this is some what a stupid question, but what is the best way to "relieve" yourself from the stuff that come's from you bumb in nature ? i have never stayed long enough in nature so i never had to "relieve" my self in nature...
if you just hunk down and do your thing, than doesnt your trouwsers looks awfully close to the place were the things fall...
they don't tell you the right way these days !
i have read how to deal with TP, like a roll of TP with some cord hung over your neck and to pre-folded your TP.

And what are you suppose to do wenn your finished ? bury the stuff ? set the TP on fire ? leave it as it is ? carry it with you ( rather not ) ?

It can't be a stupid question if there's an entire book on the subject, now can it? :-)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...amp;amp;s=books

hmm... that still doesnt answer the quation....
Im sure i won't buy that book ! because i can't and because i can't really imagine my self reading it !

The procedure is to dig a trench approx 6" deep or more, squat, do your thing, wipe, toss and burry. It is good to be 20 feet or more from the nearest water source and deeper is better. There are places where the enviro-nazis have made it necessary to carry out your paper, and in some places your organic matter as well. Seems that they aren't worried about the organic matter left on the surface by the deer and bear but that human refuse is just an affront to them! If you camp for an extended period in the same place then you should dig 2 foot or more down and move the trench when it fills to within a foot of the surface. Burning the paper waste is preferrable to carrying it in my opinion but in most cases where you are required to carry you are also forbidden to start fires. There are makers of "biodegradeable" TP whose product presumably breaks down faster or more pleasantly but If you have ever tried to pick up a piece of soaking wet TP before you know that all TP is pretty darn Biodegradeable.

I find that as long as I can secure privacy during the act I am able to dig sufficiently with the back of my boot heel, and cover the remains well enough by scraping the disturbed dirt back intoplace that there is "no trace" of my activities that would be detectable by the casual observer. OTOH I wouldn't think that I had fooled a tracker or carnivore (or rabid enviro-nazi who saw me comming out of the woods three days later without the required baggie full of stuff).

Just my $.02.

Just so you know I am not completely ignorant - the reason for burying the stuff is that it often contains infectious elements that other humans may be affected by. As such it is more of a problem to the humans than would be deer or bear refuse. Tho, the source of most filterable crypto and giardia is animal refuse which is dropped innocently at the waters edge while they are at the watering hole getting a drink.

Are you sure about 20 feet from water source? I tought it was 200...

My rule is 1-2 feet down, 200 feet away from the trail and water... I throw paper into the hole and burn it. Than throw dirt back in and cover with leafs. Also before I do what I have to I inspect bushes for poison ivy. And if the place is tick infested I give my self a good check when I get home.

Matt

Most of my readings suggest 100 feet but 200 surely can't hurt.

Also if you are staying put for a few days, dig your pit a foot or two deep and after each "deposit", dump a scoopful of ashes into the pit from your campfire to keep smell and flies at bay.

Certainly not a stupid question.
And that book seems to be a "must-read".
Is that what is called a "crap book" ???
I guess I will buy one, for my next hike ... if it is not interesting, it will be usefull as tinder ... or T.P. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


Alain

Not a stupid question. I have taken care that each of our children learned how to do that at very young ages - it's miserable to need to do that and not know how. Never to late to learn. (You know the joke about the meanest animal in the world? The croc-a-gator? The one with two heads and no...)

Here are some tips:

If at all possible, carry a small garden trowel with you - the little one handed jobs. You use it for many tasks, ONE of which is digging a small shallow hole (and moving errant feces into the hole and reburying it). A fancy steel trowel like a "U dig it" is handy, but a simple $1.00 plastic one will handle every task except moving hot coals in a fire (one of those "other uses")

If you are wearing suspenders, manage them carefully - pull them forward and keep track of them.

If you have things on your belt, take care they do not slip off the belt and likewise mind your pocket contents (it's not a big deal; just something to keep in mind).

Trousers etc to your ankles and squat down all the way - on your heels if you are limber enough. If you are not quite that limber you may want to lean back a little bit using a tree, rock, or walking staff to steady yourself until you "get the hang of it".

You are more likely to urinate on your pants in that position than get feces on them - pay attention to that detail (either urinate first or keep the monster aimed in a safe direction while squatting).

Do your paperwork while in that position - it probably will take less paper than you are accustomed to (it is a more anatomically correct position for elimination than the water closet).

