Should I go camping on my period? Everything I should have been taught but wasn’t.
It’s 7am on my birthday, alarm goes off. Immediately, I sense the wet sticky warmth between my thighs. Fuck, period leak. I’m day six into an eighteen day canoe trip in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, seven degrees Celsius outside the tent, covered in my own blood slowly seeping through my underwear onto my Therm-a-Rest, wondering if bears are now more likely to eat me, and if the stain will come out from my borrowed sleeping bag. Not quite how I envisioned starting my 24th year in the great outdoors.
After a twenty-minute agonising internal debate of whether or not to wake my boyfriend and get him to come up with some constructive solution, i.e. solve the problem for me, he opens his eyes of his own accord. Great. We both decide the best course of action for me is to run out of the tent naked and go wash in the lake before dropping too much blood everywhere. Remember it’s seven degrees outside.
Standing dripping and freezing, feet in the water, about to drag out my cup, it suddenly occurs to me emptying blood out into the lake might be considered environmental contamination. I subsequently start questioning the cleanliness of rinsing my cup in the water I wouldn’t drink without purifying, and therefore probably should not use to clean plastic that will then be reinserted into my body. Should I have worn tampons instead? At this point I realise nothing had ever equipped me or educated me for this moment, and as I stood there slowly losing feeling in my toes I decided that was not okay.
This scenario will resonate with half of the people reading this. HALF. Yet, very few ever discuss, seriously or humorously, the real issues faced with getting one’s period whilst in the outdoors or the inextricable link between menstrual health and environmental health. So let’s talk about it.
Let’s start with the obvious, will I attract a bear while camping on my period?
The simple answer is no. Bears aren’t interested in you! I know it hurts. But it’s true. A bear’s diet consists mainly of berries, grass, insects and will stay well away from humans. This does NOT mean there is no risk of being attacked by a bear during an outdoor expedition, but simply that you are not at a higher risk because you are on your period. Stay away from baby bears (I know, it’s hard, cubs are cute), and they will stay away from you.
Moral of the story is, bears should not dissuade you from going on a camping trip while on your period. Go do cool things. But follow these next tips to do so comfortably (or as comfortably as possible because let’s be real bears or no bears cramps are a still a bitch).
How to Carry and Store Your Hygiene Items?
The last thing you want to be doing while camping is carrying around more waste than necessary, such as bloody tampons or pads.
But if you have to, that’s cool, I’ve got you covered. First of all, leave no trace applies to your period too. Anything you go into the forest with, you need to make sure you come back out with too (don’t dig a hole and bury your pads, wild animals will dig them up). A good technique can be to double bag soiled items, Ziplock’s are good for this. If you don’t have any plastic with you (because you’re an eco Queen) then a jar or Tupperware container will do the trick to seal the smell in.
Go Zero-waste
1 — Reusable Cup
If you don’t want the hassle of single use products, I would highly recommend trying out a reusable cup. This is a flexible silicone or rubber cup you insert to catch menstrual blood. Not only are they very comfortable (albeit can take some getting used to at first), hold up to four tampons’ worth of blood, but they are also as sustainable as they come. Continue wearing the same trusty cup year after year without having to dispose of it, or fork out ridiculous amounts of money every month. Opt for the Ruby Cup to be part of their “Buy One, Give One” campaign.
A common question with regards to camping and the cup is cleaning. Usually between emptying and reinserting I would rinse it under the tap, however, when out on the trail it’s not quite so easy. Generally I would recommend not washing the cup with lake or river water (if I wouldn’t drink it, then I wouldn’t put it inside of me either!). Instead, I would boil some water at the same time as breakfast and dinner, which coincide roughly with the two times a day I would empty out my cup anyways, and then simply wash it with the boiled water. Voila!
2 — Period-Proof underwear is a must for camping.
These babies will give you peace of mind, knowing there’s no risk of you leaking through the only pair of pants your brought on the trip. Comfy and cute, I highly recommend this method as either complimentary to the cup, or fully in its own right (depending on your flow of course). I am the proud owner of two Thinx pairs of undies (more on that here), able to contain up to four and two tampons’ worth of blood respectively. Perfect for an overnight camping trip.
3 — Period Cramp Relief
Lastly, we all know how cramps can turn any perfectly nice sunny day into a dark crashing nightmare. Especially on a hiking trip, they can be crippling, not to mention just inconvenient. Ohne has got your back with their CBD infused oil Holy Cramp, a few drops of which you rub on your stomach and lower back (topical use only!! Don’t try to swallow it and get high, it’s CBD not THC). This product is made even more practical thanks to its small size, making it easy to stash away into a backpack pocket. Smaller than a hot-water bottle, healthier than Ibuprofen, could one ask for more?
There you have it, my tips and recommendations for a successful bleeding camping trip, tried and tested by yours truly.
For more period news, trot on over to my website https://woodfromthewoods.com/.
