Episode 67 | How to Poop in the Woods (Skills and Tools for Backcountry Pooping)

[Backpacking Light]

Companion forum thread to: Episode 67 | How to Poop in the Woods (Skills and Tools for Backcountry Pooping)

Ryan and Andrew chat about new gear and techniques for the age-old question: how to poop in the woods (safely, cleanly, and responsibly).

[DWR D]

1) Wondering if Ryan uses TP before his described bidet use?

2) of course, another way to mitigate the problem on concentration of cat holes in popular ares is to just say no… just say no to being a lemming who must go to the popular places… and/or to camp far away from the popular camp sites… which are typically near water… so pack some water to a dry camp…

[DWR D]

And…

Wonder if… for the alpine and desert areas where there is not enough soil bacteria to decompose poo in a reasonable amount of time… if a bacteria could be developed that you could just pack with you and sprinkle on the poo before covering it up…

[Dan]

just say no to being a lemming who must go to the popular places… and/or to camp far away from the popular camp sites

I like this strategy for a number of reasons, in part because I enjoy solitude. Another approach, if you can manage it, is to pack up your camp and walk for a mile or two before taking a bathroom break.

[Jerry Adams]

I do a lot of backpacking, maybe 70 nights per year.  I haven’t had a lot of problems.

On my last trip I picked up a rock to use to hold something down.  It smelled like poop, so I just put it back down.  It was right at the campsite.  That was obnoxious, but after I set it back down it didn’t bother me.  Now that I think about it, I should have thrown it away from camp.  And covered the spot where it was.

Occasionally I’ll see some toilet paper.  Do people think they’re doing a good thing, marking where they pooped so no one else will be surprised?  I’ll usually bury it.

A time or two when I’ve dug my cat hole, I’ve encountered someone else’s business so I just backed out and moved over to a virgin spot.

It’s not really a big deal.  I just don’t see why this is a big problem.

But, I don’t do mountain climbing where there’s only rocks.  Or trips in river canyons that are too constricted to find good spots to poop.  In those cases, then yeah, you should pack it out.

I just use a stick.  Not that carrying a one ounce trowel would be a big deal.  I am always able to dig a 6 inch hole so I can put 4 inches of dirt on top.

There’s a campsite at Strawberry Point on the Olympics.  There is no good spot to poop because so many people camp there.  And the racoons dig it up at night.  I won’t camp there again.  There’s a couple better spots further south.

Good idea about walking a mile away.  Even 100 feet away would be far enough to avoid any conflict in most cases.

 

 

 

[John S.]

More and more locations will require wag bags in the coming years most likely. Better practice up!

[jscott]

Yosemite is my nearest, best, backpacking destination. Or Tahoe. So, lots of people. Even so: six hours in away from trailheads, and their are no crowds; further still, fewer people still.

It’s always obvious which campsites are heavily used. Sometimes I stay in them. In the morning, if I can, I wait until I’m well away on trail to find a good looking, not used, area to do my business. There are many thousands of acres of land just off the trail. Bear and deer and coyote and all animals are pooping there regularly. If done well, my little dump will merely add to the biomass over the years.

I try to scout out a spot at evening for the next morning’s business, knowing that coffee may force the issue. I usually stay within timberline. As such, there’s going to be soil out in the trees. I wet down my tp to help it dissolve.

However, After a lot of initial reservation, I’m warming to the idea of a bidet. I’ll have to practice at home to convince me.

[AK Granola]

I bought a bidet seat for my home toilet, when the great TP hoarding of April 2020 was happening. It is the best! Brondell Swash, with warm rinse, warm air dry. No music on the model I have though, that was too expensive. I never use TP at home now.

I’m using a bidet on trail too, so so so much cleaner and nicer than TP. Scratching your behind with dead trees is so 2019; give it up. I bring some dried wet wipes in case I need them, but rarely do. Shower clean every time, and clean hands too. (I still sanitize but cleaner even before sanitizing).

[DWR D]

I have never used a bidet. But thinking about how it might work, I wonder about this:

It seems to me that there would be a high probability of getting splash on your pants as you squat and squirt water at your butt. Poo splash on my hiking pants would be a very bad thing. So… questions for experienced bidet users: Does poo splash onto your hiking pants or underwear ever happen? And, if not, how so? How do you keep that from happening?

