Female Urination Devices 101 | How to Use
A guide to peeing in the woods and the best female urination devices.
*WARNING Gentlemen*; this post is only intended for the ladies ;)
credit: flickr.com
Ask any woman on the trail about peeing in the woods, and they will tell you, the challenge is real. Women have to be discreet, so they are not baring their naked butt to everyone on the trail. They have to be careful that they don't pee on their shoes or drop to squat in a bed of poison ivy. And then there is the hygiene part when they encounter dirty toilets and port-a-johns. Yuck!
Women, don't be discouraged and certainly don't let peeing in the woods keep from getting outside! There is more than one way to pee! Don't like squatting? Then stand. Not comfortable carrying around TP or leaving it behind? Then consider a peedanna. Not sure what these are? Read on to learn out the different options you have for peeing in the woods
Options for Peeing on the Trail
Use Toilet Paper: Squatting in the woods is self-explanatory - just pick the right spot, drop your drawers, squat down and do your business. Wipe if you need to, just don't leave any toilet paper muffins behind. Pack out the TP or at least bury it in a cathole. Keep in mind that cathole TP will take a long time to degrade, and should only be used as a last resort.
Drip Dry or Leaves: Some women eschew the TP and opt to drip dry, but that only works for a short time. A pantiliner can help wick up moisture, but that’ll only buy you so much time. If you drip dry on a long hike, you inevitably will start to smell like urine. The dried urine also may irritate your skin. Other people prefer the leaf method and wipe with a nearby leaf to wick away extra moisture, but you have to be careful that you don't get dirt, debris or other unsettling materials in your private area.
Peedanna: Growing in popularity is the peedanna, a handkerchief that is used for wiping. Think of it as a permanent toilet paper rag. When you are done using it, you hang it on your pack to dry and air out. With a pee rag, you don't have to deal with soiled TP, but you do have to wash it occasionally with soap and warm water, so it doesn't get nasty.
Female Urination Device (Pee Funnel): Squatting may be the most common way to pee in the woods, but it is not the only way. Many women have turned to a lesser known option - the female urination device, also known as a pee funnel. Though they are available in a myriad of shapes and sizes, these devices share a standard feature - they all allow women to pee while standing up. Most FUDs are reusable and made of flexible silicone or hard plastic. Some are disposable and made of a cardboard material that folds flat for discrete storage. All are meant to be carried in your pack and used when needed on the trail.
credit: mlive.com
How to Use a FUD?
With a FUD, you merely unzipper your pants, and move your underwear to the side or pull it down from the front. You then place the FUD over your private area and get a tight seal, so there is no leakage. Then you must relax and start peeing. Be mindful of controlling your flow, so you don't overflow the funnel of the device. Once you are done, you just rinse the FUD with a bit of water from your water bottle to clean it. Then shake it dry, pop it back into its storage pouch and place it in an easily accessible part of your pack.
credit: go-girl.com
Pee Funnel Considerations
Comfort and Ease: Women start using a pee funnel because it is convenient. Instead of stripping off layers of clothing or removing climbing gear, they can merely stand near a tree with their pee funnel and urinate standing up. It also provides some modesty when hiking or climbing in mixed company.
Weight: Pee funnels come in all shapes, sizes, and weights. Some are rigid plastic and hold their shape which allows you to position them under your clothing. They won't collapse in midstream which reduces your chance of peeing all over yourself. Because they cannot be folded, they will take up a fair amount of space in your pack.
Other FUDs are made with a flexible silicone that can fold up into a small container. This flexibility is great for storage, but they can easily collapse and lose their seal if you squeeze them too much. Comparison shop to find the best model for your backpacking needs.
Cleanliness: Cleanliness in the backcountry is challenging, but oh so necessary. You need to keep yourself and your FUD clean and dry so you don't smell like old urine or, even worse, develop a nasty infection. Most pee funnels are made from materials that shed urine, but you still should run water through the FUD to remove any remaining pee. Dry it before putting it away inside your pack or air dry it by storing it in a breathable bag on the outside of your backpack.
A Few More Tips
Squatting comes naturally, but standing while peeing takes some practice. Use the FUD in the shower and on short hikes or climbs, so you know how to get the best fit to prevent a leakage. Don't wait until you are 20 miles into the woods to find out you can't use the FUD without peeing all over yourself. If one type of pee funnel doesn't work, try a different style of FUD. And remember to pee downwind, so you don't get splattered.
