Best Products for Burying or Packing Out Poo in the Outdoors

What are your options when it comes to protecting the environment and pooing kindly? From burying your waste to carrying it out with you, we consider the products that make it easy to leave no trace.

The simplest way to show you actually give a shit about the environment, is by being responsible for where your shit ends up. Frankly, it’s not that difficult to bury or carry out your poo – but if you don’t know how, it can be a bit overwhelming.

In that spirit we thought it was about time to put some of the most well-known products for handling poos to the test, and explain how to use them.

Lesson one: Digging deep is easier with a trowel

Best Products For Burying Your Poo

Sometimes you’re caught unaware and you can’t carry out your produce. That’s ok. Plus, it’s legal to bury your poo in most places in Australia, provided you’re following the rules. So let’s talk digging implements.

Each one of the below trowels is light, has a handle, and will allow you to dig a hole. They’re all a solid investment.

All trowels are not made equal, but they all unequivocally beat a stick.

Yeah, nah. | Photo by @okayryan via Flickr | License

Sea to Summit Lightweight Trowel

Weight: 87g
Length: 16cm (collapsed), 24cm (extended)
Grip Comfort: Medium
Price: $13.95

I’ve owned this Lightweight Trowel by Sea to Summit for years and it was among the first pieces of kit I ever bought. Why? Because it was ultralight, the handle collapsed down against the face of the shovel when not in use, and it had a secret compartment. Hello, dream spade. 

The secret compartment is really just a hollow handle, which has enough space for a lighter (useful for campfires!) or a rolled-up wad of toilet paper (how I normally use it). In terms of convenience, this trowel ticks all the boxes. 

But when it comes to handling, this is where the trowel is wanting in terms of the others on this list. While the grip is nice and wide on the trowel, and the handle is long enough to protect your hand from colliding with the ground as you dig, it’s just really hard going trying to dig with this thing. 

The extra tough reinforced Nylon 66 that it’s made out of is so super tough it resists going into the ground. I reckon it’s a just a touch too thick. The adjustable aspect of the handle is great but when you’re using it to dig in tough ground it does move slightly and jars your wrist over and over. It does get the job done – it just takes a lot longer than it needs to.

Robust and brightly coloured so it’s easy to find in your pack

GSI Cathole Trowel

Weight: 90g
Length: 25.9cm
Grip Comfort: High
Price: $14.95

This Cathole Trowel by GSI has the longest handle of the three I tested and is comfortable to hold. I dug five holes in a row with this, and I wasn’t hampered by blisters, soreness, or any sort of discomfort caused by the trowel itself. My hand stayed far away from the ground even when I was reaching the bottom of my 15cm hole. 

Despite being thick 100% recycled polycarbonate, and feeling quite chunky, it cuts into the earth with ease, which surprised me given the resistance I’m used to with the Sea to Summit Lightweight Trowel. 

But the best feature of this trowel is the measurements and instructions engraved on it. It makes digging a 15cm hole foolproof. No eyeballing and assuming 5cm will cut it – this trowel ensures you dig deep enough every time. Thanks to the serrated edge and incomprehensibly effective polycarbonate body, this is delight to dig with. 

If you like your gear to come with a cheatsheet, this is the trowel for you

Helinox Deuce Trowel

Weight: 17g
Length: 17.3cm
Grip Comfort: Low
Price: $38.95

The Helinox Deuce Trowel is hugely popular among the ultralight hiking crowd, and for obvious reasons – it’s only a measly 17g. It might as well be weightless at that amount. And at almost three times the cost of the other trowels on this list, that feature certainly doesn’t come for free. 

The trowel is made from super thin aluminium and unlike the other two is able to be used from either end. That’s right – you can dig with the handle too. The serrations on this are sharp and I found that being able to use the handle to start with a small hole in tough ground (before widening it with the shovel end) was a valuable feature. 

Digging was quick thanks to the sharp serrations and thin profile, but the size of the shovel is small so it still took longer than using the GSI Cathole Trowel.  

What was least enjoyable about this trowel was, well, using it. Sure, it digs easily into the ground thanks to the thin edge and cerrations, but the same edge pushing against the ground is also pushing against your hand thanks to that dual-function handle – ouch.

