Have I got this right or is there a better way?

[malcolmc]

One question a potential bushcraft site owner has raised is that of latrines. Back when I was in the scouts I was taught a latrine trench had to be at least 2 ft (60 cm) deep and at least 100 yd (100 m) from any water course. At the end of the camp the trench was filled in and the ground marked as foul by a diagonal cross of sticks secured by staples of twigs.

Is this still good practice? If not, can someone tell me what is?

 

[Surrey Yeoman]

One question a potential bushcraft site owner has raised is that of latrines. Back when I was in the scouts I was taught a latrine trench had to be at least 2 ft (60 cm) deep and at least 100 yd (100 m) from any water course. At the end of the camp the trench was filled in and the ground marked as foul by a diagonal cross of sticks secured by staples of twigs.

Is this still good practice? If not, can someone tell me what is?

Nope, that's not the way to do it anymore!

The problem with burying your poopoos two feet deep is that you effectively put them into the subsoil which has very little, if any, live bacteria to break down and digest them. What you're doing is essentially entombing your poopoo for eternity!

Current thinking is to dig a shallow trench, about a spade's width and no more than a 8 to 12 inches deep and to cover the waste with an inch of soil at a time, finishing up with a final layer about 6 inches deep covering the top layer of waste. That way the wonderful bacteria in the soil will get to work and within a about 8 to 10 weeks, the poo becomes compost and is used by plants as food.

100 yards from the watercourse is a bit over cautious. 25 - 30 yards in normal soil is fine.

Hope this helps. Any comments anyone?

 

[spamel]

Depth would be dependant on amount of use it will get and how long the pit is staying open. If you are shovelling a few inches of soil on every now and then but keeping the pit active, then there isn't a problem making the pit even deeper. It's probably easier to make a composting toilet these days though, you get something out of it that you can use to grow veg or other plants in another area if you wish.

 

[Toddy]

We, being female , used to find a convenient hedge or wall; and about a metre out from it, dug in one spade (we actually used a wee trowel) deep and two long through the turf. Use one section and cover with the sod of the next. It created a continuous band of turned enriched but composting soil wit no smell or sight of anything to attract flies. If we were on site for long we looped back and dug a parallel trench.
It worked for us. Seemed to work for the hedges too Not the first time though that the increase in worms brought the badgers out, not funny when you need to visit the loo in the middle of the night
The scouts used to say 100metres from water courses; I've no idea about best practice advice nowadays.
cheers,
Toddy

 

[Twoflower]

(we actually used a wee trowel)

Is that a female only item of kit, like a shewee?

 

[Toddy]

I don't fancy that shewee thingie..........I kind of regard handy wee hose attachments as gender specific

cheers,
Toddy

 

[irishlostboy]

i think the shewee is briliant. girls bums are way to precious to get frozen off in winter
on subject of latrines, i think amount of use/scale is important, combined with amount of use the area of land gets. glad to see toiletries being discussed. its an important factor, but naturally people would rather talk bow-drills and knifes. poo and wee is icky. but needs to be dealt with right. done right, doing your business should be no more unplesent than at home. and a lot more ecologically sound.well done malcolmc for bringing it up.

 

[Tengu]

Relax, I have a portaloo

 

[Toddy]

i think the shewee is briliant........

In general it seems to be men who approve most of them, and really only females who are in extreme environments who are happy to use them. Too much faffing around, and what does one do with a little pee'd in tube thingie once it's been used?

I do agree with the comments on this being a practical thread , I wish some of those who are busy fertilizing public beauty spots like Loch Lomond would have a read too though



cheers,
Toddy

 

[malcolmc]

Thanks all, I thought I was probably a bit out of date on this one.

Presumably you should still dig deep in ground with no vegetation, eg like Salisbury Plain or Surrey sands?

Do people mark the ground these days, if so what’s the recognised way?

 

[Graham_S]

I recommend picking up a copy of "How to **** in the woods"
It's an interesting book devoted to this topic and well worth a read.

 

[irishlostboy]

and what does one do with a little pee'd in tube thingie once it's been used?

a quick shake and its clean and dry. they are coated with something so that moisture does not hang about, so you can just pop them into a sandwith bag then into your pocket. yea, they are for extreme environments for sure. but female company is nice up a mountain in winter too.

i had a read of a bit of how to **** in the woods on google books. seems like a pleasent read, but a bit long winded. maybe ideal for those long trips to the bog at home? lol

personally, regards marking the ground, i tend to be in places where humans never go, so i simply plonk a large rock over the filled in hole. stops animals digging it up, but the wriggleys can get in and get on with recycling just fine.

 

[andy_e]

It's a bit much to carry while hiking but we looked at getting one of these for our Loch Chon meet-up earlier this year. I also found biodegradable bags in Asda which make disposal easier but shouldn't hamper breakdown too much.

http://www.biobags.co.uk/products/BioToi%20V 2.htm

 

[Pablo]

You probably don't need to go more than 6 - 8 inches deep. The important thing is to burn off any toilet paper and then *loosely* back-fill the hole. If you pack it too tightly, you won't let in the air to assist in breaking down the product.

A single upright stick poking out from the site will let you and others not to dig in that area.

Pablo

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Shewee's are great. I got shewees for my wife and daughter. We always had a broblem when my daughter (who is 10) had to wee while we were out walking etc, in that there was a good chance that while squatting, she would often squirt wee onto her cloths. The Shewee has stopped that. They both use it regularly when we are out. As Irishlostboy has said, a quick shake and it's dry, then into a snap seal bag and into your pocket. (My wife now refers to it as her "Wee Willie)

 

[Buckshot]

SWMB used one in the jungle last year and loved it
Although an extreme environment I agree

Mark

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

My mate uses it on ski slopes ! Washes out with snow. People think she is sitting resting.

Nick

 

[stooboy]

It's a bit much to carry while hiking but we looked at getting one of these for our Loch Chon meet-up earlier this year. I also found biodegradable bags in Asda which make disposal easier but shouldn't hamper breakdown too much.

http://www.biobags.co.uk/products/BioToi V 2.htm

Heh, My mate Verloc (on here) or tom ten sh*tes as we know him (ive never known anyone to need the loo as often as he does) bought one of these, its been used the last few times we been out, it is very robust, and is quite stable and is not overly heavy just slightly bulky, may look at rigging up a shoulder strap or backpack hitch for it as it folds down nicely.

I would say that the bio bags that come with it are a bit flimsy and tear very easily when pulling of the roll they come in. Each bag is not equal in size it would seem as some fit over nicely and others not, and given how flimsy they are tend not to be over zealous in the stretching off them.

Apart from that no bad bit of kit, although i think the bags are about 70 - 80p each so if the asda ones are cheaper may be worth looking into.

We did look at these which are much cheaper but never seem to be in stock....
http://www.1st-harrison.com/shop/view_product.php?product=FUR04
id be dubious as to how robust they be on soft ground though

Stoo.

 

[Tengu]

Rowie says she doesnt want anything permenent, Malcolm.

 

[Wayland]

I usually burn off the paper with a match if fire isn't a problem.

If digging is out of the question I've always used the same bags I pick up after the dog with.

You can get biodegradable ones to pick up with.

Cheap and simple, double bag it if you have a problem with carrying the stuff.