just a ploy by Madison Avenue to purchase shaving gear, accessories, and fu fu smelling chemicals. So... Occupy Madison Avenue!

all in fun, huh? I love me 'dem stereotypes, like "down with business!"







--------------

and, in the spirit of the thread... nick is right, athletes prefer stubble. Full-on beards suck more than clean shaven skin... except legs

The next frontier in ultralight backpacking is depilating unless one is substituting body hair for a bag or quilt I believe we should loose every hair off our bodies at the start of a trip.
In this vein I'm offering the Pye's 1000 Self Waxing Kit.
Come on you bunch of hairbags, time to come clean.

These all feel like they are pulling weeds rather than mowing the grass. Ouch!

The best/closest shave i ever had was in Turkey. (I paid for visiting Turkey the next time i visited the US) The barbers son swapped an old T-Shirt for food.
The works. Hot towel. Open razor shave. Cup of apple tea. Hot towel again, followed by another shave. A few cents.

The stupid mistake was to dive into the ocean 5 minutes after the shave. I've never felt stinging like that in my life! :)

During the BPL web server outage, I was pondering the R-Value of my beard at a length of 1 inch.

Also as the invasion of the white hairs are winning the rebellion to overthrow the current regime of the brown hairs, I am also pondering how this color change will affect my SPF (Sun Protection Factor) level.