There are nearly 60 million active hikers in the US. Hiking is one of the most popular outdoor activities, and it's estimated over a hundred thousand hikers are issued overnight permits from various state and national parks each year. Where exactly are you supposed to doo-doo when exploring nature?
With so many hikers on the trail and in the wilderness, number twos can be a number one issue. Not just for the desperate hiker with tummy troubles, but for everyone else forced to endure a potentially crappy misstep.
Be forewarned, this is impossible for me to write as a mature adult and contains adolescent antics and potentially more potty-pun alliteration than necessary.
The Boy Scouts of America advocate bringing a shovel and digging a "cathole" to bury your deed. And "leave no trace" means packing out your tush tissues as well. For those acclimated to rugged life in the wilderness, this is likely a non-issue whatsoever. For the newly initiated explorers, it's one of our biggest fears.
And no one, regardless of your experience level, likes to accidentally sit on poison ivy.
Kunrui Peng has an answer he calls the AirPot. It's the size of a water bottle and weighs a meager 1.3 lb (0.6kg) and his invention fits in your fanny pack with trunk space to spare.
Setup is quick: Unroll it, flap it in the air to fill up the fabric tube with air, then roll up one end to trap your preferred level of squatty-squish. Clip the two ends together making the AirPot into a public-toilet-seat U-shape. Then drop in the bowl and liner, and you've got yourself a luxurious outdoor lavatory to release your log without littering.
It's not just any liner either. They're biodegradable bags with superabsorbent polymer (SAP) powder in them. SAP powder is used by NASA aboard spacecraft as it instantly solidifies waste while breaking down bacteria that cause foul fecal odors.
Once you've done your duty, the liner can be packed away until you're able to dispose of it properly.
The seat itself is constructed of PU-coated (polyurethane) polyester fabric while the bottom of the seat is an even more durable PU-coated nylon. The PU-coating makes this trail-side throne airtight and water/abrasion-resistant while keeping the AirPot lightweight. It also makes it easy to clean, you know, in case you get dirt on it.
The AirPot's seat features a subtle 15-degree angle, making it easier to stand up and more comfortable for those who tend to sit on the toilet long enough for their legs to fall asleep.
While the AirPot is a prototype, Peng hopes to manufacture his responsible refuse receptacle and make it available to the public. Until then, the ol' Ziploc and some fresh Mullein leaves ("cowboy toilet paper") ought to do the trick.
Source: Kunrui
