View Full Version : why leave the cathole trowel behind??
Iron Will
11-10-2010, 19:02
its 3 ounces and its used to make a hole to burry poop, i assumed we would all be carrying one. because who would want to leave poo on the ground for animals to eat?? yet it seems to me that this may very well not be the case
so down and dirty, straight to the point
do you trowel or not? and WHY!?!
thanks, cause im curious what the others do, or dont do
Sierra Echo
11-10-2010, 19:03
what a crappy topic! LOLOLOLOL
Why carry a 3oz trowel when you can just use a stick or a rock? I have an mp3 player that weighs less than that.
GracefulRoll
11-10-2010, 19:33
Why carry a 3oz trowel when you can just use a stick or a rock? I have an mp3 player that weighs less than that.
Agreed. Rocks or sticks would work for me. If the ground is so tough you can't bury it with either of those, just find another spot to squat.
Unless I needed to bury someone I didn't like very much, I'm not taking a special digging device.
Multitaskers are your friend. Alton Brown says so.
aaronthebugbuffet
11-10-2010, 19:35
A rock and/or tent stake usually work.
I have a hard time believing a rock or boot heel really gets good enough depth. I know even with a trowel I have a tendency to want to scrimp on the hole. You have to poop, you're all paranoid about someone walking up, and you just want the whole thing over with.
Rocket Jones
11-10-2010, 19:40
I carry a single snow stake as part of my tent kit. It doubles as a digging tool when needed.
I carry a Montbell Handy Scoop at 1.3oz. It's metal and digs well. I've been in some terrain where a stick or your heel won't cut it (the ground that is). The problem with the heavier plastic trowels is they can break in rocky soil.
swjohnsey
11-10-2010, 20:23
Poo is something mother nature is very adept are recycling. Paper not so much. You reckon bears carry trowels?
Iron Will
11-10-2010, 20:28
oh something else i forgot to include!!
how many people use leaves to conserve their paper??
from my experience it isnt so bad to use leaves as long as you got some nice ones...
swjohnsey
11-10-2010, 20:30
Leaves suck . . . and stick. I carry a piece of washrag in a Ziploc.
garlic08
11-10-2010, 20:48
Sometimes I carry a snow stake, usually I don't. Usually the heel of my shoe, a rock, or a stick work fine. I will not carry a special trowel for such a mundane task. There are so many privies on the AT, anyway, I hardly ever needed to dig a hole.
Kerosene
11-10-2010, 20:48
I also use a rock or stick, or a tent stake in a pinch, to bury waste. Never been a problem in all of the camping I've done.
I'll use a wide, non-poisonous leaf in a pinch, but I don't rely on finding the right type in the spring or fall when I tend to hike most often.
StubbleJumper
11-10-2010, 20:54
What's wrong with just digging a hole in the duff with your hiking pole? KISS
bigcranky
11-10-2010, 21:19
+1 on the snow stake. Plus it makes a backup or spare tent stake when needed. I really needed it last week at Mt Rogers with the wind. Weighs < 1 ounce, digs just as well as a plastic trowel.
aaronthebugbuffet
11-10-2010, 21:48
I have a hard time believing a rock or boot heel really gets good enough depth. I know even with a trowel I have a tendency to want to scrimp on the hole. You have to poop, you're all paranoid about someone walking up, and you just want the whole thing over with.
The right rock can be more effective than those plastic trowels in my opinion.
I would rather have someone see me pooping than see someone else pooping.:D
Lone Wolf
11-10-2010, 22:02
so down and dirty, straight to the point
do you trowel or not? and WHY!?!
absolutely not. no need for one
drastic_quench
11-10-2010, 22:11
I've always hung my poop and buried my food. You're all odd.
aaronthebugbuffet
11-10-2010, 22:14
I've always hung my poop and buried my food. You're all odd.
Don't accept trail mix from this guy.
Trowels? We don't need no stinking trowels! HYOH, but I use a stick, toss my poo paper in the hole and cover the whole thing up with dirt and leaves. Works for me.
4eyedbuzzard
11-10-2010, 22:34
If there's a privy (and there are lots on the AT near most every shelter) I'll use it. If not I just poo in the woods like any other forest creature.
I have a hard time believing a rock or boot heel really gets good enough depth.
A good flat rock gets the job done. I agree, boot heels don't work too well. And there are alot of privys along the way.
Poo is something mother nature is very adept are recycling. Paper not so much. You reckon bears carry trowels?
You ever been to a shelter without a privy and seen all the piles of human waste, its not pretty.
4eyedbuzzard
11-11-2010, 14:46
A good flat rock gets the job done. I agree, boot heels don't work too well. And there are alot of privys along the way. You ever been to a shelter without a privy and seen all the piles of human waste, its not pretty.
