So Revolutionary: A Scientist’s Stand-to-Pee Story

Saj is an outdoorsy feminist who likes to defy stereotypes. She’s also a mom and a geologist who studies water resources in caves.

How did you come to use a stand-to-pee device? Have you tried different ones?

I came to use a pee funnel through caving. I know you’ve talked with some other cavers—there’s a need to pee in a bottle, because when we’re exploring a cave, it’s a sensitive environment. On the one hand, I may not want to have an environmental impact on the cave itself—and on the other, I don’t want to crawl back across my own pee later in the day!

So at some point I thought, “Oh! There is such a thing as a pee funnel, and it could make this activity easier and more accessible.”

It was a whole journey for me! [Laughs] In caving, we’re always trying to keep our gear super compact, super lightweight. The first pee funnel that I came across was a super lightweight, collapsible, silicone-style device. And those collapsible, silicone funnels are lightweight and easy to carry. But when you actually use them, if you have clothing, if you have any sort of awkward position—well, I had a terrible experience when it collapsed. I had practiced and planned, but I was deep underground wearing about three layers of clothes. It was a damp trip after that.

Afterwards through a series of conversations with other people and internet research, I ended up finding my way to the hard-sided plastic funnels, like the pStyle. And that ended up being such a better option.

I understand that you wrote and published an article in the National Speleological Society News about stand-to-pee devices! What inspired that, and what was it about?

My journey really started when I was much, much younger. I can remember camping, as young as ten years old, with my family, and just thinking, “Wow! This is way less fair, as someone with female parts trying to pee when bathrooms are limited!”

Then caving just took it to a whole new level.

I had that poor experience with the soft-sided funnel—You know, I had such high expectations. I was so excited about this concept, and then it just didn’t work. And I thought, there has to be something better. And that was when I started doing research.

My research of actually trying out different pee funnels was not exhaustive. I tried a handful. I was young and financially limited. [Laughs] So I found some things that worked for me.

When I wrote the article, it was as a result of my research, my journey, and a LOT of conversations with other women. I was thinking, “Oh wow, there are a lot of other women in my community who don’t know what the options are.” And so when I wrote the article, I approached it from the perspective of “Here are the things you should be looking for in this device, and here are a couple of brands that happen to work for me in case you just really want a shortcut, but please go out there and do your own research!”

I’ve been exploring caves for two decades, I’ve been on some really cool explorations internationally, I am a scientist, and despite those achievements, the thing that I seem to be most well-known for is the article about pee funnels! [Laughs]

Well, you probably helped a lot of women!

[Laughs] I like to think so. I hope it’s helpful. I will say, I have learned so much since I wrote that article. I actually took a look at it this week, thinking about talking with you, and there are a lot of things I would change now. I have so much more perspective. I find the ability to use a pee funnel so freeing, and so revolutionary for women, that it defies boundaries. There are so many other people who could find this device useful.

I love it when women approach me and say they appreciated the article, and especially when they tell me they’ve shared it with their friends. But what really surprised me was the number of MEN who approached me to tell me how much they liked it. And every man who approached me to talk about the article had a story about a female in his life and her experience with peeing in different situations. And that was so heartwarming, because any man who knows someone who would be helped by this sort of device should know about pee funnels too!

When were you MOST glad to have your device, and how has it impacted your life?

There have been so many ways I have been SO HAPPY to use this device. And I would say recently, I was most glad to have this device when I was pregnant the same year that the COVID pandemic hit.

I got pregnant shortly before the pandemic, and then because of the pregnancy, my spouse and I decided that I was in a high-risk category, so we were very careful with how we were interacting with other people.

But we were also traveling and taking road trips. So the first place where it REALLY helped me was being pregnant, needing to pee more often, and making a lot of roadside stops. Not needing to squat or bend over while pregnant is a really big deal. That was hugely helpful.

I still use it consistently on road trips! A quick pit stop on the side of the road for the whole family! [Laughs]

I also went backpacking when I was six months pregnant. And using a pee funnel was so much easier! I didn’t have to take my backpack off, I didn’t have to lean over, it was just a real quick stop. I was with my friend Mel, who actually designed a holster for her pee funnel. [Read Mel’s interview and check out her holster.]

How cool that you had that option while pregnant.

Thinking about that just gets me thinking about all the other ways it’s helpful! [Laughs] There’s this concept of equality in the availability of something so fundamental to our day-to-day life as using the bathroom. If you’re in a building with clean running water and working toilets, that’s great. And if you’re outdoors, far away enough from other people, that can be fine too, in terms of privacy. But it turns out there’s so much in between those two situations.

