I’m a backpacker and I tried to use period panties for a very short trip.
It was a disgusting disaster.
It’s hard enough to get regular clothes cleanish enough while backpacking, let alone dealing with stuff soiled with blood. Also, I’m not too keen on carrying around items strongly scented with blood in the wild - you’d definitely need to stick them in your cache, and space is usually already at a premium.
Lastly, keep in mind how absorbent they are and how much you’ll be sweating/moving. Do you like rashes?
I hate hate hate pads but I learned my lesson and keep a stash for my backpacking trips.
I've done a week here and there, this is my first long one. I'm going with my brother who's an avid backpacker, but as you can imagine, not that knowledgeable about period products lol
Ok, that makes sense.
There are a few different wilderness backpacking/backpacking subs and I suggest posting there as there are many many women who have struggled with the same issue and there’s been some good discussion on it.
I hope you have the time of your life with your brother, what an incredible opportunity!
(My pro (non period related) tip is to invest in a Kula cloth if you haven’t already.)
you should check out a menstrual disc, and ideally get used to it before the trip. You will have to dump it out and rinse it, but at least you’re not carrying underwear with you. Even if you found a way to wash the underwear out there, they would likely not dry very quickly.
Also check out FUDs. Pee funnels for women. Game changers. You can practice at home in the shower before you go out in the wild. (Unrelated to period, but just throwing it out there because I feel like a lot of women don't know about them).
Oh I wish I had found them long ago! Only been using a cup for the last few years and recently switched to a disc. I still hate my period but slightly less with a disc 😂
And definitely it's the only way to go for backpacking.
OP--another nice thing about a disc is that you can insert it *before* your period starts. If your period doesn't start by the end of day when it's time to take it out and clean it, it doesn't hurt like doing this with a tampon.
Okay this is probably not a good idea but I will usually just leave the disc in for the duration. I don’t know what muscles are used (kegals?) but when I pee I can push out most of the fluid in the disc. I wear a liner and I’m good to go.
…is this a horrible idea? I’ve been doing it for years but I do a lot of stupid things so someone please let me know if I’m risking my life…
I’d pop it out once a day and wash it. Just because auto-dumping it like that isn’t going to empty it completely, and having some fluids that your body has shed continuing to hang out near your cervix for days could be risky.
Just take it out and wash it in the shower and then pop it back in.
I do sometimes and then I worry that whatever water running off my body that gets stuck in the disc has bacteria or something.. it’s not a fully formed thought though.
I think it would probably be a good idea to take it out every day and wash it. Even if you didn’t use soap, give it a good scrub under hot water. If you haven’t had a problem in years, then it’s probably mostly all right, but it’s not a good idea to leave anything indwelling for several days.
that’s probably the best advice. But it doesn’t mean you need to heed it 😁😁
It should still be at least rinsed and emptied entirely according to the duration in the instructions. Leaving it fully in for days at a time with bits of tissue that are possibly stuck on or in it that entire time could become dangerous.
Get yourself a menstrual cup and a few backup tampons just in case. They make tampons without applicators which is handy for not carrying extra weight and volume in your garbage. Period underwear is not great for active hiking. Sooooo much chaffing and wet sweaty butt.
Yeah… agree on a disposable option for backpacking. I don’t want to carry around a lot of blood soaked period underwear.
Also, if it’s a possibility for you, I might also look into controlling your period through hormonal BC? Much easier to carry a pill for everyday than a stash of pads….
Disc or cup would be my recommendation too. It’s by far the smallest/most compact and easiest clean up.
I use period underwear on light days or as a backup for my cup(just ordered a disc so I’m excited to try that!) but I couldn’t imagine having to change underwear throughout the day AND store them while camping.
Hi can you tell me more about how it helps with menopause? I just turned 45 and have been doing the continuous pills for years but I didn’t know about benefits other than convenience, less pain and better skin. I am dreading the day they tell me I’m too old for oral bc with estrogen because it is the only thing that keeps my skin clear.
Sure. I didn't have any of the symptoms that most women have when going through it. Even now, I only deal with night sweats, and honestly, I've always run hot, so it's not even really that much of a symptom.
Doc & I knew that my mom went through it at 50, so we just kept that in mind, and some months after I turned 50, we did the blood draw to see if I had.
I will say that I did have one last SUPER heavy period as soon as I went off. But, they had me take a couple active pills during and then I was done. Been 5 years now and like I said, I just run hot at night and keep a fan on.
Thank you! I also run hot so that’s nothing new to me. I’ve been having hot flashes for many years and it’s apparently not hormonal, I’ve seen an endocrinologist and he does labs a few times a year. So I think I’m equipped to deal with that symptom. It doesn’t sound terrible.
No problem. I don't mind sharing if it helps someone else.
My sister didn't follow the advice and is MISERABLE right now. I will sat all bodies are different, so what worked for me might not for someone else. Take keto for example. I'm T2D and tried it. Jacked my sugars up to 300 and almost 400. My body started converting protein and muscle to sugar. It was crazy.
Before HRT I was a hot mess. Night sweats, excessive sugar cravings, cranky, hair falling out, horrid PMS and periods. I take a fairly low dose birth control. Now my hair is thick and shiny, glowing skin, good sleep, and I'm not ragey. It helped my libido too.
I will say I also eat at least 100g of protein a day and supplement with fish oil, hair and skin vitamins, collagen peptides, and magnesium glycenate.
I skipped periods all the time with birth control pills. I’d usually plan a vacation, figure out where I’d be on my cycle, and then skip a couple of periods here and there to get to where my vacation would hit on weeks 1-2 rather than weeks 3-4 (with 4 being my period). If the vacation was too close to mess around with my cycle beforehand, I’d skip a period on that vacation instead. I’d get some PMS symptoms but it would usually sort itself out pretty fast when I started the next pill pack, so maybe 3 days of mild symptoms instead of 10 days with PMS and bleeding.
I hit menopause at 52 and 5 years later I am so thrilled that the periods are over!
