#2

[loners4me]

Yep, just like the title implies. Im a day hiker looking to overnight. How do you take a crap? Hang on a tree squating backwards? Find a fallen tree to sit on? Knees on elbows? I honestly want to know????

[HighLiner]

Dig small hole....squat.....wipe.....cover hole!

[Prime Time]

A tree about 3-5 inches in diameter on a slope is my preferred location. Grasp tree with one hand and squat downhill. Do not let go. This position assures a cleaner "transaction". Remember to dig and then cover your target hole.

[Sarcasm the elf]

If hiking in the middle of a forest on the A.T., where the ground is soft and there is plenty of leaf litter (this contains lots of good micobes that break down human waste and TP fairly quickly): Walk about 200 feet (70 paces) away from the trail, campsite, or watersource. Dig a 6-8 inch hole, squat, do your business, wipe, bury everything.
Note: if the need to go is urgent, then run the 200 feet from the trail, do your business first and then dig a hole and carefully bury everything, not ideal, but it will happen sometimes.

In an environmentally fragile area such as a hilltop or mountaintop with thin soil and few places to safely walk off trail: Hold it until you get to a better place or pack it out.


Check this book out if you really want to do some research on the subject:


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NMFqKIBvL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg
(I kid you not, it's a real book and I own it, makes a great conversation piece)

http://www.amazon.com/How-****-Woods-Edition-Environmentally/dp/1580083633

[Chris10]

And stay away from the privies!

[Lone Wolf]

Dig small hole....squat.....wipe.....cover hole!

yeah, what highliner says

[Damn Yankee]

grasp on to tree with fuzzy vine, poop, wipe butt

[HighLiner]

Thank you Lone Wolf. I just showed this to my wife. She's now grossed out. And she plans on hiking the HMW with me this summer!

[magic_game03]

I say if you don't want have to wait for the privy, you're kinda insecure about other hikers seeing you squat by a tree, or you just want to make some miles…the only way to go is diapers.

:eek:

[Wise Old Owl]

Uh it's JUST squatting... some use paper, leaves... fingers. Might want to do the latter with your left hand. - was this the humor forum?

[Kc Fiedler]

I like to teach people the tower smash: grab a branch at head height, put both feet on the trunk of the tree and drop a loaf. A good alternative is the orangutan hang: grab an overhead branch with both hands, tuck your knees up to your chest, and open the bomb doors. There's always the buddy poop: stand back to back with a good friend, link arms, and lean against one another as you both squat over your respective cat holes. Has the added benefit of being effective in tree-less environments.

[Hoss Cat]

I usually do the grab on the tree trunk method. But every once in a while I will luck out and find a down tree. I look for a main branch that forms a "V" with the trunk or smaller branch - which creates a good seat. It is one of those backwood luxuries. Still dig the hole, and burry.

[Southeast]

Here's a video on the topic.
http://youtu.be/zwmwxkD86Ec

This shows some non-TP methods as well. Skip that part if it isn't your thing.

[Odd Man Out]

I usually do the grab on the tree trunk method. But every once in a while I will luck out and find a down tree. I look for a main branch that forms a "V" with the trunk or smaller branch - which creates a good seat. It is one of those backwood luxuries. Still dig the hole, and burry.

I've done this too. One time, one of the branches was quite decayed and gave way. First instinct was to feel embarrassed, until I realized no one was looking. Then I just felt stupid.

[Praha4]

visit Walmart and pick up one of those camp toilets, they can be attached to the side of your backpack

[FarmerChef]

If hiking in the middle of a forest on the A.T., where the ground is soft and there is plenty of leaf litter (this contains lots of good micobes that break down human waste and TP fairly quickly): Walk about 200 feet (70 paces) away from the trail, campsite, or watersource. Dig a 6-8 inch hole, squat, do your business, wipe, bury everything.
Note: if the need to go is urgent, then run the 200 feet from the trail, do your business first and then dig a hole and carefully bury everything, not ideal, but it will happen sometimes.

In an environmentally fragile area such as a hilltop or mountaintop with thin soil and few places to safely walk off trail: Hold it until you get to a better place or pack it out.


Check this book out if you really want to do some research on the subject:


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NMFqKIBvL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg
(I kid you not, it's a real book and I own it, makes a great conversation piece)

http://www.amazon.com/How-****-Woods-Edition-Environmentally/dp/1580083633

I LOVE this book. Seriously. Read Chapter 1 for a load of laughs.

I also agree with the smallish tree. There are always roots to contend with and the smaller trees make that easier. The real trick here is how NOT to #2 in your pants since unless you are hanging slightly back gravity, well, drops your load in the nearest vertical container. This happens to be our pants unless we somehow get them out of the way. This is more art than science and leaves me feeling a bit like I'm shredding the halfpipe at a snowboard competition. Hence the exciting names for the shorts grabs. :p

[DocMahns]

I just squat, lean my back up against a tree, spread em', and let loose the dogs of war. ( I find that the spreading leads to less wiping in the end) (no pun intended).

