Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Review

Overview

Purell Advanced is the drugstore-aisle standard shrunk to a 1 fl oz (30 ml) flip-cap bottle: 70% ethyl alcohol in a gel base, sized for a hip-belt pocket or toiletry kit. It suits backpackers who want a sanitizer that works as advertised, costs about two dollars and can be replaced at any gas station on the way to the trailhead. The trade-off is weight. At 49 g, the retail bottle is heavier than it needs to be for a weekend trip, and weight-focused hikers tend to decant.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	49 g
Volume	30 ml (1 fl oz)
Active ingredient	Ethyl alcohol, 70% v/v
Form	Gel
Closure	Snap/flip-top cap
Claimed efficacy	Kills 99.99% of most common germs; works in as little as 15 seconds
Skin care	Four skin conditioners; free of triclosan, parabens, phthalates and preservatives
Manufacturer	GOJO Industries (made in the USA)
Typical price	About $1.99 per bottle at outdoor retailers

Performance

Germ-killing. The formula is a 70% ethanol gel, which sits comfortably above the 60% threshold generally cited for effective hand sanitizers. Purell says it sanitizes in as little as 15 seconds. Hikers who comment on the product on SectionHiker note that sanitizers above 62.5% ethanol with a thickener such as glycerin tend to work better and leave less residue than thinner formulas, and Purell’s gel list includes glycerin.

Where it fits in a hygiene routine. Backpackers use hand sanitizer for three jobs: after a cathole stop, after filtering water, and before handling food. SectionHiker’s author has long kept a small bottle in a hip-belt pocket for exactly this. Thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail have described a two-bottle system, one in the food bag and one with the toilet paper, which is a sensible way to keep the sanitizer where the job happens. There’s a limit worth knowing: sanitizer kills germs but doesn’t rinse off dirt, so a hiker with visibly grimy hands still needs soap and water. Many carry a few drops of concentrated soap alongside.

On-trail handling. The flip cap closes with a tight seal and opens one-handed, which matters when the other hand is holding a trowel. Owner reviews describe the gel as quick-drying and non-sticky. Retailer listings call the scent “clean,” and owners describe it as mild. Hikers in bear or rodent country should still treat it like toothpaste and store it with the smellables; Litesmith pitches its fragrance-free Purell Singles packets partly on the grounds that they won’t attract critters.

Durability. The weak point is the cap. A buyer of a 12-pack reported that several bottles arrived slightly open and leaked in shipping. A flip-top that can pop open under a compressed pack lid is a mess waiting to happen, so a zip-top bag around the bottle is inexpensive insurance. A 1 oz bottle also goes a long way. One ultralight packing list suggests a bottle filled a quarter to half is enough for most trips, and that is the logic behind decanting into a smaller container.

Weight. At 49 g, the bottle is the heaviest part of the equation on a short trip. A 0.5 oz or 1 oz refill bottle filled partway weighs noticeably less, and plenty of thru-hikers fill one from a larger bottle at a resupply. For trips of a week or more, with a lot of water-crossing, the full 1 oz is a reasonable carry.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 70% ethyl alcohol gel with a name-brand track record in hospitals
• One-handed flip-cap that seals tightly
• Dries quickly without a sticky residue, according to owners
• Four skin conditioners help on multi-day trips when hands are already dry
• Sold nearly everywhere for roughly $2, so a lost or leaking bottle is a minor loss
• 1 oz size fits a pocket, cook kit or first aid kit

Cons

• 49 g is heavy for what a typical weekend trip uses
• The flip cap can pop open in transit or under pack pressure
• Doesn’t remove dirt, so it doesn’t replace soap when hands are filthy
• Scented, which matters in rodent- and bear-heavy camps
• Not refillable by design, though any small bottle can be topped up

Who Should Buy This

Section hikers, weekend backpackers and travelers who want a no-fuss sanitizer they can pick up on the way to the trailhead will be well served. The same goes for first-aid kit builders who want a known formula, and families outfitting a group with matching bottles. Gram-counting thru-hikers should buy a big Purell bottle for resupply and decant a small dose into a lighter container. Anyone who wants to skip the scent altogether should look at single-use packets or a fragrance-free formula.

Verdict

Purell Advanced does the job reliably and cheaply, with a closure that works one-handed and a formula backed by a name hikers and hospitals both trust. Its only real fault on the trail is mass: 49 g is more than most trips need. Buy it as-is for convenience, or as a refill source for a lighter decanted bottle.