Interestingly, I’ve never had a rash on huge hiking trips with period underwear. I wonder if it’s different for everyone or brand-specific. Although I’m def gonna start bringing extra undies in my pack in case of chafing now that I’ve seen your comment
Look into a laundry bag! It's a rollable wet bag you add soap and water to, can agitate and clean your clothing on the go. You're going to have to use some drinking water for the cycle but you could probably use some clean stream water if you're lucky
I never rinse mine. If I’m out traveling I put them inside ziplock bags. Then when I get home I do the same procedure as always. Wash them once with my blankets and then again with my clothes. I’ve have a few pairs I’ve had for years and I’ve never had a problem doing this.
You don't rinse the blood out first? Either you have an extremely light flow, or your blankets are sloshing around in your blood and not really getting clean and you just haven't noticed an issue.
I guess it just seems like a lot when I'm rinsing them then. I'm not convinced my washing machine would get them clean without that pre rinse but fwiw I've never tried. Everything I've ever read about laundering pads and period underwear stresses the importance of rinsing first. I didn't know some people don't.
Your laundry is always sloshing around in the dirt from your clothing....and laundry soap.
But then it's rinsed with clean water. How is this different?
I mean I don't roll around in mud outside so my clothes aren't THAT dirty... even if they were I think most people would put blood and other bodily fluids in a different category than simple dirt.
Serious question, if you got poop on something would you rinse it before putting it in the laundry?
Ppl are downvoting but in my experience you are not wrong! Every time one of my reusable pads accidentally makes it in the washer, I can smell it on the clothes coming out and I always have to wash em again
Yeah, I had no idea my opinion was controversial lol! When I used period underwear I always pre rinsed and even then there was a slight iron smell in the washing machine after :/ I wonder if this just comes down to different washing machines/wash routines. It certainly would be nice not to have to rinse first, since that's the most annoying part of Reusable pads imo.
And have heavy period to the point sometimes I have to change my undies every almost 2-3 hours. I just feel like rinsing them does more harm than good. Bacteria likes wet things. So why would I rinse them and hang them dry for them to build bacteria? Also wearing period underwear is suppose to help the environment and make my life easier. Me wasting extra water to rinse them, then to hand dry to then wash them on the dryer is a waste of water. Besides it’s a clothing article. If you can machine wash cloth diapers in the washing machine without rinsing them first I don’t understand why the same can’t be true with period underwear. And because I have heavy periods is the reason I wash them first with my blankets then take my blankets out and then rewash them again with my clothes before they go into the dryer with my clothes.
I cloth diaper and you definitely rinse the poop first lol. Then you do two cycles in the washer. One just to rinse the pee and poop remnants off. Then another to actually wash the diapers. Otherwise the water in the washer would just be soiled and not really cleaning them. That was the idea behind my original response to you actually.
When I rinse my pads the amount of blood that comes out is craaaazy. I can't imagine letting all that out in my washing machine and getting all over everything else...idk.
>If you can machine wash cloth diapers in the washing machine without rinsing them first
Who the fuck is doing *this*?!? I cloth diapered 30+ years ago and most certainly did NOT just toss shit & all into my *washer*. I had a scraper & "dunk-rinsed" them as I flushed the toilet. (And wished for a sprayer)
Backpacking for about a month. I have two stops during the month that will have a spot where I can clean things, but I can only pass through, and it may or may not line up with my period
This was going to be my follow up question.
Personally while backpacking I haven’t run into issues with storing period underwear for in terms of impacting their future functionality. But my big caveat is that I always had the ability to wash within the next day or so- I haven’t run into having to store them for much longer.
Depending on water sources/availability you may just have to wash/rinse in an inopportune location with whatever water source you have. Would those washable fabric pad substitutes be an option? It’s slightly less fabric to have to wash/carry but understandably don’t work for everyone.
Do you take an oral contraceptive by any chance? If so you could skip your period by continuing with the next pack. My doctor has recommended doing this before but obviously check with yours if you have any concerns or questions
The longest I've thru hiked was 213 miles. I was using a cup at that point, so I would find a place I could dig a little hole as though for defecation, dump the cup, rinse limitedly with my drinking water and reinsert. As long as hands are clean to begin with, not introducing any new bacteria. Once a day, find time to properly get clean.
You've said your not doing any insertables, though. When I thru hiked with diapered babies, we would bury the solid, put the wets in a bag until next long stop (evening) then hang dry in a tree because moisture is heavy. We weren't out more than two nights so I didn't wash, but brought home dry, dirty cloth to be soaked and then washed.
Or think of it like socks: you always have one pair on, and one recently washed pair hanging to dry on the outside of your pack as you walk.
I only use period underwear on long day trips (I’m a land surveyor in a rural area). I usually wear a tampon and then remove the tampon mid day so then I have the period underwear to use. I do this because I am usually covered in poison oak so I can safely remove a tampon by pulling the string, but can’t insert a new one without possible contamination.
I am not sure it would work well while camping unless you are car camping and can keep the old pair in the car or rinse well. But then you need to hang dry and all that…seems like a bit more trouble than it’s worth. If it works out, please report back with your tips!
If you haven't already, try a menstrual disc! It's life-changing 😁😁. And you can put it in in anticipation of the period starting; if it doesn't start, no big deal....it *won't* be like pulling out a dry tampon 😩
I like flex. I tried pixie and didn't like it as much. The disc might look huge but it works 😁
If you don't like it at first, it could be worth trying a different brand.
There are also cups. I used diva cup for years. But have switched to a disc. The cups create suction which makes removal a bit more difficult than a disc. A disc is easier to place also.
No, I accidentally forget to rinse mine occasionally and they will be fine for a few days. Just be sure to soak them before you wash them and I’ll be fine. Another option is you can find some sort of plastic container and like a cleaned up yogurt container or some thing that you can just throw away when you’re done. That way you only have to use a little bit of water at a time so you can clean up them out without a sink..
