We love when folks stop by our office after their river trips, glowing with excitement as we all share stories of the canyon. During these visits, guests often share their tips and new ideas of how to prepare others for the experience of living on the river for a week or so. While chatting with a few ladies fresh off an 8-day trip, we were sold on the idea of recommending a ‘female urination device’ – a fancy name for a funnel that allows women to pee standing up. Let’s refer to it as a FUD.
Here are a few key tips we learned from the pros:
- Practice. The expert tip was to practice with the FUD in the shower a few times prior to attempting to use it on a river trip. Technique and placement are important! Also, practice with the clothes/swimsuit you might be wearing on the river to find your best moves.
- Relax. The river is always there to splash off any misses.
- Don’t wait too long. As with any time you have to pee, holding it too long can be uncomfortable and disastrous. With a FUD, if you wait too long, you run the risk of overflowing your funnel before it has the chance to drain.
There are many options, these gals loved the Sani-Fem Freshette because of its rigid funnel and flexible tube allowing simpler direction capability. Another popular favorite is the pStyle, SheWee.
Another helpful item for peeing in the backcountry is a pee cloth. The idea is to help promote Leave No Trace principles by using less toilet paper in the wilderness. It might sound a bit strange, but it is common amongst backpackers and avid hikers. Wash it in the river at the end of the day with biodegradable soap. For those of you who hate to “drip dry,” this is a must-have.
You can read more about how the bathroom works on the river and please let us know if you have ANY questions!
