# Enough With Sleeping In Toilets Already! It's Silly and Gross!



## Bong_Crosby (Oct 10, 2006)

This photo is from another site where the rider proudly admitted sleeping in an outhouse because there was rain and lightning.

I don't know who started the whole idea that this is acceptable behavior, but it's gotta stop. If you can't hack carrying a proper shelter for the conditions you WILL encounter, then stay on a trail or road where you can credit card your way to safety and comfort. Sleeping in an outhouse is silly and gross.

When I rode the AZT earlier this Spring, I was talking to some kids and one of them mentioned meeting up with a girl on the trail. He thought there was a spark and everything was going along swimmingly until she mentioned she would, on occasion, sleep in vault toilets.

He put it in more colorful terms but said he would've been less turned off had she admitted to fellating ten guys at a truck stop. Any idea of taking things further went into the air like the stench of an overused porta potty. I gotta admit, I'm right there with this guy. Whether man or woman, you drop a few rungs on the mental ladder when you willingly sleep with your head next a spot where others defecate.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Willingly? No. After a bust of plan D? Maybe to prevent hypothermia. I do see a ground cloth though.


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## JoePAz (May 7, 2012)

I have never slept in a bathroom, but if weather conditions turn bad you gotta do what to you gotta do. 

I once took a long break in women's restroom at the top of Mt Lemmon. Why? 1) while it was sunny outside it was 33 deg and cold. 2) bathrooms had heat, running water and were clean. 3) The woman in our group invited us in and it was good rest break stop. No nothing "unspeakable" happened. We where there for about 1 hour. I did make mental note it it could work in an emergency situation on Azt 300 5 months later.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Nasty. People do this?

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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Harold said:


> Nasty. People do this?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Yep. It's fairly common if you get caught out in grizzly bear country and have no other choices.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

life behind bars said:


> Yep. It's fairly common if you get caught out in grizzly bear country and have no other choices.


I might use them for shelter, but there would be no sleeping. None.

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## JoePAz (May 7, 2012)

Harold said:


> Nasty. People do this?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Yes...

From this year's CTR - Lots of rain on this ride and any shelter is welcome.


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## Matterhorn (Feb 15, 2015)

I laid out all night in the rain on Saturday on the Monumental Loop. Wasn't fun but it was better than a toilet. Toilets are also better than dying though. 

BongCrosby--did you ride some/all of the Monumental Loop this spring too?


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## Smithhammer (Jul 18, 2015)

Wouldn't be my choice, and I believe in being prepared. But racers often seem to walk a fine line between carrying the essentials and going as light as possible to the point of having pretty thin safety margins sometimes. 

Whatever floats your...uh....boat, I guess.


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## Mojave G (Jan 30, 2015)

Would be funny to take a smelly noisy splattery dump while they are trying to sleep! You know bad that freeze dried chili smells coming out the other end.


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## Bong_Crosby (Oct 10, 2006)

Matterhorn said:


> BongCrosby--did you ride some/all of the Monumental Loop this spring too?


I didn't. I had intentions of using the Monumental for my shakedown but ended up spending too much time riding in the St. George/Virgin area instead.


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## Bong_Crosby (Oct 10, 2006)

life behind bars said:


> Yep. It's fairly common if you get caught out in grizzly bear country and have no other choices.


I rode the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy in BC in 2015 and saw more than 30 bears, a good number of them grizzlies, and never felt the need to sleep in a sh**ter.


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## Smithhammer (Jul 18, 2015)

Bong_Crosby said:


> ....but ended up spending too much time riding in the St. George/Virgin area instead.


For good reason.


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## Picard (Apr 5, 2005)

Eek 🤢

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## Mark_BC (Sep 19, 2012)

What if you were elevated in a hammock?

I don't know, I don't think that would turn me off if a girl told me that.


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## Bradym77 (Nov 22, 2011)

EugeneTheJeep said:


> Would be funny to take a smelly noisy splattery dump while they are trying to sleep! You know bad that freeze dried chili smells coming out the other end.


I resemble this remark. I would gladly do it if someone was trying to sleep where I need to sh**. It would be my little reminder to them that they failed in properly preparing for the SHTF situation they got themselves in.


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## VeloMax (Mar 18, 2017)

My guess would be that folks who feel the need to sleep in a bathroom (other than a dire emergency) have security issues. I'd have the heebie-jeebies all night. Yuck!


