How to pee in the woods

[Anonymous]

It's just one night of camp? Ask if she can sleep somewhere else. Help with a younger bunk. Crash in the infirmary. Whatever.

Camp is about trying new things. Peeing in the woods doesn't have to be one of them.

[Anonymous]

I am a hardcore outdoorsy person and I pee in the woods only under extreme duress, like I can't hold it any longer. No way would I want to attend a camp where you have to pee in the woods.

[Anonymous]

Here you go - there a bunch of ways to "skin this cat":

https://exploringwild.com/ways-to-pee-outside-women/

[Anonymous]

Go to Amazon and search for female urinary devices. Buy one and practice in the shower. They are great, no squatting, no pulling pants or shorts down.

We backpack as a family. I have a bathroom kit that includes a FUD, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and a digging device to dig poop holes (6 inches deep for decomposition and leave no trace principals). The FUD has its own plastic bag to keep it in after using. You carry an empty plastic bag for used toilet paper, leave no trace. TP takes a while to decompose and it is gross for people to come across. Wipe and place used paper in a plastic bag to be thrown away. So you use the FUD to pee, rinse with a bit of water from the water bottle, and put it in the bag. It is easily cleaned with soap and water or in a dishwasher.

Hand sanitizer after use and cleaning the device.

[Anonymous]

The trick is not peeing on your underwear or splattering your shoes. Bring a skirt, take off underwear, and pee away! The skirt is like a curtain. Just don't use poison ivy as toilet paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine trying to squat and pee in a bathtub!

She can practice a couple of squats at home fully clothed. First is wide stance, hips low to the ground, lower than knees. It may be a more comfortable position for squatting but the risk is because you’re lower to the ground there can be more splash is the stream is strong. Your pants are sort of above the stream this way though so not as likely to pee in your underwear, but you still kind of have to hold it up. Second is more of a chair position, with hips kind of back behind the knees, but you still want a kind of wide stance. I prefer this position because usually there’s less splash, but keeping pants and underwear out of the way can be trickier. Note, clothes should never drop to the ground when peeing in the woods. Gotta keep them up. Honestly she can practice this just hovering over the toilet at home instead of sitting on the seat.

I think a great way to learn that second stance in the wild is to face a tree and hold onto the trunk with one hand, and hold your pants at your knees with the other hand. The tree helps with balance, which is key, and also can provide a little privacy, which I imagine is also an issue.

Another option, if there’s a fallen tree log of just the right size, is to squat over the log - feet one one side and hips on the other. This virtually eliminates the risk of splash and is most like sitting on a toilet, but the perfect log isn't always there when you need it.

Another general tip, if on a slope, always make sure you’re facing downhill.

If she’s not packing TP in and out I suggest she get used to shaking a little and going without wiping. For my daughter the biggest issue is feeling wet after she goes. We pack TP for her for this reason.

Interesting. I have never attempted this without removing one leg from pants/underwear. Can you go into more detail how you don’t pee on your clothes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine trying to squat and pee in a bathtub!

She can practice a couple of squats at home fully clothed. First is wide stance, hips low to the ground, lower than knees. It may be a more comfortable position for squatting but the risk is because you’re lower to the ground there can be more splash is the stream is strong. Your pants are sort of above the stream this way though so not as likely to pee in your underwear, but you still kind of have to hold it up. Second is more of a chair position, with hips kind of back behind the knees, but you still want a kind of wide stance. I prefer this position because usually there’s less splash, but keeping pants and underwear out of the way can be trickier. Note, clothes should never drop to the ground when peeing in the woods. Gotta keep them up. Honestly she can practice this just hovering over the toilet at home instead of sitting on the seat.

I think a great way to learn that second stance in the wild is to face a tree and hold onto the trunk with one hand, and hold your pants at your knees with the other hand. The tree helps with balance, which is key, and also can provide a little privacy, which I imagine is also an issue.

Another option, if there’s a fallen tree log of just the right size, is to squat over the log - feet one one side and hips on the other. This virtually eliminates the risk of splash and is most like sitting on a toilet, but the perfect log isn't always there when you need it.

Another general tip, if on a slope, always make sure you’re facing downhill.

If she’s not packing TP in and out I suggest she get used to shaking a little and going without wiping. For my daughter the biggest issue is feeling wet after she goes. We pack TP for her for this reason.

Backpacker here. Kula clothes are great. You don’t wipe, you pat dry. There is a side that is anti-micobial that you pat with. Then you fold it into a triangle and snap it closed. You can rinse it with water and let it dry. Lots of femail backpackers hang it off their packs, folded over, to dry off. They work great. You can get lots of different patterns. It washes in a washing machine when you get home.

Women use these things when they go out backpacking all the time. There is more written on it then you would think. There are lots of tips and tricks. It isn’t that hard. I promise.

[Anonymous]

There’s a whole book on this

https://www.amazon.com/How-Shit-Woods-3rd-Environmentally/dp/1580083633

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine trying to squat and pee in a bathtub!

She can practice a couple of squats at home fully clothed. First is wide stance, hips low to the ground, lower than knees. It may be a more comfortable position for squatting but the risk is because you’re lower to the ground there can be more splash is the stream is strong. Your pants are sort of above the stream this way though so not as likely to pee in your underwear, but you still kind of have to hold it up. Second is more of a chair position, with hips kind of back behind the knees, but you still want a kind of wide stance. I prefer this position because usually there’s less splash, but keeping pants and underwear out of the way can be trickier. Note, clothes should never drop to the ground when peeing in the woods. Gotta keep them up. Honestly she can practice this just hovering over the toilet at home instead of sitting on the seat.

