Your whole backcountry hygiene system — the specific trowel, bidet, wipes, sanitizer, and pack-out bag we recommend, with live weights and prices.
Hero photo — the full poop kit laid out flat: trowel, bidet, wipes, sanitizer, pack-out bag, ditty bag
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Nobody’s first backpacking question is “how do I poop out here?” — but it should be near the top of the list. A dialed hygiene system keeps you healthy, protects fragile backcountry soil and water, and honestly just makes the whole experience more civilized. Here’s the exact kit we’d build, piece by piece — about 128.0 oz and $636 all in.
Slot
Our pick
Weight
Price
The trowel
Big Agnes Blacktail 4 - Warm Olive
124.2 oz
$400
The bidet
High Tail Designs The Ultralight Fanny Pack "Dirty Avocado" PREORDER
Digging a proper 6–8″ cathole with a stick or tent stake is a fantasy — you’ll give up and do a shallow, irresponsible job. VARGO’s Dig Dig Tool is purpose-built, bombproof, and the best-reviewed trowel we carry. (The cult-classic featherweight alternative is The Tent Lab’s Deuce of Spades.) A real trowel is the one item people skip and always regret.
The single biggest upgrade to backcountry hygiene. This little nozzle threads onto a standard water bottle and turns it into a bidet — you’ll get far cleaner than paper ever manages and carry a fraction of the TP. It weighs and costs almost nothing and earns its place the very first morning.
Compressed “coin” wipes that expand with a splash of water — more sanitary than dry paper for the final pass, and they double as a trailside wash-up when you can’t face another day of trail funk. Pack them out; never bury them.
Most backcountry stomach bugs spread hand-to-mouth, not through your water filter. A 1 oz bottle of alcohol gel is the cheapest insurance in your pack and non-negotiable after every dig.
In deserts, alpine zones, and busy areas, used TP has to leave with you. A resealable, genuinely odor-proof OPSAK contains everything without tainting your pack — the responsible (and often required) way to Leave No Trace.
Keep the whole system in one grab-and-go pouch, away from your food and clothes. HMG’s Dyneema stuff sacks are practically weightless, shrug off water, and last for years — the tidy home your kit deserves.
Walk at least 200 feet (about 70 big steps) from water, trails, and camp.
Dig a cathole 6–8 inches deep with your trowel.
Do your business; clean up with the bidet and minimal paper.
Fill the hole back in and disguise it.
Pack out used TP and wipes in your odor-proof bag where required.
Sanitize your hands.
Ultralight vs. comfort
The bidet-first approach is lightest and cleanest. Winter and desert kits usually drop the bidet (freezing water, scarcity) and lean on paper and wipes instead. Either way you’re carrying a complete system for a few ounces.