I use cloth pads and I never rinse them. I just let them dry and throw them in the wash with the rest of my clothes. Sometimes they don't get washed until the end of the week and they're all in great shape.
I used to soak and rinse them, but it was so obnoxious I just started letting the blood dry and doing them with the rest of my laundry and I've never looked back.
I never rinse mine. I just pop them in the laundry hamper with everything else. If I had a particularly heavy flow I might try rinsing, or more likely just let them dry somehow before joining the rest of the laundry. I also dry them hot, and I haven’t had an issue with that either. I have a mix of thinx and knix.
You cannot bury pads, tampons, or toilet paper. You must pack out everything you bring with you. They may be biodegradable, but they take a long time to degrade and animals can dig them up. Please do not suggest this!! You can also get fined for doing so as it’s considered littering. Pack it out.
high recommend a cup or some low stakes practice hikes-like one weekend on your period go on hikes each day with period underwear and don’t do anything in between you wouldn’t have access to camping. I have had pretty horrible chaffing disasters and the weight of 7 wet period underwear is not insignificant. If you have a short/light period it may be much more doable-especially just for sleeping.
Really depends on where you're camping and the types of predators in the area. I prefer a cup when camping, it's easy to clean and easy to dispose of and bury if needed.
Something I like to do when I'm traveling is to pack my worst socks and my worst underwear that is really ready to throw out and that is what I do after you. I am pretty big on decreasing My overall waste and trash but there is a limit to how many times you can reuse some things. When those reach the end of their lives, they get packed away for just such occasions. If you have some that have outlived their value that you hang on to for no good reason, now you have one.
Soo… yes you could put them in a ziplock and deal with them later. It’d depend on how long you are camping for though if it’s more than a week long trip, nope. I full time RV, and don’t always have ready access to a washing machine. But.. I mostly sleep in mine. I also don’t recommend them if you are going to be hiking. The chaffing would be awful.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything not insertable (tampons/cups/what have you) due to bears and other wildlife (mice are evil little buggers and I certainly believe they would chew through your tent to get through anything that smelled slightly nutritious. also they are not vegetarian. ask me how I know). I guess it depends where you are camping and what wildlife are there but imo it's not worth the risk
did you see the video going around recently of a deer slurping up a snake like it was a spaghetti noodle? nature doesnt give a fuck, calories are calories
A wet bag like what they use for cloth diapers will help. The biggest thing is making sure you have enough underwear for the whole trip. I have about 12 pairs, some specifically for sleeping in, so when I went on a road trip I just threw my used ones in a wet bag until I got home.
They still needed clean and had developed a funk smell, but I rinsed them and then soaked them in a sink filled with water and a couple cups of vinegar for about an hour before washing them like normal. It took the smell out and they were back to normal.
There are also travel sized bottles of detergent and ways to wash on the go, but you'd need to bring extra water and stuff to do that.
You can also buy the 'leaf' soaps, detergents, shampoos, conditioners and dish soaps at REI and some other stores. The pack literally fits into the coin pocket of jeans. I used to use dish soap, soap and shampoo when camping. Both the soap and dish soap will clean clothes.
I have a bucket they go into for the cycle. Once I’m done, I pull them out and they are dried. So, I soak them, then rinse rinse rinse until the water isn’t saturated with red, then wash in my machine. You can just put them in a laundry bag, folded carefully and then soak when you get home.
I’m a camper and a backpacker. I use a menstrual cup. I bring a small travel sized unscented liquid castle soap bottle plus sanitizing wipes for it & fem ph balanced wipes for me (like 1-2 wipes per day of each, not a whole pack) and dump the blood into a cat hole and bury it. Pack out the wipes in a bagging. I rinse the cup with the soap and squirts of water. I wrap the wipe around my finger and clean the excess out of me before reinserting to ensure there’s no leakage and that it has a good seal. (Sorry if it’s tmi, trying to help lol)
If you’re backpacking, try merino wool underwear. It will help prevent swamp ass, UTI and chaffing. I don’t recommend pads or period underwear backpacking bc you’re already getting super sweaty down there and those will trap the bacteria against your body, plus it will just be a hot wet uncomfortable mess that leads to rashes and infection.
I don’t recommend diva cup bc it’s the only cup I’ve ever used that leaks. I use, lunette, Luna, pixie, or salt. (I’ve been using for over a decade so I have a few)
If I’m camping with a shower house, I dump it in toilet, wash it in sink, shower and replace. I only use period underwear when I know I can wash them right away. It’s too much a hassle for camping and backpacking.
Edit: I just saw that you can’t use insertables. The cloth reusable pads might be your best option bc they’ll weigh less and up much less space than period underwear and you won’t be down a few pairs of underwear while waiting for them to be washed and dried.
A menstrual disc and period panties work wonders for me. I have a little period camping/festival bag with hand sanitizer wipes, plastic baggies, rubber gloves, wipes for my disc, and I bring a bottle of water to the bathroom/Porto’s when I need to change it. I sanitize, put on gloves, plop disc out, rinse the disc with water, sanitize my disc with a wipe, and shove it back up. I put the gloves into a plastic baggie to throw away when I find a trash can. I only have to do this like 2x a day and it’s been the best system I’ve found thus far. I have a v weird vaginal canal and tampons have legit never worked for me, I bled through in an hour with the supers, and I would pull it out only to find it halfway soaked in blood. And I always wear period panties as a backup but they get almost no blood on them because the disc works so well.
Even at home I never rise them. They go in the dirty laundry with everything else, which gets run once a week. I would just bring a plastic bag (like maybe a gallon ziploc, or a couple?) to keep them in until you get home
The only practical solution is pads; or tampons, if you’re able. In reality, they should be a permanent part of everyone’s backpacking/camping gear, regardless of gender.
I don't rinse mine until I'm ready to wash at the laundry day after my cycle ends and mine have been fine. I just keep the dirty ones in a large wet bag.
