When you have to go #2 in the outdoors, you typically have three options: (1) use an established pit, composting or self-contained toilet if available; (2) dig a cat hole if possible to bury your waste; or (3) use a blue bag and pack it out.
Blue bagging is necessary in conditions such as:
- Desert, where decomposition is very slow
- Rocky terrain, which is hard to dig
- Frozen ground, also hard to dig
- Snow/glacier, where you can’t reach dirt
- Anywhere required by local land management
Blue bagging can also be a faster and more convenient option than a cat hole, even when digging is possible! A good hole can take 5 or more minutes to dig once you have found a suitable location, and you may not want to keep your friends – or your bowels – waiting. You may not have a good trowel or digging implement, and in popular areas near campsite you may not want to risk digging into someone else’s hole.
As wilderness areas get more popular and seeing an increase in visitors, many areas are experiencing failures in both their backcountry toilet systems as well as visitors’ cat hole practices. Blue bagging is a great Leave No Trace method that will help preserve our wilderness areas for generations to come!
Cat hole? Blue bag? What does it mean?
Blue bag
-noun, verb
- A small disposable bag used to collect human waste to pack out of the backcountry. The term was popularized by the blue plastic bags handed out to climbers by the rangers at Mount Rainier.
- The act of using such a bag
Cat hole
-noun
- A small hole dug in the ground to deposit human waste in the backcountry. Per Leave No Trace guidelines, the hole must be 6″-8″ deep and located at least 200′ from the nearest water source
What is the easiest way to blue bag?
You can find multiple methods at How to Blue Bag, but the easiest way to pack out your waste is with a go2™! The go2™ was developed for both novice and experienced outdoor poopers alike to make blue bagging easier and more comfortable. Click here for detailed instructions for use.