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Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit Review: Compact Poop Tech!
In his latest video, Neil takes a look at the all-new Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit, an impressively compact and light trowel system that contains everything you need to do your business in the woods. Find the full Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit review video here…
If you know me, you know how serious I am about my poop tech and how much I enjoy sharing the latest and greatest when it comes to this very important part of bikepacking. In today’s video, I take a look at the all-new Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit. Watch the video review below, and scroll down to see a written version, photos, and a list of pros and cons.
What Is Pact Outdoors
Everyone poops, right? And when we’re out in the woods, far from a pit toilet—or any toilet, for that matter—we’ve got to dig a hole and do our business. That is, unless you’re in a place where you’re required to pack it out. I know some folks like to rag on me for doing this, but in certain areas, it’s required. Still, I’m not here to talk about that, I’m here to talk about a pretty slick little kit from Pact Outdoors.
A few years ago, I interviewed Noah, one of the co-founders of Pact, which you can find linked in the Further Reading grid below. Pact is a tiny operation, just Noah and Jake, who started the company during COVID after repeatedly hearing about the backcountry poop problem. They realized there wasn’t a good all-in-one solution for digging a proper cat hole and handling everything else with sustainability in mind.
That’s when they came up with a compact kit that helps you dig, start the decomposition process, and kill bacteria like E. coli with their mycelium tabs. And on the cleanup side, their compressed wipes have you covered. Its make a lot of sense for backpackers so, naturally, it works really well for us bikepackers too.
I’ve been using the original Pact kit for the better part of three years now, and while it works great, I’ve always had one gripe: size. It’s a bit bulky, even with the clever 3-in-1 design (shown above).
Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit
Enter the Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit, a super compact system that fits in the palm of your hand, weighs just 60 grams (2.1 ounces), and still has room to carry PACT tabs and wipes, enough for up to three uses. It’s a solid option for weekend missions or just to stash on any ride—just in case.
Unlike the original system that relied on a bungee cord and slotted sleeve to hold the mycelium tabs and wipes, the new version uses a lightweight aluminum body with a threaded trowel head. Each end of the body unscrews to reveal storage compartments: one side holds up to nine PACT tabs, and the other fits seven wipes, which is good for about three full uses. I was actually able to squeeze in 10 tabs and eight wipes, and all told, the whole thing weighed 81 grams my scale.
One thing I liked about the original Pact system was how ergonomic it felt compared to a basic trowel, and this new version carries that over. It feels solid in the hand, with a shape that’s easy to grip. There’s a flat spot on top for your thumb so you can dig with more force, and the etched surface adds grip while accessing the tab and wipe compartments. Plus, it’s long enough to get 6–8 inches into the ground, which is the goal when digging a hole for your waste.
The trowel head threads off and stores over the body, keeping the whole thing just 10 centimeters long by about 3 centimeters wide. One thing to watch: make sure both end caps are fully tightened. This compresses the O-rings just enough to hold the trowel head securely and rattle-free. I’m slightly skeptical about the long-term durability of the O-rings, but I’ve only used it a handful of times so far, so I can’t speak to that, one other things is to just make sure the threads stay clean when installing the trowel head so you don’t accidentally cross-thread it down the road.
In Use
In use, I was really pleased with how well it dug into the ground. In wetter soil, I noticed some build-up toward the top of the middle, but it didn’t stop me from getting a proper hole dug. The trowel head does a solid job of getting deep enough with a somewhat sharper tip, and while it might take a little longer than the original Pact trowel, the small size means it takes up virtually no space in a frame bag, or wherever you stash it, which makes bringing it along a no-brainer.
From here, all you need to do is drop three mycelium tabs into the bottom of your hole, do your business, add a touch of water to the wipes so they unfold into the full 9” towel, wipe, toss them on top or pack them out, and cover everything up with the soil you dug out. The original kit included a little hand sanitizer spray bottle, which this version doesn’t have, but I still bring a small bottle of sanitizer that’s easily accessible on my bike for multiple uses.
- Model Tested: Pact Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit
- Actual Weight: 81 grams (including tabs and wipes)
- Place of Manufacture: China/Colorado
- Price: $40 at REI
- Manufacturer’s Details: Pact
Pros
- Super Compact and light
- Unique style of thread-on blade
- Still features built-in spots for PACT tabs and wipes
- Pact system helps breakdown poop faster with no harmful chemicals in wipes
Cons
- Only stores three uses worth of tabs and wipes
- Trowel is not as wide as others, which might make it slower to dig
- I worry about durability of O-rings
Wrap Up
This has turned into my go-to trowel. Even if it only holds enough for about three uses, is super light and compact, and just makes a lot of sense for bikepackers. Plus, it comes with 20 bathroom wipes and 60 mycelium tablets, so you can refill it or toss in a few extras if you’re heading out on a longer trip. It’s even a great option for day rides. I know a few folks on our team could consider using it for daily duty (pun intended), so it’s exciting to have a smaller, more compact option for day rides. The whole kit costs $40, and if you’re unhappy with it, Pact’s lifetime guarantee means you can return it for a full refund.
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
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