 

[AK Granola]

No, never any splash. Your pants are far from your behind, at your ankles. If your poo is a 5 or 6 on the scale you might have to practice a bit more with the bidet. But I’ve found it is so easy.

[DWR D]

“Your pants are far from your behind,”

“Far…”…. far depends on how tall you are and how far back you can squat… I be challenged on both counts… seems like max opportunity to create a stinking mess…

[AK Granola]

Ah, well it might not work for you if you can’t squat.

[Jerry Adams]

5 or 6 on the scale?

what scale?

please don’t answer : )

[Tom Clark]

As with other backpacking techniques, it’s best to practice at home (in the shower).  Encouragingly, lots of other people have made it work and are very happy with this approach, so you should be able to do it too.

[MJ H]

People are happy when they poop in the shower?

[Doug Coe]

@jerry OK, I’ll answer. Someone out there (Philmont scouts?) came up with a “firmness” scale for poop. I imagine firmer leaves less to clean off with a bidet and softer leaves more, generally.

You’re welcome!

[Doug Coe]

Where can I get a mylar bag like Ryan mentioned for carrying out used TP?

[AK Granola]

The poop scale I was referring to is the Bristol Stool Chart.  You’re welcome.

[Ryan Jordan]

1) Wondering if Ryan uses TP before his described bidet use?

No, but I will use natural materials.

Where can I get a mylar bag like Ryan mentioned for carrying out used TP?

I buy ShieldPro bags with zip closure in 8×8 and 10×10 sizes, on Amazon.

 

[Brad W]

Just got back from the Sierra. Sad to see so many piles of tp near camps. That and people going on the surface and putting rocks on top. I had to walk 200-300 yards to find a place that hadn’t been crapped in/on. This was a popular lake fwiw.

[Brad W]

Ryan, do you find these more odor resistant than Opsak brand?

[Ryan Jordan]

Yes, and more durable.

[Paul M]

I’m planning an AT thru hike and have decided after listening to this podcast, and with some trepidation, to pack out my poop. A few questions for Ryan:

– Do you put the thinner “pick up” bags in the mylar bag and throw out the pickup bags and re-use the mylar?

– What are the socially acceptable or health-wise acceptable places to dispose of the poop?

– Are you concerned about adding more plastic and mylar bags to the landfill, as opposed to allowing nature to do its thing, and how do you balance that?

 

Thanks

[Ryan Jordan]

I generally re-use the mylar bags, yes, as long as the thin pick-up bags don’t leak at some point during the trip, then no.

One thing I forgot to mention in the episode is that I carry some waste decomposition/solidification powder – and sprinkle about a teaspoon into each pick-up bag before closing it. It works surprisingly well at controlling odor and gelling any liquid. Then it can be disposed of in any garbage/landfill without issue. Check with your county ordinances, however – while most counties will allow untreated human waste to be disposed of as regular garbage as long as it’s in a sealed plastic bag, some do not and either require these decomposition treatments or prohibit it outright.

I’m a very conscious LNT pooper, and am highly confident in my ability to dig a cathole in a location that (a) nobody else is going to find and (b) in an area that’s not subject to flooding of any kind (creating a risk that the poop will end up downhill in a water source). That said, I’ll use wag bags in very popular areas or areas where they are required, and I’m not sure what to do about the plastics – I don’t know of any other reasonable, sanitary option.

[Tom K]

“I’m a very conscious LNT pooper, and am highly confident in my ability to dig a cathole in a location that (a) nobody else is going to find and (b) in an area that’s not subject to flooding of any kind (creating a risk that the poop will end up downhill in a water source).”

I am of the same philosophy regarding points (a) and (b), but very ambivalent about using plastic bags, both for environmental reasons and because I distrust their integrity.  Leaks in my backpack are not something I want to have to think about when I’m backpacking.  My solution has long been to avoid either popular areas or those where “pack it out” regulations are in place.  I avoided them long before regulations came into place anyway for a number of other reasons, so it was not an issue for me.  Strictly personal and probably a minority point of view, but my conscience is clear on the environmental impact of my choice.

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