Does anyone actually bother carrying a trowel around with them? If you do, did you buy one or make something specific? It always seems like just something else to take when a stick or tent peg will do the same job.

I'm thinking that ultralight myog trowels could be the ultimate in geeky

s8tannorm wrote: I'm thinking that ultralight myog trowels could be the ultimate in geeky

But an aluminium one and drill holes through the blade and handle to honey-comb it down in weight :)

Fiskars trowel, 75g when orange knob removed. http://www.fiskars.co.uk/Gardening-Yard ... ansplanter Creates satisfyingly guilt free deep hole easily in really hard ground and you can sharpen it.

I bought one because I thought it'd be useful.

In reality it's just another lump of stuff to carry never take it with me, relying on the heel of a boot / shoe to scrape a suitable hole. Always try to burn the paper.

Advantage of trowel is to dig a hole 8 inches deep. If it's too shallow flies will suck it up then land on your food or rain will wash it into streams so you end up eating and drinking your own sh*t or what's worse, other peoples. Other advantage of digging slightly deeper is one man's (or woman's) sh*t hole is another's bivi pitch and it can take a year or more for crap to rot down, longer if above the snowline. Sermon over.

I carry one of these

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/personal/VC105.html

Can dig a decent burial site with it

Depending on how wild this is, one potential answer is to bring doggie poop bags and deposit your turd in the nearest dog bin (Can you tell I'm from the built up part of the country).
Or use any "public toilets".

Just throwing out some alternatives. I've never been far enough away from civilisation to worry and can normally find a real toilet.

A trowel is something I keep thinking I should get but never get round to, I dig a hole with a stick or sharp stone and carry out loo paper in a zip lock bag.

I have a couple mini trowels but never take one as after a few trip i noticed that i don't do a number 2 once I'm on the go, my bowls seem to just hold tight until I'm back on the train but mostly it holds on until home.
How ever this morning the missies needed one well a number 2 to be precise and on the fly i just gave her a piece of myla blanket i cut off and once she had finished i zipped locked it until we was back on the train.

So foil lined zip locks could be a alternative to taking a trowel if you are only expecting a number two once if at all... Any one? :?

I always carry a little plastic garden trowel and some nappy sacks in case I have to "pack out" (I can see this becoming a requirement in some places).

Normal advice is to burn the paper and bury the ashes but this dry summer has seen that change to "bury the paper too". A few years ago, I was camping with a couple of friends when a stray ember caused this...

(the culprit is circled).

We had to evacuate our camp spot in the twilight and I can still remember looking back to see the sky lit by the flames.....

Off topic I know but the above demonstrates why I don't believe in having camp fires when out in the hills, nice to have but not needed unless it's a matter of life and death. Fire rings are unsightly and encourage people to have fires more often so increasing the chance of accidents happening especially if your having a drink as well.