Leave No Trace: It goes without saying. Whether you squat or stand up, you should follow leave no trace principles by peeing at least 200 feet from a water source, trail or campsite. This keeps a safe distance between your waste and others who are walking the same path.
Models
Freshette
Price: $25 on amazon.com
Style: Hard plastic
The Freshette is a hard plastic funnel with a retractable tube that makes it more compact than the one-piece pee funnels. It has a broader funnel portion which provides ample room for peeing without overflowing the device, but this size can make it bulky to pack even with the retractable tube.
SheWee
Price: $12 on amazon.com
Style: Hard plastic
The SheWee is a rigid funnel made of hard plastic that repels urine. It is narrow, making it lightweight and easy to pack. Your aim has to be good because the funnel is on the smaller size. Flow control also is essential, release too much too soon and you may be soaking in your own pee.
Pibella
Price: $19 on amazon.com
Style: Hard plastic
Unlike the Freshettte which uses a large funnel to direct your pee, the Pibella has a very narrow opening that is designed to cover only the urethral area. The same narrow design that makes it highly portable, also makes it challenging to use. You need to practice a lot to find the find correct position to catch the flow.
LadyP
Price: $19 on amazon.com
Style: Flexible Silicone
Similar to the Freshette and Go-Girl, the LadyP is made from flexible silicone and has a sizeable cup that gives you room for error. The FUD also has a handy loop that you can use to hold the device securely while using it.
1st Defense Industries Lady J
Price: $12 on amazon.com
Style: Hard Plastic
Designed and marketed for women pilots, the Lady J has a large cup with a small spout that connects to the Little John portable urinal, also made by 1st Defense. The small size allows you to pee with a minimal amount of exposure, but the spout is too short to use alone. You really need the urinal there to catch the pee before it falls on your pants.
The Whiz Freedom
Price: $25 on amazon.com
Style: Flexible Silicone
The Whiz is an offshoot of the Whiz CleanCatch, a urination device used in the medical field to catch midstream urine samples. The consumer FUD is made from a firm silicone that repels urine and includes antibacterial and antifungal agents. The Whiz funnel is on the smaller size and needs to be placed correctly. Similar to other smaller FUDs, you need to slow your flow. On the plus side, the small funnel folds nicely and includes a pouch so you can store it discreetly in a side pocket.
Pstyle
Price: $12 on amazon.com
Style: Hard plastic
The Pstyle bucks the trend by ditching the funnel and using a half-pipe shaped FUD to collect and direct pee. The hard plastic allows you to make a firm seal so you don't leak and the form factorlends itself to wiping off those last remaining drips. The only drawback? It's a bit on the bulky side.
Go-Girl
Price: $10 on amazon.com
Style: Flexible Silicone
Go-Girl is probably the best known FUD and can be found in the camping section in Walmart stores around the country. The silicone funnel is flexible, so you can shape the device to provide a relatively large urinal. Because it is wide, you may need to pull your pants down further than is comfortable, especially in mixed company. Because it flexes so easily, you need to be careful not to lose your seal when you adjust your grip. It folds easily back into a compact tube that can be used to store it discreetly in your pack.
Meeeno
Price: $7.49 for a 4-pack on amazon.com
Style: Flexible Silicone
A flexible and foldable pee funnel, the Meeno stands out because of its price tag -- a mere $7.49 for a 4-pack. It has a wide funnel that can be compressed into a storage pouch and is both hydrophobic and antibacterial.
Pee Pocket (disposable)
Price: $3.99 for a 3-pack on thepeepocket.com
Style: Cardboard
The Pee Pocket is a collapsible funnel that is made from leakproof cardboard. It folds flat making it easy to toss in your pocket before nature calls. Once you are at your “watering spot”, the Pee Pocket pops open into an oval-shaped funnel that you can use and then dispose of when you return home.
SaniGirl (disposable)
Price: $7.99 for a 10-pack on amazon.com
Style: Cardboard
Similar to the Pee Pocket, the SaniGirl is a collapsible pee funnel made of water-resistant cardboard. It unfolds into a triangular shaped funnel and comes in two sizes - a larger one for women and a smaller size for young girls.
By Kelly Hodgkins: Kelly is a full-time backpacking guru. She can be found on New Hampshire and Maine trails, leading group backpacking trips, trail running or alpine skiing.
About Greenbelly: After thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Chris Cage created Greenbelly to provide fast, filling and balanced meals to backpackers. Chris also wrote How to Hike the Appalachian Trail.
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