Thanks Rhanis, will do.
When I first started reading these posts, I was a little grossed out, but intrigued. Now I think I'll try one. I do a lot of long weekends and section hikes and there is nothing worse then when I'm hiking with my period. Just have a few questions though ... where do you empty it? Do you dig a cathole? Is it stinky, like with a pad? If I use biodegradable wipes (not sure if there is such a thing, but I'm sure there is), would I have to pack them out? Thanks!
I heard that it was a good idea to practice using the Diva Cup a couple of times before you actually head out on a long hike as there may be a small learning curve. So when it arrived in the mail, I cleaned it by boiling it then waited for my period to arrive. When the day finally came, I looked at the Diva Cup again and couldn't imagine that this big ol' cup was gonna fit up in my "nether region", easily, so I decided to watch a couple of videos first. After watching the videos I felt much more confident so up in the bathroom I went to see what all the fuss was about. Although the product reviews were all GREAT I still was a little sceptical. The videos also mentioned trimming the stem if necessary? Trim the stem? To me, it didn't really seem necessary to trim the stem since I was used to a looong string hanging down before with a tampon. (Sheessh, I hope there aren't any guys are reading this.)
Anyway, I folded it, inserted it and freaked out a little bit because I pushed it so far back the stem was GONE!!! Then I told myself to calm down, I've had a couple of kids for pete's sake...you can't really lose anything up there anyway! What worked for me (while holding the stem and after it was inserted far back), was to give it a small turn or use a side to side motion. This seemed to unfold the cup faster and allowed the cup to "seal". Needless to say, my pushing it far back is perfect for me and allows no stem to stick down and allows me to not feel the cup at all.
As far as what I plan to do while on the trail, I bought wipes especially made for the cup (indivdually packaged). I plan to dig a hole, empty the cup, wipe it out with the wipes, reinsert it, then boil the cup periodically when I get to camp at night in the privacy of my own tent. And, I will also clean it when I get to town. Be careful to read the manufacturers recommendation on cleaning your particular cup as certain soap products cannot be used to clean it.
Too much information I know, but hey, what can I say....I LOVE THIS THING!!!!!!!
Nope. Not stinky at all!Originally Posted by moose717
I just got an email from lunapads.com (where I bought my Diva Cup).. 20% off this weekend
My best friend, a 42 year old female who has had 4 children, swears by this! Laura says she will introduce her youngest child - a 2 year old and the only girl- to the Diva Cup as soon as she starts. My friend said her husband last week actually commented that the "Diva Cup" was saving a bunch of money (he is the grocery shopper in the family.)
Since I have had a hysterectomy, I have no need for this and can't advise....
I used my diva cup for the first time this week, and I feel so free! I wish I had this sooner.
I have a lunette cup and I love it! I change it when I wake up and go to bed, but I could probably get away with less. It's made from silicone, super easy to use, and easy to clean. I think it's less picky about cleaning than other models and I'm pretty sure it's non-porous. Easy and environmentally friendly!
I am in LOVE with mine!!!!! I've just written a review about the Diva Cup and using it while on the trail. Check it out on my website www.backpackingengineer.com. I'm also giving away one free Diva Cup to a lucky fan! Be sure to enter for your chance to win!
My friend who uses it on a regular basis (monthly - not just on the trail), uses any type of soap. She does wash it daily at night. She has never boiled it, and this July will mark one year since she began using it.I... learned the hard way you need to use a certain type of soap ,,,
Glad to read all the positive results from using the Diva on the trail! I've been using it for a year and was wondering how it would do on my planned 2015 hike. Thanks, ladies!
"In our best times, everything turns into religion, all the world seems a church and the mountains, altars." ~ John Muir
Thanks guys, didn't even know about this product. I have been kinda worried about the issue.
Is this something you can sleep in? That's the main reason I'm still on tampons vs pads.
Yes! You can sleep with it in. You just take it out 2 times in a 24 hour period (or more if your flow is really heavy), empty the blood and rinse/clean it and put it back in...super great! I usually just emptied it in the morning and before I went to bed.
Even a gear junkie for this.
That's great! After some research, I really want to try the SheCup! While the Keeper Moon Cup pulls a close second by having basically the same dimensions, I'm a sucker for pink (plus it seems less likely to show, uh, staining over time). Does anyone know if the SheCup Is still available to order? Everywhere I've looked so far that ships stateside appears to be sold out.
This might be a stupid question, but what do you boil the diva cup in on trail? It seems like it wouldn't be sanitary to boil it in a pot...
I don't boil mine, ever (even at home; I have used it exclusively for nearly 8 years now with no yeast or bacterial infections). It gets thoroughly washed with soap and well rinsed once a day, and that can be done near the cat hole. That is the sum total of its maintenance. If I cannot trust my soap-and-water washing to be thorough enough for the cup, then how am I trusting that of my hands for insertion and removal?
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
My post should be amended to say, "*at least* once a day". In truth, I soap and water wash it every time I change it unless dire circumstances prevent it.
And in 8 years, those fire circumstances have happened all of three times, ever.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
J, have you been using the same one for 8 years?? I soap/water wash mine every time, admittedly not like really scrubbing.. but after probably exactly 2 years, I feel like I need to order a new one.. Or do the whole boil thing.
Boiling water causes whatever is in the water to be sterilized, so the pot would be sterile as well. It is more of a mind over matter thing. There would be no harmful bacteria/viruses left in the pot because they all would have been killed in the boiling process.
Posting Permissions
Female Hiking forums
Reply With Quote