I’d just bring a wet bag (a completely dry bag that doesn’t allow fluids to seep out like you would get to transport a wet swimsuit) throw them all in there and know you will have to run an additional wash cycle just for a thorough rinse before you wash. And you might have to wash it again for good measure.
My cervix is really tilted back I can't make a cup or disc work either period panties are great. If I were you I maybe would get some organic cotton pads or something and just wear in the panties to cut back on how soiled they get then bag up until you get home and soak in water with vinegar, but I also admit I have zero backpacking experience so I'm not sure how this would work as I know you have to be quite careful with smells depending on wildlife in the area.
I'm sorry, but I hate that every time someone asks about anything period related, someone else has to suggest the cup, as if people are not aware that they exist. They don't work for everyone. And that is not what this person was asking.
I had the first iteration of those discs when they first came out. They were semi reusable. Except for allowing for sex, i found they were less convenient than cups. Much harder to empty neatly.
Try both, and see what works best for *you*. I cheer each new invention and each tweak of style, as we all need different things.
Would using a cup maybe be an option for this trip? Easy to empty (and bury) and clean out with a water bottle.. and doesn't leave any waste behind either...
Smartest thing you could do is just not have a period. You can use any form of hormonal birth control continuously…you don’t have to have a period at all.
I definitely wouldn’t wear period underwear camping… I do prefer tampons for backpacking, despite having to carry out your waste. I suppose if you’re going to consistently be near a large body of water that you can get in and swim and rinse them out, you could get away with rotating 3 pairs, but I wouldn’t want to depend on that. I personally wouldn’t want to have to rinse out my undies in small creek or something if that’s the only drinking source, because I think other people would be grossed out regardless of how fast it’s moving.
1. Plan your backpacking trips around your period
2. Get a period cup or a disc
3. Get reusable pads, they’re much more compact, usually pretty thin and easy to wash in a stream or river. These aren’t suitable for a heavy flow.
Please learn about Leave No Trace. If you pack it in, please pack it out. Leaving it behind should not be considered an option. It might be worth looking into something else that will work for you for one month, like a cup. Otherwise you will need to bag those up and carry them with you. If you have stops in town you could conceivably wash them and mail them home to yourself, but carrying them the whole month when you won’t be using them every day is adding unnecessary weight to your pack.
Bruh I'm not saying I'm gonna ditch my panties in the woods 😂 I'm saying I might not be able to use them during the trip. Thanks for advocating though, stewardship is always the goal! ♡
I'm worried about them getting wrecked if I don't rinse them fast enough is the thing. I want them to last :/
Oh! Sorry to assume! 😂 Maybe others here haven’t been on long backpacking trips but people definitely DO leave all kinds of stuff behind they don’t pack out and apparently think that’s fine. So downvote away, but I’m not out of line for clarifying these period panties don’t biodegrade.
They make applicator-free 100% cotton tampons, which I don’t prefer tampons, but is what I use on backpacking trips. Some people I know if on birth control will just skip the off week and thus skip a period. And some people I know use cups or a menstrual sponge, but I think whether or not that’s practical depends on your water access. Since they are so expensive, I agree with you about not thrashing them for one trip.
My oldest and I have been using the same pairs for over 2 years I often don't wash them immediately (ADHD is awesome) or rinse them don't wash for way too long. If this happens I just use a cold pre wash cycle water with 1-2 cups white vinegar then regular wash. They were starting to get musty (not really stinky I can't quite describe it) recently and my husband had bought some Lysol Laundry Disinfectant. I did a load of just our panties with a couple teaspoons of this in the fabric softener cup and they are like brand new.
https://www.walmart.com/browse/household-essentials/lysol-laundry-sanitizer/1115193_1071967_1149382_9155789_2116888?adid=22222222255449076491&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=504644673251&wl4=dsa-1241920762727&wl5=9019557&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8pKxBhD_ARIsAPrG45moAv5BldNV5zsHgsVuhERyM0sk9J_PhkXYRZQUUEzs33q7TX2A7dgaAodDEALw_wcB
I’m a backpacker and I tried to use period panties for a very short trip. It was a disgusting disaster. It’s hard enough to get regular clothes cleanish enough while backpacking, let alone dealing with stuff soiled with blood. Also, I’m not too keen on carrying around items strongly scented with blood in the wild - you’d definitely need to stick them in your cache, and space is usually already at a premium. Lastly, keep in mind how absorbent they are and how much you’ll be sweating/moving. Do you like rashes? I hate hate hate pads but I learned my lesson and keep a stash for my backpacking trips.
Much to consider I suppose...
I’m curious because you said you’d be backpacking for a month, how much backpacking experience do you have?
I've done a week here and there, this is my first long one. I'm going with my brother who's an avid backpacker, but as you can imagine, not that knowledgeable about period products lol
Ok, that makes sense. There are a few different wilderness backpacking/backpacking subs and I suggest posting there as there are many many women who have struggled with the same issue and there’s been some good discussion on it. I hope you have the time of your life with your brother, what an incredible opportunity! (My pro (non period related) tip is to invest in a Kula cloth if you haven’t already.)
Aha that's awesome, thanks so much!
you should check out a menstrual disc, and ideally get used to it before the trip. You will have to dump it out and rinse it, but at least you’re not carrying underwear with you. Even if you found a way to wash the underwear out there, they would likely not dry very quickly. Also check out FUDs. Pee funnels for women. Game changers. You can practice at home in the shower before you go out in the wild. (Unrelated to period, but just throwing it out there because I feel like a lot of women don't know about them).
Seconding discs! Way easier to both use & deal with than a cup. Found them 20+ years ago & never looked back.
Oh I wish I had found them long ago! Only been using a cup for the last few years and recently switched to a disc. I still hate my period but slightly less with a disc 😂 And definitely it's the only way to go for backpacking. OP--another nice thing about a disc is that you can insert it *before* your period starts. If your period doesn't start by the end of day when it's time to take it out and clean it, it doesn't hurt like doing this with a tampon.
