Pee bottle?? best practices

[mik matra]

JUst got back from a (to us here in balmy sunny QLD Australia) cold weekend of camping at about 1200m. The ambient temp wasn't that bad around the zero-3 or 4 degrees celcius but the windchill made it uncomfortable enough that even with all my clothes on sitting next to the fire I said to my crew stuff this I'm going to bed. It took me a little while to get inside my sleeping bag and pull the 2 shoulder and head drawstrings tight and get comfy and then i needed to pee. What to do what to do what to do, I can't possibly last all night and so I clambered out then and again before the sun rose.

Having said that I still do not feel comfortable in peeing inside my sleeping bag trying to not spill. I am a person that feels the cold easily (most others in my party wear half the warm gear on a cold night than I do) but will no way risk a spillage inside the bag….I don't want to sleep on a 'wet-spot' lol. I however have no qualms in unzippiong the bag turning to the side and emptying my bladder in a bowl or something that can be emptied then or in the morning.

[David K]

While recuperating from my hip resurfacing I couldn't get out bed readily for around a month. Having several empty urinals standing on the bedside table was very comforting. LIke all endeavors one undertakes- practice makes perfect. There are several ways one can end up with wet areas that are unpleasant. I recommend trying this out in the comfort of one's home bed before even contemplating the incredibly advanced skill of doing this in a mummy bag. I might add that cheap men's urinals are very light and shaped to make the job easier. Not that any ULer would even contemplate hauling something like that along.

Me-I love getting outside and seeing the stars and feeling the cold air. Way less shocking than rolling in the snow after a sauna at 25 below.

[Edward Jursek]

I always start out a trip with a 1L bottle of Gatorade that converts to my pee bottle when empty. Light weight, wide mouth, can't be confused with my Platy bottles. I hike a lot in the wet Pacific Northwest and use it when it is raining. In good weather I would rather take a few minutes outside and enjoy the stars.

[Dave Heiss]

Last trip I brought an empty mayonnaise jar to use as a pee bottle. Wide mouth top (good target) and wide bottom (hard to tip over), smooth sides for easy cleaning (I used it as an extra water carrier at camp), the lid seals tight, and the jar was both light and basically free. It was pretty easy to prop up on one elbow, lean into the jar and do the midnight pee without making any messes. At 30-32oz depending on the brand, it's big enough to hold two bladder's worth, if necessary. I used it during a cold, windy night up on Copper Ridge in the North Cascades NP, and I must say it was quite convenient.

[Jon Holthaus]

I use freezer bag 1 Gal ziplock. All jokes aside "size" isn't an issue seal as far as needed dump after use. I use duomid and bivy. Never had an issue with 30+ uses. I mark with black X to easily recognize, always water rinse during day fill up (dumping 200+ ft away from source, in my mind that's "really leering it clean and soak up") keep on exterior pocket. Simple and efficient.

[David Olsen]

In winter, after plenty of hot drinks to rehydrate and stave off frostbite and when the
cold seeps into your bag and bladder pressure overwhelms bag suction, a 16 oz wide mouth
nalgene is ALMOST enough. It is funny only later.

Better to go with 20 oz or larger.

Being very nearsighted, I used to bring a square nalgene to differentiate it from my
drinking ones.

Wide mouth Mtn Dew bottle works.

[David Thomas]

I sure hope that mayonnaise jar was plastic, not glass! Nutella and peanut butter also come in wide-mouth plastic bottles and hence double as better mixing bowls because they are easier to clean.

Are there steel cans (for nuts, maybe?) with a resealable plastic lid? Better yet, something in aluminum (big catfood can, pate'?). Then in additional to a bowl and pee bottle, it could function as a cheap cooking pot (without the plastic lid). I'm sure you could eventually find a snap-on plastic lid for a particular steel can if you look widely enough. And/or for an aluminum/Ti BP cooking pot so you could set it aside with less risk of a pee spill.

[Tim Zen]

Not going with the Nalgene canteen. I filled it with hot (not boiling) water and it sprung a leak.. Not even a year old.

[Peter Evans]

One trick I've heard but not used for winter camping is to pee in a condom.
Tie a knot in it and let it freeze… deal with it in the morning.

Personally I'd rather just go outside rather than risk fouling my nice down sleeping bag.

