UKC

Howdo all

I'm new to this outdoors malarky. This a bit embarassing to ask but does anyone have any suggestions for doing a number 2 outdoors? - it's quite traumatizing isn't it.

In reply to irdial:

For you or the sheep?

Don't be a sitter, be a stand up shitter.

D

In reply to irdial: If you're leaving it behind, dig down about 9" (too shallow and it'll pop up, too deep and it may not degrade properly), deliver your package into said hole and clean up, burn the toilet roll and cover. (don't forget to stick the flag into the mound once you've covered up)

A little squirt of petrol (or similar) into the hole gets the paper going nicely, also if you've got an mp3 player, just as you light the paper stick that piece of music on that's at the end of Return of the Jedi, the one where Luke burns his father. Sets the scene nicely I think.

Alternatively do it in a bag and pack it out.

Ben

In reply to Sharp:
Cornstarch bags are biodegradable and you can flush them!
Put them in a Plastic jar Type container for hygenic tranport.

In reply to irdial: If you're really worried there is a book on it 'How To Shit In The Woods', which I have never read but I saw it once in Hitch and Hike in Bamford, flicked through it and wished after I left the shop that I'd bought it.
http://www.amazon.com/Shit-Woods-Second-Edition-Environmentally/dp/08981562...

In reply to Al Evans: Also a youtube on it here, theres lots more on the web.
youtube.com/watch?v=sOVch7nuowE&

In reply to irdial:

All your al fresco waste disposal questions answered by Jack Geldard: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1363

Here it is from a lifetime outdoors pooing enthusiast:

Find a nice wall or a bush and select a place with a great view. In less frequented places it's OK just to lift a rock and nip one off into the cavity then replace the rock. In busier places or open country, hoof a hole with your heel, nip off into the hole then cover up with the material you hoofed to one side. I don't worry about the paper, it will degrade.

Make sure you get your trousers/skirt/kilt well down to your ankles or the bunch of fabric will be uncomfortably bulky behind your knees. At the same time check that the material won't get wet when the inevitable pee precedes the poo.

Relax, enjoy the view and savour the realisation that you are actually in the position that Nature intended, which ensures a more satisfying and complete evacuation as well as a clean finish.

If you produce a long cable you might need to elevate your bottom a little before nipping it off, otherwise the lack of depth in your pit could mean a messy poo/bottom interface, which is a nuisance when paper supply is limited.

In the Germanic tradition you can inspect the result and satisfy yourself that there is no blood in your stool, while marvelling at the ability of sweet corn and some breakfast nuts to pass through the gut undigested.

If on a long trip with limited ablution, adopt the Arab habit of keeping the right hand for eating and the left for hygiene.

Take care when standing that clothes don't fall onto the pile; best to step away carefully before re-dressing.

Leave the place as you found it and rejoice in the feeling of your first fresh air poo.

In reply to irdial:

make sure you note it in your log book.

In reply to irdial:

Don't use paper; suitable vegetation or stones work fine.

In reply to Robert Durran:

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "what has he ever done on grit".

In reply to Steve John B:

I find that ziplining astride an old furry ab rope usually cleans the winnats out of the pass...

In reply to irdial:

My tips: spread your legs wide, face up hill and shake upon finishing.

In reply to irdial:

Well you could take a dump on the path to the crag, at the bottom of the climb, or for exceptional players on any ledges commonly used for belay.


I bury paper, never thought of burning it. Dig a whole deep enough for turds+paper to be secured. Most comfortable times come when you can arrange some kind of seat, like arranging a falling branch/tree that can support your weight laid horizontally over your hole (in the ground). Bury it well, I hate people who don't dig deep enough and there's tp at the surface. Make sure you're not in a rush, last time I wandered out and dug my hole, arranged a psuedo-toliet seat did my business and wandered back it took 30 minutes. Oh, and don't take a dump near camps/water supplies. 100m isn't that far to go. Amazed when people decide 10m away is suitable...

Too much toilet paper is worth the weight penalty.

In reply to Steve John B:

Boulder fields are great - find a natural seat spanning two rocks with a good drop between them and with a good view. Heaven!

In reply to irdial: DONT burn your paper, or pour petrol on it as someone suggested. This is just daft and could contaminate land. Use natural materials as mentioned, ie. grass, leaves etc and bury the whole lot in a hole a foot or more deep. It doesnt matter if its to deep, you poo will neither pop up to the surface (HTF is it supposed to do that!!?) nor will it last aeons if it is buried a little deeper. Let common sense prevail. Its in you already, you ancestors had been doing for donkeys years!! alternatively start a little pile of poo, when yall done for the duration (day, two days week etc.), bag it up and TAKE IT WITH YOU.

In reply to irdial:
The belay ledges of classic routes seem to be a popular place thesedays.

If on a 2 dayer, the cuillin ridge or the welsh 3000's as I've done in the past, I'll go before leaving and pop a few imodiums. If I really have to go and out in the wilds, I'll scrape a little ditch with your nutkey and cover it up afterwords. If in a place where this isn't possible, above drinking water etc, then bag it and bin it is the only way. Its only like picking up dog shit or changing a babies dirty nappy and we've all done that before? Its something we need to accept, we are human and we shit

In reply to irdial:
Does the imodium trick work?

Digging a hole can be tricky: carry a wee (small) trowel. However, not sure what its like where you'll be camping etc but the ground in Scotland can be a right f*#k to dig out a bit of turf: very dense, stoney & woven through with bracken roots etc

Forget the ipood & Sea to summit trowels, too weak for compacted terrain with vegetation. This is the one you need. It works.

In reply to irdial: In all seriousness, practice crapping into a bag. Toilet paper & sh1te looks terrible..

carrier bags are pretty good, hold the handles 'fore & aft' or tranversely if your aim is good.
Don't be afraid to use it like a catchers mitt to ensure you hit the target.
Watch out for a wee as well!

