View Full Version : Toiletting on the Trail
Sunshine Tami Jo
08-17-2010, 18:07
I've done several searches on this topic and found very little of real value. One thread was almost entirely juvenile humor. I know that this is an awkward subject, but I can't be the only one who wants to know. I don't need to know the mechanics, I can figure that out for myself (and believe it or not, youtube has some videos on the subject). What I want to know is: TP or wet wipes? I think I'd prefer wet wipes for the cleanliness factor, but they're heavier. And then how do I keep and pack out the soiled items until they can can be disposed of? Please don't make silly jokes. I'd really like to know how folks tend to this on the trail. I do NOT want to be lax in personal hygiene in this particular arena. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to have a frank answer to this.
If there's a thread that covers this topic, help me find it please. All I've found are a few comments here and there, some of which are downright silly and grotesque and, for the most part, pretty useless.
Personal preference, but I'd take the TP, and maybe just a few wet wipes if they help you to feel cleaner.
If you let the wet wipes dry out before you pack them you'll save a little weight and I find that they rehydrate pretty well if you just add a little water to them when you need them. Something to consider/test out anyway.
Generally, I'd just say to bury soiled TP/wipes. If you are carrying stuff out, I keep my TP in a ziplock and keep another empty ziplock inside. I put the soiled items in the empty ziplock, and then keep it inside my TP ziplock, essentially double bagging everything. Then, just dispose of the ziplock of soiled items and replace as you can.
Toolshed
08-17-2010, 20:39
Ditto on Obscura....All Common sense and a little ingenuity. I too dry out all but a couple of wet wipes. I use standard TP and then final clean up with a wet wipe (or damp wipe). I also carry a small lighter in my TP bag as well as alcohol hand gel. I usually burn the TP when I am done and bury the rest of the waste. You can pack out the damp wipe or if it is pretty dry, just torch it as well. I then do an initial hand cleaning with the gel and wash my hands when i get to soap and water.
I also always carry a spare ziplock for those damp wipes that won't burn.
Country Roads
08-18-2010, 20:39
I use a combination of things. Use a kids squirt gun for personal cleansing during the day, this uses less TP and actually gets you cleaner. For TP, I take a shop towel and cut it into 4 pieces. It is much tougher than TP and can be wetted to clean up. It is also tough enough to be used for other stuff, which TP cannot. Shop towels are biodegradable (not sure if you should toss it into the privies though, would have to have a maintainer to weigh in on that issue). I most generally try not to use the privies, since it is a pain for the maintainers to keep them clean. I most generally do business away from shelter/camp places.
I do clean up each night and change into my "clean" undies (clean meaning using the old plastic bag washing machine). I usually carry 3pairs of undies: the pair I have on, the pair I will be putting on and a spare pair. I usually only have the bra I am wearing; I can go without if I need to and when doing laundry.
More and more women are opting to use a bandana. Just hang on the back of your backpack and rinse it out nightly in camp. I believe it's called a pee rag. This will be my option when I go out next. I do like the wet wipes for cleaning up at night. The wet wipes will rinse out after use and when they dry, use them for tp when poopin. Dual purpose.
I use a combination of things. Use a kids squirt gun for personal cleansing during the day, this uses less TP and actually gets you cleaner.
This is a GREAT idea. I'm going to try this one. Thanks!! Spritz myself clean and dry with the bandana, perfect.....
Sunshine Tami Jo
08-18-2010, 22:47
OK girls, these are great tips...so much better than the stuff I'd found before. Thank you!!!!! Now, gotta add "squirt gun" to my gear list!
Bear Cables
08-18-2010, 22:57
Definitely adding squirt gun to the gear list.
Sunshine Tami Jo
08-18-2010, 23:40
I do clean up each night and change into my "clean" undies (clean meaning using the old plastic bag washing machine).
Let me guess: Squirt a little Dr. Bronner's into a ziplock, add water and undies, agitate a bit and rinse?
Country Roads
08-21-2010, 18:35
Doc Bronners! OUCH:eek:.
The squirt gun really works well and if you are an ultralight backpacker, it can serve lots of purposes, especially entertaining on hot days.
speedbump
08-23-2010, 21:14
I have learned to drip dry into a panty liner. No need for tp for #1.
Saves so much weight and space. No paper litter or carry out either.
ashley_nicole
08-25-2010, 11:17
Haha, squirt gun, love it. You get so...stuck in routine out there, things like squirt guns can really break up your day when you're not using it to...er...yeah.
