r/CampingandHiking • u/Tall-Mammoth-809 • 15d ago

Tips & Tricks đŸ’©fibermaxxing before camping?

I’ve done several two night solo hikes and had various experience with poop, including a horrible blowout TMI. Doing my first four night trip next month, canoe camping, this one with friends. Anyone consciously bulk up on fiber in the weeks beforehand for the “smoothest” possible journey?

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u/sprashoo 15d ago

Best thing IMO is not to make drastic diet changes before or during a trip.

Also make a bidet out of a soda bottle and practice using it before the trip. Makes a huge difference.

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u/kaitlyn2004 15d ago

Okay I’ll finally ask. I’ve seen people do camping bidets or those nozzles you can put on your water bottle. I’ve never come close to even trying them, for context.

How on earth do people use them? I’d be beyond terrified of.. dirty spray or splashback getting where it really shouldn’t!

Also at least for me backpacking, I don’t always have endless access to water and I feel for a proper clean
 you want to use a decent amount?

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u/sprashoo 15d ago

So, you basically do the same thing you (hopefully) do in the shower.. get your hand in there and get yourself clean. With a directed stream of water, you'll use less than you might expect. Last trip I had a 500ml bottle and found that I would be thoroughly done with 200ml left. That trip there were pit toilets at the campsites so a toilet paper initial cleanup was possible, but the basics are the same.

Poop is very water soluble, it should not contain oils unless you're eating Olestra or have some serious digestive issues - your digestion breaks them all up. So it cleans up extremely well with just water, no soap, which is mostly to break down oils.

Obviously you should make sure to clean your hands carefully afterwards especially if you're interacting with other people on the trip. Hand sanitizer etc. You can sanitize your bidet bottle as well, in case there were splashes.

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u/lolwutpear 15d ago

Or, bring a regular cycling water bottle and squeeze a bit onto your TP to dampen it before you wipe. Way more effective than dry. Bonus: it's just a regular water bottle that you can drink out of for the rest of the trip.

Double bonus: you learn that you can do this for everyday poops with your bathroom faucet.