Going to the Bathroom Outdoors: Toilets, Catholes, and Pack-Out Rules

Find the rule before the trip

Consult the exact park, forest, monument, or district page. Soil, desert crust, snow, river corridors, alpine areas, caves, and heavily used sites may have different disposal requirements.

Record whether toilets exist, whether toilet paper must be packed out, whether waste bags are mandatory, and where filled bags may be disposed. Never leave a filled bag beside a toilet or trailhead bin that forbids it.

Use a toilet well

• Bring toilet paper because supplies run out.
• Keep the door closed and follow any instructions for vault or composting toilets.
• Do not add wipes, menstrual products, trash, or bags unless signage explicitly permits them.
• Clean hands before touching food or shared equipment.

When catholes are allowed

Follow the land manager’s specified distance from water, trails, and camp, plus its depth and soil guidance. Choose durable access, avoid digging up vegetation or cultural material, and cover the hole as directed.

Do not treat a generic distance or depth as globally valid. If digging is impossible, use the required pack-out method rather than leaving exposed waste.

Pack-out systems

Use a purpose-made human-waste bag system where required and follow its instructions. Carry it in a durable, leak-resistant secondary container, separate from food, and know the approved disposal route.

Pack out wipes and hygiene products everywhere. The word biodegradable does not make a wipe appropriate to bury or leave behind.

Privacy, periods, and hand hygiene

Choose a private location without wandering into hazards, tell a companion generally where you are going, and take a light at night. Manage menstrual products in opaque sealable bags and include scented supplies in required wildlife storage.

Soap and water are effective when used correctly; sanitizer has limitations when hands are visibly dirty. Carry enough supplies for the whole party and avoid washing directly in natural water.

Assemble and practice the bathroom kit

A practical kit may include toilet paper, hand-cleaning supplies, a trowel where catholes are legal, opaque waste bags, a purpose-made human-waste system where required, and a durable secondary container. Menstrual supplies, wipes, ostomy supplies, and other personal items need enough leak-resistant capacity for the entire trip. Keep the kit reachable without storing used waste next to food.

Practice opening and closing the pack-out system at home using clean materials, and read its disposal instructions. Do not wait for darkness, wind, or urgency to learn which edge opens. Everyone in the group should know where the kit is and which local rule applies, while preserving privacy about who uses it.

Choose a safe, private location

Use a provided toilet when available and open. Otherwise, follow the exact manager direction for surface, distance, and disposal. Travel only as far as needed for privacy without entering steep ground, dense vegetation, water edges, cultural sites, or closed areas. At night, take a light and tell a companion your general direction and expected return.

Set clothing and equipment where they cannot blow away or touch waste. In cold, rain, or mosquito conditions, organize supplies before exposing skin. People with mobility, continence, or medical needs may require a different system; test it privately at home and consult appropriate professional guidance rather than relying on a standard cathole illustration.

Clean hands and transport waste

Remove visible soil from hands and wash with soap and clean water when possible, following current public-health guidance. Hand sanitizer is useful in many circumstances but is less effective on visibly dirty hands and against some germs. Clean hands before cooking, eating, treating water, touching shared snacks, or handling contact lenses.

Seal used paper and hygiene products as the destination requires, then place them in the secondary container. Never burn them in a fire, hide them under rocks, or push them into a vault toilet contrary to signage. At the legal disposal point, follow the product and facility instructions; ordinary recycling, trailhead ground, and campground fire rings are never substitutes.

Plan for nighttime and urgent use

Keep the clean kit, light, shoes, and a warm layer in known positions, but store scented hygiene supplies under the local wildlife rule. In a campground, walk the toilet route in daylight and identify steps, traffic, and the latch. In the backcountry, select only a legal general area in advance; do not pre-dig a hole or leave supplies outside where weather and animals can scatter them.

For diarrhea, vomiting, continence issues, or a damaged waste system, protect water sources and other people first, use the most protective legal pack-out option available, and change or end the trip. Seek medical advice for concerning symptoms. Carry extra bags and hand-cleaning capacity because urgent situations consume more supplies than an idealized checklist.