I used just wet wipes on my trip. If I didn't have time to dry them out, I would wring them out the best I could. By the end of the trip, I was using leaves if I just peed, and would clean up at night, and saved the wipes for my other business. Also meant I could carry less. The wipes are so great for when you're on your period too. You feel so much cleaner when you're still 6+ days away from a shower!
And always hand sanitizer after any business. ESP if I was in a privy!
Also, during the summer, I wore running shorts with built in mesh undies, so I was able to dry out a lot better than when I started with underwear. I tried doing the liner thing, but I found I just got too swampy (ew!) and I didn't like carrying all those liners, albeit small, both in and out if I was already carrying wipes.
Hiker8261
08-25-2010, 16:11
well that explains a lot.
After I got ambushed one night at a shelter, I was wondering, of all the things to carry 2200miles, why a squirtgun.
Another woman had a trail name based on her bandannas hanging drying on her pack (Snot and Piss, later shortened to S&P)
chris
Thank you for the shared experience!
I've done several searches on this topic and found very little of real value. One thread was almost entirely juvenile humor. I know that this is an awkward subject, but I can't be the only one who wants to know. I don't need to know the mechanics, I can figure that out for myself (and believe it or not, youtube has some videos on the subject). What I want to know is: TP or wet wipes? I think I'd prefer wet wipes for the cleanliness factor, but they're heavier. And then how do I keep and pack out the soiled items until they can can be disposed of? Please don't make silly jokes. I'd really like to know how folks tend to this on the trail. I do NOT want to be lax in personal hygiene in this particular arena. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to have a frank answer to this.
If there's a thread that covers this topic, help me find it please. All I've found are a few comments here and there, some of which are downright silly and grotesque and, for the most part, pretty useless.
i take toilet paper in a ziplock bag. then when i need to go, i go off trail, dig a little cathole, use it, and then burying both the waste and the tp. stay at least 50 yds away from water sources. privys are nasty but they are useful when you find them at the right time.
I use a little bottle with a squirt nozzle. Got it in a Colghan's kit of little plastic bottles. I also made a pee device from a wishbone salad dressing bottle. I can pee standing up with it thus protecting myself from mosquitoes.
You should carry your used TP out and not bury it. Most people don't bury it well enough and it's gross to find other people's TP everywhere. If you really insist on burying it, practice steath toileting. Go as far away from where anybody will find it as you possibly can.
I don't use any TP at all when I backpack. I use sage or small pine boughs. Then I wash off with my squirt bottle. There's a youtube video out there that's really helpful called the Backcountry Poo-Poo Clinic.
hontassquirt
09-01-2010, 23:07
backcountry poo poo clinic! awesome clip. funny and thorough...love it
Jonnycat
09-01-2010, 23:37
Assuming #2:
A little TP when you are regular, more TP/wet TP when you aren't (monkeybutt), with baby wipes to finish off and clean more deeply.
Also, broad leaves work well when you are regular, and just need a light wipe.
Additionally, as I discovered on my last trip, pressed together and moistened lichen works really well as a "one use" sponge when you are having issues. I actually collected a bunch and put it into my toiletry bag to keep with me on the trail for when the need arises.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5415/oldmanbeardlichen.jpg
Assuming #2:
A little TP when you are regular, more TP/wet TP when you aren't (monkeybutt), with baby wipes to finish off and clean more deeply.
Also, broad leaves work well when you are regular, and just need a light wipe.
Additionally, as I discovered on my last trip, pressed together and moistened lichen works really well as a "one use" sponge when you are having issues. I actually collected a bunch and put it into my toiletry bag to keep with me on the trail for when the need arises.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5415/oldmanbeardlichen.jpg
oh, jonnycat! you are so lucky your privates didn't get eaten up with chiggers!
Jonnycat
09-02-2010, 11:35
oh, jonnycat! you are so lucky your privates didn't get eaten up with chiggers!
Chigger me timbers! Never thought of that, but mind you, I only picked the cleanest looking lichen, and this was here in the high elevations of the Cascades.
Maybe I could market this stuff - "Jonnycat's High Altitude Certified Chigger-free Lichen." Hmmmm.... http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7907/chiny.gif
Grass works well, too. Just make sure you check it for ticks. I think sage is the best (good smell!) but I don't think it grows on the AT.
Doc Bronners! OUCH:eek:.
.
yes, definately skip the Dr. Bronners, and the Gold Bond in the GREEN bottle ladies!