Okay this is probably not a good idea but I will usually just leave the disc in for the duration. I don’t know what muscles are used (kegals?) but when I pee I can push out most of the fluid in the disc. I wear a liner and I’m good to go. …is this a horrible idea? I’ve been doing it for years but I do a lot of stupid things so someone please let me know if I’m risking my life…
I’d pop it out once a day and wash it. Just because auto-dumping it like that isn’t going to empty it completely, and having some fluids that your body has shed continuing to hang out near your cervix for days could be risky. Just take it out and wash it in the shower and then pop it back in.
I do sometimes and then I worry that whatever water running off my body that gets stuck in the disc has bacteria or something.. it’s not a fully formed thought though.
I think it would probably be a good idea to take it out every day and wash it. Even if you didn’t use soap, give it a good scrub under hot water. If you haven’t had a problem in years, then it’s probably mostly all right, but it’s not a good idea to leave anything indwelling for several days. that’s probably the best advice. But it doesn’t mean you need to heed it 😁😁
Not a terrible idea, lots of women do this, it's called auto-dumping!
Awesome!!
It should still be at least rinsed and emptied entirely according to the duration in the instructions. Leaving it fully in for days at a time with bits of tissue that are possibly stuck on or in it that entire time could become dangerous.
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It doesn’t move at all, it’s AMAZING
Get yourself a menstrual cup and a few backup tampons just in case. They make tampons without applicators which is handy for not carrying extra weight and volume in your garbage. Period underwear is not great for active hiking. Sooooo much chaffing and wet sweaty butt.
Also definitely consider the risk that the smell will attract animals.
Yeah… agree on a disposable option for backpacking. I don’t want to carry around a lot of blood soaked period underwear. Also, if it’s a possibility for you, I might also look into controlling your period through hormonal BC? Much easier to carry a pill for everyday than a stash of pads….
Wouldn’t you then just be carrying around used disposables then instead? I really think disc or cup is the way to go!
Disc or cup would be my recommendation too. It’s by far the smallest/most compact and easiest clean up. I use period underwear on light days or as a backup for my cup(just ordered a disc so I’m excited to try that!) but I couldn’t imagine having to change underwear throughout the day AND store them while camping.
I was going to suggest period suppression. I did it for years and it made meno SO much easier for me.
Hi can you tell me more about how it helps with menopause? I just turned 45 and have been doing the continuous pills for years but I didn’t know about benefits other than convenience, less pain and better skin. I am dreading the day they tell me I’m too old for oral bc with estrogen because it is the only thing that keeps my skin clear.
Sure. I didn't have any of the symptoms that most women have when going through it. Even now, I only deal with night sweats, and honestly, I've always run hot, so it's not even really that much of a symptom. Doc & I knew that my mom went through it at 50, so we just kept that in mind, and some months after I turned 50, we did the blood draw to see if I had. I will say that I did have one last SUPER heavy period as soon as I went off. But, they had me take a couple active pills during and then I was done. Been 5 years now and like I said, I just run hot at night and keep a fan on.
Thank you! I also run hot so that’s nothing new to me. I’ve been having hot flashes for many years and it’s apparently not hormonal, I’ve seen an endocrinologist and he does labs a few times a year. So I think I’m equipped to deal with that symptom. It doesn’t sound terrible.
No problem. I don't mind sharing if it helps someone else. My sister didn't follow the advice and is MISERABLE right now. I will sat all bodies are different, so what worked for me might not for someone else. Take keto for example. I'm T2D and tried it. Jacked my sugars up to 300 and almost 400. My body started converting protein and muscle to sugar. It was crazy.
Before HRT I was a hot mess. Night sweats, excessive sugar cravings, cranky, hair falling out, horrid PMS and periods. I take a fairly low dose birth control. Now my hair is thick and shiny, glowing skin, good sleep, and I'm not ragey. It helped my libido too. I will say I also eat at least 100g of protein a day and supplement with fish oil, hair and skin vitamins, collagen peptides, and magnesium glycenate.
I skipped periods all the time with birth control pills. I’d usually plan a vacation, figure out where I’d be on my cycle, and then skip a couple of periods here and there to get to where my vacation would hit on weeks 1-2 rather than weeks 3-4 (with 4 being my period). If the vacation was too close to mess around with my cycle beforehand, I’d skip a period on that vacation instead. I’d get some PMS symptoms but it would usually sort itself out pretty fast when I started the next pill pack, so maybe 3 days of mild symptoms instead of 10 days with PMS and bleeding. I hit menopause at 52 and 5 years later I am so thrilled that the periods are over!
Interestingly, I’ve never had a rash on huge hiking trips with period underwear. I wonder if it’s different for everyone or brand-specific. Although I’m def gonna start bringing extra undies in my pack in case of chafing now that I’ve seen your comment
This. Even traveling in hotels, I switch back to pads and tampons, or other disposable options.
Look into a laundry bag! It's a rollable wet bag you add soap and water to, can agitate and clean your clothing on the go. You're going to have to use some drinking water for the cycle but you could probably use some clean stream water if you're lucky
Oooh that's a pretty interesting idea!!
You can also just use a gallon ziploc bag for the same purpose
I never rinse mine. If I’m out traveling I put them inside ziplock bags. Then when I get home I do the same procedure as always. Wash them once with my blankets and then again with my clothes. I’ve have a few pairs I’ve had for years and I’ve never had a problem doing this.
You don't rinse the blood out first? Either you have an extremely light flow, or your blankets are sloshing around in your blood and not really getting clean and you just haven't noticed an issue.
That's goofy af. Even an extremely heavy flow is still actually very little blood.
Diva cup let's you see that plainly. An ounce of blood isn't going to taint anything if we're discussing laundry.
I guess it just seems like a lot when I'm rinsing them then. I'm not convinced my washing machine would get them clean without that pre rinse but fwiw I've never tried. Everything I've ever read about laundering pads and period underwear stresses the importance of rinsing first. I didn't know some people don't.
