Does a Bear Pee in the Woods?

Yes, and So Do We!

If you’re a woman who spends much time outdoors, chances are very good that at some point you’ve needed to pee. The trouble for us is that we must either partially disrobe or take the chance of peeing on our shoes and socks. Squatting in the woods can expose us (quite literally) to ticks and worse, and may leave us feeling quite vulnerable. It also takes time.

But it doesn’t have to be this way!

This is not a sponsored post. I have included links to products, but will not benefit if you use the links. Feel free to click or not as you please.

A few years ago, a friend of mine was with me at a home show, and we were introduced to a device called Go Girl. It seemed like a great idea and was the first time I’d ever seen what I was told is a “Female Urinary Device,” but now referred to around these parts as a “Pee Stick.” These are small devices that allow a woman to direct her flow of urine out past her shoes and socks without getting half-undressed.

Goals

My goals were to be able to pee without undressing, without having to be a contortionist to keep my feet dry, without ending up with pee on my hands, and with a minimum of discomfort with the process. This does not sound like too much to ask . . . it’s the standard for men who pee in the woods, right?

Go Girl

Go Girl’s name and packaging were so cute I was certain this was my solution. The instructions recommended practicing using it, undressed, in the shower. So I did. It’s a soft plastic funnel, and you hold it over the outside of your labia. You have to kind of move it around to find the right spot. My first attempt was very disappointing, but I got a little better. Eventually I was brave enough to practice in front of the toilet, dressed.

Well. Thank God we own a washer and dryer. I never really felt confident with the Go Girl, although it is one of the most popular pee sticks around.

TinkleBelle

After a couple more years of trying to squat and keep my shoes dry, I decided to try again. This time I did quite a bit of reading (this article does not include the TinkleBelle but provides a decent overview of the major types of pee sticks) and settled on a TinkleBelle as my device of choice. And you know what? I’m glad I did. 100% success rate from the very first attempt.

I’m convinced that it may take a couple of tries to find success, but we owe it to ourselves. Peeing in the woods has now gone from something to be avoided to just what it should be — a simple fact of life. Not a big deal, just something that happens quickly and is over. A quick shake and a wipe and it’s ready to store until I either need it again or get home to wash it with hot soapy water. I keep my TinkleBelle in a quart bag with a package of wipes. It fits in my backpack and increases my enjoyment of hiking. Every box I had is checked and TinkleBelle has earned a permanent spot on my list of essentials for hiking.

Pee Buddy

I also keep a box of Pee Buddy‘s in the glove box of our cars and a single Pee Buddy in my purse. These are disposable, and came in really handy when I had to use a vault toilet recently — there was a toilet available but it was really too gross to sit on. With the Pee Buddy, I can just drop the cardboard in the trash. Nice!

Now I just need to practice writing my name in the snow.

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