LADIES: Please take handkerchiefs!

[Anniesantiago]

Ok.. I'm going to bump this up. I posted it here some months ago, but can't find it, but it is a really important topic for me.

Ladies, PLEASE take a couple of small, washable hankies that you can use when you urinate along the trail.

Please DO NOT leave piles of toilet paper along the Camino.
It is the scourge of the Camino:

And for goodness sakes, if you find you MUST defecate, please bury it?

THINK about how you would feel if every other person that passed by your home, stopped in your yard to urinate, then left the paper behind. It's horrible to come across these "toilets" made by pilgrims!

You wash clothes every single night along the Camino.
It's not a problem to wash a small hankie as well.

 

[Trudy]

An alternative for women is to wear panty liners. These are very lightweight to carry, can be purchased just about anywhere, allow 'drip-drying' so to speak so no tissues/hankies needed, and can be disposed of easily once an albergue is reached.

 

[Sagalouts]

hope you don't mind me intruding on a femail thread but the problem with tissue on the camino is one I care about.
rosie uses a product called a TravelMate a cheap plastic product that enables her to stand and eliminates the need for tissue.travelmateinfo.com seems to be down
this is the link to a similar product. http://www.freshette.com/index.html

 

[Bridget and Peter]

http://www.shewee.com/

And the Shewee is another one.

Never used any of these myself - perhaps Rosie can tell me if you can use them if you are wearing trousers (with a fly, I guess)? :?

My mother told me her father told her (when she was a child 80 odd years ago fathers making such comments would not immediately be subject to a child protection investigation) :roll:
that her bare bottom could be seen for miles around when she pee'd in the wild.

A 'feminine urinary device' would have prevented such emotional damage!! :lol:

(This seemed the ideal opportunity to insert some smilies - in an ironic way, of course.)

 

[ivar]

We had a post on this last year:
Sorry, but...Where do women pee on the camino...? :|
Ivar

 

[trixiexx]

Hi Everyone!!

The shewee is definitely the best option. You can use it with trousers, you just undo your flies, move your knickers to one side, place it against yourself and away you go!

It is descrete and there is no need for using tissues. It is small and lightweight so is easy to carry around. It takes a few practices at home to get used to it though, but once you do then your away and you can wee like a guy where ever and whenever you want, hehe

It is also much better then any of the other products similar that are around. I have found it to be the best shape to prevent leakages, and a lot of them are disposable, and when you don't have anywhere to throw it away you don't really want to be carrying a soggy peice of cardboard around with you.

So yeah, that's my advice, treat yourself to a Shewee It's also very funny when your explaining to your friends what it is, hehe, they make good presents too!

Trixie x x

 

[sillydoll]

I bought a Whizz-Freedom which is made of a soft, fluid repelling silicone (not rigid like the Freshette. It was invaluable - especially on those cold mornings in the mist!



).

 

[trixiexx]

There's a few things about the whiz though which I didn't think was as good as the Shewee.

Firstly, it's not as easy to use, I found the Shewee a much better shape then the Whiz. Secondly, mine went out of shape! It's not solid like the Shewee; it's flexible, this means if you leave it in your bag or somewhere where it is going to get squished, it goes out of shape. And unlike the Shewee you can't use it forever, it has to be replaced every year, which I only found out after I had already bought it. And it is more expensive already at nearly double the price and it's going to cost loads more if you buy a new one every year! Also the Shewee do some really handy accessories - i.e. absorbent pouches, extension pipes, and a solid case.

Oh and when I bought my Whiz it cost me about £5 to get it delievered and when it turned up it only had a large letter stamp on it which costs about 42p :evil: !! The Shewee people only charged me £1.50 which I thought was much more reasonable.

Anywho, rant over now, and as you can see I wasn't happy with the Whiz at all. The Shewee is awesome though :mrgreen:

 

[Bridget and Peter]

Very helpful contribution, Trixie. And your 'maiden speech' as it were, on this forum.

Hear!Hear!

 

[notion900]

Can I add something here. I applaud all those who use 'devices' but lots of people don't feel comfortable with them, so I want to urge people who do use paper to NOT use baby wipes / wet wipes / 'moist' toilet tissue on the camino. It takes about 20 times as long for these to rot away as a normal tissue. One normal pocket tissue left on the ground will probably be gone after the next rainstorm, but these fabric wipes hang around for months. Leave them for the babies!

 

[Bridget and Peter]

This takes us back to the beginning of the thread !

where you will find the reasonable suggestion that instead of any tissue one uses a small cloth hanky which can be washed out at night. Or tuck a plastic bag (from your shopping ) into your pocket and put your used tissues in it, and throw away in a bin at the end of the day. Just as dog-walkers now use a plastic bag to carry home their dog's warm and fresh heap and don't think twice about it.

