Use of WAG bags and PETT potties

VDBAZFJ

Adventurer
OK, I searched but haven't found anyone talking about this so I guess I will "throw" it out there:

How many times do you use your WAG bag? Once? Twice? Till its full? Maybe you say: "Yellow? Let it mellow. Brown? Flush it down!"



Hey! I dont know!



I have yet to use this thing. I want the wife to feel better about camping out in the wilds. But, I need some advice on its use.

Thanks

:archaeolo
 

troyboy162

Adventurer
When I'm set up somewhere and not on the move, I've gotten three uses out of one since they are big bags. That was pushing it to unpleasant even for just me. Thing is they are not very attractive after the first use so that may the stopping point for your wife. They start to smell after a day (surprisingly they don't have much smell for the first few hours). Its not a full on assaulting smell like it could be without the chemicals, but you can tell its not a bag of roses. Sorta like a diaper bag or a chemical toilet I'd say. They need water to do the chemical thing so your "ingredients" have alot to do with the outcome lol. #1's may actually just help them not smell longer, but I dont know.

Over all they work great. The smell is much better then a shovel hole. The clean up after one or two uses isnt bad since its a big bag and you don't feel like its going to spill. Things slowly go down hill after the first use though lol. Oh and double bag the finished packages with trash bags after use. I had one leak in the trasheroo once. Pretty awful for me, but would have been a game changer if my last girlfriend was doing the unpacking lol.
 
I'd say "more than once" for sure but wouldn't push my luck too far! Having the PETT and tent was given a big thumbs up by my wife vs. the more rustic alternatives, so full points there.

Double-bagging seems like a good suggestion. And I get a lot more peace of mind carrying the bags in my Trasharoo, rather than inside the vehicle!
 

Fireman78

Expedition Leader
Well, no pun intended, but I have a #%&load of experiance with these. I have had herbicide spray contract jobs in sensitive riparian areas where we were required to use these set ups for weeks. Here is what I have found out. If you are by yourself, you can almost always get two....maybe three uses. (For just Pee use a tree). Keep hand sanitizer and an actual real roll of TP in the tent, INSIDE a gallon ziplock! A good magazine too. And a headlamp too. If you are with other folks (who are not family), better plan on single usage. If you don't go on a resupply run for awhile (where you can toss these in a dumpster somewhere), I suggest have a double large heavy duty trash bag (yard bags are best) for the used bags, where they can be kept well away from camp, in the shade, and away from water of course. If you are using the tent for showering too, with a Zodi or similar.. Make sure you get that cool folding cedar plank shower deck! Oh, and also have on hand a canister of extra deoderizer gel packs to toss the small packets in the bag too. The tiny amount contained in the bags isn't enough. I am actually planning on buying another Trasharoo.. Just for the purpose of collecting these bags. It will be dedicated for such a job, and will be marked "HazMat -Roo".
 
Last edited:

VDBAZFJ

Adventurer
Thanks guys! Great posts! Some good advice for sure. I'm glad you mentioned "other than family" because I was wondering about that. Also, what are the deodorizer gel packs? (Something specific to the PETT or general household stuff? )
 

cnynrat

Expedition Leader
Sounds like we are in the minority being in the single use camp. Maybe because I'm never camping alone - at a minimum my wife is along, and usually others as well.

The best solution we've found for storing used bags is to pick up one of those cheap 5 gallon plastic utility buckets with the snap on lids that are available from Home Depot or Lowes. The lid helps keep the odors contained. They usually run about 3 bucks or so, and you can reuse them for quite a while. If you spend a lot of time at higher elevations the UV will eventually make the plastic brittle and it will crack, but you should get at least a year of pretty frequent use out of one if you are careful.

We did a week long trip in the Maze with 4 adults and found that we needed about 1-1/2 of the 5 gallon buckets to carry our #$&%.
 

Scoutn79

Adventurer
The Maze District of Canyonlands requires their use. When we go there we get about 3 uses out of a bag. We are on the move everyday and you just keep then in the truck, As others have mentioned the smell isn't the best but it is better than the alternative and to be honest you just sort of get used to it. Just be careful not to put the bag somewhere it could get squashed and double or triple bag as a safety measure.

Darrell
 

bigwapitijohnny

Adventurer
Yep, great minds think alike...