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## lentamentalisk (Jul 21, 2015)

I gotta say, the composting toilets on top of Mt. Greylock, while they may smell bad, are a really great place to warm up when it is 10f plus wind chill outside. But we had a 3 sided shelter to sleep in right next to it, which was much more my style.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Perhaps people here should take a step back from being judgmental, pious, and/or exhibiting flagrant asshattery, and just go ride their bikes.


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## Mojave G (Jan 30, 2015)

mikesee said:


> being judgmental, pious,


umm


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## Matterhorn (Feb 15, 2015)

Ahh man, I just got a new asshat! I'll show it to you dudes later. 

When racing sleeping in a toilet makes sense, quick and easy, keeps gear dry. My understanding is that racers are prepared for foul weather but also make great sacrifices for speed. Not my style really but I get it. 

I saw a guy at a Truck Stop urinal with only socks on once! Maybe he was racing?


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## Smithhammer (Jul 18, 2015)

Matterhorn said:


> I saw a guy at a Truck Stop urinal with only socks on once! Maybe he was racing?


Yeah, sure he was.


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## Iowagriz (Jan 14, 2008)

Rolling thru Montana at the end of June on the Divide route, hit the campground near Holland Lake (but not the Holland Lake campground). Setup my tent and then went to the new looking pit toilet to change clothes and cleanup. Immediately thought that I could have/should have just stayed there. Why????

-early in the season, freshly cleaned and campground was mostly empty
-huge concrete structure had been acting as a energy/heat sink all day, would have been warmer than the tent
-good spot to dry and warm clothes
-multiple other toilets available for the 2-3 others to use

I actually stored my food and smell-ables in one of my bags in it, also hung my clothes to dry overnight and avoid the morning dew.

I wouldn't do it at a full campground, or after the season (and smell) has started. But, in a remote and clean place, sure.


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## AlasdairMc (Jun 27, 2008)

What's the big deal? Honestly, mtfu. 

A toilet can be dry and warm, and a far better option than soaking yourself in a storm. I draw the line at visible stains, but a toilet that is cleaned regularly and doesn't smell horrible makes for an enticing audax hotel.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Those pheonix composting toilets are pretty great. I'm not sure I need to sleep in one, but am sure each & everyone in here would given the right circumstances.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I have developed a pathological disgust for pit toilets after growing up in the midwest. Even most flush toilet buildings are insufficiently dry/clean for me to wish to stay long.

Transplant some of you westerners out here and show you a typical example and you will understand the disgust being expressed here.

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## oren_hershco (Mar 11, 2006)

OK, but what about this one?









Cabin Porn - Yosemite National Park, California Submitted...

Looks very tempting . . .


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## Dawgprimo (Mar 7, 2004)

First impression looks like a dreamy hidden hideaway......if I was tired, cold and wet it would look pretty inviting!

As to outdoor Toilets.
I seen and used my fair share........some I could smell from 50 feet away and never got closer to ones that were amazing and memorable (View wise....).

I would not be to quick to judge about anyone's decision out in the back country unless you were there.
You can be a arm chair quarterback as much as you want but those guys judging that woman's sex appeal on her decision is a bit harsh.........I would say she adapted and improvised ! She was still alive and I am sure it was not her first choice.
Sounds like a keeper!

And I have seen some crazy ****!
cheers
K


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## xjcrawlr (Jun 19, 2007)

My first Grand Canyon trip, stayed at the Phantom Ranch. Mind you this was in Feb. 30deg highs on the rim, but sunny and 70 at the bottom....until nightfall. 
Temp plummet to 40's or less at the bottom at night.
Well I got up to pee at some point (too much whiskey earlier) and stumbled into a bunch of kids spread out all over the floor of the toilet! In their adolescent thoughtful preparedness, they thought it would be 70 deg, all and night!! 
I kicked my way through them and said "Unless you want to be pissed off AND pissed on...MOVE!"
Then went back to my tent and toasty-warm, 20deg down bag.


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## Co-opski (Oct 24, 2013)

I'm cool with it as long as you answer the door when I'm knocking to get in to stock the pond with brown trout.


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## Endoismynamo (Mar 5, 2014)

Just Say No


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

Bong_Crosby said:


> This photo is from another site where the rider proudly admitted sleeping in an outhouse because there was rain and lightning.
> 
> I don't know who started the whole idea that this is acceptable behavior, but it's gotta stop. If you can't hack carrying a proper shelter for the conditions you WILL encounter, then stay on a trail or road where you can credit card your way to safety and comfort. Sleeping in an outhouse is silly and gross.
> 
> ...


Hang on Buddy. I was stuck at the top of Red Meadows pass after hiking through two miles of snow on the way up. It was about 830PM, the rain was turning to snow, the temperature was going down, and Whitefish was about thirty miles away, mostly downhill, but with an unknown distance of snow to traverse on the way down.