There is this mesh yellow material ( somebody help me out here) it's like an absorbent felt, you can use that during the day multiple times, put on the outside of pack, it dries and then wash each night ( or during day) and it works really well. Learned this from some FL hiking ladies a few years back. They come in big sheets so you can make a bunch from one cheap purchase.
SBhikes, pee device from a salad bottle - very clever! I've heard about these....but never used one, here's a link to the P-mate, very interesting site, but about that 100% guarantee policy ( don't buy a refurbished one :)
http://www.pmateusa.com/home.html
And believe it or not a glove for winter with a "snot spot" built in!
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___11666
There is this mesh yellow material ( somebody help me out here) it's like an absorbent felt, you can use that during the day multiple times, put on the outside of pack, it dries and then wash each night ( or during day) and it works really well.
in the past, i just cut a green pack towel into a quarter of the normal size, using the quarter that had the snap webbing on it. it was absorbent felt like?
Kanga, that might be it, it was a like a pack towel, but not shammy like.
Pack towel sounds like it might be a better choice actually, less thick, easy to wash out/dry. Sunshine does wonder for bacterial control as well.
kinda like this but kelly green. plus it's so old i think it actually says cascade on it..
http://media.rei.com/media/mm/78eba62b-d167-4083-92cd-800344ea7dad.jpg
Yup, that will work, and the yellow color is perfect, and small piece of that sort of screams "don't touch me!" hanging from the back of your pack :)
( like yellow snow)
Blissful
09-03-2010, 20:53
I like my tp. I have to say...
Oh yeah, still the ultimate :)
daylaandjasper
09-06-2010, 00:12
I'm a fan of the Pee bandana for #1, tp for #2. I have carried wet wipes before but found the antibacterial ones made my skin irritated and made chafing issues worse.
m_factor
09-06-2010, 00:59
There's a good book out by Kathleen Meyer called "How to $hit in the Woods" (It's really spelled with and "S" but the autocensor didn't like it). It describes techniques appropriate for different types of environments. Desert is different than rainforest is different than canyon, etc.
Along the AT, if you are sufficiently far from trail, water, shelter and campsites, it is generally acceptable to bury your TP as long as you truly bury it properly. Your cathole should be at least 6" deep and still be in bioactive soil in order to aid decomposition. Unfortunately, most people do not make the effort to dig a suitably deep and wide cathole so you'll see toilet paper flowers here and there. If you want to be sure not to contribute to that particular problem, just carry out all your TP. Use ziploc bags and maybe an opaque plastic shopping bag for "privacy".
For what it's worth, if I'm just stopping to pee, I'll usually carry any TP I use out with me or at least carry it until the next time I get to a privy.
Do NOT try to burn your TP where you use it. You don't want to take the chance of starting a forest fire. Besides, if it's wet, it doesn't burn well.
If I carry my TP and later find a suitably hot campfire in a well established fire ring, where the wind is blowing away from everyone, and nobody is cooking anything over the fire, then I might consider burning the TP. But usually in this case, there's a nearby privy to use and I would rather just dump it there.
Along the AT, you'll find privies where you are encouraged to pee in them and privies where you are encouraged to "pee in the woods and poop in the privy". Both are correct for the type of waste management they use.
Don't be afraid to change up your approach given the situations you find yourself in.
There are some bushes along the AT with dinner plate sized leaves. I use them where available. Just know your poisonous leaves and avoid them. I also use the pantyliner trick at times. There are plenty of other solutions being bandied about here, too.
One more thing... tampons, pads, wet wipes, food, and anything other than TP and human waste do NOT belong in the privy. They take much too long to break down (if ever), may attract animals, and end up having to be pulled out by hand - YUCK!
Also, just because something says it's "biodegradable" (like some wet wipes) doesn't mean it degrades quickly or should be left in the woods or privy.
Hope this is helpful,
Mara
Stitches, AT99
TinaLouise
09-06-2010, 17:54
There are some bushes along the AT with dinner plate sized leaves.
Also, just because something says it's "biodegradable" (like some wet wipes) doesn't mean it degrades quickly or should be left in the woods or privy.
Mara
Stitches, AT99
When I can find them, I like sasafras leaves. I've started not carrying TP at all and instead I use a PeeStyle. I do carry wet wipes but prefer to pack them out.
I didn't know that about the "biodegradable" wet wipes until I attended a talk given by our local sewer management to our boy scout troop leaders. I had no idea that those wet wipes didn't break down as I "thought" that was what was ment by the word "biodegradable". Needless to say, I don't even flush them in a toilet now.