This has had a huge impact on my life. In caving, obviously, but also as a female scientist, working outside, dealing with limited accessibility to privacy or clean restrooms.

I have spent several years being really active with brass bands, one of which was all female and nonbinary. We would play music in the streets and in parades, and again, bathrooms were not very accessible at all. I ended up buying pStyles as gifts for the whole band! [Laughs] Everybody loved it.

It’s so fundamental and it helps so much.

I love those answers. That’s such a diverse set of uses for a pee funnel! Has it helped you as a parent?

There’s the privacy of using a pee funnel and a plastic bottle at a vehicle, where you can stand in between the doors—most people would have no idea what you are doing. It looks like you’re getting in the glove box. And as a parent who travels, that is huge!

Just a couple of months ago, we were traveling, and we like to stop for lunch at random playgrounds. We found a very nice playground, and it had a restroom… that was locked. [Laughs] For me, it was no big deal. I just got out my pee funnel, and I keep an empty plastic bottle in my vehicle, and I was able to be very discreet.

Discretion is huge. If you squat, you get your butt out, you get your vulva out.

Yeah! And I think there are some really scary stories about getting in trouble for exposing yourself in public, especially if you might be around children. Most people would not want to do that!

Outside of the caving community, which seems really open to pee funnels, how have people reacted to you using a stand-to-pee device? Have you had any pushback? Have you converted people?

I’d say cavers, other scientists, musicians, all the people that I’ve talked with—it’s been a mixed response. Maybe a third of people just say, “Oh that’s not for me.” Just immediately. Not even curious. They don’t mind hearing me talk about it. They think it’s a little funny. But they aren’t interested.

The other two thirds are all about it! They wanna ask questions!

And I have given so many pStyles as gifts. Because people might be a little reluctant, or maybe they don’t process the whole conversation, but when I offer to buy one for them, they get excited. [Laughs]

How do you keep it clean?

For day-to-day use, I just wipe it dry, and keep it in one of the cloth cases. I LOVE the cloth case. It stays very clean that way. Occasionally I might run the funnel through the dishwasher and I’ll run the cloth case through the washing machine. I’m fortunate to have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle. Otherwise I’ll just wash it by hand. It’s pretty easy for me to keep it clean.

What would you say to people who are afraid to try a pee funnel?

I would say try it out! Try it out at home in your bathroom, and PRACTICE. Practice a lot before you use it out in the world. [Laughs] It takes a certain level of attention and practice and experience in learning what are the easy mistakes.

For me, I need to really secure the device, and then it comes down to expecting what it’s going to feel like.

What do you think are barriers to people in the general public using these devices, and how can they become more widely accepted?

In some ways, it’s knowledge. If people have never heard of a pee funnel, or had a reason to think about it, they wouldn’t have encountered it. And some people may not need it, like if they are comfortable with the availability of bathrooms, and/or their own physical capabilities.

And then there’s social, cultural unwillingness to talk about going to the bathroom. In my family, we are very open to talking about that sort of thing. I’m very comfortable talking about bathroom topics. And it’s an essential part of my humor! [Laughs]

The topic makes a lot of people uncomfortable. They might think of it as impolite. And they certainly don’t want to talk about the details.

And the only way to overcome those barriers is to talk about it more! [Laughs] But don’t push it. If people are uncomfortable, I drop it.

I think this topic resonates with niche communities because we have a reason to be looking for an answer.

I’d love it if pee funnels were known about just casually, outside of niche communities.

That makes me think. I was in an airport one time, and a women’s restroom was closed, so there was a men’s restroom that only women were using. So it had the urinal troughs. And there’s this big line to use the stalls. And I thought, “Wow, if I could just get away with using my pee funnel in the trough, I could get in and out of this bathroom so much faster!” But I can only imagine the response of a line of women! Who knows what they would think was happening if I just went and used the trough?

Wouldn’t it be cool if we got to a point where pee funnels were widely known about, so that that could be acceptable!

I’m in complete agreement. I would like to see urinals in women’s bathrooms, for people who use pee funnels, for trans women, for little boys coming in with their mom. But that’s a ways in the future!  

[Laughs] Yes, a long ways!

Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences?

Yes. I strongly recommend stand-to-pee devices for access and equality, and for dignity, in being able to pee when we need to. In my mind, being able to pee with convenience and dignity is part of staying properly hydrated, which is an essential part of our health. We need this access to stay healthy. I hope that everyone finds a solution that works for them and that no one experiences that limitation on their activities.

Thank you Saj! Learn more about caves and the National Speleological Society at caves.org. Get a pStyle (and a case) at thepstyle.com. Want to share your story? gostandingup@gmail.com or Share Your Story!