It took me two hours to hike two miles on the way up dragging my bike the whole way.

There were bears everywhere. I had a tent and dry clothes but there was a Forest Service outhouse at the pass with a lockable door. It was just large enough to lay out my sleeping bag. I camped out in it and had the best sleep of my life.

Would I have survived in my tent? Sure. It's a nice tent and I had a dry sleeping bag, clothes, water, and food. But there were grizzly tracks in the snow all around the outhouse the next morning.

On my first Tour Divide attempt last year I had to camp in an outhouse because the alternative was dying of hyperthermia.


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

It was like a hotel room. And my room had toilet.


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## fastmtnbiker33w (Feb 3, 2004)

Tour Divide, CTR, AZT 300(2.5 times), Coco loop, Palmetto Train, and **** tons of other stuff just for fun. Never slept in a shitter. I've hung out in one on CTR with a few others while it was hailing, but I've never slept in one. A porto??? WTF? That is gross.


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## PHeller (Dec 28, 2012)

Mark_BC said:


> I don't know, I don't think that would turn me off if a girl told me that.


I'd rather get to know a lady who does this versus one who thinks camping outdoor is icky.

Aint nothing wrong with a woman who's not afraid to get dirty, as long as she's clean.

I think there is going to be some backlash against folks who maybe do this regularly, as a result of consistently being unprepared or so weight-obsessed they are banking on latrines. That being said, if a guy/gal is legit worried about their safety and willing to do whatever means necessary to prevent a more serious safety situation from happening and can tolerate sleeping in a latrine, more power to them.

I think I'd prefer sleeping in the porch of a latrine vs in it, but I can totally understand how in bear country the stank might be worth the peace of mind.

Perhaps more publicly funded latrines should have lean-tos built into them for this purpose, or just more lean-tos in general.

Some folks pack everything and the kitchen sink, and they want others to suffer with them. Some folks get creative. We all ride bikes and love the outdoors.


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

1. Red Meadow Pass. Thirty miles from Whitefish, MT. Sun going down. Bears everywhere. Looked like a pretty reasonable option to me.

2. Earlier in the day heading up to Stemple Pass from Eureka, MT. No snow here. Almost at the top. Still had plenty of time; thought I was going to make it to Whitefish before dark. Ha ha. Didn't happen.

3. After a good night sleep in the Red Meadow Hilton.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

I've certainly done it in grizz country when it was wet outside, it's a dry secure shelter.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

6thElement said:


> I've certainly done it in grizz country when it was wet outside, it's a dry secure shelter.


Ah, you westerners. Out here in the east, sure, they might be fairly secure. But dry? HA! I don't think I have ever seen a dry shithouse in the woods.

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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

Harold said:


> I have developed a pathological disgust for pit toilets after growing up in the midwest. Even most flush toilet buildings are insufficiently dry/clean for me to wish to stay long.
> 
> Transplant some of you westerners out here and show you a typical example and you will understand the disgust being expressed here.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


This is all very funny. I had to read this whole thing to discover that sleeping in a shi**er is a real thing.
I share Harold's disgust: in 45 years of camping, I have never seen a particularly clean or dry concrete floor outhouse around OH, PA, NY, W Va., MI, KY,... . It would be a last resort for me for sure... like something was chasing me.
I mean I find all kinds of unclean conditions (which are bearable for the short time that I'm usually in there), then pile on some black widows, hornets nests, and all the other creepy crawlies that seem to congregate there and there's no sleeping for me. By the time we do our Fall campout, those pits are nearly full (which, technically, reduces their exposed surface area, but still...it's _right there_.)

This is probably what most people think of:







Which is only a few years old. Before that, you had...

This is what Harold (I think) and I are talking about:







No light. No fan. No door. Emptied about once a year. And hosed down once a month, maybe. Rather unpleasant even for the most seasoned outdoorsperson.

-F


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

The one I slept in at the top of Red Meadow pass in Montana wasn't too bad. It was dry and clean, plus it had a door that locked. It was just pretty small on the inside but had room enough to stretch out.


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## pbbreath (Dec 3, 2008)

Montana Marriott. 

If you don't understand the potential for staying overnight in an entirely dry windproof shelter your pampered candy ass can suck it. Go try something hard and gain some ****ing perspective. 

These same people probably romantasize but dont live in tiny houses where they sleep and cook 4 feet from a composting toilet.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Best part about this thread is the user name Bong-Crosby.


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