If you're not clear on any of this, perhaps you should do a "trial run" (without the elimination) in front of a mirror at home - sideways to the mirror so you can see where things are in relation to each other.

This is not a big deal - MOST of the world does it that way. You can manage, I'm sure.

Don't do this within 50 meters (more is better) of a body of water. Bury your waste SHALLOW not deep. Shallow waste is in the active layer of the soil and will biodegrade very quickly in all but polar regions (some alpine locations are in this category as well - generally anything above 4,000 meters). If you bury it deep it takes a very long time to biodegrade. If you are in polar or alpine regions it will not biodegrade significantly in your lifetime, so do it in a bag and pack it out if you can.

Deep latrines are for encampments of many people for many days. That is a whole 'nother topic. One person on the move should use one shallow hole per elimination (new hole each time). Think of a cat. Make a "cathole", use it, and re-cover the hole.

On paper: It depends. At least do not leave it above ground. Sometimes I burn it before I bury things and sometimes the conditions make it unsafe to burn the paper. Just don't leave it laying around.

Hope these tips help.

Tom

Excellant answer Tom, the only thing that i could add you might enjoy is a piece of scout trivia.Scouts of old also peed like a cat. A scape of the foot and then covering it up vs modern camper that pee like a dog on a tree. A cat is trying to hide his presence and a dog is trying to announce his. I use to think this was a bit much until I talked to Specops freinds who said they used a pee can at their hides for the same reason and then bury it as far from their hides as possible.

I wholeheartedly agree with Tom's recommendations. A few other thoughts:

When you are on a hill, be sure to face uphill when doing your job. That lets gravity work for you. Otherwise gravity can make things a lot messier.

I have also found it helpful to buckle the belt after lowering the pants. That not only controls the belt with all that it might carry, but it also seems to tighten pants which can otherwise bulge out in back at inopportune times. Incidentally, you may want to empty unsecured pockets, especially of heavy items into some container that can be closed, or even into a hat.

For one final general bathroom proceedure, which I doubt applies to PC2K's situation, never leave a handgun in or on a pair of pants which are being lowered. Find a more secure spot for it. When circumstances warrant, a handgun in a very secure holster on a belt can be temporarily left in the holster with the buckled belt looped over the neck and resting on one shoulder. The gun then hangs in as if an improvised shoulder holster under the opposite arm. I discovered that approach on a hunting trip in an area with a fairly aggressive mountain lion population.

John

thanks for the awsume answer !

Oh yeah and never ever pee against the wind.

Matt

I composed another answer, but somehow it got lost without posting, sorry. I see others have covered about everything. A lot depends on the type of terrain, and how long you'll be staying in one place.

Fecal matter must be well covered- that usually means buried- otherwise flies and other insects will visit it before visiting food. Backpackers are usually pretty good about this, but I've seen campers dig latrines and leave fecal matter uncovered in them while preparing food less than 100 feet away. Not good.

Most backpackers carry trowels for the purpose of digging "cat holes", there are very nice folding stainless ones that are too heavy, and light plastic ones that don't dig nearly as well. Really spartan sorts sometimes use a tent stake.

In the deep woods, I personally favor old, mostly buried, mostly decomposed logs, which in untended woods are everywhere. The soft, moist, rotted wood is easier to dig deeper in than soil, it's easier to cover and disguise afterwards, and it just adds to the decomposition process already underway.

I know from long personal experience that if I've switched to freeze-dried food for the trip, I need to be especially sensitive to any, er, impending need for the first few days, as something about the switch to freeze-dried food seem to make it go from barely noticable to EXTREMELY URGENT very quickly, and usually at the worst possible time and place. For those first days, I make sure to have TP and the trowel very handy, and be aware of my surroundings with that in mind.

In the woods, those little "travel" packets of facial tissues work fine, but because of the way they're folded together in the pack (for easy dispensing), on an exposed ridge or knob, a high wind can whip the entire contents out of one amazingly fast, before you can react. May or may not be a factor depending on where you're going.

I bought first edition of "How to S... in the Woods" many years ago, mostly because of the title. It's been a while since I read it.

The first chapter or two of stories & such are entertaining. The rest of the book was OK, and contained much the same advice as various Boy Scout handbooks, Fletcher's "Complete Walker", and these posts.

Worth browsing in the bookstore, at least.

David

I switched to a shoulder holster years ago and won't go back...

There are no stupid questions, except the un-asked ones! And is this a great forum, or what?