Wilderness ethics and minimum-impact camping practices have made great headway since the 1970s, and the Leave No Trace (LNT) organization and its message of wilderness stewardship have gained widespread popularity. Many concepts promoted by LNT are now de rigueur, like using camp stoves instead of campfires, staying on the trail and refraining from digging drainage ditches around your tent. Changes in the way we deal with human waste in the wilderness have been progressing at a slower rate. It’s a topic that not everyone wants to talk about it, which could be part of the difficulty when trying to address the problem.
Pack It In, Pack It Out
As more of us discover the joys of kayak camping, the more responsibility we have to protect wilderness areas that are not as easily accessible, and thus more pristine. According to LNT, the use of National Forest System primitive areas and wilderness tripled during the 1960s, and public land visitation continues to increase. Recreation visits to U.S. Forest Service lands have jumped from 4.6 million in 1924 to 205 million in 2006. Similarly, recreation visits to National Park Service areas went from 33 million in 1950 to more than 275 million visits in 2007.
That’s a lot of people relieving themselves in the wild! Because few wilderness visitors voluntarily take on the task of “doing the right thing” by packing out their own waste, many national parks and water trails have had to address the problem by imposing rules about waste disposal. If you’re river-canyon rafting in the U.S., packing out waste has long been compulsory. The pack-it-out policy kicked off in Denali National Park in the late 1970s with a highly successful program that cleaned up campsites along climbing routes. Use of the Clean Mountain Can, a portable and durable toilet system, has been mandatory for climbers using Mt. McKinley’s high camp since 2003. In New Zealand’s Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park, a similar device is now recommended for use in snowfields above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet). Campers at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are required to have a self-contained “commercial waste bag containment system,” which you can either take with you or buy at the visitors center. The fact that Glen Canyon’s Lake Powell is a reservoir, and the lakeshore moves dramatically in elevation depending on the season, means that when digging a hole and burying your waste on land at one time of the year, you run the risk of having it in a source of drinking water not too long afterward.
To avoid pollution of water sources while keeping the wilderness a desirable place to visit and minimizing the possibility of spreading disease, just what should we do with our human waste?
If you’re near the ocean and weather permits, the best advice in regard to urinating is to do so in the sea to help dilute and disperse your impact. If inland, pour water over your urine to dilute it, or urinate on the sunny side of a rock or in the middle of a trail. And, really, you don’t need to use toilet paper if you’re just urinating.
For solid human waste, a few methods used to be standards: digging a cathole, the most widely accepted method of disposal; smearing your waste over a rock, where the sunlight will aid decomposition; and going directly in the sea or exposed tidelands. All of these methods are now under question, including from LNT and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Catholes slow the rate of decomposition, the rock-smear accelerates decomposition but spoils the landscape for subsequent visitors, and solid waste in the ocean may be washed up on shore.
If you really want to adopt a stewardship ethic and help retain a pristine environment, then packing it out is the only way to go. The waste-removal systems on the market today are not like those used a few years ago, which were invariably bulky and heavy. Back in the early river-running days, most folks were aware of the old “groover,” a military surplus ammunition box that left grooves on your rear end after you’d sat on it.
A good number of today’s waste-removal systems were developed as a result of the climbing community’s effort to address the problem of waste that had accumulated at popular rock climbing sites and alpine routes. Designed by climbers to keep weight and bulk to a minimum, they will work well for cruising kayakers on paddling trips, whether for a day, a weekend or longer.
WAG BAG “Toilet in a Bag” Waste Kits
by Phillips Environmental Products
WAG stands for “Waste Alleviation and Gelling.” WAG BAG waste kits include one large waste bag, a resealable disposal bag, a small fold of toilet paper, a hand sanitizer and a proprietary waste-treatment powder mixture. The powder is made up of an organic decay catalyst, a perfume-free odor neutralizer and a non-toxic polymer-based absorbent (similar to what’s in baby diapers) that gels liquid waste and encapsulates solid waste.
WAG BAGs are designed to work with Phillips’ folding toilet (too bulky to fit in most kayaks), and a variety of other outdoor waste systems (including some reviewed here). They are very easy to use on their own—you just spread the waste bag out and squat. The puncture-resistant bags are large enough to wrap around your rear end, ensuring full privacy and a no-splash zone. Once you have done your business, twist the bag up, pop it inside the smaller disposal bag and stash it away in whatever container you have. WAG BAGs are biodegradable and approved for landfill disposal.
I found the WAG BAG so reliable and simple, I could use it inside my tent. Each bag can take 32 ounces (960 ml) of liquid and solid waste, so there’s plenty of room for multiple use.
WAG BAGs are available online and from most outdoor stores. They are permitted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for use on rivers and in wilderness areas where toilets are required.
WAG BAG Waste Kits $2.75 each; 12-pack, $38.95 (Pricing at retail outlets may vary, but is often less)
Phillips Environmental Products
877-520-0999 or 406-388-5999
[email protected]
www.thepett.com
Waste Case Disposal System
by Metolius Climbing
The Waste Case Disposal System from Metolius Climbing, a manufacturer of rock climbing gear, utilizes the WAG BAG waste kits. The case is made from durathane material, which makes it light (10.6 ounces, 300 g), flexible and durable. The top of the case rolls down and clips like a dry bag. The roll-down top is made of coated fabric, but the seams are not sealed to make the bag fully waterproof. An application of seam sealer would do the trick. Two loops of webbing provide a means of hanging the bag up in camp or clipping it into kayak deck lines. The case is small enough to fit through almost any hatch for storage below decks. I had a full Metolius case stored inside my boat for over a week, and you never would have known it—and its precious cargo—was there. In warm climates, I suggest emptying the case earlier to prevent odors from accumulating.
The Metolius cases are a useful size, at 500 cubic inches (8.2 l), with dimensions of 15 inches tall by 6.5 inches in diameter (380 mm–165 mm) and can hold just over a week’s worth of used WAG BAGs.
Metolius Waste Case Disposal System $59.50 (includes six WAG BAG waste kits)
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Waste Case Disposal System
by Metolius Climbing |
Metolius Climbing
541-382-7585
[email protected]
www.metoliusclimbing.com
The Jinker
by Eric Bell
You may recognize the Jinker’s plastic pipe construction, as DIYers have been creating these types of portable waste systems for years; although, unlike the Jinker, homemade versions aren’t always airtight. Its construction allows for two methods of waste disposal. You can use the WAG BAG waste kits (or newspaper) and stash them down the tube. If you’re bolder than I am, you can use the Jinker directly as a toilet. With its 3-inch (7.5 cm) inner diameter, you’ll need to be a pretty good shot—and upon your return home afterward, you’ll have to hose it out carefully and sanitize it.
The Jinker’s dimensions are generous: Its overall length is 23 inches (58 cm) with an internal dimension of 3 inches (7.5 cm). It weighs in at 1 pound, 11 ounces (766 g). If you don’t have room to store it inside your boat, it could easily fit under your deck bungees. You certainly don’t have to worry about the Jinker’s airtightness—twist caps on both ends ensure a secure, odor-free lock.