How to Go to the Bathroom in the Woods

When nature calls, you have to answer, and it doesn’t care where you are. There may not be a bathhouse or a pit toilet around when you need to go. That’s why it’s important to know how to go to the bathroom in the woods.

Know Before You Go

Before going to the bathroom in the woods, you need to know if there are regulations on leaving human waste in the area you’ll be camping in.

If there are regulations, you may need to pack out any solid human waste. Otherwise, make sure you leave no trace of your human waste in the woods. This means leaving your campsite clean for the next campers to use.

How to Pee in the Woods

You need to choose a location far from your campsite to go to the bathroom in the woods. If you are camping near a small body of water, make sure you go to the bathroom at least 200 feet away from the water. This will ensure that you don’t contaminate the water around your campsite.

Packing a portable toilet to use at your campsite makes it easy to pee in the woods. A portable toilet makes it easy and comfortable to do your business without squatting.

Helpful Tips for Peeing in the Woods

• Pack toilet paper in a sealed plastic bag to keep the toilet paper dry and protected until you need to use it
• Use a pee funnel for those times when you don’t want to try squatting in the woods
• Keep a towel or blanket nearby to shield you from nearby hikers or campers when you need to go in the woods
• If peeing on uneven ground, make sure the ground is sloping away from you so that it doesn’t puddle at your shoes
• Make sure you only wipe with a large leaf that is not poisonous
• Always use hand sanitizer after going to the bathroom in the woods

How to Poop in the Woods

Like peeing in the woods, you’ll need to ensure you are a significant distance from your campsite or hiking trail. We recommend being at least 200 feet away from your campsite or hiking trail so that you don’t contaminate your camp or other campers and hikers around you.

Find an area with the richest soil and dig a hole at least six inches deep for your waste to fit. The hole may need to be six inches wide as well. You can dig a hole with a stick or a rock if you don’t have a tool.

Try to comfortably sit over the hole you have dug to do your business. Once you’re done, cover the waste with the soil.

If you’re using a hole to go to the bathroom in the woods, make sure you never place toilet paper in the hole. You will need to pack out the toilet paper to dispose of when you’re done. Otherwise, when you’re done, you can use a large, nonpoisonous leaf to wipe and place in the hole.

What to Do If You Can’t Dig a Hole

There’s always the chance that you cannot dig a hole to go to the bathroom in the woods. If this is the case, try to find a large rock or log that has made an indention in the ground. Move the rock or log and use the bathroom in the indention. You can cover your waste with the rock or log once you are finished.

If there is no rock or log around for you to move, find a plastic bag and use the bathroom as you normally would. Once you are finished, pick up your waste with a plastic bag and discard it at a waste disposal bin or flush it in a toilet.

Use a Portable Toilet

A portable toilet is a small container, typically a 5-gallon bucket, with a compostable bag for you to safely go to the bathroom. You treat the bucket as a toilet seat, and when you’re done, you can put a lid on the bucket and take it with you to dispose of later.

You can use toilet paper with your portable toilet to store in your toilet when you’re done. This eliminates waste from entering the environment while also making it the most comfortable experience in the woods.

Keeping You and the Environment Clean When Going to the Bathroom in the Woods

You and the environment should stay clean and protected when using the bathroom in the woods. Always use hand sanitizer after every bathroom trip. If you can use soap and water to clean your hands, you should also do this.

Only use running water from a water spigot or from packed bottled water that you have brought with you. Never use soap in a natural water source like a lake or stream. If soap and water aren’t available, hand sanitizer will do the trick.

Never place used toilet paper in a hole you’ve used for the bathroom. Always pack your toilet paper in a bag that you can discard later.

Final Thoughts

Using a portable toilet is the most comfortable way to go to the bathroom in the woods, but it’s not always the most convenient to pack and maintain. When a portable toilet isn’t an option, you can dig a hole in rich soil and cover your waste when you’re finished. And always remember to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer when you’re finished!