[Rusty Beaver]

As a frequent male urinator, I've come to like the following 2 methods: The most recent is using my ~27oz Klean Kanteen w/ stainless lid. I roll on to my side to pee…but rather than dump it, I keep it in my bag with me as a heater. Stainless is very conductive and it feels great. When the need arises again, I dump outside my tent and do'er again. In the morn, I rinse the Kanteen well and prepare my tea in it. The Kanteen is then my water bottle throughout the day. Bottle/urinal/tea pot/bag warmer in one!

The other method is a wide mouth plastic bottle…~16oz. During the day, I use it to contain my Ti stakes. I've come to prefer the former though.

Steady hands and total cerebral focus mandatory…..

[Jennifer Mitol]

How many times I wished I had a large ziplock with me in the tent…especially when I first started hiking with my dog a few years ago. If I left the tent in the night, in the rain…he'd run right out and want to play…then get back in the tent all wet and muddy. Now, he lifts his head, MAYBE pokes his snout out the door to see that I'm not doing anything he cares about, then goes back to sleep.

I would never trust my skills to pee in a bag/bottle in my tent. Way way too much possibility for mess. But boy have I wanted to…….

[Diplomatic Mike]

Sleep in a quilt, under a floor-less shelter. Simply roll over, lift, and let go. :-)
And have a dump under cover before you leave in the morning.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I have SO badly sometimes wondered if I could without actually getting anything on my stuff. Again…not enough aim on my part. And usually if I have to go that badly it seems like its going to be a lot more than David's 16oz……..

[Diplomatic Mike]

Why not practice with a Shewee, Jennifer? I know you use a quilt.

[Jan S]

You do know about stuff like this? http://www.whizproducts.co.uk/en/whiz_freedom.aspx

I have something like that kinda built in, so never used it. But it comes at 18 g which seems okay if it's cold and wet and muddy outside. They also sell matching bags, but I personally use a dedicated (drinking from a bottle where my urin just spend 6 hours inside is really not for me) 1 L Nalgene wide mouth in winter. In the summer I just go outside.

Edit: Added missing letters.

[Stephen M]

Would a funnel help.

[Rusty Beaver]

"(drinking from a bottle where my urin just spend 6 hours inside is really not for me)"

It wouldn't be for me either…if I were using a plastic bottle. Unlike stainless, plastic has a way of retaining flavors and odors. Urine flavored and scented water. Meh….no thanks.

[BlackHatGuy]

Sawyer's got the answer! At least for us guys.

I'm going to get one of their New! Revolutionary! Fast-Fill adapters. I'm going to have it surgically implanted in my johnson. If I have to pee in the middle of the night, no problem! I just remove the 'head,' attach the plastic tubing I've preset that runs out of the shelter, do my business, then remove the hose and reattach my normal bits.

What could be easier!?! Sawyer thought they were revolutionizing hydration, but they're actually revolutionizing the midnight pee break!

[Jennifer Mitol]

And if you're interested doug I can get you a couple. Just insert the tubing, attach to the sawyer, and there you go!! You can leave those things in for weeks at a time (but watch for infection!)…a real hydration "bladder" that you can use while hiking…no need to ever stop!

Now THAT'S UL!!!!

[Jan S]

I hear the insertion process is rather painful and if you do it wrong and miss channels you get to know pain very, very intimately for quite some time (and probably miss out on any kids if that is in general still an option). No surgery required though. All necessary holes are there. If you want new holes you can pierce directly into the bladder through the stomach. Not something I would want but YMMV :)

[BlackHatGuy]

No no, Jennifer, not a catheter. You must not have seen the video of the new Sawyer fast-fill adapters.

See here: http://vimeo.com/60845892#

[Jeffs Eleven]

bit of drift:

Was that the 'revolutionary' system they introduced?

…sorta like what I was doing last year with my Frontier Pro and Platy?

Doug maybe you could get a 'hydration port' installed in your sleeping bag. At the appropriate height, of course.

(right around the knees, right?)

[M B]

How about dont drink anything after 5 pm, and pee immediately before go to bed?

Depends on the size of ones prostate I guess.

[Travis Leanna]

>How about dont drink anything after 5 pm, and pee immediately before go to bed?

Keeping well hydrated will help keep you warmer at night. It does have the drawback of possibly having to pee during the night though.

[Jan S]

"How about dont drink anything after 5 pm, and pee immediately before go to bed?"

Still makes me want to pee in the morning. And until I've crawled out of the sleeping bag in winter, put on more clothes and those darn ski boots, opened the tent, crawled out of that, ran to a tree, undid all the clothes again … it's too late. Yes, been there, done that. Wasn't pretty and I'm not proud of it.

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