Pooping Perfectly in the Woods

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Pooping Perfectly in the Woods

Post by Fla-Fish »

Pooping Perfectly in the Woods
By Kevin Callan
Copied From:
http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?251

No one seems to want to want to talk about this, but a poop properly disposed of behind camp can make or break the group dynamics during any trip. To start, before the spot is chosen and the trousers are dropped, a proper camp attitude must be set or you'll have turd anarchy. Laugh about it, share stories about it, and more importantly make it common knowledge that excreting waste from your bowels is a natural occurrence that all members of the group do at any given time of the day, but that the disposal of it must be done in an environmental matter.

Sounds silly, but the more you keep the act of pooping a private session, the more accidental displacement of poop you'll have at camp.

Write up a poop plan and stick to it:

Image

Regulate a safe distance traveled in the backwoods before any feces is actually released into the wilds (it should be at least 50 meters).
Place a bag containing communal TP, hand sanitizer, small spade, and favorite paddling magazine hanging on a tree limb (a bag missing from the limb symbolizes that the forest is presently occupied).
If there's a health and safety expected treasure chest (thunder box, candy box, outhouse…etc.) available then it is agreed upon that everyone makes use if it.
If no outhouse is available then the spade is used to dig a "cat-hole" (the process of turning up 3-4 cm of topsoil and, when finished, cover up the nasty bits with a mound of dirt, just as a cat does in the litter box (cat-holes are much more efficient in breaking the manure down to potting soil than the Boy Scout routine of a deeply dug trench).
Announce to everyone back at camp that it was a success and add detailed information on the position used (a simple squat, over a log, back up against a tree…etc.)
Return, very carefully, with the wad of TP and discretely, or not discretely, dispose of it in a very hot camp fire.
Wait at least ten minutes before toasting marshmallows.

Image


TP Substitutes
According to National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) the best alternatives for toilet paper are pinecones, snow, sticks, and weathered rocks. The Roman army used a sponge attached to a stick soaked in salt water. Natives in coastal areas used mussel shells. The Cree preferred sphagnum moss. And the Ojibwa liked the soft and fragrant leaf from a wild ginger plant.

Compost Toilets
Some parks are now experimenting with compost toilets placed at campgrounds and interior campsites. Rather than the traditional "hole-in -the-ground" outhouse or water-based disposal units, these ecological toilets use layers of sawdust and the microorganisms already present in human waste to break everything down. Each spring the toilets are emptied and its natural fertilizer is spread out over the forest floor.

Poop in the sea
I have no experience with this one, but rumor has it that sea water can degrade human waste far faster than topsoil. So, when camped along the ocean it is customary to wade out into the surf to go poop and if toilet paper is needed it is taken back with you to burn in the fire.

Feminine Hygiene
Feminine hygiene products should be either burned in a hot fire or carried out in a plastic bag. Do not dispose of them by burying them. Wild animals, especially squirrels and bears, will be attracted to the strong scent of the pheromones and dig them up, decorating the camp with them.



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Post by Night Wing »

:lol:

You're a sick puppy. :wink:
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Post by Fla-Fish »

Night Wing wrote::lol:

You're a sick puppy. :wink:


I know that but it is good info :D
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Post by Night Wing »

FlaFish wrote:
Night Wing wrote::lol:

You're a sick puppy. :wink:


I know that but it is good info :D


I could say something, but I'm definitely "not going to wade into this one". :wink:

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and I'll catch you on this site later. :D
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Re: Pooping Perfectly in the Woods

Post by DelSol »

FlaFish wrote:I have no experience with this one, but rumor has it that sea water can degrade human waste far faster than topsoil. So, when camped along the ocean it is customary to wade out into the surf to go poop and if toilet paper is needed it is taken back with you to burn in the fire.


Would you really want to smell that :shock: and can you burn wet toilet paper. Wouldn't it just fall apart in your hands :?
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Post by Fla-Fish »

I did not write it just copied and pasted it from

Pooping Perfectly in the Woods
By Kevin Callan
Copied From:
http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?251
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Post by REDline »

that article is just a bunch of crap

:lol: :lol: :lol:

why do I forsee the xmas port-o-potty making a comeback in this thread?
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Forest poop

Post by Phishtech »

Years ago my wife and I got on a small deer lease not too far from
Gause, Texas ( out past College Station ). On our first trip there to check it out, we had the place to ourselves. She decides to take a nap, and I go out exploring on foot. While away from camp, nature called, and I was without TP. So I squatted behind a small bush and did the
deed and to my surprise, there were some nice, shiny, clean looking
leaves on the little bush. I used these, making sure I wiped real good.
The next day I started to itch. And it got progressively worse day by
tortured day. Finally went to the Doc. When the nurse asked what I was
there for, I told her I think I wiped my butt with Poison Oak (it was).
She kept a straight face and left the room. The Doc comes in, bends me
over and takes a look and confirms my self diagnosis. All this time I can hear the nurses giggling outside the door as they listened through the door. Never went to the woods again without TP.
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Post by greyloon »