I think a great way to learn that second stance in the wild is to face a tree and hold onto the trunk with one hand, and hold your pants at your knees with the other hand. The tree helps with balance, which is key, and also can provide a little privacy, which I imagine is also an issue.

Another option, if there’s a fallen tree log of just the right size, is to squat over the log - feet one one side and hips on the other. This virtually eliminates the risk of splash and is most like sitting on a toilet, but the perfect log isn't always there when you need it.

Another general tip, if on a slope, always make sure you’re facing downhill.

If she’s not packing TP in and out I suggest she get used to shaking a little and going without wiping. For my daughter the biggest issue is feeling wet after she goes. We pack TP for her for this reason.

Interesting. I have never attempted this without removing one leg from pants/underwear. Can you go into more detail how you don’t pee on your clothes?

You unzip your pants, all of my backpacking pants have a zipper in that area, and insert the device. It is no different then guys peeing on a tree. The devices are funnels that you put over your vagina and you pee. I practiced in the shower a few times to learn the right stance and angle of the funnel to make everything work easily.

For shorts you can just pull them down a bit in the front a bit and put in the funnel.

Think of how men use their penis to pee on the tree.

And yes, there are youtube videos that can show you how to do this. Super easy and so much more comfortable for relieving yourself. And you don’t have to go massively off trail to find a place to hide while you pull everything down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Headlamp is a great idea—she will love it.
For those who are asking why we are still doing the camp—The outdoor portion is only one night. When the kids are younger, they just sleep on the lawn, but she was in the older group last year and they hike out a bit. Every year when camp is over she has been distraught because she didn’t want to leave (even with all of this last year)—it’s been really good for her. But I totally get the stress of this—I am, as I said, not outdoorsy and wouldn’t have even liked sleeping on the lawn. But I think if she learned to do it, she would be super proud. She enjoys all the other aspects of camping and would like to do more. Mostly my fault for not having her taught her, but I haven’t done it, even in an emergency, in almost 30 years. So I appreciate the pointers! (The funnel won’t work, I think, because they share a pack and she’s worried enough about having to carry pads.)

Can she wear a fanny pack? I know lots of women who carry their pee kit in a fammy pack. They have it on themselves at all times , it makes life easier for hiking/backpacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine trying to squat and pee in a bathtub!

She can practice a couple of squats at home fully clothed. First is wide stance, hips low to the ground, lower than knees. It may be a more comfortable position for squatting but the risk is because you’re lower to the ground there can be more splash is the stream is strong. Your pants are sort of above the stream this way though so not as likely to pee in your underwear, but you still kind of have to hold it up. Second is more of a chair position, with hips kind of back behind the knees, but you still want a kind of wide stance. I prefer this position because usually there’s less splash, but keeping pants and underwear out of the way can be trickier. Note, clothes should never drop to the ground when peeing in the woods. Gotta keep them up. Honestly she can practice this just hovering over the toilet at home instead of sitting on the seat.

I think a great way to learn that second stance in the wild is to face a tree and hold onto the trunk with one hand, and hold your pants at your knees with the other hand. The tree helps with balance, which is key, and also can provide a little privacy, which I imagine is also an issue.

Another option, if there’s a fallen tree log of just the right size, is to squat over the log - feet one one side and hips on the other. This virtually eliminates the risk of splash and is most like sitting on a toilet, but the perfect log isn't always there when you need it.

Another general tip, if on a slope, always make sure you’re facing downhill.

If she’s not packing TP in and out I suggest she get used to shaking a little and going without wiping. For my daughter the biggest issue is feeling wet after she goes. We pack TP for her for this reason.

Interesting. I have never attempted this without removing one leg from pants/underwear. Can you go into more detail how you don’t pee on your clothes?

Don’t you have to take a shoe off to do that? What an ordeal!

I usually hold my clothes out of the way with one hand, but I think this is more a precaution than anything else. I think you do kind of have to tilt your pelvis so the stream goes more down than forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This would not be the camp for me. Being on my period in the woods with no toilet sounds like hell.

Op?!?!? If she gets her period the days of this camp and doesn’t want to go cancel it and go to a spa and get your nails done. Also animals can smell blood. Dogs can tell right away when you have a period so other animals can as well. Maybe period underwear can reduce trash/smells/leaks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guy here and this reminds me of taking my three year old girl hiking and trying to teach her how to pee in the woods. No first-hand experience, but how hard can it be? Told her to squat, move underwear to side…didn’t go well. I guess there is more to it?

For future reference those are the instructions for peeing like a girl while wearing a swimsuit. Thanks for the laugh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This would not be the camp for me. Being on my period in the woods with no toilet sounds like hell.

Op?!?!? If she gets her period the days of this camp and doesn’t want to go cancel it and go to a spa and get your nails done. Also animals can smell blood. Dogs can tell right away when you have a period so other animals can as well. Maybe period underwear can reduce trash/smells/leaks

Women backpack with their periods and are fine. The women on the At, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail handle having their periods just fine. People bag their pads or tampons or undies. They hang them with food or store them in bear bins at night. It is fine.

[Anonymous]

Seriously? You need to crowdsource this? How do some people get by in the world?