not at the level of cutting down single grams yet...so i just stole my daughters toothbrush...but having read the DIY @thomas spoke about makes me think that one could cut down a full size head and fabricate something with a shepherd's hook tent stake and get double duty

http://www.amazon.com/Ekotec-Refills-Soft-4-Toothbrushs/dp/B000Z92AK4

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/3668/

Edited by annapurna on 02/16/2012 08:59:50 MST.

Michael: You mean like threading the end of a tent stake and tapping the same thread into a brush-only portion of a toothbrush?

It would be worth people's expressions to be (apparently) brushing your teeth with a tent stake. Maybe I'll put one together. -David

yeah david - thats what i meant.

I thought about making a double duty handle/tent stake as well but cummon, the carbon fiber weighs less than 3 grams. At what point do we become ridiculous? My goal when going lightweight is to never sacrifice comfort or convenience. I just pack the lightest gear I'm comfortable with and can afford or justify the price of. Tent stakes are dirty and I need them to hold my tarp up when I want to brush my teeth. That being said, if I saw someone brushing their teeth with a tent peg I'd probably shake their hand. :) On that note, my pegs are also made of carbon fiber arrow shafts. 1.6 oz for 10 of them.

I got some 2 gram brush heads from MUJI in Japan.
It slots into the Evernew chopstick spork(15g)
or this cheap chopstick called the Ecolostick(6g)

Ty Ty,
Coincidentally I picked up a Dr. Du More's on my last trip to the store :) I did cut a bit off the end with a pair of wire cutters. In the recent past (only been backpacking about a yr and a half)I've used the Wisp's, found them ok for an overnight, but then switched to a child's tbrush, and now will give the DDM a try. I like having a full size brush, which the first two don't have, and I completely agree that with any, floss is essential. I use baking soda kept in a tiny craft ziplock.

edited for spelling... it's baking soda,not backing soda :)

Edited by leighb on 02/18/2012 06:18:15 MST.

Just wanted to jump in quick on this.

The DawnMist Denture Brush is $0.17 cents and is 8.29 grams (0.292) - plus it has heads on both sides so when one side wears, out you still got some life left in the same brush!

Just be aware that this sucker does not know the meaning of "soft".

I learned this from a hospital administrator but there's plenty of information that supports it -- flossing can add 6 years to a life span. The sub-ounce weight is worth it!

Why does everyone cut there tooth brush handles off? It seems you would save just as much weight by drilling holes in the handle, yet still maintain a full length handle.

I like the arrow shaft idea, my wife breaks plenty of them...