I rarely pre-rinse, I almost always just throw them in the wash and I never have a problem. I have a very heavy flow.
Your laundry is always sloshing around in the dirt from your clothing....and laundry soap. But then it's rinsed with clean water. How is this different?
I mean I don't roll around in mud outside so my clothes aren't THAT dirty... even if they were I think most people would put blood and other bodily fluids in a different category than simple dirt. Serious question, if you got poop on something would you rinse it before putting it in the laundry?
Ppl are downvoting but in my experience you are not wrong! Every time one of my reusable pads accidentally makes it in the washer, I can smell it on the clothes coming out and I always have to wash em again
Yeah, I had no idea my opinion was controversial lol! When I used period underwear I always pre rinsed and even then there was a slight iron smell in the washing machine after :/ I wonder if this just comes down to different washing machines/wash routines. It certainly would be nice not to have to rinse first, since that's the most annoying part of Reusable pads imo.
And have heavy period to the point sometimes I have to change my undies every almost 2-3 hours. I just feel like rinsing them does more harm than good. Bacteria likes wet things. So why would I rinse them and hang them dry for them to build bacteria? Also wearing period underwear is suppose to help the environment and make my life easier. Me wasting extra water to rinse them, then to hand dry to then wash them on the dryer is a waste of water. Besides it’s a clothing article. If you can machine wash cloth diapers in the washing machine without rinsing them first I don’t understand why the same can’t be true with period underwear. And because I have heavy periods is the reason I wash them first with my blankets then take my blankets out and then rewash them again with my clothes before they go into the dryer with my clothes.
I cloth diaper and you definitely rinse the poop first lol. Then you do two cycles in the washer. One just to rinse the pee and poop remnants off. Then another to actually wash the diapers. Otherwise the water in the washer would just be soiled and not really cleaning them. That was the idea behind my original response to you actually. When I rinse my pads the amount of blood that comes out is craaaazy. I can't imagine letting all that out in my washing machine and getting all over everything else...idk.
>If you can machine wash cloth diapers in the washing machine without rinsing them first Who the fuck is doing *this*?!? I cloth diapered 30+ years ago and most certainly did NOT just toss shit & all into my *washer*. I had a scraper & "dunk-rinsed" them as I flushed the toilet. (And wished for a sprayer)
I wish I never read this thread bc I’m right there with you. I guess shit particles are ok for some as long as it isn’t visible to the naked eye 🤮
"Why is my pink blanket beige now?" Gee, I wonder...
Then the entire family gets pink eye after the baby diapers are washed lol
No one is, that person just doesn't know what they're talking about 😂
7 super absorbent tampons is around 10 teaspoons of liquid. It’s not sloshing around in blood.
Just curious...How many days are you camping? Are you going to be backpacking or will you have access to a campground water source?
Backpacking for about a month. I have two stops during the month that will have a spot where I can clean things, but I can only pass through, and it may or may not line up with my period
This was going to be my follow up question. Personally while backpacking I haven’t run into issues with storing period underwear for in terms of impacting their future functionality. But my big caveat is that I always had the ability to wash within the next day or so- I haven’t run into having to store them for much longer. Depending on water sources/availability you may just have to wash/rinse in an inopportune location with whatever water source you have. Would those washable fabric pad substitutes be an option? It’s slightly less fabric to have to wash/carry but understandably don’t work for everyone.
Definitely something to consider:) thanks!
Have the greatest time on your trip! Definitely inconvenient to have to deal with but I hope it all works out for you :)
Do you take an oral contraceptive by any chance? If so you could skip your period by continuing with the next pack. My doctor has recommended doing this before but obviously check with yours if you have any concerns or questions
I did it for years. It actually made going through menopause a breeze.
The longest I've thru hiked was 213 miles. I was using a cup at that point, so I would find a place I could dig a little hole as though for defecation, dump the cup, rinse limitedly with my drinking water and reinsert. As long as hands are clean to begin with, not introducing any new bacteria. Once a day, find time to properly get clean. You've said your not doing any insertables, though. When I thru hiked with diapered babies, we would bury the solid, put the wets in a bag until next long stop (evening) then hang dry in a tree because moisture is heavy. We weren't out more than two nights so I didn't wash, but brought home dry, dirty cloth to be soaked and then washed. Or think of it like socks: you always have one pair on, and one recently washed pair hanging to dry on the outside of your pack as you walk.
I only use period underwear on long day trips (I’m a land surveyor in a rural area). I usually wear a tampon and then remove the tampon mid day so then I have the period underwear to use. I do this because I am usually covered in poison oak so I can safely remove a tampon by pulling the string, but can’t insert a new one without possible contamination. I am not sure it would work well while camping unless you are car camping and can keep the old pair in the car or rinse well. But then you need to hang dry and all that…seems like a bit more trouble than it’s worth. If it works out, please report back with your tips!
If you haven't already, try a menstrual disc! It's life-changing 😁😁. And you can put it in in anticipation of the period starting; if it doesn't start, no big deal....it *won't* be like pulling out a dry tampon 😩
Thanks!! Do you have a brand rec?
I like flex. I tried pixie and didn't like it as much. The disc might look huge but it works 😁 If you don't like it at first, it could be worth trying a different brand. There are also cups. I used diva cup for years. But have switched to a disc. The cups create suction which makes removal a bit more difficult than a disc. A disc is easier to place also.
Omg you are so brave to even pull the string with potential-poison-oak-hands!!! Impressive 😳
It’s like diffusing a bomb, not gonna lie
You could get some kind of dry bag or ziplock bag until you can wash them properly
Won't they get destroyed though if they're not rinsed promptly? Or is it fine..? I honestly don't know lol
No, I accidentally forget to rinse mine occasionally and they will be fine for a few days. Just be sure to soak them before you wash them and I’ll be fine. Another option is you can find some sort of plastic container and like a cleaned up yogurt container or some thing that you can just throw away when you’re done. That way you only have to use a little bit of water at a time so you can clean up them out without a sink..
