Found this and thought it interesting as a conservation issue:

http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?t=4056&highlight=

Pack it out or don't go :-\

Well, I've been in Lech ( ) and let me tell you first hand that the rulz were that you did indeed bring out all solid waste.

The problem was with more liquid waste, and l there is a lot of it. It's difficult to handle because there is an equation to balance: If you bring out pi55, then you will have many more traverses for a given length of exploration, because more trips will be to just carry it out. Lech is VERY hot, and you drink a lot of fluid, otherwise dehydration sets in fast.

So how do you balance more trips vs. bringing liquid waste out..tricky, and more complex than just "bring it all out"....

It took us 27 hours to reach our camp site in the Far East, if we brought out liquids from there you simply could not carry the liquid you emitted to get to that point. This is as remote a place as you can think of.....


On the flip side of this were some crazy policies by the Park Board (such as closing some of the camp sites) resulting in 12 hour round trips to reach pushing points, and thus damaging the cave by doing 13 hours of caving for 1 hour of surveying. This slows exploration and results in a lot more footfall than is needed.

On a side issue, I can claim to have introduced the concept of cling film for number 2's. Sheet of cling film on the ground, do the biz on it, wrap it and put it in your poly bag. Much better than balancing trying to cr*p directly into a ziplock bag. DO NOT OVERBALANCE 

Glad to see that British cavers are still at the cutting edge of technological innovation in caving.  :bow:

AndyF said:

The problem was with more liquid waste, and l there is a lot of it. It's difficult to handle because there is an equation to balance: If you bring out pi55, then you will have many more traverses for a given length of exploration, because more trips will be to just carry it out. Lech is VERY hot, and you drink a lot of fluid, otherwise dehydration sets in fast.

So how do you balance more trips vs. bringing liquid waste out..tricky, and more complex than just "bring it all out"....

It took us 27 hours to reach our camp site in the Far East, if we brought out liquids from there you simply could not carry the liquid you emitted to get to that point. This is as remote a place as you can think of.....

Click to expand...

Sounds like this situation is crying out for the use of Stil Suits.

I did suggest kitty litter  :idea:

There's a description in Nevada Barr's caving novel Blind Descent of using squares of aluminium foil for the same purpose. Probably easier to unfold than cling film, which has a nasty habit of attaching itself to itself and getting into a tangle. The foil can then be crimped onto itself to form a neat little parcel and then popped into a ziplock bag.

you could get some 4" soil pipe about 12" long from a plumbers merchants fit a blanking piece on one end and a screw cap to the other, when you need a shit, put a carrier bag in to tube, have said shit then tie the top of the bag and scwash it down, there is enough room to carry even the most evil curry turd

docfunk said:

you could get some 4" soil pipe about 12" long from a plumbers merchants fit a blanking piece on one end and a screw cap to the other, when you need a shit, put a carrier bag in to tube, have said shit then tie the top of the bag and scwash it down, there is enough room to carry even the most evil curry turd

Click to expand...

OOOH that made me laugh, good idea tho.....................not too sure about the curry turd tho :yucky:

Curry/Chilli + Lechuguilla = Very bad idea

All Bran sprinkled with ground up Immodium tablets is a better bet...

AndyF said:

Curry/Chilli + Lechuguilla = Very bad idea

All Bran sprinkled with ground up Immodium tablets is a better bet...

Click to expand...

Surely they'll cancel each other out, You know like Matter and Anti-Matter....

Though I must admit , some of the suggestions do remind Me of My time in the forces, when, during One excercise  one of our guys went off for a poo, clambered out of His N.B.C. suit, did the biz, pulled His suit up, but, when He turned round to bury it .... it wasn't there . ....but He did now have a "LUMP " in the hood of His noddy suit.



A cautionary tale if ever I heard one