Personal Care on a Camping Trip
Personal Hygiene and the Female Outdoors
Nov 9, 2009 Eilene Toppin Ording
First things first. This article is going to be messy. There is no help for it. When one starts talking about bodily fluids, it isn't easy to sugar coat it. The author is profoundly apologetic, but unrepentant. This is important, if dicey, information.
Latrines, Outhouses and Portable Restrooms
If one is lucky, the campsite chosen for a weekend campout has a shower house with running water and flush toilets, but that is often not the case. Frequently, the only facilities are a latrine and possibly a water spigot. In the winter, the water will be turned off, and then even the water spigot isn’t available.
Some sensitive areas have special requirements. Be sure to check with park management or rangers to see if there are constraints when hiking into such environments.
Latrines, outhouses, port-a-potties and the like will smell bad. There is no real remedy for this, and in summer it can be absolutely excruciating. Holding one’s breath is no real option. A fastidious person can sneak a can of disinfectant or air freshener in among the camping gear. This is an excellent idea for those camping with the four year to ten year age group and those with a sensitive olfactory. However, sprays will not overcome the extremely smelly latrine with a tank full of bodily fluids under it.
Out Behind a Tree
Latrines, be they ever so smelly, are preferable to urinating or defecating in the woods. This is completely doable however, but not at all easy. For the novice, it is recommended that one find a spot between two sturdy objects, such as trees, tree stumps or rocks. This is for balance. The wise camper has brought along two indispensible supplies, namely biodegradable camping toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
Once in position between sturdy objects that can support one’s weight, the following step-by-step process must occur.
- Step one: Pull down pants and panties.
- Step two: Squat in such a way that pants and panties are out of range of the relevant body parts, supporting oneself on the aforementioned sturdy objects.
- Step three: Complete the business.
- Step four: Apply biodegradable camping toilet paper.
- Step five: Pull up pants and use hand sanitizer.
- Step six for those who have made a bowel movement is to bury the evidence. Backpackers often carry a small pocket shovel for this purpose. The process of covering feces is called making a cat hole. The usual procedure is to dig a small hole first, defecate and then cover the feces. Please note that even men have been known to find this disgusting.
Camping with Young ChildrenIt would be remiss not to warn the mothers in the audience that children faced with smelly latrines or doing their business in the woods will sometimes wait until they wet their clothing. Some will hold their feces in for days and end up bloated and complaining of a stomach ache. Discuss this with the children before going camping. The sort of comfort items that a child might want include the seat off an old potty training chair, air freshener or a pre-manufactured camp commode.
Feminine Hygiene Products
Females who are menstruating will be well advised to bring feminine hygiene products on every campout. There is only anecdotal evidence of this, but most women find camping out will trigger a cycle, even if it is a little early in the month. If true, the only logical explanation is the chemicals that are absent (or present) in the outdoors that are present (or absent) in the home environment. Menstrual cycles are triggered by hormones and hormone-like chemicals are found everywhere.
Female comfort demands that preparation for such an event is made at the packing stage. When including the tampons or pads, be sure to include a trash bag. Most latrines are pumped out by the local honey wagon, and they don't handle these products any better than the city sewer.
Anyone can function in a flush toilet free environment, but it takes some mental preparation. Remember, our ancestors had no choice in the matter. A lot of third world people still have no choice. The flush toilet is, after all, a relatively new invention and one that takes significant infrastructure. Having the right supplies is everything. Prepare in advance and a sojourn in a primitive campsite will be a positive experience.
See Also:
There are many good websites out there. Try Kathleen in the Woods.
Food and Footwear for Comfort on the Trail
Outhouse
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