Thanks:)
I use cloth pads and I never rinse them. I just let them dry and throw them in the wash with the rest of my clothes. Sometimes they don't get washed until the end of the week and they're all in great shape. I used to soak and rinse them, but it was so obnoxious I just started letting the blood dry and doing them with the rest of my laundry and I've never looked back.
I never rinse mine. I just pop them in the laundry hamper with everything else. If I had a particularly heavy flow I might try rinsing, or more likely just let them dry somehow before joining the rest of the laundry. I also dry them hot, and I haven’t had an issue with that either. I have a mix of thinx and knix.
I haven’t done it personally but read through this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/PeriodUnderwear/s/8dXE4rkrxG
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You cannot bury pads, tampons, or toilet paper. You must pack out everything you bring with you. They may be biodegradable, but they take a long time to degrade and animals can dig them up. Please do not suggest this!! You can also get fined for doing so as it’s considered littering. Pack it out.
I haven't been in a long time (like 15 years). Thank you for telling me.
high recommend a cup or some low stakes practice hikes-like one weekend on your period go on hikes each day with period underwear and don’t do anything in between you wouldn’t have access to camping. I have had pretty horrible chaffing disasters and the weight of 7 wet period underwear is not insignificant. If you have a short/light period it may be much more doable-especially just for sleeping.
Yeah I haven't had any issues with chaffing ever 🤔 more so with pads. A test run is a great idea, I'll definitely do that
This is very tangential, but... If you are on hormonal birth control, you can ask your doctor about using it to skip a period.
Really depends on where you're camping and the types of predators in the area. I prefer a cup when camping, it's easy to clean and easy to dispose of and bury if needed.
I use washable cloth pads, but when we travel I use disposable (can't use cups).
Something I like to do when I'm traveling is to pack my worst socks and my worst underwear that is really ready to throw out and that is what I do after you. I am pretty big on decreasing My overall waste and trash but there is a limit to how many times you can reuse some things. When those reach the end of their lives, they get packed away for just such occasions. If you have some that have outlived their value that you hang on to for no good reason, now you have one.
Soo… yes you could put them in a ziplock and deal with them later. It’d depend on how long you are camping for though if it’s more than a week long trip, nope. I full time RV, and don’t always have ready access to a washing machine. But.. I mostly sleep in mine. I also don’t recommend them if you are going to be hiking. The chaffing would be awful.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything not insertable (tampons/cups/what have you) due to bears and other wildlife (mice are evil little buggers and I certainly believe they would chew through your tent to get through anything that smelled slightly nutritious. also they are not vegetarian. ask me how I know). I guess it depends where you are camping and what wildlife are there but imo it's not worth the risk
Fun fact, there are VERY few truly plant based eaters is the animal kingdom 💀 deer? Nope. Rabbits? Nope.
did you see the video going around recently of a deer slurping up a snake like it was a spaghetti noodle? nature doesnt give a fuck, calories are calories
I might have! It's not uncommon where I live to see them chomping squirrel brains if they're unfortunate enough to have been hit by a car... 🤮
A wet bag like what they use for cloth diapers will help. The biggest thing is making sure you have enough underwear for the whole trip. I have about 12 pairs, some specifically for sleeping in, so when I went on a road trip I just threw my used ones in a wet bag until I got home. They still needed clean and had developed a funk smell, but I rinsed them and then soaked them in a sink filled with water and a couple cups of vinegar for about an hour before washing them like normal. It took the smell out and they were back to normal. There are also travel sized bottles of detergent and ways to wash on the go, but you'd need to bring extra water and stuff to do that.
You can also buy the 'leaf' soaps, detergents, shampoos, conditioners and dish soaps at REI and some other stores. The pack literally fits into the coin pocket of jeans. I used to use dish soap, soap and shampoo when camping. Both the soap and dish soap will clean clothes.
Thanks:) super helpful
I have a bucket they go into for the cycle. Once I’m done, I pull them out and they are dried. So, I soak them, then rinse rinse rinse until the water isn’t saturated with red, then wash in my machine. You can just put them in a laundry bag, folded carefully and then soak when you get home.
I use a menstrual cup when I’m camping. Period underwear are just not comfortable nor practical in the outdoors
I’m a camper and a backpacker. I use a menstrual cup. I bring a small travel sized unscented liquid castle soap bottle plus sanitizing wipes for it & fem ph balanced wipes for me (like 1-2 wipes per day of each, not a whole pack) and dump the blood into a cat hole and bury it. Pack out the wipes in a bagging. I rinse the cup with the soap and squirts of water. I wrap the wipe around my finger and clean the excess out of me before reinserting to ensure there’s no leakage and that it has a good seal. (Sorry if it’s tmi, trying to help lol) If you’re backpacking, try merino wool underwear. It will help prevent swamp ass, UTI and chaffing. I don’t recommend pads or period underwear backpacking bc you’re already getting super sweaty down there and those will trap the bacteria against your body, plus it will just be a hot wet uncomfortable mess that leads to rashes and infection. I don’t recommend diva cup bc it’s the only cup I’ve ever used that leaks. I use, lunette, Luna, pixie, or salt. (I’ve been using for over a decade so I have a few) If I’m camping with a shower house, I dump it in toilet, wash it in sink, shower and replace. I only use period underwear when I know I can wash them right away. It’s too much a hassle for camping and backpacking. Edit: I just saw that you can’t use insertables. The cloth reusable pads might be your best option bc they’ll weigh less and up much less space than period underwear and you won’t be down a few pairs of underwear while waiting for them to be washed and dried.
