Woman's Guide to Peeing and Pooping Outside (Backcountry Practices That Actually Work)
Let's just get into it. Peeing and pooping outside is a learned skill, and like any skill, nobody's born knowing how to do it. Most of us figured it out through some combination of trial, error, wet socks, and a surprisingly patient friend who said "just lean forward more." That's not a great curriculum.
For guys, going outside is mostly a logistics problem (find a tree, unzip, done). For women, it's a logistics problem plus a mechanics problem plus a cleanup problem, often in weather, often on a slope. It's harder because the task itself has more steps. That's just the reality, and pretending otherwise is how you end up with generic "just squat!" advice that helps nobody.
Here's the thing: when we (Noah and Jake, hi) started PACT Outdoors, we built our products with everyone in mind, but we kept hearing the same feedback from women in our community. The standard advice was vague, the gear was designed around male anatomy, and nobody was talking about the actual logistics. So we figured a straight-up guide was overdue.
🧠 This one's written with input from the women on our team and in the wider PACT community who spend a lot of time outside (trail runners, backpackers, climbers, hunters, river guides, and everyone in between).
In this guide you'll learn
For a full overview of outdoor bathroom practices, our complete guide is here: 👉 How to Poop in the Backcountry (2026 Update)
How to Pee Outside as a Woman: The Actual Technique
Most "how to pee outside" guides skip over the one thing women actually want to know: the physics. So let's do that first.
A quick note before we get into the steps: every woman we talked to while writing this had slightly different technique preferences, and they all work. Some face downhill, some face uphill, some prefer a wider stance, some prefer narrower. The steps below are one approach that works well for a lot of people, but if you're new to peeing outside, give yourself permission to experiment a few times close to home until you figure out what works for your body. There's no single right way.
1 - Get 200 feet off the trail and away from water.
That's about 70 big steps. This is non-negotiable. Urine concentrates salts that wildlife will dig for, which damages vegetation and draws animals to trails. Always go well off-trail.
2 - Pick your spot and your direction.
Look for soft ground with some natural privacy. Avoid rock slabs (they create the most splash-back), puddles, and anything with ants or stinging plants. Most women find it easiest to face downhill so the pee flows away from them, but plenty prefer to face uphill and let it flow behind them as they squat. Try both. Go with whichever feels more stable to you.
3 - Set your stance.
Feet wider than shoulder-width, toes slightly outward. The wider your base, the more stable the squat.
4 - Gather your waistband forward and up.
This is the step nobody explains well. The most common mistake isn't that pants go too low, it's that the back of the pants or underwear sags down into the stream. Before you squat, grab your waistband (pants and underwear together) and hold it forward and slightly up, away from your body. Pull pants and underwear down to mid-thigh at most, and keep that waistband pulled clear the whole time.
5 - Squat low.
The lower you go, the shorter the distance to the ground, and the less splash-back. Lean forward slightly with your weight on the balls of your feet. If your quads are burning, that means you're doing it right.
6 - Wipe or dry yourself using whatever method works for you.
More on options below.
7 - Stand up slowly.
Dress fully before standing upright. The waistband stays held clear until you're ready to pull up.
A few other notes worth mentioning:
❌ Avoid rock surfaces when you can. Soft dirt, grass, or pine duff absorb the stream. Rock bounces everything straight back at you.
👀 Watch for ant hills, nettles, poison ivy, and poison oak. A quick visual scan before you drop saves a lot of regret.
💨 Wind matters. If you're facing downhill, a tailwind is your friend and a headwind is not. If you're facing uphill, the opposite. Either way, angle yourself so the breeze is at your back.
Product recommendation:
Our friends at Gnara (formerly SheFly) make outdoor apparel designed specifically for women, with a patented Pee Zipper that runs from the front all the way around the back. Their pants and shorts let you pee outside without fully pulling down or exposing yourself, which solves one of the biggest concerns we hear from women in the backcountry.
Pee Cloth vs. Wipes vs. Drip-Dry: What to Use
Women searching for backcountry hygiene info usually land on three main options. Here's the honest breakdown.
Option 1: Drip-Dry
The simplest method. Squat, pee, bounce or shake a few times, pull up, and go. Totally viable for a quick trailside stop. Works best in dry, warm climates where moisture evaporates fast.
✅ Pros:
- Zero weight
- Zero waste
- Zero effort
❌ Cons:
- Not great over multiple days
- Can lead to irritation, yeast infections, and general discomfort if it's your only strategy on a longer trip
Option 2: Pee Cloth (Kula Cloth, Bandana, or a "Pee Rag")
A dedicated piece of antimicrobial fabric that clips to the outside of your pack (most Kula Cloths come with a snap that attaches to any backpack strap or loop). You dab after peeing, and as you hike, the sun and airflow do the sanitizing work. Kula Cloth is the most popular brand, but a clean bandana clipped to your pack works too.
