If you are outdoors, perhaps camping or on the beach, the need to go to the bathroom can cause you anxiety and fear; follow these tips to avoid that physiological needs are an obstacle to your life in the open air.
Steps
Step 1. Before you leave the house, decide what you want to do about the toilet paper
However, if you insist on having it, you will need to take the used one back with you, preferably in a double envelope. A more ecological method is to use "natural toilet paper": leaves, sticks and so on.
Step 2. When you feel the need to go to the bathroom, always tell someone in the group where you are going
That way he can keep an eye on you and if you don't come back after a short time, he can come looking for you to make sure everything is okay.
Step 3. Go to the woods somewhere quite far away so that people can't see you
If it is dark, do not go too far from the camp, ask someone to accompany you and always carry a torch. Find a spot at least 30 meters from the camp, trail, and 60 meters from water sources.
Step 4. Once you reach the right place, grab a stick (or carry a small shovel) and dig a hole no more than 6 inches deep (the bacteria that properly degrade this waste no longer live deep)
This hole has the same function as the latrine.
Step 5. Perform your bodily functions in the hole and take care of the feces you have left there
Step 6. Use a stick to mix some soil, so that naturally occurring bacteria in the soil can break down the stool faster
Then completely cover the material left in the hole with soil.
Step 7. Insert the dirty paper, if you have used it, in an airtight freezer bag so you can take it away
Step 8. Go back to the camp and wash / disinfect your hands
Method 1 of 2: Winter or Alpine Conditions
Step 1. Avoid defecating in the snow
When the snow melts, someone else will be able to find your "souvenir", in addition to the fact that there is the possibility that the snow will melt and, mixed with the feces, contaminate a source of water.
Step 2. Instead, walk until you find dirt or use a double bag containing cat litter
Alternatively, if you've been camping on a glacier, find a small deep crevasse
Method 2 of 2: Desert Environment
Step 1. Don't bury fecal waste in the desert
Stool does not decompose in dry soil due to a lack of bacteria.
Step 2. Rather, find a rock away from where people are and dump it there
Step 3. Smear the stool in a thin layer with a stick or large stone
Leave them spread outdoors and the sun will quickly decompose them, disinfecting the area.
Advice
- If it is very cold you can apply a strip of petroleum jelly before defecating to minimize the need for cleaning and speed up the whole process.
- Instead of packing up used toilet paper and risking contaminating your backpack, throw away the toilet paper in the hole you dug for the feces and burn it, when the fire has gone out completely cover it with dirt.
- In the desert environment, "scrub" with a bit of light sand taken from under a bush that fixes nitrogen (Mesquite, Palo Verde, acacia); it can work as a substitute for toilet paper.
- It is easier to defecate leaning against trees, but be careful not to soil them.
- For everyone's sake, don't leave toilet paper on the ground and bury your feces properly. Otherwise it would be blameworthy and irresponsible.
- The passages seen for the wooded and desert environment roughly also apply to the beach, but in the latter case - if you are forced to evacuate outdoors - pay more attention to people and proximity to the water.
Warnings
- Some animals and insects are attracted to the smell, so always make sure you go away from the camp.
- If you are in the woods, it is very easy to get lost quickly even during the day because everything looks the same in all directions. Make sure you know how to get back to the camp, even if you don't go very far.
- Make sure you are not near a thorn bush. This can really hurt! The same goes for ivy and poison oak.
- Make sure you defecate at least 60 meters from any water source, as you could contaminate it.
- Do not leave the field without notifying anyone. It is for your safety if you ever get hurt while you are away.
- If you dig the hole, keep the shovel from touching the stool.