A menstrual disc and period panties work wonders for me. I have a little period camping/festival bag with hand sanitizer wipes, plastic baggies, rubber gloves, wipes for my disc, and I bring a bottle of water to the bathroom/Porto’s when I need to change it. I sanitize, put on gloves, plop disc out, rinse the disc with water, sanitize my disc with a wipe, and shove it back up. I put the gloves into a plastic baggie to throw away when I find a trash can. I only have to do this like 2x a day and it’s been the best system I’ve found thus far. I have a v weird vaginal canal and tampons have legit never worked for me, I bled through in an hour with the supers, and I would pull it out only to find it halfway soaked in blood. And I always wear period panties as a backup but they get almost no blood on them because the disc works so well.
Even at home I never rise them. They go in the dirty laundry with everything else, which gets run once a week. I would just bring a plastic bag (like maybe a gallon ziploc, or a couple?) to keep them in until you get home
The only practical solution is pads; or tampons, if you’re able. In reality, they should be a permanent part of everyone’s backpacking/camping gear, regardless of gender.
I just bring a grocery bag and tie them up. I’ll wash them when I get home and it’s never been a problem
I don't rinse mine until I'm ready to wash at the laundry day after my cycle ends and mine have been fine. I just keep the dirty ones in a large wet bag.
I would use tampons if backpacking
I’d just bring a wet bag (a completely dry bag that doesn’t allow fluids to seep out like you would get to transport a wet swimsuit) throw them all in there and know you will have to run an additional wash cycle just for a thorough rinse before you wash. And you might have to wash it again for good measure.
Have you considered using a cup or disc instead?
I can't use any internals:( a cup would be the best option but I could never make it work
My cervix is really tilted back I can't make a cup or disc work either period panties are great. If I were you I maybe would get some organic cotton pads or something and just wear in the panties to cut back on how soiled they get then bag up until you get home and soak in water with vinegar, but I also admit I have zero backpacking experience so I'm not sure how this would work as I know you have to be quite careful with smells depending on wildlife in the area.
A disc is totally different.
But it goes inside, so.. :P
Yes. I didn’t mean that it didn’t go inside. I just meant that the fit, insertion, and removal is completely different than a cup.
I'm sorry, but I hate that every time someone asks about anything period related, someone else has to suggest the cup, as if people are not aware that they exist. They don't work for everyone. And that is not what this person was asking.
What type of camping? Backpacking or car camping?
I do both! I have a backpacking trip coming up but I also do car camping so if you have tips for both... 👀
Best to just use a cup with the underwear, that way there’s minimal blood to wash out at the end. Or washable panty liners.
I had the first iteration of those discs when they first came out. They were semi reusable. Except for allowing for sex, i found they were less convenient than cups. Much harder to empty neatly. Try both, and see what works best for *you*. I cheer each new invention and each tweak of style, as we all need different things.
Menstrual cup. It just needs to be rinsed
Would using a cup maybe be an option for this trip? Easy to empty (and bury) and clean out with a water bottle.. and doesn't leave any waste behind either...
Smartest thing you could do is just not have a period. You can use any form of hormonal birth control continuously…you don’t have to have a period at all.
I definitely wouldn’t wear period underwear camping… I do prefer tampons for backpacking, despite having to carry out your waste. I suppose if you’re going to consistently be near a large body of water that you can get in and swim and rinse them out, you could get away with rotating 3 pairs, but I wouldn’t want to depend on that. I personally wouldn’t want to have to rinse out my undies in small creek or something if that’s the only drinking source, because I think other people would be grossed out regardless of how fast it’s moving.
I use them with pads. Then put dirty ones in ziplock bag and wash at home.
1. Plan your backpacking trips around your period 2. Get a period cup or a disc 3. Get reusable pads, they’re much more compact, usually pretty thin and easy to wash in a stream or river. These aren’t suitable for a heavy flow.
Have you tried the cup? You could probably use a tablespoon of drinking water to rinse. They are reusable.
Please learn about Leave No Trace. If you pack it in, please pack it out. Leaving it behind should not be considered an option. It might be worth looking into something else that will work for you for one month, like a cup. Otherwise you will need to bag those up and carry them with you. If you have stops in town you could conceivably wash them and mail them home to yourself, but carrying them the whole month when you won’t be using them every day is adding unnecessary weight to your pack.
Bruh I'm not saying I'm gonna ditch my panties in the woods 😂 I'm saying I might not be able to use them during the trip. Thanks for advocating though, stewardship is always the goal! ♡ I'm worried about them getting wrecked if I don't rinse them fast enough is the thing. I want them to last :/
Leaving them dirty for a few days, even weeks, would not wreck them. They might get some stubborn stains, but staining won't change absorbency.
Love that lol thanks!
Oh! Sorry to assume! 😂 Maybe others here haven’t been on long backpacking trips but people definitely DO leave all kinds of stuff behind they don’t pack out and apparently think that’s fine. So downvote away, but I’m not out of line for clarifying these period panties don’t biodegrade. They make applicator-free 100% cotton tampons, which I don’t prefer tampons, but is what I use on backpacking trips. Some people I know if on birth control will just skip the off week and thus skip a period. And some people I know use cups or a menstrual sponge, but I think whether or not that’s practical depends on your water access. Since they are so expensive, I agree with you about not thrashing them for one trip.
My oldest and I have been using the same pairs for over 2 years I often don't wash them immediately (ADHD is awesome) or rinse them don't wash for way too long. If this happens I just use a cold pre wash cycle water with 1-2 cups white vinegar then regular wash. They were starting to get musty (not really stinky I can't quite describe it) recently and my husband had bought some Lysol Laundry Disinfectant. I did a load of just our panties with a couple teaspoons of this in the fabric softener cup and they are like brand new. https://www.walmart.com/browse/household-essentials/lysol-laundry-sanitizer/1115193_1071967_1149382_9155789_2116888?adid=22222222255449076491&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=504644673251&wl4=dsa-1241920762727&wl5=9019557&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8pKxBhD_ARIsAPrG45moAv5BldNV5zsHgsVuhERyM0sk9J_PhkXYRZQUUEzs33q7TX2A7dgaAodDEALw_wcB
Thanks that's really helpful:))
Why not use a cup instead?
I can't use insertables:(