I see most comments are made by women and a few men's comments were either "gross" or making jokes. As a fellow man we shouldn't feel tabooed or grossed out by this. As an adult, it would make things a lot easier for my wife if I was aware of how these things work when we're enjoying the outdoors. I would feel like an ass if I told her that's your thing go do it I'm just gonna stay here minding my own business. No. Be a team player. Also, be thankful that you don't have to go through these.

I love-love-LOVE that you avoided euphemisms or apologies in this video. It was super refreshing to see someone talking about periods like an adult and actually discussing the realities of bleeding in trail (including using the actual word 'bleeding' and blood' lol). Really appreciated the gender neutral language too, what a great video. Rock on!

I've got to love how unfiltered and unstigmatized ANY topic is with Miranda. I appreciate that it, that there is NEVER any shame to it, it's always straight to the point and it's real talk and all you need to know.

Im a HUGE fan of period panties! I also use the cup on the lighter days when im not cramping. One tip i have is to get a small squeezy bottle, like the ones you can put ketchup in, fill it with water before you go to change. Its like a mini bidet, You can rinse your cup, rinse your bum, rinse your fingers and theres no waste. They cost about a dollar at Walmart or a kitchen store. Sorry if this is TMI. I also bring my smaller hot water bottle in my pack for nighttime. The panties i use are from My Moon Time, you can get 7 pairs for $70 or 3 pairs for $34. They wash out so easy with Dr Bronners soap and dry super fast in sunshine. Using both at the same time is pretty much bullet proof. I can hike for a long while and i stay dry and comfy until i have privacy and water.

The puns were great! Thanks for taking it seriously (including the puns). You didn’t treat it as taboo. It’s refreshing. Ladies have periods. They are complicated. Talking about it without hesitation is important.

So happy to see this information being shared publicly! My first backpacking trip, I had a male teach me about how to manage my period in the woods (so embarrassing). My period routine for backpacking is diva cup and portable bidet (basically a small squeeze bottle of water) keeps everything fresh, and a kula cloth to dry off. Staying clean on the trail just makes the trip so much more enjoyable.

Pro tip if you're set on using disposable products - the o.b. tampons without applicators are super small (and lighter) to carry... even if you need like 40 for a week!

Really great video! Thanks for not being hesitant and squeamish about saying 'blood'.

There's a product made of silicone that is called a "Pixie Cup Cup" and you can fill it with water to rinse your cup, and I also use it to store my cup when not in use. It's a game changer.

As a dad of daughters this is a great video! Thank you. P.S. your other videos are awesome too! Yes, I am from New Hampshire and we actually say "awesome"! ;)

Thank you for covering this topic so unashamedly. I am the Scoutmaster for a female troop of Scouts and this is one of the topics we've had to address. One of the fathers posted this video in our group. So thank you for talking about this topic in a straightforward no nonsense manner!

Fantastic and truly meaningful work! As a Dad, this gave me a great opportunity to sit down with my tween daughter and address the subject and how to go about managing it. Thanks for the introduction and THANK YOU REI for addressing such real world issues! So PNW of you!

Thank you for addressing this issue! I'm a female to male transgender and not currently taking testosterone, so, yeah, periods. Planning a through hike on the AT for 2021. I'll definitely look into these new found options for myself. And, yes, totally appreciate the gender neutral references.

I have always put Baking soda in my zip lock bag for trash so I can put the used products in there to help with the smell and any liquid. Then if the bag gets a hole in it it is much easier to clean up.

"Come with uter-us and we'll help you enjoy the pm essence of the great outdoors!" Oh my goodness I am rolling. Gotta get the tears out of my eyes so I can keep watching!

Thank you for creating this series, and sharing your beautiful spirit and knowledge. I am starting backpacking and I was really unsure until this video of how to manage it. My fear is gone, thank you!! ❤️

You are only the second person Ive seen cover this topic. I see others have never seen any of this information before. So this channel has helped many in just few shows. Great Job Miranda!

Love that this video didn’t “prime” anyone by opening with something like “not everyone wants to know about this stuff but...” blah blah blah Just casual and straight to the point, as it should be. Great video Also “burying blood” sounds bad ass

Thank you for this video AND for using inclusive language! Great, necessary content.

I learned so many things in this video and comment section, holy cats! Id never heard of a scrubba or portable bidet but as someone who uses period underwear already, I feel a lot more prepared about the notion of using them while dispersed camping or out hiking, wow! Thank you for making this! Between this video and Miranda's video about Sawyer water filters, spending time outside feels so much more accessible to people who arent cis men and I'm grateful to yall for making such a welcoming and informative space ❤

Thank you for covering what I’ve never seen covered on any other channel as far, for new hikers

I carry a little squirt bottle of water and a "black flag" which is simply the sleeves my husband cuts off his tshirts. They are perfect for reusable cup cleanup.