I doubt that those people who would take a dump right near a shelter would be bothered to use a trowel either. Same ones who leave their "TP flowers" 10 to 20 feet off the trail. I try to get far enough off where no one is ever likely to walk. Rule of thumb around a shelter / camping area, if there isn't an abundant supply of downed wood for a fire, you're probably too close.
I carry a 4 inch folding blade with a serrated edge and just cut a piece of wood sturdy enough for a dig and it works fine for me. I see a knife as a neccessity in my repetoire of outdoor tasks.
I use a rock or stick or my heel. I clean myself with tree branches, sage or grass. I wash up after with water. Hand sanitizer on my hands. If the ground is really super hard I will walk extra far away from anywhere anybody would go and push over a large rock. If it's not possible to dig a hole (because there is no bare dirt anywhere--it's all tangled vegetation) I don't bother with the hole at all. This has happened only twice.
Many thru-hikers start with a trowel, especialy the nice orange ones, but few finish with one..
4eyedbuzzard
11-11-2010, 17:27
Many thru-hikers start with a trowel, especialy the nice orange ones, but few finish with one..
I had one of those orange trowels back in the 70's. I think I used it successfully once. Didn't work too well digging holes in rocks and roots and such - I think it cracked the second time I used it. Just more hiker bling.
nitewalker
11-11-2010, 20:24
no trowel just whatever blunt object may be available. dig hole, deposit waste then cover it back over with some extra duff or a good size rock so that an animal can not dig it up...its not often two people poo in the same woods hole.....
Bright Orange Plastic Trowel= Ultimate Newb Equipment
Wise Old Owl
11-11-2010, 22:56
what a crappy topic! LOLOLOLOL
no s*hIt. use your boot heal.
Real men use poison ivy for a wipe !
Enough said.
You have to poop, you're all paranoid about someone walking up, and you just want the whole thing over with.
Theoretically you should be far enough off of the trail that no one will see you, though I imagine lots of people poop right next to the trail. If you have to go that bad, poop on the ground, then dig your hole and push the turd in the hole with a stick, (or spork, if you prefer).
As far as being paranoid that someone will come walking up, I've never had that happen, but... One time I thought I was far enough off the trail for anyone to see me, when I heard a loud noise. I was far off the trail, but only about 15' from a road.
I use the Montbell titanium trowel. It's half the weight. I love it for digging quickly. It works even when the ground is hard, rocky and full of roots. I wouldn't bother if you're in an area where the ground is soft.
Kenny Powers
11-16-2010, 11:40
Poo is something mother nature is very adept are recycling. Paper not so much. You reckon bears carry trowels?
Do bears eat McDonald's and take Viagra?
Human poop is nasty, nasty stuff. It needs to be dealt with the right way. Man up, carry the 1oz trowel and bury the stuff.
If it's brown, warm and yours, I don't want anything to do with it.
Kenny Powers
11-16-2010, 11:42
Bright Orange Plastic Trowel= Ultimate Newb Equipment
Yeah, a newb that actually did the right thing - bury their poop - would be a terrible thing.
Fail.
Theoretically you should be far enough off of the trail that no one will see you, though I imagine lots of people poop right next to the trail. If you have to go that bad, poop on the ground, then dig your hole and push the turd in the hole with a stick, (or spork, if you prefer).
As far as being paranoid that someone will come walking up, I've never had that happen, but... One time I thought I was far enough off the trail for anyone to see me, when I heard a loud noise. I was far off the trail, but only about 15' from a road.
This reminds me of my first poop in the woods experience. I walked a looong way from our campsite and from the trail we were on. We'd camped at a fork of two trails. After I finished the business I got up and realized the other trail was ten or so feet away. :(
beakerman
11-16-2010, 12:26
I almost never dig then drop...I have terrible aim.
I do my business first...that way I can get it done and nobody has to watch me do it...in the event that the trail takes an unexpected turn or someone else just happens to be bushwhacking where I am goin'. I've had both happen and it was a bit of a surprise to say the least...especially when the dude coming down the trail was looking for a spot to deposit was well.
Anyway then I dig my hole with my trowel slide it all into the hole, cover and then sanitize my hands.
Lone Wolf
11-16-2010, 13:02
Do bears eat McDonald's and take Viagra?
what's viagra got to do with poo? make a firmer poo? anything over 12 inches seek medical attention?
Here:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=gas+post+hole+auger&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=13978973669831168963&ei=K07jTJD_CIH68AaQ14mVDQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCQQ8wIwAA#
:D.
flemdawg1
11-17-2010, 17:21
On the AT no trowels are necessary. The ground is usually soft enough to dig with a stick or hiker pole.