Who really wees in a bucket and dare I ask what you do with it???

[Amandella]

OK, so embarrassed to be asking this as a camping novice but what DO you do when you need a pee in the night and can't face a wet walk across the field to the loos in the dark?? Does anyone take a wee bucket?? Do you empty it there and then (where??) or leave it to fester until the next morning?? Kids are strangely keen on peeing in a bucket - I'm dreading the idea but feel it might be necessary!! And I thought childbirth was undignified..... Have told them they'd have to put loo paper in different bag or something and then we can dispose of pee pee but our campsite is surrounded by caravans, people, tents... is it against the camping rules to empty pee into grass or do we carry to the loo to dispose of it

I usually nip in the bushes if the loos are a long way away and i'm desperate .

My mum & dad put cat litter in their bucket to help with odours and splashback.

Straight in the bushes at back of tent !!

No. Only if camping in / near a wood.

what i was saying is that WE always use the bushes at the back of the tent, never even considered walking to the toilets in the night! soz port if you thought i was taking the piss. LOL (just realised what i wrote!)

I bought a jerry can (5L and black, so not see through) easy enough for the boys to wee in and I use a she wee, well, that type of thing, only better. In the mornings, dh takes it to the toilet disposal. No risk of spillage, and I'm not one for the bushes, but nearly always need a nocturnal wee. Not that I'll be able to go camping for a while sigh

We don't bother with this when doing normal 'civilised' camping but I'm seriously considering it for our first trip to Glastonbury this year (with 3yo & 6 yo). I suspect that a 2am trip to the loos may not be for the faint hearted!
I'm going to look for a bucket with a lid.

Forever Cleaning . I thought you were expressing outrage - phew.

Glasto toilets are horrific at any time of day, bucket is a good idea IMO !

Yes I know - I'm thinking about putting my 6yo back in nappies!!

We always pee in the bushes too. Have seen people tramping across miles of wet grass to the loos and think they're bonkers. Loo paper goes in rubbish bag outside tent.

When dd was v small and wouldn't pee outside we used a bucket for her. Threw it into bushes straight away.

Now we have a Portaloo which is great until it comes to cleaning out time when it is vile and horrible and the epitome of all evil.

oh no Port, not at all, we are all for the odd nettle tickling your bot bot in our house!

we have a potty in the tent- this is only used by children, i then chuck in bushes behind tent when i get up. i just about manage to wait til its light outside then go to the toilets ( not that i'm scared of the dark or anything!! LOL)

Drink it of course.
Only joking. Why don't people go to the lavatories just out of interest.

Always pee last thing before getting ready for bed - this rule then usually works till morning. (We do have a portaloo in camper though for emergancy use)

Would rather have wee and pee in a bucket than all over the sleeping bag

I have a small peddle bin. lined with carrierbag/bin liner. put large disposable nappies in. hey presto. in the morning tie knot in binliner and put in bin.
The DDs refuse to us this and trot off to the loos. After a couple of glasses or red i can't go all night and am quite thankful for my DIY portaloo.

NKF i dont go to the loos as if i take dd to the loos the cold air wakes her (she's 2) and she thinks its time to go to the park!
and ds doesnt like to go by himself in the dark and i cant leave dd in the tent by herself

All explained.

We used to wee in a nappy bucket - lid very useful cos we didn't necessarily empty it every day . If there was no-one looking, and there wasn't too much, we would empty it into the bushes/woods or whatever was behind the tent, but not very often in case it started to smell. Otherwise we would take it to the toilet block. One thing we discovered was that having a wee in a bucket is very loud indeed late at night, particularly if there is some liquid already in the bucket, so there is NO disguising what you are doing .
Can I just add that my bathroom at home is spotless and not the festering slurry pit you might believe from this.

I do think it makes an area smell if it frequently gets wee on it. Men often love to wee outside, IME, but it makes the grass pong, and same if you empty the bucket there.

I carry it to the loos and empty it out. It doesn't smell with a lid on.

Why not go to the lavatories? at night it is cold and often raining, so the whole palaver of boots, coat, torch is just too much to face, then you are cold when you get back into sleeping bag.

I use a composting bucket that is rectangular and fits in my backpack. That way I can empty it in the loo in the morning while being discrete.
dh wanders off to the loo but I get a bit nervous at night. dd never seems to need to go!

I used to use dd's potty but had too many near-overflow situations in the middle of the night. I'd squat and listen to the sound of the recepticle filling up and think "oh no, in a minute I'm going to have wet feet".

So I invested a couple of quid in a bucket and it's much better.

In the mornings I take it to the toilet block in a carrier bag, then wash it out with some Zoflora at the chemical waste point.

Oh and loo paper goes in a nappy sac or carrier bag and disposed of next morning.

When we camp, we have a bucket, and its my job to empty it every morning! I try and walk invisisibly up to the toilet block, my thoughts in motion that surely people would rather I empty the bucket in the sluice rather in a bush.

However, the last night that we camped (almost 2 yrs ago) I needed the loo in the middle of the night, you can just picture it, me squatting over a bucket (sorry TMI), having had perhaps one too many beers and splat! I fell straight on the bucket, almost crushed it, fell really awkward on right hand. How do I explain that to a DR! I am at the moment waiting for results back from X Ray (having injured myself nearly 2 yrs ago!) I was so embarrassed in telling the DR put the pain is just getting worse!

So the moral of my story is DO NOT WEE IN A BUCKET!!

I know I never will, in fact not sure I will ever camp again!

oh Katie I hope the results are something easily fixable. What a tragic tale!

I do hope so! It hurts even to shrug my shoulders! I do have a chuckle to myself thou when I think what the DR must have thought! Falling off a bucket!