My group has been using the "shit soup" method now for about 6-7 years and instruct all first timers with us on how to do it. The only thing that is even remotely a problem sometimes is finding a stick sturdy enough to stand up to the stirring. A rare problem. We do stir in a lot of soil or whatever to aid in the decomposition and I've noticed that once the soil gets stirred in the odor goes away completely and the tp disappears. I leave the stir stick in the ground after overfilling like a little flag to give any other hiker a heads up. We also use the end of our hiking poles to dig the slit trench. They will out perform a trowel nicely by cutting through small roots and digging out small rocks and gravel.
My "kit" consists of latex gloves, adult butt wipes, alcohol pad packets, tp, and various zip-lock bags to haul out the butt wipes and gloves. One could say that yes, I am a bit phobic about self contamination especially on multi-day hikes.
Last edited by Mike Condron; 04/08/10 12:19 PM.