Such a good video! Thanks for not shying away from a very obviously important topic when it comes to backpacking! Also “you’re going to get blood on stuff” it’s not a big deal. Yay for periods and awesome bodies! Thanks for the great tips!

Good informational video. All us dudes need to watch to understand what's going on.

thank you for this! Being a human who has periods, this was super enlightening for me! 💙

Thinx has a reusable tampon applicator to pair with applicator-free tampons. If you're someone who prefers tampons, it's a great alternative that is more packable + eco-friendly.

Miranda, You are AWESOME! Thank you for being such great help to so many people, in the absolutely wonderful way, that is YOU! :)

So lovely of you to refer to people who have periods instead of a gender-specific term! A small, kind thing!

When you said "You gotta get blood on stuff, it's totally ok, it's just part of your natural body's process" for some reason that totally blew my mind. Like, when there es a tiny spot of blood on your sleaves or whatever - screw that! Nobody would think you're disgusting, had you stained a shirt because of a cut in a finger or something....!

Thank you, Miranda! You’re awesome and I love your videos!

Thank you so much for this awesome video and your openness and advice for traveling while menustrating! First video I’ve seen to touch on this! It is much needed!

Man, I got more out of this than I thought I would for an autoplay feature

Life saver. You are a life saver❤️❤️ I feel so much better about this little trip

I've never seen a video like this before but I've always been unsure how to go about hiking, camping, etc. while on my period. Thank you for making this!

Thank you for this video! I've recently switched to a Diva Cup to make backpacking easier in that regard and also because it's just so much better for the environment! It is so helpful to get all these tips from a human who has dealt with it!

Awesome job!! I love that Scrubbah bag- looks really fun 😄

I love how straight forward your videos always are! Your videos are a staple for any tips I need for bikepacking/touring. I have also transitioned to reusable products, and appreciate tips from other menstrating humans for such a messy time of the month for us :) I typically have to combine a cup with a thin liner in my chamois for biking. Thanks for covering this topic!

Scrubba amazing! I used to wash my clothes in trash bags when camping on a bike tour

Somehow I’ve never been camping or hiking while on my period so it literally never occurred to me to think about this. Great info, Miranda!!!

This is great, thanks Miranda

going on my first hiking/backpacking trip in a few weeks and i’m supposed to be on my period then. this video is a life saver!!!

Thank you Miranda! Love your videos!

Love how frank you were talking about this! Some blogs I've read that address periods on the trail do it in such a vague way or use so many euphemisms that I can't actually figure out what exactly they mean lol!

Best video! Thank you so much for normalizing periods!

OMG this is great. What a great job tackling the subject...especially the puns 😂.

Reusable cloth pads like 'Cozy Folk Cloth Pads' work great on the trail during your period or as an incontinance safeguard. Various top fabrics available but I prefer the sports knit topper as it is cool, very thin, dries fast and is antimicrobial. Lots of cloth menstrual pad makers on Etsy. Cloth menstrual pads are handy as a menstrual cup back up or as a full on period pad. A great leave no trace and zero waste option.

Period cups are life changers, my fellow women. They. Are. So. WONDERFUL once you get the hang of them. Changing your cup twice a day instead of every 4-ish hrs is so beautiful. You can't feel it at all. You don't have that wet string after you pee. You don't have the discomfort of the tampon on low flow days or if it comes down a bit. Even if you don't care about the environment or you don't hike or whatever, just try a cup. There's a questionnaire on the inter webs somewhere to find your perfect fit. Just do it! It won't get stuck up there. Don't worry about that.

I love my cup, but I'd be too squeamish to put it back in without washing it due to possible bacteria. I have three so if I'm out and about, I can simply change it, put the dirty one in a baggie and wash it (or boil it) when I'm able to.

Great video! Just a warning for those ladies with IUDs: a menstrual cup can dislodge your IUD if you're not super careful (or even if you are careful), which is not something you'll want to have happen on the trail as you'll need to seek medical attention! Period panties might be the better option for you unless you are experienced using a menstrual cup while having an IUD.

Thanks for this content. Very valuable info.

Very helpful! Went backpacking on my period for the first time and was like WTF?! WHAT DO I DO?! Great video!

Although this doesn’t apply to me Great video, very well presented. I love the puns. Also comments are good for the KZfaq algorithm.

Omg, thank you! I've always wondered how other menstruating people do this. Thanks for talking about it!!!!

Thanks for the good info and for keeping the language gender neutral!

Oh my got those puns were amazing.

