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  1. #21

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    According to backpacking guru Andrew Skurka, the proper backcountry bidet process requires more than squirting your nether regions. He instructs that one hand is squirter and one is washer. Yep, you have to sacrifice one hand and then use hand sanitizer. That is a "no" for me dog.

    How to poop in the outdoors || Part 4: The backcountry bidet (andrewskurka.com)

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by cliffordbarnabus View Post
    couldn't you just use any sort of squirt bottle and not buy anything at all?
    The squeeze bottle I have is made of silicone and springs back to shape. It weighs a few ounces (at least) I think, so it's not nearly as light as a topper to a regular plastic bottle. I'm not sure whether plastic bottles (e.g., ironically #1, PET) spring back that well. Some of the backcountry bidet pseudo-demos I've seen on YT involve just pouring some water down there, washing yourself clean with one hand, and then washing the hand clean. If you want to use something that will spray a stream of water, seems to me the bottle needs to spring back to shape. Maybe if you only squeeze a bit at a time and then let the pressure equalize before continuing, you won't totally crush the bottle. But the silicone makes it a no-brainer.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Emerson Bigills View Post
    According to backpacking guru Andrew Skurka, the proper backcountry bidet process requires more than squirting your nether regions. He instructs that one hand is squirter and one is washer. Yep, you have to sacrifice one hand and then use hand sanitizer. That is a "no" for me dog.

    He's not the only one who advocates that method. But I would recommend washing hands well with soap and water over hand sanitizer, if you have the option.

  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonnycat View Post
    Neat, I hadn't come across those. From the image on amazon they look like a square netting mesh, more like a sieve than a cloth. Are they actually like this, or is that just the way the image came across?

    The Wisi Wipe is a Dry compressed towelette about the size of 4 dimes stacked on top of each other.It's got a woven type of texture to it and is pretty durable.While my coffee water is heating up I drop one in the bottom of a soda can that has been cut down to about a quarter of an inch and pour some of the hot water on it before it boils etc.Add a drop or two of soap if desired and wipe the face and then the hands.Keep it handy for the final use later
    to polish off what the TP may have missed.Lightweight,works great...

  5. #25
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    While not a topic for polite mealtime discussion, just an observation after years of "regular" daily experience: A proper amount of fiber in one's good (ratio of protein, fiber, carbs, water) diet and a deep cheek-spreading squat often reduces cleansing to more of a "just checking" activity, with few if any Klingons to be found orbiting Uranus vs. what amounts to trying to clean up a processing accident at the Nutella factory. Now, it's often tough to keep a good diet on the trail as meals tend to be high in carbs, low in fiber, and fluid intake can be spotty. And for most of us, the increased activity hiking vs. our normal activity level also can throw our systems off. But in many places it's easy to find a small diameter tree to hang onto (to avoid falling into our creation) to get the deep squat part in than it is in our sheetrock boxes with chair height toilets better suited to reading magazines. Regarding this entire topic though, what I'd really like to see is for Mr. Whipple to come back and answer the age old question of where those blue bears actually do their business . . .
    "That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett

  6. #26
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    A daily Metamucil cookie or two (they call 'em fiber thins) really helps, and they're actually pretty tasty.

    Just don't down a boxful in one sitting like they're Oreos!

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    ... with few if any Klingons to be found orbiting Uranus vs. what amounts to trying to clean up a processing accident at the Nutella factory.
    You deserve to be nominated for the Poolitzer Prize for that one.

  8. #28

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    A clean bunghole is a happy bunghole---and there's a way to achieve such a thing on a backpacking trip---not with a bidet (or toilet paper) but with paper towels (Bounty the preferred brand).

    The secret is to wet a paper towel with water (or creek water) and wring it out so it's damp. Fold in half. Wipe. Fold again. Wipe. Bury. If bunghole is nasty use a second paper towel.

    On my usually long 21 day trips I take around 40-50 paper towels in rolls of 10 sheets each--- ergo 4-5 little rolls held tight with rubber bands.

    TRIP 151 004-XL.jpg
    Normal supply (40 sheets) for a 3 week trip.

    Plus, a paper towel is always in my shorts pocket when I'm hiking and is used to wipe sweat off and blow my nose etc. It also makes a great food plate inside the tent---like with rice cakes/peanut butter/dried maple syrup---and easily shaken off to use again. Old used and dirty paper towels are placed in my trash bag to be used later as butt wipes.

