How to Use the PACT Lite Bathroom Kit
Introduction
Pooping in the backcountry can be challenging if you’re new to the practice. But you’re not alone. We created PACT Outdoors to make backcountry bathroom practice easier and less impactful on the environment after a survey we conducted with 25,000 outdoor enthusiasts revealed that 72% have had a time in the outdoors when they had to poop but didn’t have the tools to do it.
This article focuses on how to use our award-winning PACT Lite Bathroom Kit, an all-in-one kit that makes it easy to bury your poop in the backcountry. The kit helps you stay clean while minimizing your impact on the environments you’re recreating in.
In This Guide You'll Learn
Overview: PACT Lite Bathroom Kit
The PACT Lite Bathroom Kit makes burying your poop in the backcountry easier and more sustainable. All of the supplies you need are stored inside the handle of the shovel. Supplies include:
Ergonomic Shovel
For digging a 6-8” hole in in the ground.
PACT Wipes
Compressed wipes that expand into a 9” towel with water to get you clean. They save weight and space. Get you clean with less paper. And, they’re made of an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 material which means they’re free of over 1,000 chemicals commonly used in TP and wet wipes.
PACT Tabs
Wooden plugs inoculated with fungal mycelium that when added to the hole break down poop faster and kill harmful pathogens.
Integrated Storage
Stores all your Wipes and Tabs inside the handle of the shovel.
The entire kit weighs ~4oz when fully socked with supplies, and is capable of holding enough Wipes and Tabs for a 5-7 day trip into the backcountry.
On multi-day trips we recommend also bringing a ziploc to pack out your used Wipes with as well as hand sanitizer and/or hand soap. On multi-day trips you’ll want to wash your hands (not just sanitize) before handling food.
This is our best-selling and most awarded bathroom kit. It won Gear of the Year awards from both GearJunkie, and Bikepacking Magazine. It’s a great option for a wide range of activities.
Ideal for: Backpacking, Dispersed Camping, Hiking, Fishing, Hunting
Comes with: An ergonomic lightweight aluminum shovel with integrated Wipes and Tabs storage, a resealable pouch of 20 plant-based PACT Wipes and a resealable pouch of 60 PACT Mycelium Tabs.
PACT Lite Bathroom Kit
Video Tutorial: How To Use Your PACT Lite Bathroom Kit
How To Bury Your Poop With The PACT Lite Kit
Is it safe and approved practice to bury?
Before you head out on any trip into the backcountry it’s important to determine if the area you’ll be recreating in is safe and approved for burying your waste. For a deep dive on this topic, check out our blog: How To Poop While Backpacking (Bury vs. Pack Out)
The short answer: it is safe to bury in areas where there is a rich, active soil base that you can dig a 6-8” hole and where visitor use is spread out or dispersed. This usually entails forested areas with a reasonable amount of moisture.
Areas where you should pack out your waste: arid deserts (e.g. Moab, UT), alpine environments (e.g. mountain peaks), near waterways (e.g. river trips and canyons), in high-use areas (e.g. National Parks) and anywhere that land managers have mandated packing out.
Assuming it is appropriate to bury, here’s the steps to follow with your PACT Lite Kit:
Grab Your Supplies
Bring your PACT Lite Kit, water to activate your wipes and a resealable bag for packing out your Wipes.
Find a Private Spot
At least 200' from waterways, trails and campsites. The further, the better as this helps to spread out the locations where people are burying their waste.
Dig a Cat Hole
Use the shovel with your kit and dig 6-8” deep. The marker on the back shows the minimum burial depth.
Do Your Business
Poop in the hole. You got this.
Clean Up
Use your water bottle to activate your PACT Wipes. Hold the wipe in the palm of your hand and it will soak up all the water, allowing you to use less water. Folding the wipe after each pass allows you to use less paper. 1-2 Pact Wipes is usually sufficient, but every poop (and pooper) is different.
Add PACT Tabs
Drop 3 PACT Tabs in the hole to break down poop faster and kill harmful pathogens like E. coli.
Cover the Hole Completely
Completely fill the hole with dirt and other debris to return the area to a natural, undisturbed state.
Pack Out Wipes
Put your used PACT Wipes in a sealable plastic bag.
