useful hiking/backpacking item

[So Cal Shaggy]

Well, having suffered through a giardia ingestion a number of years ago I decided I did not want that to happen again nor would I ever want anything I did affect anyone else so I have been looking for a better way of doing natures business out in the wilderness. Like most others that have used the back country I did my business in cat holes but in the last decade with technological advances in gear the amount of people in the back country has grown and with the increase in people comes the inevitable problems. 10 years ago I was hiking here in Ca and crossed a stream but slipped half way across and splashed water onto my face which I did not even think about well to my surprise I caught giardia and it was the most unpleasant experience of my life. I later spoke to the rangers in the area and expressed my surprise that I caught it from this particular area and they told me that it has become an all too common problem with the increase of people and dogs. I now never use a cat hole to do my business and with the introduction a number of years ago of different products to contain human and animal waste (wag bags and biffy bags to name two) I set out to devise a way to carry the used bags without worrying about putting them in my pack or having to carry them until I can find a trash receptacle. Here is what I came up with, it is a variation on a "poop tube" that I found in a book. Their construction is cheap and simple, 4" ABS pipe in whatever length you prefer, threaded cleanout, cleanout cap and a cap for the bottom.

I made two sizes one for day hikes with the dog and another person or two and the second is an extended trip tube when I might have to carry the bags all the way through my trip.


the opening is large enough to allow you to place the bags in easily


I filled the void in the cap with glue to make it solid then drilled a hole through it to enable a small piece of stainless rod to use to tighten the cap really well just in case of a leak from a bag. The hole only goes through the solid area so will not allow smells or liquids to leak out.




That is it. The tube straps to my backpack in either a vertical or horizontal position and cost less than $20.00 for enough materials to make 4 tubes (I made more than one for some of my friends) in a bind it might even be used as a bear container. It would even be a great addition to a small boat that does not have a bathroom.

[itsjust.mark]

Ingenious and gross.
I might use it as a bear container...
However, Im going to poop in the woods like the billion other animals in my city do. Then again, I eat real food...without preservatives ETC.


May I suggest you take some bags and stuff them in the container?
You never know if youll need to do the deed twice and Id hate to have to open up that container full of poo when I need to go.
Use the bag on the container like a trash can with a bag in it. Then you can tie the bag up.

[So Cal Shaggy]

Originally Posted by itsjust.mark

May I suggest you take some bags and stuff them in the container?
You never know if youll need to do the deed twice and Id hate to have to open up that container full of poo when I need to go.
Use the bag on the container like a trash can with a bag in it. Then you can tie the bag up.

The container is to hold bags that already have waste in them. I use biffy bags to do my business which have a powder in them to gel liquids and a deodorizer to kill smells they also have a spore from a certain fungus that speeds up the break down of wastes. The bags are puncture resistant but not proof and are sealed after being used so this container is to carry the bags after use to keep from having to put a bag full of human or animal (I have a dog) waste into my pack along with food or other items. This tube keeps the waste separate from everything else.

[Marcus]

One of the strangest posts I've ever seen.

[jfjf]

Originally Posted by Marcus

One of the strangest posts I've ever seen.

Shit yah!

[patrick]

thats actually a pretty good idea, i use such bags at work and all hell breaks loose when one of those bags tears open on a hot day...

one suggestion just to help out, maybe look for class 200 pvc? you could likely lose a few to several ounces in weight compared to sch40 abs, and would have a larger inner diameter, if i remember correctly.

[element]

I made one of these for a canoe trip down the Green River. They wont let you canoe down the river without one. Big ticket if you get caught without one.

Its the same for Lake Powell if you go out to camp on the lake in a primitive campground. Fortunately at Lake Powell they have floating restrooms so you don't have to mess with the tube.

['o Cino]

Here's my fav Poop Tube. Been up El Cap, Half Dome, Denali, Aconcagua, Popo, etc. and keeps on taking the sh*t!

Special note is the Twist top cap, reinforcing collar, and teeny vent hole to keep it from exploding! Been there, done that Nothing will get rid of the smell once it's been initiated.

In the old days we just flew Mud-Bats.

[zenspearo]

Originally Posted by Marcus

One of the strangest posts I've ever seen.

Originally Posted by jfjf

Shit yah!

No shit!

[LunkerBuster]

That is both highly considerate and very creative. Cheers to you for both