As with most ultralight gear, there’s a serious trade-off in comfort with this trowel. Then again, for the few times you’ll actually need to use it, does it really matter?

I have no idea how this is simultaneously so rigid, and light

Best Products For Packing Out Your Poo

You’re in a sensitive environment where you’ve got to carry out your poo, or you’ve just decided that carrying it out is a good move for Mother Nature. Either way, the below products are going to make your life easier.

Metolius Waste Case

Weight: 300g
Length: 380mm
Price: $99.95

I’ll admit that when I ordered this beast I thought he was a solid, rigid tube. What actually arrived was a tough, malleable Durathane fabric bag. ‘What on Earth am I going to do with this’, I thought? As it turns out, be bloody grateful that it wasn’t a rigid PVC one! The Metolius Waste Case has durable sides that won’t rip or risk being perforated like a Ziplock baggie or an ultralight stuff sack (my previous go-to’s-for-poos). Plus it has handles so it can be easily carried or clipped to a bag.

It’s also LARGE. If I take more than a couple of buddies hiking overnight at a time, this bag is what comes with me. At 8.6L capacity, it can hold a lot of poo. It can also fold up and be – stay with me – moulded into shape to fit in my pack. Yeah, gross, I’m talking about mushing up mine and my mate’s poos. But if that means I can fit the bag better around other items in my pack, it doesn’t risk a poo-xplosion, I have better weight distribution, and I still can’t smell a thing? Worth it. 

The case comes pre-packed with six wag bags (wag bags are explained below, keep reading!), and an additional fabric bag to provide another layer of protection around used wags. The only thing I don’t like about this nifty case is that it seals with a fabric roll-top and buckle. After using solid poo tubes for so long this is hard to get around mentally. But in reality, if you’re using wag bags, there’s no chance you’ll be smelling anything. 

If, like me, you won’t be buying individual wag bags for every trip and would rather use a DIY solution like doggy bags and baking paper (described in the FAQs), I recommend taking a few extra plastic bags to line the inside of the case with.

The sides of the case are thick and feel like rubber

Wag Bag

Weight: 72g
Price: $6.95 (each)

All hail the convenience of this product. Wag bags are essentially a human version of a kitty litter tray. WAG stands for ‘waste alleviating gel’ and the bag is designed to be a toilet that you can use anywhere. The gel inside neutralises your poop so it doesn’t smell and can be transported elsewhere for disposal. 

Trowel die-hards don’t tune out – wag bags are still relevant for you. Consider environments where it’s impossible to dig, like rocky clifftops or hard-packed ice. This nifty, albeit pricey, solution is ideal for those times. 

The bags are very easy to use with instructions printed on the packet. If you haven’t used one before, the process is simple. The kit comes with: hand sanitiser, neutralising gel, one positively enormous waste bag, and toilet paper. Open the bag, remove the items, spread open the waste bag (often pre-filled with the gel), do your business in it, tie it up, and seal it inside the outer bag.

Carry it until you find a bin to put it into. 

There are a few different brands floating around but they all include the same components and are a similar size, price, and weight

The waste bag itself is bloody huge, think garbage bag size. I’ve read that this is so you can hold it around your hips and guarantee that you won’t ‘miss’. It’s a good solution for those who might not have the balance to squat unassisted, or in windy places where you can’t rely on the bag to stay still when placed underneath you on the ground. 

Curses to whoever decided to make each one of these so expensive. $6.95 a pop is a very expensive poo. If these were $1 each, or, imagine this, provided free to hikers at the trailhead of multi-day hikes… well, a girl can dream. (Just imagine how good that would be for the environment!) 

DIY Poo Tube

Size: 90mm x 450mm
Price: Variable (my solution from Bunnings, roughly: $38.74)

A poo tube is any kind of airtight tube that is a convenient size to carry while exploring. These are normally rigid and made from PVC stormwater pipe, easily purchased from Bunnings. It’s so easy to make your own rigid poo tube that it’s borderline possible to buy them pre-made. Genuinely, if you find someone selling them, please leave a comment.

When designing your tube, you need to factor in the weight of the tube, plus the potential weight your poos will add. Essentially, you want to make the tube as light as you can, while still allowing it to function as required. The most common size is 90mm by 450mm, which’ll suit two people for a three-day trip. 