The article is about crap, but is not a bunch of crap. In any backpacking book, you'll find essentially the same advice about cat holes and group sanitation. Now, for real crap, look up poop tube on Google.
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Post by Fla-Fish »

I knew we could not keep this thread out of the toilet for long.
I prefer the "Bumper Dumper :shock: :roll:

Image

Also available in a "Stand Alone model" not like you would want to stand with friends :shock: :lol: :shock:

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Post by greyloon »

For the Google challenged and ecologically sensitive, the poop tube, how to build one:

http://www.fastq.com/~jrschroeder/poop.htm
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Post by Night Wing »

It seems the "Stand Alone" model would give one more privacy than the "Bumper Dumper". :wink:
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Post by pitontheprowl »

The "Bumper Dumper" would be nice for thoase family outings when the wife of kid has to.........go............on the go....... :lol: :lol:
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Post by greyloon »

Yea, but the thing needs a harness to keep then in place as you drive 70 mph. Also an intercom so they can let you know when done.
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Post by Bluffer »

How did this topic come up? :P
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Post by greyloon »

Blame Flafish. Actually, though, for those new to camping and/or being out on the water when the urge hits, its good information to have, just always gets carried to extremes.
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Post by Fla-Fish »

greyloon wrote:Blame Flafish. Actually, though, for those new to camping and/or being out on the water when the urge hits, its good information to have, just always gets carried to extremes.



I am guilty I figured it would be good info to have and did not take long to go down the tube.
And thanks to Grayloon down the "Poop Tube".
It would make a good rainy day project.
I heard some of the SOT's have a "Crapper Hatch" not sure if I would use it.
But in a pinch :roll: :shock: :roll:

Kayaker's "Poop Tube"

Image


Hauling out human wastes on a kayak trip can be challenging. Many areas now require the use of a washable, cleanable toilet system. Unfortunately, even the most compact commercial unit is bulky. There is another way... Welcome to Poop Tube Construction 101... based on information from the BLM Rogue River website.

Parts Required: All of the fittings can be obtained at a local Recreational Vehicle parts retailer. I purchased the pipe and glue at Home Depot. 1. 3" PVC tube cut to any length - longer for extended trips or group use - shorter for individual use. The tube on mine is cut to 13.5" long, creating a unit that is 17.5" long when assembled - made to fit behind the seat in my kayak. 2. End cap adapter (2) 3. Plain End cap (1) 4. End cap with hose attachment threads for cleaning (1)
Assembly: Glue the two end cap adapters to the tube using PVC cement. Attach end caps by means of the bayonet hooks. Construction takes about 3 minutes. No tools are needed once the tube is cut to length. The BLM reports "A 12 inch 'toilet' has functioned for 3 people on a 3 day, 2 night trip without 'over stuffing' the tube. This 'toilet' or 'Torpedo' as some local boaters call it, fits the description of a washable, reusable toilet required of most river permits." Your mileage may vary.
Directions for use: Make "deposit" on a large coffee filter (10"-12") or large paper towel and place in the tube along with toilet paper. (Use a couple small pebbles on the edges to hold the filter down if a breeze is blowing.) Replace end cap. This system is set up to be cleaned at an RV dump station. To clean the toilet at a dump station, attach a water hose to the end cap with hose threads. Remove the opposite end cap and place the tube upright over the dump station receiving hole. Turn on water to flush unit. Both end caps can be removed for more thorough cleaning if necessary.
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Post by greyloon »

Back in the 70's, there was a book published called How to Sh** in the Woods. It had a pretty good publishing run and may still be in print. As this is a forum for those new to kayaking, how to handle your waste is good information to have. As the waters become more crowded each year, it becomes more important. Who among us hasn't had to answer the urge when a long way from the nearest dump facility?
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Post by Night Wing »

greyloon,

Ahem. :shock: The book is still in print. :wink:

http://www.tenspeed.com/store/index.php ... cts_id=527
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Post by greyloon »

What can I say? Its a classic.
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Post by Night Wing »

greyloon wrote:What can I say?


For this thread, how about............"AMEN". :lol:
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Post by greyloon »

If I could, I'd sing Amen.
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Post by Electric Water Boy »

I amazed someone could write a whole book on the topic.

I shocked though that they could learn something new and make a revised 2nd edition.

Couldn't they just learn from all the other woodsy animals the first time?
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Post by Matt2 »

The old style Rides have a nice oversized scupper hole centrally located :wink:
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Post by greyloon »

Matt2 wrote:The old style Rides have a nice oversized scupper hole centrally located :wink:


Poop holes, neat/ :wink: :lol:
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