GoGirl Female Urination Device

I got one so that nature breaks on my upcoming trek will be less problematic. I hate public restrooms to the point of near phobia. This device will suit both purposes. It is durable and seems well made.

It is a bit weird feeling to use...both mechanically and psychologically. Once you get past that, it is a great addition to the pack.

I suggest getting your water bottle out to rinse and having a good zip lock to place it in after use, and then it will be ready for the next stop as well. That is a bit of a problem, peeing through the thing and then not getting pee on yourself while putting it away.

Do practice with this. Especially if you have any extra weight on because it is not as natural as you suspect.

So, whether in tea house squat toilets or nature proper, I am GOOD TO GoGIRL! (1/2 star off for cumbersomeness, which may be the result of being a bit heavier than the average hiker.)

Just the image on the website alone made me giggle. In the store at the camping hygiene section, I would lurk quietly; look furtively over both shoulders to ensure nobody was watching as I got a closer look at a competitor brand's doo-hicky that could enable me to sign my name in the snow.

In the end, like a teenager too embarrassed to buy condoms, I moved onto the shoe section. I am secure in my femininity! I don’t have penis envy!

At the Outdoor Retailer Summer show, GoGirl made it easy by giving me one (and a T-shirt, too!).

I stuffed the GoGirl (and the T-shirt) into my pack and fled, hoping that the guys at the Mile High Mountaineering booth didn’t see me and start giggling.

A few weeks later, I took my GoGirl to a local mountain bike trail in Minneapolis that I ride a lot. Nature called at one of the trail junctions for both me and my husband, whom I was riding with. It was a hot and humid day; we had consumed most of the water from our hydration packs. It was time to pee and I couldn’t wait to ride back to the trailhead.

“Would you like to me show you how it’s done?” My husband asked with a smirk.

“Errr…. I was just wondering about the legality of peeing in a park.”

Okay, it wasn’t that easy the first time I used it because A) it didn’t feel natural, B) I’m a squatter by nature and I have mastered the art of squatting in both an outdoor situation and skuzzy public toilets and C) I was secure in my femininity, dammit! I didn’t need to pee like a guy!

But pee like a guy, I did. Right there.

At a trail junction, behind a tree. As I stood there, listening to birds sing and squirrels chasing each other, many thoughts entered my mind.

Campers will no longer have to subject themselves to filthy, smelly pit toilets or unknowingly squatting on poison ivy when nature calls in the middle of the night. Winter campers and cross country skiers won’t have to drop trow and freeze their arses off. Outdoor concert goers won’t have to leave the safety of their group and journey to the communal biffys; they could just whip out their GoGirl in the dark. Women in the military will find more safety and convenience. Travelers, especially those in Asia with its notorious troughs on the floors, will have more sanitary options.

In January 2009, GoGirl was developed by an oral surgeon and medical device expert from Minnetonka, Minnesota, initially as an option for women with hip and knee surgeries and other conditions. It is made from germ-resistant, medical-grade silicone, dries quickly and is durable and reusable.

Each GoGirl comes in its own convenient storage tube with a tissue and a baggie. The baggie stores your GoGirl after use. If you’re on the trail, give it a little flush with water from your hydration pack or water bottle until you can wash with soap and water.

GoGirl is easy to use and has an informative "How to Use" section on their website with a short video of how to get your GoGirl rolled back in the tube.

I actually found rolling it back in the tube was a pain, so now I just carry it in a good Ziplock baggie.