Managing your Period in the Outdoors

Use a small roll top dry bag and fill with the following:

• Clean tampons/pads/menstrual cup.
• Wad of toilet paper.
• Hand sanitiser – good for killing bugs on your hands pre and post if you can’t wash them, but never use it on your genitals.
• Waste bag – a large resealable sandwich bag is perfect for this, you can store it in another non-see-through dry bag if you’d rather or wrap it duct-tape. Wrap your waste in toilet paper or the scented sanitary disposal bags and seal it carefully. Once you’re back in civilisation you can dispose of this whole bag.

Optional

• A small trowel for digging your cat hole (there’s not necessarily a need for one trowel each if you’re in a group, but if you like to be discreet take your own).
• Unscented wet wipes can make life a lot easier (some manufacturers do advise against using wipes or sanitiser on their menstrual cups and reusable applicators).
• Biodegradable soap for washing hands and possibly your underwear.
• Sanitary disposal bags. We recommend these from FabLittleBag. Fantastic wee biodegradable bags.
• Small water container.

Menstrual Cups

After you empty out the cup, rinse it with clean water if possible, or wipe it out with tissue, and reinsert it. You can do this as often as you need to. You may prefer to use the cup only at night or only during the day. A cup can be boiled at home for a thorough cleaning.

For disposal (of the blood) you’ve got a couple of options:

• Empty the cup into heavy-duty, resealable bag and “pack it out” like you would with any other waste.
• Using Leave No Trace principles, dig a 6 – 8 inch deep cathole, away from water sources, paths and people, empty the cup and bury the contents. See here for details Leave No Trace – Waste Disposal.

Tampons/pads

Wrap the used product in toilet paper or wet wipes and put it in the resealable waste bag. You’ll have to “pack it out” along with any applicators or wrappers. Under no circumstances should you bury your used products even if they say they’re biodegradable/compostable, these products can take many years to rot away and will often be brought back to the surface by the weather or animals before that happens. If you’re using a reusable applicator give it a rinse with cold water or wipe clean with toilet paper. Just ensure it’s dry before packing away again.

• Privacy is an obvious one maybe, but do plan for a bit more privacy than a normal pee stop. Get yourself further away from the path than you’d normally go to ensure you don’t get interrupted.
• Hygiene keeps you going strong. Make sure you understand the basics of cleanliness in the outdoors. Sanitise your hands with hand sanitiser before and after, and if possible, rinse your hands in running water from a river or stream too.
• Understand the Leave No Trace principles.
• Wear quick-drying sports underwear that can be easily washed and reused.
• If you suffer from cramps or other symptoms don’t forget your painkillers. Ibuprofen is a popular choice, but do talk to your pharmacist or doctor as there are thought to be risks associated with taking them during strenuous exercise.
• Keep your tampons and pads dry – they’ve used up all their absorbency once they’re wet and will be completely useless when you come to using them.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Being active outside will already require more water, but at this time of the month, you’ll need to be even more hydrated.