Hygiene question for you overlanders...

nilihanth

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I'll cut right to the chase: Where do you poop?

Assuming you don't just pop a squat just anywhere in nature, leaving the worst of you behind as a gift to the planet, what equipment do you use to handle this messy business? I imagine most don't want to bring a bulky portable toilet, but maybe you do. I'm genuinely curious what solutions y'all have come up with.

Please proffer preferred pooping paraphernalia!
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JAD67428

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Roll of toilet paper and a 5 gallon bucket with ”Lid” works just fine.
 
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nilihanth

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Roll of toilet paper and a 5 gallon bucket with ”Lid” works just fine.
In this case, I wonder how bad is the process of dumping/cleaning the bucket when you're home. Just straight into the toilet? I apologize that my brain dwells on these details.
 

Bucko

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Why just overlander owners If I may ask?
 


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nilihanth

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Why just overlander owners If I may ask?
That's fair. I just figured overlanders are the most likely to be in camping situations where there is no outhouse or bathroom. At least on these forums.
 

Bucko

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JAD67428

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In this case, I wonder how bad is the process of dumping/cleaning the bucket when you're home. Just straight into the toilet? I apologize that my brain dwells on these details.
Toilet paper goes in the toilet at home and poop goes in the woods with the rest of nature.
 


Elegance

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Not an overlander, but I am a Recreation Director with the US Forest Service.

I dig a hole at least 100 ft from any water source, go in that, bag my toilet paper, and bury my waste. That is the most hygienic and eco friendly way to do it - Leave No Trace guidelines recommend it.
 

IdahoDirtFarmer

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Shovel and a nice peaceful spot with a view.

Quick story somewhat related. Years ago when I was running bear hounds all summer we would be up there every weekend so we just left campers there. Got there one weekend and someone had taken a giant dump on the steps of a buddies camper. Even poked all their TP into the holes in the step. So there's always that option for ya as well.
 

jofer

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Yeah, you should always carry a shovel for a multitude of reasons. Seriously, always carry a good shovel if you're camping in a car. Backpacking, you'd use a trowel, but a nice shovel with a good handle will save you when you get stuck driving and it's super useful for all kinds of things in camp. Pooping is just one of them.

Dig a hole (in places that allow this - most do), poop in the hole, and bury the poop. Pack the paper out, as it really doesn't decay quickly. Carry dog poop bags to pup the paper in if you feel weird having it in your trash. Not much else to it. Digging can be a pain in some places, but that's just what it is. If you're in a group camp you can dig a bigger hole and set up a latrine. Shovel some dirt on top each time to keep things clean and then fill in the hole at the end.

For places that don't allow burying your poop, or if squatting over a hole or digging is difficult for any reason, there are plenty of various solutions.

Poop in a bag if you use a bucket, not the bucket directly. Bag gets tied up after each-ish use and goes in the trash to pack out. There are plenty of good cheap bucket based things out there. A bucket with a $5 lid seat works great.

The fancy portable toilet solutions even have a single use bag system with silica beads to adsorb things and a Ziploc to put it all in. They can be quite comfy. Just get a bag based one and not one of the crazy water based ones. If you're going cheap, get a bucket based one, not one of the cheap collapsible ones on Amazon. There are good collapsible ones, but just expect to spend over $50, and ignore the $20 ones.
 
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