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TinkleBelle Review:
Female Urinary Accessory

By Diane Spicer

This TinkleBelle review opens the door for female hikers to pee standing up.

It explains both pros and cons of using this female urinary accessory on a hike.

But first...

A few disclosures in this
TinkerBelle review

There is no affiliate relationship between TinkleBelle and Hiking For Her.

The stand-to-pee accessory in this TinkleBelle review was received free of charge.

All photos and opinions in this review belong to Hiking For Her, and are shared with you so you can determine whether or not this unique piece of hiking gear belongs in your gear locker.

You can check the current price of TinkleBelle on Amazon (affiliate link).

This TinkleBelle review begins with
the obvious question

What's a female urinary accessory? (sometimes called a device, or FUD)

On the mental level, it's freedom!

• As TinkleBelle says, #letpeedomring

On the physical level, it's a reusable plastic urine collection device which directs your flow away from your body in one stream, just like male anatomy does during urination.

Let's look at how it does that.

TinkleBelle design

As with any other piece of hiking gear, the place to start is with a look at the design of the Tinkle Belle.

There are two parts to note:

• the rigid hard shell trough which contacts your body
  
• the flexible, long plastic spout to direct urine away from your body
  

Both of them are composed of antimicrobial materials, and are  hydrophobic to repel fluids.

Don't overlook this cool design feature: the soft gray lip bulging out around the turquoise hard shell (see it in the photos above and below?) acts as a "squeegee" to direct any lingering drops into the spout.

Here's the gravity assisted TinkleBelle design:

• Using both hands, press the trough up against your body. It won't collapse as you exert pressure.
  
• Point the spout downward as you urinate into the trough.
• The thumb rests (see blue dots by left thumb & forefinger in photo above) give you a good grip as you direct the flow of urine.

You can keep your pants and underwear up around your hips - hurrah!!

Just nudge your panties to one side, with other clothing tucked beneath the trough.

Imagine how great it will be to avoid cramped muscles from squatting, plus skipping cold breezes, mosquito bites and raindrops when you have to pee.

• Was that another hurrah I'm hearing?
  

Benefits of using
TinkleBelle technology
on a hike

The obvious benefit of a stand-to-pee device is preserving your modesty in a situation where there are no handy rocks or bushes to crouch behind.

Terrain like this, where you never know who's above or behind you:

Another nice thing about having the TinkleBelle along on your hike: you can shorten your pit stop time because you don't need to remove your backpack or fumble with clothing.

• This is important when you're on a schedule to reach a campsite by dark, or have to rendezvous with other people for transportation or a resupply.

But here's an additional benefit for your well being, and it's my favorite one to share with you:

• Having the TinkleBelle short circuits the "I don't want to drink any more water because I'll have to pee soon" game we all play sometimes.
  

This is a real advantage for a female hiker, because holding urine for extended periods of time can set up conditions for a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Depriving yourself of water also leads to miserable dehydration headaches, poor digestion, less blood volume for a hard working heart to pump, and muscle cramps.

You don't want to run the risk of those events on a day hike or backpacking trip, right?

So relax!

You can stand up, discreetly move your clothing aside, and let 'er rip.

TinkleBelle review:
personal experience

In my long and varied trail experience, there are two types of female hikers:

• Those of us who absolutely hate to squat to pee
• Those who don't mind dropping drawers and getting into that deep knee bend several times per day
  

I admit to being in the latter group, but I'm also curious about what it would be like to pee like the guys.

Plus, hiking terrain and weather conditions sometimes require extraordinary measures for locating a pee spot.

So I tried out the TinkleBelle first at home.

• An aside: It gave me a bit of empathy for the male "aim" problem, well known to anyone who has to clean the bathroom while simultaneously raising male toddlers.

Once I had the logistics worked out, thanks to the helpful brochure included with the device, I clipped it to my backpack and was ready to do a trail test.

I found out right away how important it is to stay mindful about pointing the spout downwards, regardless of what you're standing on or looking at.

Don't hold the spout straight out from your body, or (heaven forbid) upwards.

Gravity wins every time!

Another tip:

• Catch the last drops of urine on the lip with an upward, forward motion, keeping the spout still pointed downward until everything drains out.

I'll leave it to you to figure out creative ways to direct your flow for rock painting or dirt signatures ;)

Something else I noticed

That's why you need this maneuver:

• Fold the gray, flexible spout back under the rigid turquoise trough.