✅ Pros:
- Reusable
- Lightweight
- Effective
- Zero waste
❌ Cons:
- Takes a day or two to get comfortable with the idea
- Some people find the "reusable fabric" thing a mental hurdle at first
💡 This is a genuinely good backcountry bidet alternative, and we recommend it for almost every woman who spends multiple days outside.
Option 3: Wipes (For Peeing, Pooping, or Both)
PACT Bathroom Wipes are dehydrated and compressed down to about the size of a bottle cap. Add a small squirt of water and they expand into a thick 9 inch towel. For women, this is a legitimate game-changer because you can carry 10 wipes in the same pocket space as one conventional wet wipe.
Why they're worth considering for pee cleanup:
Entirely plant based with no weird cleansing agents
FSC certified (responsibly sourced fibers)
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, meaning they're free of over 1,000 chemicals commonly found in wet wipes and toilet paper
Because of the above, they're safe for the most sensitive skin
Third-party tested to decompose 100% in 95 days (but you should still pack them out)
✅ Pros:
- Cleanest option
- Feels the most like home
- Doubles for pooping and quick cleanups
❌ Cons:
- Need to pack out the used wipes
- Requires a small amount of water
💡 Our honest recommendation for multi-day trips: Carry both. A pee cloth for daytime pees when you're moving, and a few wipes for mornings, evenings, and days when you want a more thorough clean.
Do You Need a Pee Funnel for Hiking?
Pee funnels (also called FUDs, female urination devices, or by brand names like Shewee, Freshette, Pstyle) let you pee standing up. Great in theory, but they have a learning curve. Practice at home. Multiple times. We cannot overstate this.
A pee funnel is genuinely useful when:
You're wearing a climbing harness, ski bibs, or waders that are annoying to pull down
You're in a whiteout or a storm where squatting means getting wet or cold
You're on a crowded multi-pitch climb and there's nowhere private to squat
Winter camping, when exposure to cold is a real concern
You have knee or hip issues that make deep squatting painful
A pee funnel is probably overkill when:
You're on a standard backpacking trip with plenty of privacy
You can squat comfortably without any issues
Most women we talk to land somewhere in the middle: they own one, they use it occasionally, and they're glad they have it when the moment comes. If you're heading out on a mountaineering trip, canyoneering, or anything involving a harness, it's worth the $10 to $30.
How to Poop Outside as a Woman (The Other Half of the Equation)
Pooping outside follows the same core principles regardless of anatomy, but there are a few things worth calling out for women specifically. The full walkthrough is in our backcountry pooping guide, but here's the quick version.
The Steps
Get at least 200 feet from trails, water, and camp. More on this here: 👉 How Far From Water You Really Need to Poop
Dig a cathole 6 to 8 inches deep using a trowel. A stick or your shoe is not a trowel. Don't skip this step. Poop needs to be thoroughly buried to break down properly.
Get into position. Same stance as peeing, whichever direction works for you: feet wide, low squat, lean slightly forward. Many people find it easier to hold onto a tree, rock, or trekking pole for balance.
Do your thing. You got this. (Consider it free quad work.)
Wipe front-to-back, same as indoors. Use PACT Wipes or your preferred option.
Drop in 3 PACT Tabs if you have them. These are wood plugs inoculated with Stropharia mycelium that break down the waste up to 10x faster and kill pathogens like E. coli.
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Pack out your paper and wipes in a dedicated ziplock bag or a PACT Pack Out Kit.
Pro tip: a sprinkle of baking soda inside handles any odor. Our Pack Out Kits come with deodorizing poop powder built in.
Fill the hole completely with dirt and disguise it with natural debris.
Sanitize or wash your hands.
Periods in the Backcountry
This is the section most outdoor guides skip entirely, so let's talk about it.
Having your period in the backcountry is completely manageable, logistically, provided the physical pain of your periods aren’t what prevents you from being outdoors. For most women, managing their period in the outdoors doesn't impact the enjoyment of the trip. A little prep goes a long way.
Simply put, what you do at home is what you should do outdoors. You may just need some extra supplies to make it easier for you (i.e. no sink to wash your hands). That said, here are some tips regarding specific products.
Menstrual Cups Are the MVP
If you're on any trip longer than a day, a menstrual cup (DivaCup, Saalt, Cora, etc.) is the lowest-impact, lowest-hassle option (if you are already a pro at using this method at home). Empty it into a cathole just like you would poop (same 200 foot rules apply), rinse with clean water, and reinsert with clean hands. Some women prefer bridging two cups, so that there is always a clean one ready to go. In this case, put the used one in a separate zip lock bag and clean it back at camp or your car when you aren’t exposed. The most important difference from using a menstrual cup at home is that you don’t have access to running water to rinse/wash your hands and cup. Plan ahead and make sure you have a squeeze water bottle and PACT Wipes, so that you can keep your cup and hands clean.
⭐️ Important: Practice at home for at least a cycle before trying it on trail. The backcountry is not where you want to learn something new.
