Diapers for a one month expedition?

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babybroooke

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  1. Diaper Lover
  2. Incontinent
Hi all,
Ive never heard of anyone mentioning something like this but has anyone ever been on a hiking expedition for a month in diapers?

Im flying to south America at the end of november for a one month "expedition" which includes a 6 to 7 day hike and just experiencing the new culture. im pretty excited about it and was wondering if there are any advice to myself, a semi-incontinent 24/7 diaper wearer?
 
I'd probably take 2-3 cloth diapers or all-in-one cloth or pocket diaper with cloth inserts.
Wear one, and have 1 clean and 1 drying in rotation.
I would not recommend disposables on a backpacking trip.
 
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Are you planning to purchase IC products in-country, or are you bringing them along? Are you doing pack-in, pack-out style hiking/camping, or do you expect to have access to garbage along your route?

International trips are one type of challenge. Camping/hiking trips are a different kind of challenge. This combination of the two requires quite a bit of thought and preparation.

For many people, international trips tend to be longer than domestic trips, so you are going to need more supplies. Depending on how much luggage you are allowed, you may find that it is easier/cheaper to buy products in the country you are traveling to. This is going to mean that the people you are traveling with are likely going to find out about your IC. I suppose that is if you are using a full brief-style diaper or a pull-up diaper. If you are using guards or something, then maybe you can take enough for your whole trip. I'd try to find somebody who has lived in, or visited the country(ies) you'll be visiting to see what types of IC supplies you can find in country. When I lived in Brazil many years ago, you could get adult diapers in most any drugstore. The quality was on par with the quality of drug-store diapers here in the states -- meaning, not awesome, but workable. So it would be good to know in advance what types of products you can expect to find in a typical drug store, so you can see if it is easy to get something to meet your needs. You may find that it is more economical to ship a box to your first hotel/destination in country with your diapers and IC supplies. But be aware that many hotels charge a fee to receive a package for you, so there is that.

Now going camping/hiking is a whole additional beast to consider. In this scenario you need to consider several things: (1) disposal and/or storage; (2) privacy; (3) dealing with leaks. Let's take these one at a time.

When hiking, you need to know if you are going to have access to get rid of your used diapers. Will there be garbages along your route? Or will you need to pack out everything you bring in? If there are garbages, then this is pretty simple. However, if you are going to have to pack out everything you bring in, you need to think about a couple of things. First, how are you going to pack the used diapers to control the smell? double-layer zip-lock bags? Don't forget to pack them. Second, a used diaper is going to take up more volume in your pack than a dry diaper did, so you are going to need space. Third, a used diaper is heavier than a dry diaper. A week's worth of wet diapers is going to be very heavy in your pack. You need to plan for how you are going to handle this, depending on the access you'll have to trash facilities during your hike.

Second, this is not going to be easy to keep hidden from people you are hiking with, which may seem kind of obvious considering the previous discussion of storage vs. disposal. If you traveling companions don't know about your IC, it would probably be okay to bring it up when you are discussing trip planning. Most people will bend over backward to make things easier for you in cases like this, and I think it is going to cause you significantly more stress to try to keep it hidden during the trip. Your mileage may vary, but it is at least something to think about and be prepared for.

Speaking of privacy, let's talk about making plans for leaks. Ideally, you would want to mitigate the leak factor by changing regularly. However, this ties into the packing issue where you have to pack in enough product to meet your needs during your trip, and you may have to pack it all out, so you may be tempted to go longer than you should between changings. Don't do it. You do not want to be dealing with a rash down there while you are hiking. (But you should also bring something like Desitin in case you DO get a rash.) To mitigate all of that, maybe you will be tempted to drink less fluid during your trip. Don't do that either. Your body needs the water, especially when you are hiking. So, if you are drinking plenty of water, and you are trying to strike the correct balance between time between changings, you need to consider what you are going to do if you have a leak. A leak in your pants will be embarrassing, but you can change clothes fairly easily. You are probably going to want to be wearing some kind of compression short or onesie to keep the diaper in place while you are walking. If you are using a compression short, that will help with the daytime leaks before they show up on your pants. However, you also need to consider the possibility of leaking while you are sleeping and getting your sleeping bag and sleeping pad soaked. What is your plan if that happens? You can't just roll it up and deal with it later, because that is going to be a stinky, disgusting mess. But you are going to have trouble airing it out long enough to dry, depending on your location, your schedule, and your traveling companions. Again, I don't know enough about your trip to provide specific advice here, but it may be something you need to consider.

All of this sounds like I'm thinking worst case scenario and discouraging you from taking your trip, which is not my intent. I'm just trying to provide some things to think about as you make your plans. I think you can have a successful, rewarding trip, and wish you the best.
 
If you have been trained to use a cathiter and a collection bag by your doctor you could use that for your backpacking time, it would be easier to deal with as all you have to do is empty the collection bag.

I have never worn or used one but on a multi day hike taking enough diapers will be an issue. If you have a support car that's bringing you tents and supplies to designated camp sites then you could send your supplies with them.
 
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