Sanitize Hands
Use hand sanitizer or biodegradable soap to clean your hands afterwards.
Pat Self on Back
For a job well done.
If you think you’re in an area where packing out might be best practice or even required, check out: Why Burying Your Poop Doesn’t Always Work and What Hikers Should Do.
How the PACT Lite Kit Makes Pooping Outdoors Better
Grab And ‘Go’
The PACT Lite Kit is designed to have everything you need. So, whether you’re heading out for a day hike or an extended backpacking trip, you can grab it, and throw it in your pack. Don’t forget some sanitizer and a bag for packing out your paper.
Leave the Toilet Paper at Home
Toilet paper wasn’t made for the outdoors. It’s bulky. Gets wet and crushed. And requires a fair amount of paper to get you clean. Conventional wet wipes aren’t great either. They weigh a ton; dry out in the packaging and have loads of chemicals that are harmful to you and the environment.
Check out our Complete Guide To Backpacking Wipes That Actually Break Down
Faster Break Down
PACT Tabs are completely unique to PACT products. They use a native, non-invasive species of mycelium to break down waste faster while killing harmful pathogens like E. coli that can persist in the soil, contaminate waterways and harm wildlife.
Check out our Mycelium Research Page for loads more information on this.
Cut Weight. Save Space.
The PACT Lite Kit is designed to reduce the total weight and space that your bathroom kits takes up in your pack. By ditching the toilet paper and heavy wet wipes, and replacing them with PACT Wipes that store inside the shovel, you’re getting an entire bathroom kit that weighs less than a roll of TP and is far smaller.
Must Have Products
When & Where to Use the PACT Lite Kit
The PACT Lite Kit is good to use in any environment where you’re approved to bury your waste. In areas that require packing out, you’ll need to be prepared with a Pack Out Kit.
Certain activities like rock climbing and even boating or rafting as such that users tend to congregate in small areas like at the base of rock formations in the case of climbing or on beaches with boating. In these instances, it’s best to pack out your waste as the buried poop would build up in highly concentrated areas.
Otherwise, the kit is great for every activity from day hikes to week-long backpacking trips.
PACT Pack Out Kit
Pooping Pro Tips
Here’s a few tips that can change a stressful experience into one you truly enjoy.
Don’t Forget Water
You need water to activate the wipes. So, either bring a bottle or bladder with you or expand them while you are still at camp.
Morning Poopers
If you’re a morning pooper, find a private spot and dig your cat-hole the night before. This makes the process of going less rushed in the morning.
Spa Experience
Save a little warm (not hot) water from your morning coffee or tea and bring it with you to activate the wipes. You can thank us later.
Poo View
If you’re not in a hurry, take some time to find a spot further away. It’s better practice to spread waste out and you can choose the perfect view.
Frequently Asked Questions
What activities is the PACT Lite Kit best suited for?
The Kit is great for backpacking, or dispersed camping when you don’t have a vault toilet nearby. It’s also great for hunting, fly fishing and longer day hikes.
How many bathroom trips worth of supplies does the PACT Lite Kit hold?
It depends on how judicious you are with your wiping, but on average it holds 5-7 bathroom trips worth of supplies. But, you can always bring extra Wipes and Tabs with you if you’re going out for longer.
How much does the PACT Lite Kit weigh?
The Kit weighs about 4oz when it’s fully stocked with all of your supplies.
Do I have to pack out my PACT Wipes or can I bury them?
Leave No Trace guidance recommends packing out all paper from the backcountry. We did test our wipes decomposition rate and they break down completely in 95 days on average. This is significantly faster than TP and wet wipes which take 1-2+ years on average. However, we still recommend packing them out.
Are PACT Tabs safe to use on public lands?
Yes. PACT Tabs are approved for use on all public lands by the Code of Federal Regulations. The species used in PACT Tabs has been studied extensively all over the world, and poses no risk to other plants and organisms in the soil. In fact, its use to break down poop benefits all of the surrounding organisms. Read more about all the benefits on our mycelium page.
Related Readings
The Author: Jake Thomas
Jake is a Co-Founder of PACT Outdoors. He and the rest of the team have been studying human waste management in the outdoors for six years while developing products and solutions that make the practice easier and more sustainable for users.