The right way to go to the bathroom while camping depends on where you are: in many areas you can dig a cathole and bury waste, but in high-traffic, alpine, and river zones you’re required to pack it out in a sealed waste bag. Either way, the goal is the same — leave no trace, protect the water, and keep the site clean for the next person. This guide covers all three options so you can go comfortably and responsibly anywhere.

June is Great Outdoors Month, and it kicks off peak camping season. Trailheads that were quiet in April are packed by mid-June, and more people means more impact. Knowing how to handle your waste isn’t just etiquette — in a lot of places, it’s the rule.

Leave No Trace: The One Rule That Matters Most

Leave No Trace is a set of outdoor ethics designed to keep wild places wild. When it comes to human waste, the principle is simple: dispose of it so it doesn’t pollute water, spread disease, or ruin the experience for anyone who comes after you.

There are two accepted ways to do that in the outdoors. The first is a cathole — a small hole you dig, use, and bury. The second is to pack it out — you collect your waste in a sealed bag and carry it to a proper trash receptacle. Which one you use depends entirely on where you are, and getting it wrong can mean contaminated streams and fines from land managers.

One rule never changes: toilet paper, wipes, and hygiene products always get packed out. Even “biodegradable” wipes take far longer to break down than people think, and animals dig them up. Pack a zip-close bag for used paper no matter which method you choose.

Option 1: Digging a Cathole (Where It’s Allowed)

In many forests and dispersed backcountry areas, a cathole is the standard method. Done right, it works well:

1. Get far from water. Move at least 200 feet — roughly 70 adult steps — away from any stream, lake, trail, or campsite.
2. Dig 6 to 8 inches deep. A small trowel is all you need. That depth puts waste in the biologically active layer of soil where it breaks down fastest.
3. Use it, then bury it. Fill the hole back in with the original soil and disguise it with leaves or rocks.
4. Pack out the paper. Toilet paper does not decompose fast enough to bury — bag it and carry it out.

Catholes have real limits, though. They don’t work on rock, hard-packed desert, snow, or frozen ground. They’re not allowed in many high-use areas where too many buried catholes would overwhelm the soil. And in a narrow river canyon or fragile alpine zone, burying simply isn’t an option — which is where packing it out comes in.

Option 2: Pack It Out With a WAG Bag

In a growing number of places — most river corridors, popular climbing areas, alpine peaks, and designated wilderness — burying waste is prohibited. You’re required to carry it out. That’s what a WAG bag is for.

A WAG bag (Waste Alleviation and Gelling bag) is a self-contained toilet kit. You go directly into the bag, and a gelling powder turns liquid waste into a firm gel, neutralizes odor, and starts breaking the waste down. You then seal it inside a puncture-resistant zip-close bag and carry it out to any trash can — no special disposal required.

Cleanwaste’s Original WAG BAG uses a NASA-developed Poo Powder to do the gelling and deodorizing, and each kit comes complete with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The bags are landfill-approved and can be disposed of in regular garbage. That’s why the U.S. Bureau of Land Management permits them for use on rivers and in wilderness areas where toilets are required, and why the Leave No Trace program recommends the system alongside the National Forest Service.

The bags are light, pack flat, and can be used on the ground, in a bucket, or with a portable toilet seat. For backpackers, that means a clean, packable answer to the hardest problem in the backcountry.

Option 3: A Portable Toilet for Car Camping and Basecamp

If you’re car camping, overlanding, or setting up a basecamp with family, a portable toilet seat makes the whole thing dramatically more comfortable — especially for kids, older relatives, or anyone who’d rather not squat over a hole.

The GO Anywhere Portable Toilet weighs about 7 pounds, folds to briefcase size, and sets up in seconds: pull out the three locking legs and drop in a WAG bag. It sits at standard toilet height (14 inches), takes a normal-size seat, and supports up to 500 pounds — stable even on uneven campground dirt. Add the pop-up privacy shelter and you’ve got a private restroom next to your tent or rig.

Because it uses the same WAG bags, the disposal is identical: use it, seal the bag, toss it in the trash. No chemicals, no black-water tank, no dump station hunting on the way home.

What NOT to Do

A few habits do real damage to campsites and waterways. Skip these:

• Don’t bury bags or wipes. Even compostable ones. Animals dig them up and they linger for years.
• Don’t go near water. Keep 200 feet between you and any stream, lake, or spring.
• Don’t leave toilet paper behind. “The white flower of the backcountry” is one of the most common complaints land managers hear. Pack it out.
• Don’t assume catholes are always fine. Check the rules for your specific area before you go — many high-traffic and river zones require pack-out.

Go Anywhere, Leave No Trace

Getting the bathroom question right is part of being a good camper. Whether you’re backpacking a wilderness route where you have to pack it out, or setting up a family basecamp for the weekend, the same simple system keeps you clean and keeps the land pristine: gel it, seal it, pack it out.

Cleanwaste has been the choice of serious outdoor adventurers, first responders, and the military for over 25 years — with made-in-the-USA gear that goes where you go. This Great Outdoors Month, gear up before your next trip so nature’s call is never a problem.

Explore WAG bags and portable toilets at cleanwaste.com.