Huge points with my wife as well. I put the PETT toilet in the 'courtyard'(Deluxe side panels) of our 'master suite' (Oztent RV-5). She grew tired of climbing down the RTT ladder in the middle of the night. So far, this has been a great solution. I use the twice for yellow and one for brown...

Trasharoo is great to store the spent bags.

Regards,

BWJ
 

Scoutn79

Adventurer
Not really. They do require that you pack out your poop, but don't mandate how you approach that challenge.

I stand corrected. You are right.
I started using the WAG bags on my first trip into the Maze and I guess I just got that stuck in my head...

Darrell
 

Cabrito

I come in Peace
Poop once and start a new bag. I let the girl pee in it a few times before changing. If I don't keep an eye on it she will almost fill the bag.

Bags go into the Heavy duty trash bag in the Trasharoo. No way I'm putting them inside the vehicle because they stink. Before I had the Trasharoo I had a box on top of the roof rack for them.
 

Anonymark

Observer
I guess I'm in a minority here. We used the bags (super doodie. OMG that is so funny by the way) for almost an entire day of #1 and #2 for the 2 of us. No smell and no leaks at all. Then again, we have 3 wee ones, so we might be used to diaper smell.... The wee ones stayed home for outlast trip :)
 

madmax718

Explorer
whats wrong with the luggable loo? I find a full bottom to be more supportive than 3 legs, and I think the wag bags fit it anyhow.

But having a full bottom means more safety (against leaks and punctures). I had originally used clumping litter (pretty decent, actually) but have now moved to a hybrid mix: clumping litter + sodium polyacrylate (aka, diper crystal). Its the same in the travel johns (another highly recommended item!)

Its literally impossible for it to have "no smell"- everything has smell, and poop and pee definitely has smell. Its just a factor of heat and time. The only way to contain the smell is to bag it. My luggable loo lid is not air tight!

So here's how I do it
toilet paper, stored in zip lock bags. Line the bottom (you should fit about 5 or 6 rolls, depending on how much you cram them. Dont cram them so hard as to compromise the zip lock bags.This helps raise the height of the bottom. I just use it for TP, but if this grosses you out, then you can just use cardboard. You'd ultimately like something a little heavier on the bottom just for tip resistance. I also keep zip lock bags of my "mix" below. Dont over do the height, about 4-6" off the bottom is good).

10 sheets of news paper, folded to fit on top of the cardboard or TP. This is my leak detection system. If its wet, I've got a leak, so I know I have to sanitize the can. A heavy duty 13 gal trash bag lines the inside. (the glad stretch ones are pretty good). In this layer, I just dump one scoop of my mix. This is the leak catching layer. normally, this layer is not changed, unless I find some clumping or leaking going on. I use the draw string to tie it off to the outside of the can so I know its not supposed to be changed with any frequency. Another 13 gal trash bag goes inside of this. This is the "toss" layer. a half scoop goes in here. Again, its only if something manages to leak out , this will catch it so it doesnt ooze around and leak through. Then the LID is snapped on top. Use a bag that will fit (I cant remember what size, but you can also use a 14 gallon bag if you have nothing else)and slide it in, so that the bottom is resting on the other bags. Add half a scoop (usually more than enough). Your ready to go. Do your business. When your done, pull up the bag, and use one of those el cheapo wire twists that come with the bags. tie off the dirty section. if you do it right, the whole bag doesnt have to come off. put bag back in, with a little slack. add half a scoop, your ready for the next. With a 14 gallon bag, you can probably fit 10 uses, before the bag gets kinda full. You can fit close to 15 before you have to empty the unit. If you find that you had more pee than the stuff can absorb, add a quarter scoop before tying off.

The full logic behind things: This is basically a copy of the diaper genie, and of another mfg's clamping system, without the need for expensive bags, but also that of a cat litter box, and a baby diaper. The reason for raising the height is two fold: 1, the weight of your "roo" is supported, and 2: any of your "roo" that might splash on the side has less bag to splash on. This way when you tie it off, you use less bag length per use.
 

Fireman78

Expedition Leader
Well guys, I for one appriciate you folks putting thought into this. It shows not everybody is just "Going behind that bush". Thanks.! There is hope for humanity perhaps. :thumbup:
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,560
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top