If you’re focusing on short day hikes and/or you are eating, you may wish to skip this post for the time being. Feel free to return anytime to learn more about using the backcountry bathroom!
First things first: everyone poops. It’s normal and natural, and there’s no shame here. However, it’s extremely important to respect the wilderness as well as fellow hikers when you’re in the backcountry. Some parks and trails offer a privy near trailheads or designated campsites. Use them! They’re there to help keep the wilderness clean and safe. The privy will usually let you know whether you can pee in it or not (depends on the waste management system in place) and please respect those instructions too. Remember, someone has to come along and maintain the privy – so keep the caretakers in mind!
Backcountry Bathroom Supplies
- Trowel
- Toilet paper
- Ziploc bag(s)
- Optional: wet wipes
- Rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer
If you have to pee…
If you’re a man:
Awesome, this is the easiest backcountry bathroom task: just step off the trail or away from your campsite as well as away from any water (check regulations – sometimes it’s 70 paces, sometimes 100 feet, sometimes 200 feet or 100 yards, depending on your location), unzip, and go.
If you’re a woman:
It’s pretty easy for us, but we have the additional consideration of toilet paper. Step off the trail, find a spot to squat, and go. If you’re not used to squatting outdoors, you can find a tree to either lean against (think a wall squat) or to hold onto for balance. I also try to make sure my feet are uphill of the stream. If you’re skipping the TP, shake things off for a second, and you’re good (I generally only do this on short day hikes when I know I’ll have a shower soon – hygiene is important in the backcountry). However, if you’re using TP, now is when you’ll get out your ziploc bag. Please do NOT be that person who pees and tosses the paper down on the ground! We have come across many places over the last couple months with used toilet paper just sitting there. Yes, toilet paper is made from trees, but it does not resemble a tree, and therefore it takes wilderness a long time to break it down. Your used toilet paper is going to sit in the ground and rot in plain sight for a long time – even longer in these arid western climates. Please PACK OUT your used toilet paper!
If you have to poo…
Does a bear poop in the woods? He sure does, and so can you! It’s not nearly as icky as pop culture may lead you to believe. You’ll need only a few key items along with a little info to make sure you’re comfortable and the wilderness is kept in tip-top shape.
Gather supplies
You’ll want to take a few things with you when you select your backcountry bathroom site: a trowel and toilet paper at a minimum; ziploc bags to carry out paper if necessary; and wet wipes and hand sanitizer/rubbing alcohol if you so desire. For me personally, when I’m in the backcountry for a few days, a wet wipe helps to refresh and clean and it’s worth the extra weight in my pack. We have a 4oz spray bottle with rubbing alcohol to use after visiting the backcountry bathroom because hygiene is extremely important when you don’t have a sink or shower in which to wash up.
Location, location, location
This is two-fold. First, the larger geographic location of where you’re hiking. Are you on the East Coast of the United States, where everything is wet and humid? Are you in Europe, where you may be hiking through private lands? Are you in an arid climate? Are there any regulations on solid human waste for the area in which you’re hiking? If there are regulations in place, follow those – seriously. Regardless of what I may write here, some areas are more sensitive than others, and whomever is managing the wilderness area will know best how to care for it. That may mean packing out solid waste – I’ll get to that shortly.
The basic idea here is that if you’re in a damp climate where the soil is working hard to break things down, it’s probably okay to bury your TP. If it’s an arid, desert climate, the soil won’t be able to break it down – so pack it out. On private, restricted-use, or environmentally-sensitive areas, you may be required to pack out everything. Make sure you’re prepared.
The second aspect is locating a proper backcountry bathroom site that’s far away from the trail, water, and campsites. There’s nothing more disgusting than walking into a beautiful campsite only to find a fresh pile of human poo, complete with used toilet paper, in the corner. I’m not kidding – we’ve encountered this twice in two weeks.
Again, if there’s a privy available at a designated camping area, use it! I noticed RMNP seems pretty keen on allowing you to “poo with a view” as the privies there were generally open-air. At first I was a little put off, but then I remembered that when I dig a cat hole, I’m even more out in the open. No worries. Privies are often there to prevent having tons of cat holes in popular areas.
Dig in
Now’s the time to dig your cat hole. Depending on the location, you’ll likely want to dig anywhere from 4-8″ inches deep. Once you’ve cleared the hole, squat to do your business. Same as above, if you’re uncomfortable or unsteady, you can lean against a tree or find one to hold onto for balance.
If you find your aim was a little off, use a stick to move everything into the hole, and bury it completely. If you can find another stick or stone to place on top, that’s great, but no need to go crazy trying to find one. Pro tip: if the urge hits really quickly and you don’t have time to dig a hole, you can poo first and dig the hole after. Again, find a stick to move everything over. This has helped me more than once when dealing with stomach issues in the backcountry!
Either bury your toilet paper with the waste, or pack it into your ziploc. At this point, you can either use your hand sanitizer, or have it waiting for you back at your campsite/pack. I carry my TP bag in an outer mesh pocket on my pack to ensure it doesn’t come into contact with any food or clothing I’m carrying.
Great job! You’re all set, and now you know what to do next time.
Packing it all out
If you happen to be in an environmentally-sensitive area or other area with special considerations and you’re asked to pack out your waste, we recommend the Restop 2 bags. RMNP provided these for us and we were pleasantly surprised with 1) how easy it is to poo into a bag and 2) how secure everything was for the pack-out. The bags are extremely sturdy with an inner lining so we never worried about them coming open or breaking. They were also easy to use with a fallen tree as a base since someone had left a used bag and some fresh poo on the chair so we couldn’t use it (gross. Really gross. Way more gross than carrying out your own waste).
The final word
Seriously, don’t be afraid to use the backcountry bathroom. Remember to respect the wilderness and your fellow hikers, and that even if the urge strikes quickly, there are ways to ensure those walking behind you won’t be grossed out by any waste and/or disrespect – because you will leave no trace! It’s easier than you think, and you’ll feel much more comfortable knowing you can handle any bathroom situation you may encounter in the wilderness.
Trailyweds 