[perrymk]

"How to S*** in the woods " is the classic. There is also another book called "Going Abroad" that is more about toilets in other countries, of which a large proportion are squat toilets. Using a squat toilet isn't too different than digging a hole.

Or you could google "squat toilet"

[perrymk]

Here's a video on the topic.
http://youtu.be/zwmwxkD86Ec

This shows some non-TP methods as well. Skip that part if it isn't your thing.

This is a great video! Except or the Tucker method. I could have lived all day without seeing that.

[daddytwosticks]

Depends. I usually remove my shirt when I take a crap. - George Castanza

[Hill Ape]

squatting is what we are designed/made by god/evolved to do. it more effectively evacuates the bowels. sitting at right angles on our dignified thrones, we don't fully expel all the waste. build up remains in the lower sigmoid, a contributing cause to various colon/prostate cancers and other disorders.

[Hot Flash]

squatting is what we are designed/made by god/evolved to do. it more effectively evacuates the bowels. sitting at right angles on our dignified thrones, we don't fully expel all the waste. build up remains in the lower sigmoid, a contributing cause to various colon/prostate cancers and other disorders.

[Citation needed]

[Foresight]

Can y'all seriously not crap without holding onto something?

[Sarcasm the elf]

Can y'all seriously not crap without holding onto something?

Does holding my iphone count?

[Foresight]

Bonus points for posting via tapatalk while engaging in taka**** :D

[Pedaling Fool]

We didn't evolve to drink milk from a cow, but we do now and even the paleo-fanatics include it in their diets. In the same way we didn't evolve to sit upright in a chair, but evolution is not always the best way. It's just no fun reading while squatting.


However, with that said, I never use prives, they are just too disgusting. Sometimes it's best to squat, but I really love my throne at home -- the hell with evolution :)

[Hill Ape]

[Citation needed]

and available out there on the internet, feel free to do your own homework. i'm not trying to change any hearts or minds here, or get sucked into a famous WB debate over how to take a better crap

[Hill Ape]

http://www.medicaldaily.com/sitting-vs-squatting-how-bathroom-posture-affects-way-you-poop-242243
http://www.relfe.com/toilet_seat_constipation.html
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/08/dont_just_sit_there.html
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/20/161501413/for-best-toilet-health-squat-or-sit

[Hill Ape]

all that and more found using a google search string "squatting vs sitting to have a bowel movement"

[perdidochas]

We didn't evolve to drink milk from a cow, but we do now and even the paleo-fanatics include it in their diets. In the same way we didn't evolve to sit upright in a chair, but evolution is not always the best way. It's just no fun reading while squatting.


However, with that said, I never use prives, they are just too disgusting. Sometimes it's best to squat, but I really love my throne at home -- the hell with evolution :)

Some of us did evolve to drink milk from a cow. Those who didn't are known as lactose intolerant.

The paleo fanatics don't include milk. The less intense paleo folks do.

[Foresight]

No milk. Water. Lotsa water.

[jesse]

carry your TP out.

[Hill Ape]

No milk. Water. Lotsa water.

ice cream?!?

[Pedaling Fool]

Some of us did evolve to drink milk from a cow. Those who didn't are known as lactose intolerant.



http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/making-fittest-got-lactase-co-evolution-genes-and-culture

Yes, but it was a forced evolution stemming from culture, that's the point I was making. Interesting video in the above link that talks about that. It's also important to note that humans are the only mammals that can drink milk into adulthood. The idea that we must do things because we evolved that way is just very limiting.

WRT toilets causing problems, I'll concede that maybe a toilet does aggravate certain digestive problems, but I very much doubt it causes problems in a healthy person. I don't strain doing my business.




The paleo fanatics don't include milk. The less intense paleo folks do.Ok, correct point, but in my defense I consider them all fanatics :D

[takethisbread]

Does holding my iphone count?

hilarity times 10 :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hill Ape]

Can y'all seriously not crap without holding onto something?

i hold on for dear life, screaming for sweet baby jesus help me

[moose717]

Does holding my iphone count?

I am now sitting at my desk with coffee comin' out my nose! Good one!

[perdidochas]

all that and more found using a google search string "squatting vs sitting to have a bowel movement"

No scientific evidence for your contention about cancer, etc. Yes, there is evidence about the rest--i.e. constipation, hemmorhoids, speed of evacuation, but to quote the Slate article:


The more extreme assertions about squatting—that it prevents cancer, for example—remain untested. But when it comes to hemorrhoids—a painful swelling of the veins in the anal canal that affects half of all Americans (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hemorrhoids/DS00096)—new research suggests that you may want to get your butt off the toilet.