TinaLouise
hontassquirt
09-12-2010, 00:06
sorry for the dumb question here... i always use TP. not a lot because i use the whiz (i don't care to squat on spiders), so i don't need much. squatting kinda makes the wetness go wherever it wants to, and then i use more TP. with the whiz, i don't have that problem, so i can use less TP. i'm doing a thru hike with my daughter and although we've done long trips together, i believe a 6 month'er will snap us into reality a little more and i'll be reaching for leaves when available. how do you know what you'll be coming across, and which one's to use (poisonous/not poisonous)? i'm pretty sure in my readings, i've never found a section on "leaves to wipe with". how do you guys know?
LaurieAnn
09-19-2010, 14:31
I use TP.
On the topic of toileting one of my staff over at Outdoor Adventure Canada has arranged for me to gear review the Whiz Easy. I haven't tried a re-directer in a decade so this will be... um.. interesting. I have to say it is quite a bit different looking than anything else I've tried. If anything I can tease my husband about the fact that I'll be able to write my name in the snow. Seriously though, it might be great when we are snowshoeing. I'll post my thoughts on it when I've given it a go.
Bear Cables
09-19-2010, 21:31
I go the panty liner route and drip dry. For poop i use the TP followed by a wet wipe. The TP is buried deep enough and the wet wipe is packed out. I am going to try the squirt gun method next hike. Back in the day when I had my period during hiking the tampons were always packed out along with wipes. I keep a ziplock for that kind of trash in a small stuff bag and separate from clean stuff.
hontassquirt
09-30-2010, 21:00
I use TP.
On the topic of toileting one of my staff over at Outdoor Adventure Canada has arranged for me to gear review the Whiz Easy.
No matter how many times I use it, it's just awkward. Not because it doesn't work - it totally does. It's just....well, my mama didn't teach me to pee standing up...nor did I teach my daughter to. My favorite part is that we don't have to get out of the tent in the middle of the night. And it's so flexible, you can literally pack it anywhere (unlike the one's with hard plastic pieces). OH YEAH!!! Give it a few times before you say you don't like it!:banana
SassyWindsor
09-30-2010, 22:43
One of the biggest negatives when hiking is the filth, along with the smells and visions, encountered all along the trail, especially around camp areas. LNT is fighting a loosing battle.
When NOT hiking, so when at home, work etc, I use toilet paper after going to the loo and wash and night time. When I am hiking, I do exactly the same thing! No difference needed
theinfamousj
10-10-2010, 14:12
I just use TP. Especially septic safe TP. (Is there any other kind now a days?) I bury very deep by using a snow stake as a toilet trowel. I dig my cathole as deep as the snow stake will go.
If I need to clean up from my period or from a looser #2, I'll just drip a bit of water onto the TP from my water bottle. Instant wet wipe!
art gypsy
10-14-2010, 15:08
I use TP and add a few wet ones to each mail drop to freshen up. Also use panty liners to stay fresh longer. Anything else and I will end up with a sore bottom.
The whole squirt gun thing sounds a bit silly to me, a cheap one would leak water and wouldn't be wise to keep filled in your pack, and I'm not sure that right out of a water source water is what you want to be squirting on yourself. If you use filtered water, that would make sense, but filling those darned little things are a hassle - you could wet and rinse a little piece of wipe or felt stuff much easier. :)
Not to mention the questions of being asked by others at a water source why you are filing a squirt gun! Eeek :)
First time poster here, anyways i have found this awesome STP device (stand to pee) www.go-girl.com (http://www.go-girl.com) . it takes some practice (in the shower) to use but works beautifully. i'm gonna take mine when i work bonnaroo next year. it's made of food grade silicon so it cleans very easily and it folds up real small. i plan on using mine when i thru-hike.
Wise Old Owl
11-14-2010, 18:51
For the UL crowd, please do not forget that Wet Nap would suffice and be lighter. Please do not hang on to them more than a year. Store bought with a little lemon juice can refresh.
Also a mix of water and alcohol fuel and a micro towel will work and is reusable. You can figure out how to wash it.
Also remember Dove soap floats a small bar can make a big difference in the woods during warmer temperatures.
Sierra Echo
11-14-2010, 19:01
First time poster here, anyways i have found this awesome STP device (stand to pee) www.go-girl.com (http://www.go-girl.com) . it takes some practice (in the shower) to use but works beautifully. i'm gonna take mine when i work bonnaroo next year. it's made of food grade silicon so it cleans very easily and it folds up real small. i plan on using mine when i thru-hike.
is cheaper to learn the art of polite hovering!