Tampons and Pads
Tampons and pads need to be packed out. A dedicated double-bagged ziplock with a sprinkle of baking soda handles odor and keeps everything contained. Pack extras (roughly 1.5x what you'd use at home) in case your cycle timing and flow shifts from being active, which is very common. As with menstrual cups, plan ahead by bringing water and PACT Wipes with you when switching tampons and pads, so that you can keep your hands clean.
🚨 Never bury tampons, pads, or liners. They do not decompose. Animals can dig them up.
Product recommendation: Your Yuckies
YourYuckies makes biodegradable hygiene bags for menstrual products. The black, opaque bags have two ziplock pockets: one for unused products and one for used ones. They're discreet, earth-friendly, and a great addition to the rest of your kit.
Staying Fresh on Trail
Bring a few extra PACT Wipes for period days. A quick wipe-down morning and evening makes a noticeable difference in comfort and confidence. If you're near a water source (more than 200 feet away), a backcountry bidet setup (a clean squeeze bottle with water) works great too.
A few other things that help:
Wear moisture-wicking underwear (merino or synthetic) so things stay comfortable.
Change underwear daily if you can, and air out the previous day's pair on the outside of your pack.
Keep a small stash of pain meds in your first-aid kit if cramps are usually a factor for you.
Don't stress about the bears-and-sharks thing. There's no evidence that menstruation attracts bears in the wild. Pack out your products and go live your life.
The Complete Women's Backcountry Bathroom Kit
Here's what women in our community recommend packing when heading out for more than a day hike. Keep it in a single small pouch so it's always together.
The gear:
1. PACT Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit.
- All-in-one trowel, wipes, and mycelium tabs.
- At 2.3 oz stocked, this is the lightest complete kit on the market.
- Holds about three days of supplies.
- Won the 2025 Bikepacking Magazine Gear of the Year.
2. PACT Bathroom Wipes
A 9"x9" towel that expands with water.
- Pack 4 to 6 extras for pee cleanups, period days, and general emergencies.
- Unscented and free of cleansing agents.
- Made of OEKO TEX Standard 100 material (free from 1,000+ toxic chemicals)
3. PACT Body Wipes
A 12"x12" towel that expands with water. It’s like a shower in the palm of your hand.
- One of these morning and night and you'll feel like a human again.
- They make an actual difference for sleep quality and skin comfort on multi-day trips.
- Made of OEKO TEX Standard 100 material (free from 1,000+ toxic chemicals)
4. Hand sanitizer. Small bottle, in an accessible pocket. Use it every single time.
5. Biodegradable soap for a thorough wash at camp before handling food.
6. Pee cloth or clean bandana. Clipped to the outside of your pack.
7. Double-bagged ziplock for pack-out. With baking soda.
8. Pee funnel (optional). If you're doing anything technical, in winter conditions, or involving a harness.
9. Menstrual cup or supplies. As applicable.
Common Questions Women Ask Us (FAQ)
How do you pee on a multi-pitch climb?
Pee funnel, every time. Practice at home in the harness. Some women wear bib shorts under their harness specifically so they can drop the back panel and pee without fully unclipping.
Does being outside make UTIs more likely?
No, not inherently. If you're prone to UTIs, bring your usual medicine or preventatives, stay hydrated, pee fully, and dry yourself properly after. That's really it.
Is it weird to pee near my hiking partners?
No, and if it is, maybe you need to find new hiking partners. Everyone pees. Step a reasonable distance away, turn your back, and nobody cares. The faster your group normalizes this, the easier every trip gets.
How do I handle this during a trail race?
Our trail running bathroom guide covers this in depth, but the short version: carry the PACT Ultra Lite Kit in your vest, step well off-course, and keep moving.
Can I just use leaves?
You probably shouldn’t. Know what poison ivy, poison oak, and stinging nettle look like first. Smooth, non-fuzzy leaves from deciduous trees are safer bets. A pee cloth or wipe is better for about a thousand reasons.
Final Thoughts: You've Got This
Here's what we keep coming back to: the only thing standing between most women and a totally manageable outdoor bathroom experience is a little preparation. That's it. It's not anatomy, it's not some missing skill set, it's just gear and practice.
Guys don't have to think about most of this, which is probably why most outdoor brands don't write guides like this one. We think that's a gap worth filling. Women make up a huge and growing share of the outdoor community, and the fact that the basics of backcountry bathroom practices are still treated as a niche topic is a little ridiculous in 2026.
So we built products that work for the actual problem, and we'll keep writing guides like this one. If you've got feedback, trip stories, or things we got wrong, send them our way. The women in our community have shaped a lot of what we make, and we'd like to keep it that way.
Pack the kit. Practice once close to home. Step 200 feet off trail. Go confidently. The outdoors is yours, and a quick bathroom break shouldn't be the thing that keeps you from a longer trip, a harder route, or a bigger adventure.
Have fun out there!