From the NPR article:

Kim says one of the first things she tells patients who struggle on the john is get a stack of telephone books or a stool to rest their feet on – an option not unlike the Squatty Potty. But she says many of the claims Squatty Potty makes haven't been well tested.
"Squatting on a stool can reduce the amount of straining on the toilet, which may mean less hemorrhoids, but there are no clinical studies proving that," she says.
So does this mean everyone should consider abandoning the more comfortable position of sitting for the potentially preventative position of squatting? No, says Kim.

[Hill Ape]

i didn't make any contention, i barely made a qualified claim. i know there is much disagreement, and even said i don't want to get into a debate about taking a crap. i don't care which way you guys wipe, or which hand you use to do it.

i stand by the mechanics of my statement, we were designed to squat. and my contentions, well "contributing" cause to a variety of health issues.... there, i fixed it, you win, i give up, white flag, use it to wipe

i'm not, and never will, be here to change anyones heart or mind.

[daddytwosticks]

...I'm still struggling with this hole topic. What's a sigmoid? :)

[perdidochas]

It's part of your colon that makes a curved shape.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmoid_colon

[skinnbones]

You could try to hold it all in until town visits? Only what... 4-5 days max ???

[Pottsalot]

Lol funny comments here

[CHRISTINE2015]

You could try to hold it all in until town visits? Only what... 4-5 days max ??? That's my plan!

[HikerMom58]

#2 with a view. I had to share! :p

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/p296x100/10153787_580857702021223_1266125623_n.jpg

[Trebor66]

Why would someone pack out their own waste? There are thousands of animals crapping in the woods everyday, what makes ours any different? I can understand if you were in the desert, but in the woods?? What difference does it make....

[QiWiz]

Dig small hole....squat.....wipe.....cover hole!

Here's some more detail on the cathole process, since you are interested . . .

The most widely accepted method of backcountry human waste disposal is the cathole. The advantages are:


They are easy to dig in most areas.
They are easy to disguise after use.
They are private.
They disperse the waste rather than concentrate it
(which enhances decomposition).
It is usually easy to select an out-of-the-way location where you can be certain no one is going to casually encounter the cathole.


A problem with catholes is that animals will often dig them up to get at partially digested buried food particles in feces. This tends to mix soil with feces (a good thing), but changes animal behavior (a bad thing), and possibly worst of all can leave dug-up toilet paper “flowers” in the area (another bad thing). One solution is to pack out toilet paper (TP) or use leaves or other natural materials as TP, but animals will still be attracted to the cathole as a food source. Another solution is to make "P00P Soup".

A further benefit of the “P00P Soup” technique is the funny name and the humor that can be put into teaching youth and adults an effective cathole technique.

Selecting a Cathole Site:


Select a cathole site far from water sources, 200 feet (approximately 70 adult paces) is the recommended range.
Select an inconspicuous site untraveled by people. Examples of cathole sites include thick undergrowth, near downed timber, or on gentle hillsides.
If camping with a group or if camping in the same place for more than one night, disperse the catholes over a wide area; don’t go to the same place twice.
Try to find a site with deep organic soil. This contains organisms which will help decompose the feces. (Organic soil is usually dark and rich in color.) The desert does not have as much organic soil as a forested area. (See number 2 below.)
If possible, locate your cathole where it will receive maximum sunlight. The heat from the sun will aid decomposition.
Choose an elevated site where water would not normally collect during runoff or rain storms. The idea here is to keep the feces out of water. Over time, the decomposing feces will percolate into the soil before reaching water sources.

Digging a Cathole:


A small trowel is the perfect tool for digging a cathole.
Dig the hole 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter. In a hot desert, human waste does not biodegrade easily because there is little organic soil to help break it down. In the desert, the cathole should be only 4-6 inches deep. This will allow the heat and sun to hasten the decay process.


Making Poop Soup:
After depositing waste and TP / materials into the cathole,


use a sturdy stick (not your trowel) to mix all of this with some loose soil,
then add a cup or so of water* and mix again.

The TP, soil, and feces should not be recognizable as such once thoroughly mixed in this soup. The thorough mixing of all of the cathole contents with soil and water will speed decomposition, make animal digging less likely, and will completely avoid the “TP flower” problem.
* there is some disagreement as to how essential it really is to add water to the mix,
but if you can spare some, it does speed the mixing process


Topping Off the Cathole:
When finished, the cathole should be topped off with the rest of the original dirt and disguised with native materials.

[Francis Sawyer]

Really folks? I assume that most of the comments are for comic relief but do we really need a tutorial for basic bodily functions. My god, What if I have to fart?! People have been doing it outdoors since Adam and Eve. Lol

[JustaTouron]

Step 1: Make sure you are not near any water sources and are off the trail.

step 2 :
Dig small hole....squat.....wipe.....cover hole!