To do this, separate the soft gray sides and bend them backwards. You won't break them!

You could also just bend the flexible spout to one side and alongside the trough, but you risk leaving a crease in it that would work against you the next time you use this device.

So it's recommended that you fold back and underneath, especially for long term storage.

Keep it handy

That's easy to do if you use the carrying case provided.

The interior of it is plastic lined.

And there's a lightweight carabiner (see the metal loop with spring loaded clip in photo above) for securing it to your backpack or pants.

This attractive carrying case makes a discreet way to carry TinkleBelle on a vacation or business trip, too.

• Why not avoid that "wet toilet seat" icky moment in public restrooms?

Downside of using
Tinkle Belle

So let's confront something head on.

If you're uncomfortable with female anatomy, especially words like "urethra" and "vagina", you're going to need to let that go in order to use this device successfully.

The fact is, you have internal plumbing compared to male hikers, which makes outdoor peeing a bit more complicated.

In addition, you have a lot going on in the small, forward facing space covered by your underwear.

• Your urinary system voids liquid wastes to the exterior via your urethra.
• Your reproductive system terminates right behind it, in the vaginal opening: babies, menstrual flow, intercourse.
  
• Your digestive system's terminus for voiding solid wastes is also here, located a bit further back from both of those openings, but not by much.
  

That's why you need to place the wide end approximately under the center of your vaginal opening in order to avoid leaking or spills.

Tips:

• Start with placing the trough further back than you think you need to. You can always adjust it forward, but the opposite might be problematic in mid-stream.
• Use the thumb rests to widen the upper part (trough) if you need to create a wider receiving area for large amounts of urine.

A few how to tips

Practice in the shower (the TinkleBelle is waterproof) until you figure out how to do the two thumbed maneuver with skill and confidence.

It won't take long!

If you're not sure where things are, view this TinkleBell YouTube video, which begins with a diagram of the location of the three openings described above.

Be sure to do this

You'll have to clean this device at some point, which some hikers might find an inconvenience at the end of a long day on the trail.

On the go In the field, just shake off the urine and put it back inside the carrying case of your choice.

A large resealing plastic bag sounds good for multi day backpacking trips, with a spare one just in case.

If you have water to spare (backpackers need to be careful with clean water rations), pour some from your water bottle through the trough and spout for a quick rinse before you stow it.

• You could also wipe it off with a pre moistened disinfecting wipe, if you're dealing with an infection or want an extra degree of cleanliness.
• The wipe becomes trash, so please carry it out.
  

When you get access to soap and hot water, give your TinkleBelle a good sudsy going over, then let it air dry.

All ready to *ahem* go again!

(Seriously, I never realized until just now how many puns one can make with words in normal conversational English.)

Cost considerations
in this TinkleBelle review

One way or the other, you're going to need hygiene supplies as a female hiker.

• Hiking For Her tips here

If you carry toilet paper or pre moistened wipes, you'll have both the cost and the hassle of packing them.

And they have to be packed out as trash.

They're not going into the recycle bin, either.

If you purchase a dedicated microfiber towel or bandana as a pee rag, you have to be sure you don't mix it up with your other ones.

• And you'll have to clip it to your backpack and hope for a sunny warm day to get it completely dried out and odor free.

Now consider this.

The TinkleBelle is a one time cost of $27.50 (at the time of writing this review).

• Check current Amazon price here

For that price, you receive a reusable device, along with a  machine washable carrying case and free first class shipping.

In addition, there are helpful "how to use" steps in writing and videos to shorten your learning curve.

I'll let you arrive at your own fact based decision about whether this stand-to-pee accessory makes sense for your hiking plans.

Tinkle Belle review
conclusion

Now you know all of the reasons why I recommend that you take a look at TinkleBelle.

It's a trailworthy piece of gear: convenience, modesty, good price point, reusable technology that you can use when you travel, camp and hike.

And here's the big punch line:

• It solves the problem of where & how to squat by giving you the freedom to stand up.

Makes good female hiking sense!

But there's something else
you should know

Your purchase helps TinkleBelle support a foundation which maintains orphanages for girls in second and third world countries.

There are zero overhead and zero administrative costs in this foundation, so all of the money supports education and skill building to assist girls with very little chance of a normal life.

• Read more about the TinkleBelle mission here.

So stand up to pee, my trail sisters, for all the right reasons!

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TinkleBelle Review