A poo tube in action. This 90mm tube accommodated 10 people on an overnight trip, but it was longer than 450mm

I haven’t made one (yet!) but I’ve used them on previous group trips. We lined them with two garbage bags before placing our poos in doggy bags inside. You can also pop wag bags in them for transport. I can report that they’re effective at containing smells but you need to be careful about the width of the tube to ensure you can easily strap it to your pack. This is important because they’re quite unwieldy to carry, especially if it’s raining or when they’re full.

Shopping List For a DIY 450mm Poo Tube:

• 90mm Stormwater Pipe 1m, 500g. (You’ll cut this to 450mm in length, roughly 240g)
• 90mm Threaded Insert Fitting, 50g
• 90mm Threaded Cap, 60g (This is the lid)
• 90mm Push-on Cap, 30g (This is the base, which you’ll glue on)
• Protek Pipe Cement, 250ml (Won’t use it all)
• Protek Priming Fluid, 125mm (Won’t use it all)

The Canberra Cross-Country Ski Club has a handy DIY tutorial you can refer to while building. 

DIY Poo Pot

Size: Variable
Price: $66 (premade) or free (upcycle one!)

Welcome bargain hunters to an even more affordable option than making your own poo tube. The poo pot is effectively the same idea, you just upcycle an existing plastic container from your home. Ultralight hikers rejoice because these are much lighter than PVC, and you can choose your size based on the length of time you’ll be away, and how many people you’re catering for. 

Plus if a Park Ranger sees you with one, you’re almost guaranteed to get thanked | Photo via the Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service

DIY Poo Pots are becoming increasingly popular, and it’s awesome to see. As it’s smaller, you’re more likely to be hit in the face with some odour when you open the lid to add a new poo, but it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of less weight and smaller size. Personally I like it for the cost savings, and the ability to shove the pot inside my pack, rather than trying to strap a slippery-when-wet (pretty much every morning) PVC poo tube on the outside. 

To minimise smell you can actually buy odour eliminating powder (this is the same as what’s pre-loaded into wag bags) and use this in your doggy bags. At $80 starting price, it’s a steep price to pay to avoid the four seconds of smell you might enjoy, but each to their own. 

Similarly, if you like the idea of the smaller pot size and lighter weight, but don’t want to repurpose one you already have around the house, you can buy a premade one that comes with a selection of useful items, including the odour eliminating powder.

An old gym supplement tub was perfect for a overnight solo trip, you’d want something bigger for two people

Isn’t Poo Natural?

Everybody poos. But one place our poo really shouldn’t be is scattered haphazardly outdoors. Why? There are actually quite a few reasons. 

The first is that there’s truly nothing worse, and I mean nothing worse, than being out hiking and stepping in human excrement. 

Almost as annoying is seeing little streamers of toilet paper flapping in the breeze with the scantest few grains of dirt weighing them down, if that sometimes. 

It’s hard to figure out which one of the above annoys me more. And realistically, they’re only the visible reasons to not leave our poo outdoors. The aesthetic frustration of seeing litter (yep that’s what it is!) in our outdoor spaces aside, our poo carries pathogens that can contaminate water sources and spread disease to both humans and animals. 

Not only that, but our feces can upset the balance of the natural ecosystem, altering soil composition and even changing plant growth. It’s a circle of life kind of problem – our poop interrupts the circular evolutionary process that’s thus far been working like a charm. 

Some environments are more sensitive to disruption than others, so our poo isn’t always a mega toxin, but in others, that’s effectively what it is. 

Need more convincing? Why It Might Be Time We Start Packing Out All of Our Turds

Lesson two: Don’t do this. Ever | Photo by Rick McCharles via Flickr | License

What are the rules about pooing outdoors?

In places in Australia where you’re legally allowed to drop a turd or two, the rules state that you should be at least 100m away from a water source to bury them, however, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen that rule flouted.

To be fair, sometimes it’s nigh on impossible to adhere to thanks to the ridiculously good number of streams or the sudden realisation that a poo has arrived at the station, it’s an express service, and it’s departing, now.

