If you "need" to buy these products, maybe camping isn't for you.

I guess I'd rather step a few more feet off the trail and drop trou than carry a pink plastic oversized ice cream/urine scoop thingy. 

But if it makes your girls more comfortable getting outdoors, then that's cool:) 

Somehow mine manage without, but they pee outside a lot. A lot.

OK.  Excellent points.

Snakes and scorpions--I'm out. Kudos to you for even going.  I'll send you a pink thing.

This.^

I don't have a splatter problem, and the squatting is good to go.  I guess I'm not that modest either.  I don't just drop my pants anywhere, but if someone came up on me--meh, no big deal. 

Scorpions and snakes are a different story.  Teejay, all the snakes I can think of would get the hell away from that if it was coming down--probably get away from you and the trail just from footsteps approaching, right?  Unless it was cold?  Are there aggressive scorpions?

Military or extended camping is different.  I guess I'm thinking about car camping or backpacking.  These items just seem like more stuff that doesn't need to be made and doesn't need to be bought.

OMG!!! FOUR times stung by a scorpion!!!!I would never sleep in the bed again!!! Or wear a robe!!!

That being said- we squat here in this neck of the woods.  I would probably feel more weird about someone seeing me use the pink thing that coping a squat to pee. Personally, I also would rather squat than put something with pee on it back in my pocket given the choice. Not that anything is wrong with it, and if someone is comfortable using it I say go for it!

Another thought about the portable toilets- I think a lot of preppers shop Cabellas & other camping gear and that looks like something one might advocate for a long term survival situation at home, because theoretically if the water gets cut off & you choose to stay you have to go '2' somewhere & you cant risk contaminating your area 

But yeah, for an average weekend camping trip? A little much!

Preppers--how could I forget about them!  Of course. Don't they all have composting toilets that can be hooked up to diesel generators?

We have an outdoor bathroom set up for groups of kids that come out to the farm that is a 5 gallon bucket and a toilet seat in a teepee. We call it the peepee teepee, though we usually encourage them to peepee out and about and save the teepee for bigger business.  Pretty cheap compared to the Cabela's version.

I can't imagine that carrying a toilet, no matter how portable would be preferable to good old squatting.  I always end up spraying a little on shoes or socks...ah well.  I'm in the middle of the woods, just rub some dirt on it, all good.

As for those hiking where a squat could lead to a scorpion stinging your lady parts, astronaut diaper perhaps?? 

Good boy!

There are a few good ones in there.  I'm a back country camping kinda girl.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll car camp, but my first choice, by far, is self-contained, preferably a few days away from a trail head or point of resupply. 

If you can hike for a whole day and not see or hear another human, that is a good day.  It's getting harder to do.

And I have never been there.  I have heard great things though.  When is the best time of year to go?  Isn't there a period to avoid because of mosquitos or black flys or something?

Do you float or hike when you go to the Boundary Waters?