Pooping. We all we do it.
When out hiking or climbing mountains or even just out camping for a night taking a dump comes with some extra steps.
For years my poop kit just included a ultralight trowel, some TP and hand sanitizer.
However, on some my recent hikes (the Colorado Trail for example) I included a backcountry/portable bidet in my pack.
Now, I’ll never hike without one!
The Best Ultralight Portable Bidet
The best ultralight option is the Culo Clean. It weights just 0.5oz or 14 grams.
This tiny little device can be attached to pretty much any plastic bottle.
Once there you can squeeze the bottle and it shoots out a jet water.
Then it can be easily packed away in your poop kit.
The one con of the Culo Clean is that you either have to use it with the same water bottle you drink from or bring another separate bottle which adds some extra weight.
Extremely unlikely you’d contaminate your water bottle but personally I rather keep them seperate.
This is the bidet I personally use these days.
The hiking community has a long tradition of repurposing every day items for our nefarious means.
I repurposed this lab wash bottle as my own bidet and it works great.
The cap can be screwed off. Then I fill the bottle with some water. That way I don’t have to bring my drinking water with me when I venture off to dig a cathole.
The plastic is very light and the whole thing just weighs 1.12oz or 32grams.
So it weighs a little more than the Culo Clean, and takes up a little more space in my pack, but for me the trade off is worth it.
Another benefit of this option over the Culo Clean is that you can preserve your water bottles longer. If you use the Culo Clean you need to squeeze your water bottles a lot and this bends them out of shape a lot.
This is a small thing but over time can become annoying.
Top 5 Best Pee Bottles For Hiking, Camping & Mountaineering
A good pee bottle is actually my favorite luxury item
Check out the top 5 best pee bottle options here.
Why use a bidet when hiking?
I was originally skeptical of the benefits of a bidet in the backcountry.
However, after using one on many of hikes it’s now one of the first things in my pack.
The simple truth is you can clean yourself better with a bidet than just TP when out hiking. And if you’re out there for days at a time anything that keep you clean is invaluable in the long run.
Another benefit is you don’t have to worry about running out of toilet paper or if your TP gets soggy from rain you can still use your bidet to clean yourself.
The one con with a bidet is that you have to use some of your water and depending on where you’re hiking water could be a scare commodity. In the desert for example.
However, I’ve found I really only need a small bit of water. And in theory this water doesn’t need to be treated (though I usually just use my treated water).
The ACM wash bottle I use holds about 8oz or 250ml but I never actually fill this bottle. About 2 or 3 oz / 100 ml is more than enough I’ve found for me personally (your mileage may vary).
Like with everything hiking relating there is a trade off between functionality, comfort and resources. So depending on where you’re hiking you might just prefer only using TP, however it never hurts to have a portable bidet in your pack.
Other Portable Bidets (honourable mentions)
The UYICOO Travel Portable Bidet is a good alternative for the Culo Clean.
This has a more angled spout which, how shall we say, improves the angle of attack.
It’s a tad heavier at 07oz/ 20grams.
A more robust option is Brondell GoSpa Travel Bidet.
In my opinion, this one is overkill for a thru-hike or extended camping trip as it weighs 3.2oz/90 grams.
However, if you travel a lot or plan on car camping /RVing where weight isn’t some much of a concern this could be a great option.
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