But, even if it’s hard to adhere to sometimes, please do what you can to go the full 100m. If it’s impossible, consider it a good opportunity to practice carrying it out with you, or to a destination where burying it is suitable. 

The other rule is that poo should be buried in a hole 15cm deep with dirt packed firmly on top. Based on the sheer number of bald turds I’ve unfortunately seen in the flesh, we might all need to revisit exactly how deep 15cm is… or how to dig a hole. Probably both. 

Need more help pooing in the wild? Read this: How To Poo in the Bush

Lesson three: A 15cm hole is deeper than you think

Where do you need to pack out your poo?

There are a couple of places in Australia you aren’t allowed to bury your poo at all and must carry it out. 

If you’re reading this news for the first time, stay calm. 

For the record, no one’s suggesting you hold a poo in your bare hands as you trot along the track! Packing out your poo is a straightforward process – but until you understand how to do it, it can seem overwhelming.

Without further ado, if you’re visiting the following places and no drop toilets have been provided, you’re required to pack your poop and take it out of the park with you:

• The Overland Track, Tasmania
• Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
• Australian Alps Walking Track, VIC, ACT and NSW

…why? Because these ecosystems are fragile and our poo risks ruining them. 

The following locations don’t have explicit instructions to pack out your poo but the environments are sensitive, leave no trace principles are strongly encouraged (for a reason!), and, it’s probably a bloody good move for planet Earth. 

• Wilsons Promontory, VIC
• Kakadu National Park, NT
• Flinders Ranges National Park, SA
• Cape Range National Park. WA
• Daintree National Park, QLD

Lesson four: You can’t leave any poos in Kosciuszko National Park | Photo by Wendy Bruere

What about toilet paper?

Add your toilet paper to your bag of choice along with your poo. Even if you’ve bought super duper environmentally friendly degradable toilet paper, it’s still got your feces on it, and it’s not helpful to the environment. Put in the bag, tie it off, and sleep soundly knowing you’ve done your bit to help keep another natural place free of the worst kind of streamer. 

Uh oh, you forgot to bring toilet paper? S’all good. Take a look around and find a clean leaf. You’d be surprised how many great toilet paper leaves are out there. Don’t go pillaging trees and building up a stockpile (seriously, don’t) – just grab the bare minimum when you need it. 

Nature’s toilet paper is soft, readily available and growing all around you | @ellemgeephotography via Flickr | License

FAQs Poo Products

How I do stop my poo from smelling?

Nobody wants to hike completely surrounded by a poo-smelling cloud, especially if they weren’t the creator of that cloud. By double bagging and popping your poop in a sealed tube or bag, it will help reduce the likelihood that you can smell the odor. Including a sprinkle of kitty litter grits, odour eliminating powder, or using a wag bag is also a good technique. 

What’s the cheapest option for carrying out my poo?

The cheapest option for carrying out your poop is doggy bags alone plus a large tough ziplock bag to seal them in. I’d recommend splurging and taking a few sheets of baking paper too, aiming your deposits into a doggy bag can be tricky.

The process is:

• Find a nice private spot concealed from view (behind a tree or rock usually works)
• Lay out your baking paper on the ground, anchoring the corners with pebbles if needed
• Poo onto the paper
• Gather the corners so your poo is held in a pouch, and drop that into a doggy bag
• After sealing the doggy bag, put that into a larger plastic bag or zip lock baggy
• Place this into a poo tube, poo pot, or poo case for more secure transport if preferred

What’s the most eco-friendly toilet paper?

The most eco-friendly toilet paper that you can use is a leaf. But if you’re using that to wipe, don’t think you can then leave the leaf in the environment. Bag that baby up along with the rest. 

Why do we need to pack our poo out in some places and not others?

Some national park services have more funding than others and can afford to install toilets, truck out waste, and manage environmental impact. Other national parks are simply more ecologically sensitive and may have a plant or animal that is especially sensitive to the unique combination of pathogens we can produce with our butts. 

When do I need to take a hiking trowel?

If you’re out on a hiking trail I expect you to have a trowel. Yep, I’m talking day hikes, not just overnight. Poos can strike at any time and for the sake of the environment, it’s better to be prepared.

Header photo by the Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service