How to shit in the woods

Last Updated Jul 31, 2026

When you gotta go – you gotta go

One of the fabulous things about going bush is eating tasty food under a blanket of stars. More often than not, especially on longer bush walks, this food is going to be dehydrated.

Now, there’s not really a delicate way of saying this, but eating dehydrated food can tend to have certain consequences for some people…

Sometimes you’ve gotta go more than others

…OK, it can really give you the shits. For some reason, us westerners seem to have an aversion to learning how to shit in the woods, however it really is quite an easy thing to master and once you (and your knees) have got over the squatting thing, you’ll wonder why you had issues in the first place!

Whilst on a 12 day walk in Kakadu several years ago, my friends and I came up with the term, the Dehyde Dance. Every morning, upon waking up, there would be a mad dash out of the tent, whilst grasping madly about for the toilet paper and plastic trowel (aka Shit Shovel) and hoping for dear God that you could find some ground soft enough to dig your hole in enough time (let alone get far enough away from your friends) before contributing to earthen compost. However, as anyone who has been walking along the pristine waterways of Kakadu knows – rocks are the predominant feature and you’ve gotta get your distance.

It didn’t take us long to realise that we needed a plan. The plan involved pre-digging a hole before sunset and then ensuring that we didn’t enjoy our wine so much with dinner that we forgot where we dug.

Rules for pooing in the wild

Thankfully, you generally won’t need to pre-dig your holes, but there are some important rules to remember about the whole poo and wee thing.

1. 100m from watercourses or campsites:  Now, to be honest, this is BEST PRACTICE, but the reality of poo-ing in the bush is that our fabulous landscape doesn’t always allow us to be gold star crappers. For example: On overnight canyon trips you’ll be hard pressed to get 10m from water, let alone 100m. Good luck with that one. So either eat a lot of cheese in the days leading up to the trip to bring on a rock-solid constitution or exercise your pelvic floor and sphincter muscles until you get topside again. [Also see below re: poo pot/tubes].
2. 20cm down:  The trusty orange shit-shovel (that’s commercially available in many outdoor stores) has handy measurements on its handle to let you know when you’ve dug deep enough. Otherwise, an adult hand from wrist to tip of middle finger is just under 20cm.
3. Don’t bury tampons or pads: Either carry them out or burn them completely. (I’m going to do a separate blog post on this).
4. Paper: There are several schools of thought on this. Some people burn their paper (be careful not to light a bushfire!), some people bury it, some people carry it out (double zip-loc bags). If you’re going to bury, I feel that the cheapest, recycled paper (yep, the scratchy brown stuff) is probably going to break down the quickest.
5. In the snow: When ski touring or walking in pristine wilderness environments you shouldn’t bury your treasure, but carry it out. A Poo Tube/Pot is an easy way of doing this. Everything goes in the pot, including paper.
6. Mark your territory: I’m sure that when you were a toddler and proud of what you produced you felt the need to show everyone. However, we’re grown-ups. Please cover your creation completely with dirt and then mark your spot with sticks laid down – X marks the spot. If you’re in a group and the options are limited, you’ll be very thankful that everyone has followed this rule.
7. Hygiene: Carry a small tube of hand sanitiser to use afterwards and also before eating.

Times are a changin’

I wrote this article back in 2012. Back then, our wild places looked a bit different to today. Australia’s population is pushing towards 30 million people, and last year 65 million people visited NSW National Parks – 23% up on 2022. These changes are making me think twice about digging a hole, especially in places with high visitation and no toilet facilities, including what were previously remote campsites and campgrounds.

These days, I’m more likely to pack my trusty poo-pot (aka a Gatorade container) and cornstarch compostable bags for my very own Lion-King-Circle-of-Life moment.

How to use a poo tube / poo pot

1. tear open a clean doggie poo compostable bag (#1) and lay it on the ground (hold down with rocks if windy). It can help to dig a small divot/hole first
2. poo on the open bag
3. smile in the smug knowledge that you didn’t have to aim it into the pot
4. place another doggie poo bag (dare I say, #2?) over your hand (like a glove) and gently lift up the sides of bag #1, slipping off bag #2 around it to tie in a knot
5. line your poo-tube/pot with doggie poo bag #3.
6. place your parcel inside the poo pot
7. smile again at a jobbie well done

If this all seems too much, then another good alternative (that still needs to be carried out) is a wag bag.

Tips for bush toileting

1. Tell someone and then leave your pack behind: This is more important during the day whilst walking, but also important first thing before departing camp in the morning. By leaving your pack behind on the track, your friends won’t leave without you (or so you’d like to think).
2. If on a slope, squat facing down the hill: You’re less likely to lose balance and fall forward, than backward. On a steep slope squat behind a tree and hold onto the tree for balance.
3. Keep feet perpendicular to slope: For us women, this will help us not have pee running over our shoes.
4. Trowels are optional: … burying your poo and paper is not. I find that the heel of my shoe and then a good stick is enough to get a 20cm hole, depending on the terrain.
5. Guys, we can see you: For some reason, there are blokes in walking parties who seem to think that just taking 5 steps and turning their back to the group makes them invisible. We don’t need to see (or hear) you pee. Thanks.
6. Check before you squat: Sounds obvious, not only for snakes or stinging nettles, but leeches or sharp sticks, etc.
7. No matter how you shake and dance: … the last few drops fall down your pants. It’s personal choice, but as a woman, I don’t feel the need to use paper for wees when I’m in the bush. Without paper you’ll need to be mindful of washing yourself properly when at camp to avoid that acidy burning sensation developing over a few days, particularly if you’re a bit dehydrated. A good solution to this is to use a pee-rag.
8. Avoid paper altogether by using a bush bidet
9. Don’t forget where camp is: There are a few funny stories about plaintive cries heard in the middle of the night from people who leave their tent for a quiet pee, to then lose the campsite. A good idea is to secure some reflective material to your tent or tie it to a nearby tree.
10. Don’t put it off: Don’t lie there thinking that the need to pee will get any better. As soon as you wake up, get out, get it done and get back into the tent. You’ll fall back to sleep much quicker.
11. Don’t forget to look up: One of the best things about getting up to pee in the night is having the universe to yourself when you look up at the stars (look for south with the Southern Cross). Enjoy the sense of quiet, the Milky Way and deal with your fears of the dark once and for all… the boogeyman is not out there.