In reply to Flinticus:

I have never managed to curb my crapping using immodium apart from genuine diarrhoea. The sight of a festival toilet can seal my balloon-knot instantly though!

I managed on weekend treks in Scotland using a titanium v-shaped tent peg to stab, scrape and dig a cable trench. Nowhere near as good as a sturdy trowel but better than the plastic toilet trowels I have tried.

In reply to irdial:

If you find it embarrassing, spend a couple of years in the army, you should find that you can then comfortably hold a conversation with a mate a few yards away while laying a cable.

In extreme conditions, pre-fold your TP and stash it in an accessible jacket pocket. Speed is of the essence when dumping in the Cairngorms in a gale - a minute of spindrift blasting up your crevice is plenty I find.

In reply to Sharp:

Why do you need toilet roll at all? Damp moss is a much more natural towel followed by grass and at a push, leaves. Snow really is not too good, especially that sugary stuff!

In reply to EeeByGum: Yeh, moss is pretty good but the down side is you tend to find you end up pulling littles bits out of your bum for days.

On the burning front, it goes without saying to be very careful that you don't start a full on fire. My tip is as you are dumping try not to wee then you you burn the paper you have water in the tank to extinguish the flames. plus - it feels pretty cool playing fireman

In reply to irdial:
Find something that you can lean your back against & bend at your knees. (tree, rock etc.)
Find something that you can sit on your thighs & do nuber 2 over the other side while bending torso over thighs for balance. (tree, rock)
There are few more options but it gets a little bit tricky to explain it in text format

Anyone have a youtube link on how to do number 2 on a big wall? (or detailed instruction book with picture link on related products?)

Question:

Have people found commercial or don DIY toilets for cars/tents?

I am talking about light weight,small volume, no storage within unit kind of solution?

I am thinking about perhaps two boxes that fit within each other while packed and can be piled for higher sitting position when in use. (bigger one open side to ground; smaller one open side up.)

Idea is that one uses bag / newspaper to line the smaller one and then dispose/store in sealable container for later disposal (for number 2). Number one is planned to go on separate bottle for disposal / later disposal.

Frame would have to be sturdy enough for a heavy person. seat should have wide enough rims/seat for (somewhat-)comfortable seating.

Thanks for pointer & cheers

In reply to irdial:
Doesn't anybody else hold on for a couple of days before a project route? I literally fly up after releasing my ballast at the bottom of the crag.

In reply to Gentleman: i think there was a cardboard 'car' one..possibly on top gear, or 'i want one of those', 'firebox' websites.
You can certainly get bags that absorb liquid & odour.

In reply to Gentleman:
oh, and look at some compost toilet websites, they have a funnel arangement to separate the motions

In reply to thin bob:

Thanks for pointers. I am bit skeptic regarding cardboard as it breaks down && water/rain is destructive for it.

topgear with box loo
youtube.com/watch?v=BDcpTwKBfZc&

The end shows one reason why that might not bee ideal solution.

related note.. I did have to once use this type of emergency solution ( Improvised cardboard box loo) when I arrived for my ferry a day before departure. It worked out - not to be used regularly I have to say

Actually thank you very much for pointing to the video. It did nudge my thinking from "box within box" to "fold-able box with hinges"

In reply to Gentleman: I liked your 'box in a box' idea! Simpler and stronger for repeated use If you cut slots in the (ahem) bottom section and rotate the top by 45 degrees to fit in, that'd be good & strong. 1/2 inch plywood?
The angle should leave a small triangular hole at the front, enough to fit a funnel leading down to a pee bottle; *warning*! the average pee is 700 ml, apparently....use a 5 litre jerrycan in the bottom section

happy evacuations! I'm off to make a prototype...

In reply to thin bob:

I got caught short before I started my CBT test in Oldham. Nowhere open, had to nip onto some waste ground in some bushes.

It's quite hard to do...I had pull my kex around my ankles, squat down, hold onto a thick branch and lean backwards (to avoid filling my pants) and then do the business.

I called the position 'the dirty windsurfer'

In reply to irdial: I've crapped in a colostomy bag for 20years and hated everyday of it. Until conversations like this come up and I feel crapping with your pants on is a bonus )

In reply to irdial: The current MCofS advice is to burn it. I agree that the best way to go is to carry it out but some people seem to like to do their business on the ground.

Toilet roll doesn't "just degrade". Visit any bothy in Scotland and have a walk around, you'll soon find some lovely sh*tty toilet roll that someone's left behind to "degrade".

I don't see how burning a wee squirt of petrol or similar damages the environment any more than a car or a petrol stove. What is daft is using "natural materials". There's nothing better than sitting down to a picnic and finding a nice piece of sh*t covered moss.

It seems to be accepted that if you're somewhere "in the wild" then it's fine to just scrape a wee hole, do your business and scatter you're fecal cleanage material everywhere because it's natural and people have been doing it for ages. That might have been fine 50 years but there's so many people frequenting the outdoors these days people should really treat their business more seriously! Pack it out or dig a propper pit and incinerate your paper.

Ben

In reply to Rigid Raider: Never thought I would find myself saying this about the subject of poo...but well said thats the way it is.

In reply to irdial: There is a very good book available on the subject called " how to crap in the woods" which gives practical advice about how to do it and dispose / clean up after. Should be available to order from most good outdoor retailers

In reply to irdial:

Crap in a paper bag and keep it for burning on someone's doorstep, finish by wiping your arse on a grey squirrel.

In reply to irdial:

Climb a rock climb. Wait till you get to a narrow ledge at the end of a pitcvh. roll one out there. Continue to the top...