show me your pee bottle

I've been a fan of the pee bottle for years. In the last few years i've scrutinized every item in my pack in an effort to become as light as is reasonable.  

Therefore, I am always looking for lighter options. I'm currently using the Cantene by Nalgene, but am always open to lighter, more reliable options. 

Feel free to share a pic of your bottle 'in the field'. The darker the apple juice the gnarly-er!

EDIT: also, for the girls out there. would love to hear your approach to this madness when tent bound. I have young daughters i am soon to introduce to this thing called climbing.

jcs

jackscoldsweat wrote:

I've been a fan of the pee bottle for years. In the last few years i've scrutinized every item in my pack in an effort to become as light as is reasonable.  

Therefore, I am always looking for lighter options. I'm currently using the Cantene by Nalgene, but am always open to lighter, more reliable options. 

Feel free to share a pic of your bottle 'in the field'. The darker the apple juice the gnarly-er!

jcs

Be carful with this one. If you fold this during storage, the crease can breakdown and eventually break (even on a relatively new one).  I've seen my climbing partner on Denali leak piss all over his sleeping bag in the middle of the night due to this failure.

My pee pottle these days is a traditional gatorade bottle - I purchase a new one, drink it on the approach to camp, and use it as a drinking bottle until I need to pee... then it becomes the pee bottle.

Jason Antin wrote:

Be carful with this one. If you fold this during storage, the crease can breakdown and eventually break (even on a relatively new one).  I've seen my climbing partner on Denali leak piss all over his sleeping bag in the middle of the night due to this failure.

My pee pottle these days is a traditional gatorade bottle - I purchase a new one, drink it on the approach to camp, and use it as a drinking bottle until I need to pee... then it becomes the pee bottle.

And at the end of your trip you still have a full bottle of yellow electrolytes!

If you are bringing dehydrated meals that come prepackaged that have the ziplock lock closure, I just use one of those.  Folds down way smaller than any bottle.

I'm also a gatorade fan. In my opinion, a good pee bottle has a few features: 

1. Leak proof. Dare I say more?
2. Physically unlike any other bottle you have. You do not want an unexpected swig of lemonade in the middle of the night. You should be able to tell it's the pee bottle just by feel.
3. Wide mouth. Best if you can get the entire head of your penis in it.
4. Large capacity, typically 32oz. I don't want to worry about overfilling. Also great for multiple fills without emptying.
5. Disposable. Empty and recycle it. Do you really want to clean that thing?

Mikey Schaefer wrote:

If you are bringing dehydrated meals that come prepackaged that have the ziplock lock closure, I just use one of those.  Folds down way smaller than any bottle.

super risky! I use those bags for garbage and I've noticed the ziplock unglues from the bag more than half the time. I definitely wouldn't recommend. Plus, if you're emptying it on the wall or at your campsite you've just put food scraps everywhere. Urine is one thing, but I don't like the idea of scattering food where people sleep.

I've used the Gatorade bottles a few times as well. However the rigidity of the bottle itself is both a blessing and a curse. I'm gonna attempt to explain what I mean by this 'curse'...

The whole idea is to stay in your sleeping bag where you're warm and simply roll over, grab the bottle, remove lid, insert, and let it rip! All while half asleep right? But the problem is the gatorade bottle and its angle while on your side. The more rigid the less angle/bend one gets and therefore less use or ability to fill the bottle to near capacity. Ultimately resulting in having to empty the bottle more often in the night. which equals lesser quality of sleep. I hope this makes sense. If not i could try to describe it another way?

jcs

jackscoldsweat wrote:

The whole idea is to stay in your sleeping bag where you're warm and simply roll over, grab the bottle, remove lid, insert, and let it rip! All while half asleep right?

I just get on my knees and kinda scrunch over. Still in the zipped bag, can fill up the bottle, working with gravity, low chance of peeing all over your bag.

Adam Fleming wrote:

I just get on my knees and kinda scrunch over. Still in the zipped bag, can fill up the bottle, working with gravity, low chance of peeing all over your bag.

Uggh...i figured this would be the answer. I'm so lazy. Even wrestling zippers and lids and eventually getting on my knees awakens me enough that falling back to sleep is a challenge. tis the nature of our sport i suppose.

thanks everyone,

I've hit the days limit already....

Responding to Mikey: 

i agree with this being geared more towards the alpine and gram counters. however, i only take one dehydrated meal package with me on any remote climb. which is then reused for the other dehydrated meals. those other meals were emptied into freezer bags prior to starting the trip. Doing this allows for easier tighter packing which saves space. and maybe a gram or two if i'm lucky.

