Does anyone know about portable trash compactors that successfully can be taken and used while hiking? If so, what are some brands and web addresses of their retailers or manufacturers.
Thank you.
Lisa Stewart
Does anyone know about portable trash compactors that successfully can be taken and used while hiking? If so, what are some brands and web addresses of their retailers or manufacturers.
Thank you.
Lisa Stewart
If the song “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere” is true, then is it also April 1st somewhere? I desperately hope so.
Nimblefoot
I have one it really works great, only down side is it is a little heaver than a baggie so I think I will carry alone baggies and leave the compactor home. If you decide to take one alone anyway you will have to have a long extention cord they have not perfected the solar panel as of this writting. Hope this helps
Chicken Feathers
I bring 2 compactors with me on all hikes. By the end of the hike they’re beaten up but, still work.
Captain K-man
It would then seem that the best way to carry them is to strap them to your hiking poles.
Nimblefoot
Thanks, Nimble. Do you think this would also work for my toaster oven and drip coffee maker as they are about the same weight / size?
bugleboy
I am so pleased my question question about trash compactors has amused several of you. I write patent profiles for everything from oligoribonucleotide probiotics to cross-shaped see-through cremation urns. I agree with your jokes, because I rode my horse 3,000 miles across country in 1982 over 8 months of camping out, through the Wind Rivers, Uncompagre, Flaming Gorge, Red Desert and down town major cities, four ranges, four deserts, seven states. I get how silly the compactor sounds, but I must do my job!
Lisa Stewart
I laughed too when I read this thread, so just for the heck of it I decided to see if in fact anyone has ever patented portable trash compactors, specifically one geared towards backpackers. Amazingly enough, this is what I found:
"Backpacking in remote areas of the country has long been a popular outdoor activity. When backpacking, people carry everything they need for backcountry living with them. This includes shelter, food and water. In many cases, backpacking is a pleasant experience. However, like home living, there are some inconveniences. In the backcountry, there are usually no trash receptacles. The standard rule is “if you pack it in, you must pack it out.” Although backpackers do travel light, they can produce a bulky amount of trash. This is often inconvenient to carry as the amount of trash increases as the hike continues. Plastic trash bags serve as a useful way to hold trash, but they can be damaged. This can cause undesirable problems, such as trash being dumped on a trail or liquids to leaking out into a backpack.
Two devices that deal with trash storage in outdoor locations are found in U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,109 to Hokoana Jr. discloses a frame that can be suspended. The frame holds a plastic trash bag, which can be suspended by a hook on the frame. A cover can also be used to cover the trash within the bag. Although this device is designed for home and garden use, it can be used by backpackers to hold trash. The problem is that the backpacker is then left with a large plastic bag full of trash to carry out, with all of the problems mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,643 to Cordova teaches a camping clean up station that includes a water jug, cups a towel and a small disposable trash container. The problem is here that the trash container is again, a small plastic bag that simply holds trash."
Almost There '01