“…Caretakers of your Scathole.”

So I was looking for a company that made wipes to use as toilet paper on the trail.  My only two really hit points were they had to be scent free and biodegradable.  I did a search online and found some crazy company called “DUDE WIPES”.  I thought this could be interesting.  I started to do some research and found out Dude Wipes was started by four dudes from Chicago.  They were college roommates and wanted to make a wipe just for men.  They launched the first Dude Product in 2012.

The wipes come either individually wrapped or in resealable containers of 48 wipes.  They are 44 inches square and contain Vitamin E and Aloe.  I hit the mark and was not let down when the guys sent me a bunch of free product for my hike.  Below you will find the email I sent them and their response.  It was too great not to share with everyone.

My initial contact:

Dudes,

I’m hoping to join your team and become a sponsored athlete for my up coming adventure.  I have a great proposal put together I think you’ll love.  Unfortunately it won’t fit here (Here being their online contact form).  Plus it has pictures and great links!
Is there an email I can send you more information about my Dudenss and up coming adventure?

Cheers,

Craig Fowler

Their first response:

Hi Craig,

You can send it over here. Thanks for your interest, dude!

Ryan Meegan
Dude Products, Inc

My proposal I sent:

Dear Ryan,

My name is Scatman, well really it’s Craig Fowler.  Scatman is my thru-hiker name.  I first got that name in 2001 while hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.  Now you’re thinking is he talking about:

or

I can say it’s neither of these but both are connected to my story.  Why is all this important?  We’re talking about wipes for your ass, I am the Scatman, and well I’m going hiking again.  Not only is Scatman my trail name, my website is Adventures of Scatman.

In 2001 I completed the AT in 153 days, hiking 2168 miles.  In 2007 I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in 125 days, hiking 2655 miles.  In April I’ll be thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada, hiking 2800+ miles over about 140 days.  When completed I’ll be one of about 300 people in the world to have hiked the Triple Crown (AT, PCT, and CDT).

I wrote you this letter to ask for your support.  I mean really, my trail name is Scatman.  If you haven’t guessed I could really use your wipes.  Knowing how I got the name Scatman will help.  Watch this video of me telling the Scatman Story, as it’s become known.

Hopefully you found that entertaining and not scary.  Those first eight days on the AT taught me a valuable lesson, “Carry wipes!”.

The reality is thru-hiking costs a lot!  We’re talking $5000 minimum, not including lost wages.  Thru-hiking is as serious as it gets.  It’s definitely for Dudes (and Dudites)   It’s no small commitment.  You have to be fully committed.  Staying comfortable and not having an irritated scathole is one key to being happy on the trail.

As dudes we like math.  Let’s do some math together.

2800 miles / 20 miles per day = 140 Days of Hiking

140 days means at least 140 shits.

140 shits x 2 wipes per day =  280 wipes (things get messy when eating trail food)

For convenance of shipping different amounts of wipes in each mail drop singles would be best.

Lets just say 300 wipes to make the math easy.  Even as dudes, we might like math but we can be lazy.

300 wipes / 30 per pack = 10 packs

10 packs x $10.99 = $109.90

If you guys were to donate this amount to my hike, I would in return do the following to promote Dude Wipes.

1. Use the hash tag #Dudewipes when posting photos to my social media feeds, (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and Tumblr).
2. I will also list Dude Wipes as one of my sponsors in my daily journal entries which will be posted on my blog. (100+ entries)
3. My blog has spots for ads, which I would make available to Dude Wipes logos which would link to the Dude Wipes site.
4. I would also be willing to review the items I used on the trail, plus provide Dude Wipes with direct feed back to the long term effects of daily use on the trail.
5. If you guys have any stickers or patches I would display them on my gear throughout the hike.
6. As a bonus I will share with you the rules of Fart Tennis.  Surely it will kill hours of office time and entertain you.  (and just in case I’ll throw in the definitions of the Code Brown levels too.)

I am open to other ideas that you might have as well.

Thanks for your time and consideration.  Keep the Dudeness alive!

Craig “Scatman” Fowler

This was Ryan’s response:

Craig or should I say Scatman? We’d be honored to be the caretakers of your Scathole as you try and tackle the triple crown. Let me know an address and timeframe and the Dude Wipes will be sent.

Ryan,

Ryan’s email back to me had me rolling on the floor, literally.  “…Caretakers of your Scathole…”.  I had a hunch my proposal would go over well but not that well.  Ryan got into the whole Scatman Story and went with it.  Who would have thought talking about how many shit I would take from Mexico to Canada in a math equation would work.

Thanks to Ryan and all the guys at Dude Wipes for helping out and being good sports.  Go try some Dude Products yourself.

Scatman

Brand Ambassador for: Outdoor Research, SuperFeet, Ibex, Julbo, Petzl, Dude Wipes, Platypus and Aqua Mira

Get out there!