(A good low-waste tampon brand is o.b.) This is a great video for every female outdoor enthusiast to show her friends. Not every part of camping is glamorous, but it can be approached with preparedness and a positive outlook (when you get back from a trip you get to go for a spa day, no questions asked)

YAS! Love my Diva Cup! :)

Wow talk about the most helpful of videos. Every time I read stories of women doing long hikes or week long camping I always wonder how do they do it if it is during their cycle? Like when Cheryl Strayed wrote in her book about her PCT adventure, she mentioned it a little bit about how she dealt with it but didn't really talk much about the whole aspect b/c probably the editors were like "ew gross, no one wants to read that." BUT I DO! I want to someday do the PCT and I don't want a monthly cycle to get in the way. Especially with modern day reusable methods, the cleanliness and disposable aspect of it was a worry. So, Thank you Miranda and REI for addressing this in a way that was hella informational and not cringe-y but rather just matter of fact. I would have never known to bury it or that it may still be required to take it back out or how to deal with cleaning the clothes should they get stained.

Awsome video! thank you 🤩

I love using water to clean myself on my period. It really gives a clean feeling 🚿

Thanks for this informative and humorous video! I totally made the mistake of trying my Diva cup for the first time on a 3 week trip in the Patagonia backcountry and could NOT get it out. I was with a bunch of strangers, many of them who spoke little English. I was thinking I was going to figure out how to ask for help, but then after 5 mins of panic I figured it out! I use a reusable Flex cup now, as I find them easier to remove. I also like to bring unscented baby wipes for clean-up, which I pack out in a Ziplock bag.

This was so helpful but I would have to stay home and not go backpacking but these tips do help in an unexpected situation

Thanks for your info! However, backpacking on my period just sounds like a nightmare. Great video

Thank you for being so inclusive and knowledgeable! 🌈

If you really want to use a traditional tampon, I would suggest o.b. applicator-free tampons to be the least bulky for any sort of travel and least amount of waste. But Softdisk/Lumma/Nixit reusable cups and period panties are the way to go.

Great information. I'd love it if you could include reusable pads in the next video :)

Hi love your channel

I am a male healthcare professional. I decided to watch this to be more informed, since that is part of my job, also to try to train-out the mental block that they put in our brain when we are born a boy. The level of discomfort I feel is embarrassing. I will try to do a better job when talking about this things with my children so they don't feel it is a taboo subject.

Incrível este vídeo, ainda não assisti aqui no Brasil algo semelhante. Muito bom e Parabéns! Scrubba Wash Bag MINI, infelizmente não existe para comprar aqui no meu país. Incredible this video, I haven't seen something similar here in Brazil. Very good and Congratulations! Scrubba Wash Bag MINI, unfortunately it doesn't exist to buy here in my country.

tampons in zip locks and the air sucked out, as well as pads or panty liners, fit very nicely in the bladder holder pocket inside your pack.. compact and out of the way. :) They seemed to fit down in the bottom which worked perfectly on my short PCT, and the Camino.

Gotta love that man-splaining at the end, though! lol

If you only use pads try a reusable pad over your period or regular panties. You'll need 3 to 5 per day depending on your flow and the size you get to change then you can wash and dry them as you change. Happy hiking!

I just want to extend a thank you for having this video be completely gender neutral. "People with periods". Yay, REI! Yay, Miranda!

I cant use cups so I use the nixit disc :) I use water to rinse mine instead of tp. I haven’t been in any place I couldn’t rinse. Great video!

This is an extremely informative video! I learned about camping from Boy Scouts, where obviously they don't discuss feminine hygiene. But now that I'm older and doing more group trips with women as well as men, it's helpful for me to understand and appreciate the issues women deal with. I saw a comment on a different video from a woman who burns her used tampons in the campfire at the end of the day (when everyone is going to sleep) so she doesn't have to take them with her. Have you tried this? Is this something you would recommend? Thanks for another great video. Glad I came across your channel!

As someone who can't use a menstrual cup, I strongly recommend OB tampons. They have no applicator so they're smaller and easier to carry and they generate less waste. But they're super easy to insert and no messier than a menstrual cup on insertion (and you can pack them out super easily).

Sometimes it’s just so complicated and uncomfortable, that I mostly prefer just not to hike when on my period… But yeah, It can unexpectedly catch you during the trip, and you better got to deal with it. Thanks for your advices

Omg!!! I should have TOTALLY not been eating my pot noodles with this!! Ommggg!! 🤣🤣🙈🙈 And I'm a woman!! Damn! Kinda grossed out! But also, I'm really grateful that the topic is addressed!! I haven't been hiking enough to be able to have the two collide, and tbh I haven't even thought about it!! But if I do, then I would just take my no uplicatore tampons which are SOOOO much smaller than that garbage (in grey tubes packets) and geep them in a sealed bag!! For me the period cups are a total disaster!! And won't go for them again!! The last thing I need while hiking is being uncomfortable and unsure! Lol But good video!

Thank you so much for making this video! Do you have any advice for safety as a woman on the trail?