To Abandon Moderation: 

i'm a side sleeper and figured i'd remain in the same position. but will i try this next time.
thank you AM.

jcs

Adam Fleming wrote:

super risky! I use those bags for garbage and I've noticed the ziplock unglues from the bag more than half the time. I definitely wouldn't recommend. Plus, if you're emptying it on the wall or at your campsite you've just put food scraps everywhere. Urine is one thing, but I don't like the idea of scattering food where people sleep.

Pretty easy to not have food scraps in it, after its initial use fill it with some water, swish it around to clean it and drink the water.  This is how I get all of the food out of them every time I use them.  I try not to waste calories I had to carry...

And depending on the length of the trip there is a good chance you will have more than one dehydrated meal so just use a new meal after the ziplock is worn out. 

And yep, I'd say it is more risky then a bottle, it is also lighter, smaller and something you are already carrying.  This is probably more of a trick for alpine climbers and gram counters.  Not casual hikers/climbers.  

Female here. We use an empty mixed nuts container with a screw on lid. The opening is just over 4” and works great in a tent. 

I like the idea of a disposable bottle. Use it for a while and toss it if needed.

But I'd like a bigger opening than a Gatorade. Just the right size to fit the tip inside. Too big (like a Nalgene) and there's the risk of splash back. Too small (like a Gatorade) and you've got to place it just right and not slip (which is a little risky in the dark).

I've used a dedicated Nalgene bottle.  Robust enough I trust it as a footwarmer after use.

Glowering wrote:

I like the idea of a disposable bottle. Use it for a while and toss it if needed.

But I'd like a bigger opening than a Gatorade. Just the right size to fit the tip inside. Too big (like a Nalgene) and there's the risk of splash back. Too small (like a Gatorade) and you've got to place it just right and not slip (which is a little risky in the dark).

VS what type exactly? A smart water bottle has about a 1in diameter opening, to small in my opinion, a Gatorade or body armor 1-1.5 liter is ideal at ~2in, and a Nalgene at 3in is a bit large. 

On winter trips I've used a 1.5L Nalgene the most and the I preferred to lay on my side, let it drop down below my thick (~3in) air pad which gave me enough angle an height to never worry about spilling... Never even had to move inside my bag sometimes. 

Pee funnel and a Kula cloth, although just outside the tent/car. Pee standing up, and just shift clothing a bit.

For girls, the hard part is just getting used to the idea of it, and with people around. There are sometimes female specific presentations at REI, etc, addressing issues with getting outdoors. Women do have more hurdles than guys, although some of it is (sorta) plodding toward getting better. Sorta.

Look into stuff for pilots. There are various things out there, including disposable bags with a gel that holds liquid solid, so no spillage worries. I just water the bushes, so I've not tried them, but they've been around for a long time. Some are for either sex, although still awkward, if you're as thoroughly strapped in as say, a military pilot.

My dad, born in 1920, once tried peeing into a Coke bottle, as a little boy. And got stuck. He finally went to his grandpa with his predicament. Grandpa's wry reply? "Well, I guess we'll just have to cut it off".  

I exist, so I'm sure they worked out something.

Best, Helen

Old lady H wrote:

Pee funnel and a Kula cloth, although just outside the tent/car. Pee standing up, and just shift clothing a bit.

For girls, the hard part is just getting used to the idea of it, and with people around. There are sometimes female specific presentations at REI, etc, addressing issues with getting outdoors. Women do have more hurdles than guys, although some of it is (sorta) plodding toward getting better. Sorta.

Look into stuff for pilots. There are various things out there, including disposable bags with a gel that holds liquid solid, so no spillage worries. I just water the bushes, so I've not tried them, but they've been around for a long time. Some are for either sex, although still awkward, if you're as thoroughly strapped in as say, a military pilot.

My dad, born in 1920, once tried peeing into a Coke bottle, as a little boy. And got stuck. He finally went to his grandpa with his predicament. Grandpa's wry reply? "Well, I guess we'll just have to cut it off".  

I exist, so I'm sure they worked out something.

Best, Helen

If peeing outside the tent was an option, then a pee bottle wouldn't be needed most likely.  And, if carried on a climb, bags with gel in them wouldn't really be an option either.

Hilarious story about your dad.

abandon moderation wrote:

There's a better technique than trying to pee from on your side (for a man). You lay on you back, put the bottle on the outside of your hip/leg, lay your member across the top of your leg, and pee into the bottle all while laying on your back. You might think I'm making a big-penis joke here but I assure you it works way better than you would think.

It took me 30+ years to learn about this technique, they should really teach it in school or something. Works perfect in a cramped tent/portaledge/sleeping bag and requires minimal movement.

no doubt, this is the best advice ever offered on MP.

The fact this thread has continued in sincerity this long makes me sad for the future of MP.

Don't let this story include your name: INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT FOR NOCTURNAL DIURESIS, WEATHER

Hydrapak Stash bottle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K0PbIOhEeo