Towing Out Trash

Question:

What’s your method for storing and hauling your trash on a multi-day trip? I usually just use plastic bags but there’s got to be a more packable way.

Submitted by – Dave, Portland, OR

Answer:

I have yet to find a better trash vessel than the classic zip-top baggie. Just be sure you get gallon-size, freezer-weight bags (they’re stronger and won’t puncture, spewing your toilet paper throughout your pack).

If you’re diligent about de-packaging all your food in the first place (ditch any excess paper, cardboard, and wrappings) you should be able to go up to a week for two people. If you’ve got a fire going, by all means burn any paper or cardboard you’ve accumulated. Just be sure it burns completely, and whatever you do, don’t put anything with foil in the fire. (It’s a personal pet peeve: Finding aluminum foil in the fire ring bugs the crap out of me.)

I like to designate a lightweight stuffsack to trash duty, as well. That way I don’t have to angst about really cramming my trash into my pack, and I can keep multiple, trash-filled zip-tops corralled in one messy place.

And, we all know that we should grab any trail trash we find in our travels. Here’s a cool little product, called the Piopod that you can clip onto your pack hipbelt, to hold all little bits of paper and other “microtrash.”

I guarantee if you have this thing handy you’ll start seeing all sorts of things to pick up. —Kristin