There are reusable cloth pads like Glad Rags which you just wash. The downside of that is the extended drying time due to the multiple layers of fabric. The same is true for period underwear. Dr. Bronners peppermint Castille soap is the best at removing blood. It comes in unscented too.

I love my cup! I would probably carry feminine hygiene wipes on me during my period to clean the cup and myself and just plan to pack those out. Usually I pair my cup with period underwear and if that we're the case I would only pack one pair but if I was just packing period undies without a cup I would pack two-three pairs so one can dry while I'm wearing the other. My heavy days are also accompanied by paralyzing cramps so probably wouldn't plan on hiking as much that day. Thanks for sharing these tips and normalizing talking about period care and etiquette. I just wanted to add that the heavy flow days are usually paired with terrible diarrhea for most people. If burying your period blood sounds like too much work remember you would probably end up using your trowel anyway. :)

Great info, love it, use it,... also disposable products after use need to be stored at night away from critters. Reusable all the way people

Yes best to have lots of practice using menstrual cup and get efficient with using it. way before you go on your trek . Also they have to be cleaned properly to prevent nasty infection .

Great video, Miranda! What a miraculous world we live in!!! As a man, I found this very informative, adult, and humorous in a good way. You did an excellent job of explaining the female menstrual process issues on trail and how to cope with it with several options that help the “leave no trace” ethic. LADIES...what say you? Explain to this single Jewish early middle aged guy the feminine mysteries of your hiking and camping adventures. Biology is a beautiful thing. Makes me wonder and think about the medical history of how women have dealt with and women and men wrote about menstruation [the emoji for this according to my cellphone is a blood droplet], which we can all research at the National Library of Medicine where I work. And yes, as male Jews like me say every morning, thank you for not making me a woman.

I love those small pocket tampons. If you buy the super sized ones and small thin panty liners, you should only need 1 to maybe 2 a day, depending on if you’re more susceptible to toxic shock.

We are women, hear us roar! Thank you for this! This is a realistic and important conversation to have. I appreciate the info. A little bit of blood can’t stop us from enjoying the great outdoors 🏔

Thank you for this.... awesome with humor and no one provides help with this. You did, though. YEAH --- I am lucky because I no longer have this problem!! :}

just as a laundry tip, a little spot rinse of hydrogen peroxide goes a long way on blood. you could probably pack in a mini bottle

Great video. In Australia and NZ hardly anyone uses those gigantic applicator tampons. I tried the cup years ago but chose the wrong size and found it extremely difficult, messy and traumatic to remove.

When you mentioned making sure you're hands are clean.... What I like to do is wash them with soap. But sometimes that's not plausible and you might not have any on hand. As an alternative, if you do have hand sanitizer, I will do the following: use a little bit of water to get rid of dirt on my hands, use sanitizer, and rinse with water once again to get rid of the dried off alcohol. This is because I use a cup and not tampons. And since not all bodies are created equal, having to use your fingers is necessary for some of us and we need to.... (what's a suitable word?) dig in there to get the cup out. On a side note, what cruel places make women carry out their blood instead of burying it? And why? Animals menstruate and humans are animals. It's a natural process.... Unless it's like High Sierras where they also make you carry out your poop in certain spots, but that's the only time I can see that happening. Anyone know where else they do this and why?

I tried the "Scrubba" or something like it when traveling and wasn't a fan--I found a collapsible bucket (from REI) to be more effective (hands for agitators) and took up less space.

I like your intro 😅😌

Ace topic. I love menstrual cup (I'm a guide, outdoor eder and recreational bushwalker). I've got questions about leave-no-trace inconsistency. You recommend burying your blood from your cup, but then went on to recommend washing out menstrual undies WITH SOAP and presumably pouring out onto the ground. Also, if you were to carry out blood, a small jar would probably work pretty well. Opaque, or stored in a sock. I'm not convinced that blood is a problem on the surface in most environments, just like urine And, it's possible to rinse your menstrual cup water in the field, water bottle?

if your are using tampons/pads, track your usage for a few month while at home ... less guesswork about how many you will need when packing

Does REI sell this leakproof, waterproof, smell proof, reusable bag? Also, I have heard mixed things about the period panties for hiking (they don’t dry very quickly, heavier, soak up sweat). Do you have any recommendations or does REI sell any leakproof underwear? Thanks for a very helpful video!

Thanks for the information. Definitely more sensitive to my partners field requirements.

You can also ask your GYN about medications to delay your cycle or how to take your birth control to delay your cycle.

😊

I wish my periods weren't so heavy and horrible, I'd use a diva cup. I really want to go backpacking longer than a couple days with my SO, it sucks when you're on the time of the month so bad, you have to stay back. I don't want to have the weight of all my feminine products with me, and the diva cup is a no go due to heaviness. 😫 the struggle.

I've been trying to find underware to have specifically for my period. I looove those undies, what brand are they? Where can I get them?