    Trip 212 (49)-XL.jpg

  9. #29

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    And in terrible weather---blizzard at -10F on a mountaintop---nonstop rain deluge---you don't want to leave your tent to deposit a Turd in a cathole in the woods so you can do the In-Tent Squat Release---onto a paper towel (you need eye/bung coordination and a good aim).

    A good paper towel (bounty) can then be four-cornered up into a wad (along with second wiping paper towel) and gingerly placed into a ziploc and thrown outside the tent for later burial.

    All of this of course assumes you can perform the Vietnamese Squat position with ease---

    squat inventor.jpg
    Once this is mastered in-tent turd release is easy.

  10. #30

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    Why is it an either or choice? Why not both? If your business was pretty clean, then a little water is all you need. If it was a bit messy, cleaning up with some paper to get most of it and finishing it off with a little water works great. Even if you normally use paper, occasionally cleaning up with water, the dirt, sweat and salt can keep you from getting monkey butt.

    The last year, I've been carrying a Uyicoo bidet attachment that weighs almost nothing and trying it out. Prior to that, use to just cup some water in my left hand and use that to clean up. Personally think the hand cleans up much better than the bidet and uses less water. Some places water is abundant so who cares. But out west, that isn't always the case. If carrying a gallon of water to get to the next source, probably going to stick with paper only. Otherwise, will spare a little to clean up a little bit.

  11. #31
    Registered User JNI64's Avatar
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    Thanks everyone for sharing their #1 , #2 solutions in the woods.
    As for me.......
    It's Northern QUILTED at home ( plush of course)and thin biodegradable while hiking.

  12. #32
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    Good topic, I'd like to contribute my personal experience to.

    Having done most of my travels and all of the desert hikes in the Middle East, I'm used to use water instead of TP.
    Travelling over there means you have to master the Vietnamese (or Arab) Squat anyway, you won't like to sit on those toilet sets (if there is any at all).
    Carrying no TP is just one item less I need not take care about.

    Since many years when hiking, I was carrying TP just as a backup, and over the last few years I skipped carrying TP comletely.
    There are countless texts about how to do it without - I just use a stone, some leafs or a wad of grass or moss to get rid of most of the stuff, and clean afterwards by using water with my left hand.
    No need to have any special stuff, just my common everyday drinking bottle.
    If I happen to have plenty of water available, I'd use a tiny drop of liquid soap to get rid of any smell, too, plus a little piece of handcream to prevent possible chafing and get the next cleaning business done easier.

    Usually I can time my business to right after breakfast (coffe, that works the magic) so for breakfast I usually select a spot where there is enough water nearby plus a secluded spot to do the business in privacy.

    I tried to carry this habit into the civilisation, but this didn't work properly.
    I had one of those "Bidet" toilet seats, providing a water spring protruding and retracting from beneath the seat, but this was flimsy stuff that didn't works properly, plus, after a cleaning session the whole bowl would be sprinkled with drops of brownish water - not what you would like to end up.
    But what I have and use every day is a small hose including a hand valve to aid the manual cleaning.
    I still use TP back home to dry up.

  13. #33

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    Good stuff Leo L. Problem is---no amount of fecal matter will be touching my hands, period. The faint residue stank is upsetting and would require copious extra water to wash away---including using bronners soap which then means more water needed---and often CSs are no where near water except the stuff I have with me---thereby wasting water.

    Plus, pulling a turd drop is intricate enough w/o having to come back to camp and spend 5 minutes thoroughly washing my hands with soap every time.

  14. #34
    Registered User Crossup's Avatar
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    OK, so this tells me Covid is a good thing as it has effectively killed the handshake. I certainly do not want to shake hands with those using the digital cleaning method on the trail
    But a solution does present its self- carry a single latex glove for the purpose which can be cleaned far better than a bare hand with finger nails, skin pores, hair etc. Then store the glove in a snack size baggie with a few drops of some disinfectant(which should be something that will evaporate) for the next use.

  15. #35
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    Well understood!
    I'm well aware that touching one self down/back there is not everybodys favorite thing.
    But then, out in nature, everything you touch or breath or eat can (and will) be infested with any bacteria/parasite/virus in the world. Can you be sure that the berries you just picked were not used by a fox for wiping his arse? (fox tapeworm can be deadly for humans, btw.)

    Covid has killed most of the usual handshaking and brother/sister-kisses and doctors told me that the numbers of common infections have gone down since.
    Those close contacts with other people I dont have when out hiking anyway, due to me feeling sweaty and smelly, and due to the lack of people out there.

  16. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by Leo L. View Post
    Covid has killed most of the usual handshaking...
    Giardia awareness did that for me years ago, at least when I'm out on the trail.

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