Doing What Bears Do In The Woods

When you have to go, you have to go, but there are a few simple tips and tricks that’ll make this less of a drama when backpacking or enjoying the outdoors. If you’re caught short, he’s a short list to remember.
Basic Essentials
Always pack some toilet roll. A plastic sealable water-proof bag with a few handfuls of toilet tissue is invaluable, and should have a permanent home at the bottom of your day sack. Dock leaves and struggling with the local fauna be damned. There’s no substitute for a handful of civilisation when the need arises.
Feminine hygiene products don’t decompose easily, and are full of chemicals, so a couple of extra re-sealable bags in your are handy to take them home with you. Travel-sized wet-wipes and hand sanitizer can also offer some of the comforts of home.
If you’re camping out for a while then a collapsible camp shovel from your survival gear is a great addition for digging a simple latrine. If you’re on the move and don’t have the space, forget about it, but they also make for superior support in less sure footed environments and offer a place to hang your loo roll.
In cold climates you’ll need a lighter, or matches. All will become clear later.
Bears have none of these things, which no doubt makes for a ‘grizzly’ experience.
Technique
The first time one fully answers the call of nature outdoors, it can be a daunting (or sometimes enriching) part of your holiday adventure.  First choose your location. Somewhere private is preferable (obviously) but make sure you are at least 200ft from any footpath, campsite, or water source. In suitable terrain (like woodland) it’s generally regarded that burial is the best method as it stops the spread of disease, offers rapid decomposition in warm and temperate climates, and keeps the terrain looking pristine for others. It you can’t dig a hole, spread your waste out thinly (not a pleasant task, we know) and cover with soil or leaf mould to help it decompose faster.
Dig a hole at least 6″ deep. Use a large stick or your hands if you don’t have a camp shovel. If the ground is frozen or you’re on particularly rocky terrain spread any waste out thinly and cover it over with leaf mould or soil.
Making sure all clothing is out of the way, and ideally using a tree or large rock for support, do what needs to be done. There’s a bit of an art to this, admittedly, but some things can’t be adequately addressed in a blog post. If you have young kids who need to do this outside, they will need some support. Remember to keep everything out of the way, front and rear, as you invariably have to deal with urine as well as solids. Be sure to be careful when getting up, and to keep hold of your possessions. A slip at this stage could prove disastrous.
Here’s where the lighter or matches come in. Toilet roll (unless you buy the bio-degradable sort) contains chemicals and doesn’t break down easily if the environment is cold. If necessary you’ll have to light the loo roll, wait for it to burn away, then bury your waste.
So there you are. There’s no need to be nervous about this, everyone has to go, and if you have paper and stick to these basics guidelines it doesn’t need be a problem. Bears manage all the time.

A humourous but informative look at answering the call of nature when outdoors by Nick Hodges for Winfields Limited

Read more at Rocky Mountain Survival Blog