Do Your Deuce Outside, the Right Way
I feel like pooping outside in the wild is like an initiation into the outdoor world. Like hey, welcome, you’re considered ‘granola’ now. Perrrrrty neat! Which means you don’t want to mess it up! Literally. I got you though, with all the information to meet your pooping needs and make it a great outdoor experience.
When in doubt, pack it out. Not everywhere will allow you leave your waste behind, and a true ‘leave no trace’ principle follows that rule. Be sure to check ahead of time where you’re headed in order to know what rules you have to follow, but we’ll get to how to pack it out in a minute. First, I’d like to talk about the more convenient method of burying your sh!t.
Bury Your Poop:
Find the right spot. Make sure it’s at least 200ft away from where you’re camping and other people. A good way to measure is take about 75 steps and you should be good. Try to make sure the exact spot your digging is a little elevated compared to the land around in, reducing the likelihood of water washing it away.
Find good soil. Not only is it easier to dig in, but it will help decompose the matter quicker. If able, try to find a spot with less shade so that the sun can also help in this process.
Dig your hole! Use a small pocket shovel or garden trowel like this one. I usually stick by the rule of digging it the length and width of my hand and equally as deep.
Poop. Into the hole. Then bury it, but make sure your shovel doesn’t touch your poop! You want to keep that with you, and you don’t want it to carry unwanted germs, especially if you’re camping and will be storing your gear by your food and water.
Pack out your toilet paper. I never encourage anyone to leave toilet paper behind. If you really don’t want to pack anything out, try using leaves as toilet paper and bury them in your hole with your feces. Make sure not to use anything that’s going to irritate your skin, like poison ivy!
Pack It Out:
Find a spot far away from people and still off the trail. It doesn’t necessarily have to be as far because you’re not burying it, but you still want to have privacy and avoid doing this near the trails.
Set up a stand or make a hole. You’ll still need to ‘aim’ where you’re pooping to get it into the bag, so it can be easier if you dig a little hole or stack some rocks to make a type of ring formation.
Open your wag bag! A wag bag is typically a double-sealed bag that comes with toilet paper and securely shuts to make it easy. You can get some like this on Amazon. If you really don’t want to have a wag bag, you can double bag grocery bags. Put the center of the bag in the hole or center of the rock ring so the edges are more elevated than the middle of the bag.
Poop. Into the bag, aiming for the center. Much like before, still throw your toilet paper or leaves into the bag and secure it shut.
You can’t leave the bag behind, you’ll have to hike out with it until you get somewhere you can throw it away. Take extra precaution not to let it get anywhere near your food, and keep hand sanitizer handy to clean your hands afterwards.
Positioning Tips:
Reach for a branch or tree in front of you and make sure it’s secure, get a firm grasp, and let yourself lean back a little bit to poop. It’ll be much easier to relax and do your thing.
If that doesn’t work or you feel like you’re going to fall backwards, sit with your back against a tree and lower your bottom so that your knees are higher than your belly button. Then push back into the tree for support and relax.
If there’s not a lot of privacy where you are, you can wrap your waist with a large sweatshirt or towel to give yourself the privacy needed.
Why It Matters:
It keeps water sources clean. Human waste can carry a lot of diseases that are harmful to us and to animals. When it rains, that all can get washed away if you didn’t take care of your sh!t properly.
It protects our environment just the way we like it. We all have to share the land. Can you imagine walking along your hike and seeing human feces or toilet paper right next to the beautiful wildflowers?
Wild animals can be attracted to waste. Not only could it be dangerous to them, but it could be dangerous to you if you’re bringing around unwanted visitors to your campsite.
Have fun out there, do your part to keep it clean and leave no trace, and do your deuces the right way!
Brooke