Trailbender
11-14-2010, 19:12
i take toilet paper in a ziplock bag. then when i need to go, i go off trail, dig a little cathole, use it, and then burying both the waste and the tp. stay at least 50 yds away from water sources. privys are nasty but they are useful when you find them at the right time.
Privies are nice sometimes though, more privacy. I can take a huge dump in my panties and actually enjoy it for a few minutes without worrying about someone coming along.
Ladytrekker
11-14-2010, 20:04
Coleman makes a biodegradeable wipe and you can buy them in the camping section of Walmart. If you think they are too heavy just take how many you think you will need and ziplock bag them.
thelightinside
11-14-2010, 20:09
Speaking of privacy, how difficult is it in early Spring (with no foliage) to find a suitable private place to go? With as many people as I've read are at the beginning of the trail, it's a concern for me. Doing my business and realizing someone is coming up the trail nearby=awkward!
Sierra Echo
11-14-2010, 20:12
Speaking of privacy, how difficult is it in early Spring (with no foliage) to find a suitable private place to go? With as many people as I've read are at the beginning of the trail, it's a concern for me. Doing my business and realizing someone is coming up the trail nearby=awkward!
go behind a tree a good ways off the trail. as unobservant as most people
are, they will never see you!
Wise Old Owl
11-14-2010, 20:14
Speaking of privacy, how difficult is it in early Spring (with no foliage) to find a suitable private place to go? With as many people as I've read are at the beginning of the trail, it's a concern for me. Doing my business and realizing someone is coming up the trail nearby=awkward!
Some of the older women in the club (wtc) still use a skirt & squat approch during early part of the year.
Turtle Feet
11-14-2010, 22:18
Speaking of privacy, how difficult is it in early Spring (with no foliage) to find a suitable private place to go? With as many people as I've read are at the beginning of the trail, it's a concern for me. Doing my business and realizing someone is coming up the trail nearby=awkward!
Leave your pack on one side of the trail, then go do your thing over on the other side (yes, behind a big tree if possible). It's human nature to think the human that belongs to the pack is off on the side they left their pack, right? ;) They'll be past you before it even occurs to them to maybe glance to the other side.
Rats! Now my secret is out!!! :confused:
thelightinside
11-14-2010, 22:26
Leave your pack on one side of the trail, then go do your thing over on the other side (yes, behind a big tree if possible). It's human nature to think the human that belongs to the pack is off on the side they left their pack, right? ;) They'll be past you before it even occurs to them to maybe glance to the other side.
Rats! Now my secret is out!!! :confused:
Hahaha, great idea!
realdusi
11-17-2010, 01:10
I think its great (& hilarious) that you post looking for a frank and honest answer in the woman's issues thread. Leave it to the boys to post rude and crude responses to an honest question.
I still have a lot to learn, but I will most definitely be taking panty liners on my next trip. Helps me stay fresh and feeling clean on longer hikes. I pack my trash out, but I've hiked with another lady who always burned hers when we made a big camp fire and they burn up nice and easy.
I use TP for #2 and a bandanna for #1 (after shake drying).
I would be interested in find a couple of those foil-lined sanitary wipes that doctors make you use before you pee in a pee cup to use for nightly clean up and refreshing. I guess Dr. Bronner's and a bandanna works just as well though...
Any woman that has given birth knows about the peri bottle. I have a couple in my bathroom at home that I use to clean myself after a #2. I think I will take one when I hike. It's small, doesn't leak and is easy to use.
Sunshine Tami Jo
01-20-2011, 19:23
Any woman that has given birth knows about the peri bottle. I have a couple in my bathroom at home that I use to clean myself after a #2. I think I will take one when I hike. It's small, doesn't leak and is easy to use.
Fabulous! Not as cool and funky as a squirt-gun, but far more practical and easier to use! I have 4 kids, why didn't I think of this? Love it.
TP, but bury it deep and far away. I wear a new pantyliner everyday, in theory giving me a clean pair of undies each day. When I change into my 'camp clothes', I use a wet wipe first, then change into my cotton undies for the night. Pack out the liners and wipes. I've been prone to UTIs and this has proved to be the most convenient way to stay clean without a shower. I only need to pack as many pantyliners as the number of days we'll be out. I pack a few extra wet wipes though because my hubby always seems to yank some of my supply.
Take your pack with you and go on the high side of the trail to tinkle. People don't look up as often as you'd think.