So I've worked on a number of Big wall projects. A Big wall for you non climbers is a vertical cliff face of substantial size.
The longest I've been on the wall after blast off (where we pull the ropes up and we are on our way) was when we reopened Never never land on ElCap in Yosemite
cleaning cracks, rebolted unsafe bolts and added some safer belay stations. (Apearently we were the first to repeat the original ascent). It's a great A4 climb of 34 pitches.
So here's the deal we were on the wall for 21days working. So you may ask, how do you go tithe toilet up there?
Well I tell you, it's not like Tarango towers where its isolated and you can just drop it off your ledge and nobody is below. In Yosemite there are heaps of people around.
The most common strategy is a poop tube that you use as you would a
holding tank. Messy and gross. In fact lots of times guys build them from PVC pipe and just discard the whole thing after.
Okay here's the better way as Piton Pete would say. We collected paper bags added a little dry compound in each one then refolded the bags. When you had to go pee, why you went over the edge and well hopefully nobody danced in the rain below but likely from 3000' up by the time the pee hit the
deck I'm sure it was a fine vapor or mist in the
wind. Okay that's what I tell myself anyway.
Now what about the poo poo. (I have young girls and this is their favorite word at the moment. Go figure girls are so gross compared to boys. Jokes)
So we would unfold a bag roll the edge to hold it open and plop plop then fold the top over and shake. Then tie it up on a tag line and drop it below your
gear so it hangs on the bottom of your last haul bag.
No smell no mess and at the top all but the freshest ones could be burned.
Although on that trip JP had to go and free a haul bag and got tangled in the bags and they got pulled off and fell into space but that's another story.
The point is, covered poo without liquid subsides its smell quickly.
Think of it this way. Even a fresh dog doo doo once baked in the sun a little stops to smell enough you don't notice it until you step on one and then you immediately smell it once broken open and exposed to the moist
interior.
The dry head is likely the way I will go to. I may have to custom build one as well because of the lay out of space we have. But the point is I know it can
work as our bag exercise worked a treat and you had no smell even when pinned in still 32c air against the granite wall. All that separated us from poo was a dry dust on the outside and brown paper.
Do there you have it for what it's worth. Now before you skip the head and just stockpile on paper bags. Think about how that would
work when you come off shift in a storm. Soaking wet and need to use your paper bag ;-) yup I think a dry head is better.
I do have a question bit ill put it on another post so it doesn't get
lost in my rambling post.
My 3yr old girl: Knock knock.
Me:who's there?
Daughter: Poo poo face
Me
oo poo face who?
Daughter: Me!
ROTFL
Her own made up joke and its always a crowd pleaser. One day she will resale e she's calling herself a poo poo face. Funniest is when she tells it to older reserved people because they are taken back at first until the punchline.
Cheers