So even if you're not the type to experiment with wacky wee-ing solutions, there really is no need to leave any paper on the Camino. Or anywhere else you walk/cycle/picnic etc

Is there a graphic artist in this forum? A really attention-grabbing and humorous design for a sign or poster to be used in refuges, tourist offices etc along the various chemins/caminos/pilgrimspads etc might change pilgrims' view of what is acceptable practice!

 

[Anniesantiago]

This is a topic dear to me and I'm pleased to see so many people responding with good ideas to keep the Camino clean!

I have used the Freshette. In face, I've gone through two of them on my travels and really found it easy to use and helpful. There were situations along trails by highways where there was no place to squat or hide, but a man could easily turn and use the bushes. I was able to do this quite well with the Freshette. I DO suggest you practice first at home and know it's impossible if you have very tight pants on.

The freshette or similar products are awesome at those "questionable" toilets where you don't really want to touch them, or the occasional squat toilet hole.

I think now that it's time to buy a new "freshette" I'll try one of the newer products that are all one piece.

But bottom line, the easiest thing is to simply carry a hankie and wash it each night.
Or carry a plastic baggie and put your dirty paper in there and dispose of it each evening in town.

The idea of a graphic at the refugios is a GREAT idea, in my opinion.
I think some people simply don't realize how horrible a thing this is...

 

[SuziePepperell]

Hi all

I took a Shewee to Morocco for 4 weeks last year as I thought it would be fabby against the VILE toilets that would be available (and they were worse than any I've ever seen, all over the world - seriously retch-inducing). The Shewee was invaluable - simply for the reason that when the cold, hard plastic went anywhere my nether regions, all desire to urinate was GONE!

Seriously, ladies, is there a product amongst the ones you have mentioned that is made of a flexiable plastic - I'd like to try again as, following a hysterectomy I have been left with a more frequent urge to go, which is irritating.

For the record, I took soft hankies and washed them out at night - and I did use a quarter of a Milton sterisiling tablet to soak them overnight if really necessary (about once every 4 days).

Suzie

 

[SuziePepperell]

Ooh - sorry - just noticed the Whizz - even if more expensive may give it a try if it's flexible.

S

 

[Magick]

:idea: When using these little devices, remember to stand with your back to the wind, hehe... :wink:

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hahaha!

And if you want another laugh -- go to this website and click on and watch the video:

http://www.whizbiz.com.au/

And they're $19.95 at this website:

http://www.biorelief.com/portable-urina ... -guide.php

 

[Janeh]

SOMETHING FUNNY RE SHEWEE - I took a Shewee with me, but stopped using it after a few days due to the following - I was discretely using mine when a female pilgrim came around the corner and spotted me. She averted her eyes, but once I had finished, and so began to follow her, she kept muttering to her companions. They kept looking back at me whenever they could discretely do so. I think they were a tad confused - she had seen what she thought a man standing to pee, but I looked like a woman so what was I? That night at the albergue I could tell I was being talked about - was I a man that looked very feminine, or was I a woman with extra bits?
I ended up feeling very silly and embarrassed, so resorted to splashing a bit of water onto myself rather than use tissues or the Shewee. The water dries super quickly and so solved all the problems.
My Shewee story kept fellow pilgrims amused for the next week or so!

 

[Anniesantiago]

HaHAHAHA! That's hilarious!
People can be so self-righteous sometimes. :lol:

 

[max44]

My walking partner took a shewee, she gave up quickly. We did notice piles of paper over the last two months though. Even on the path itself. With so many squatting right next to us, I guess not everyone feels the need to walk off the track. I had one lady talk to me while peeing about 5ft away from me a quick wipe and paper left on floor. It didn't worry me after a while as no one can stop it.
We noted, poo wipes were not common, mainly pee wipes.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I picked up a large sack of toilet paper on the stage between San Bol and San Nicholas this week. If everyone would just pick up trash along one stage for one day of their Camino it could make a huge difference. I used an inside out plastic bag to pick up the paper and put it in another bag. You can also get a pair of plastic gloves at any hospital or nursing home to take along.

 

[Bridget and Peter]

I picked up a large sack of toilet paper on the stage between San Bol and San Nicholas this week.

well done Annie. Yes, if we all picked up some rubbish whenever we had a spare plastic bag or two, even if only for a little while, it would make a real difference. Not just to the look of the camino, but also to attitudes - gradually it might become the norm to tidy up after oneself!

Personally I go with advice preciously given - for pee I don't wipe, but use a daily 'feminine pad' which catches any drips and gets thrown away in the evening. For poo (if necessary) I pick up after myself using the two plastic bag system like dog walkers do here in the UK and throw away when I get to a suitable opportunity.