A hands-free doggie poop bag solution?

October 27, 2017 12:18 PM

I am looking for a solution for carrying used poop bags when I skijor with my dog.

I skijor behind my dog and would like a better and non-gross way to deal with bags of dog poop while I do. I have been just carrying them for miles, but that is *really* awkward when skate skiing with poles in my hands and there's enough motion that one of these days something is going to explode on me.

The dog is wearing a harness and running really hard so can't really wear a pack I could slide the bags into. I'm wearing a harness, too, that is about waist high.

The solution that mushers and fellow skijorers in my area seem to have is just not picking it up, which is...not awesome. After races, the organizers send someone back over the course with bags, but that is more extra solo skiing than I want to do; none of the trails we can do are loops so it could literally be 4 or 5 extra miles. I don't really want to ruin a backpack for this but maybe I should?

Anyway- would love to have an idea for a solution that won't be super-icky. What have your creative minds got?

posted by charmedimsure to Pets & Animals (15 answers total)

Double-bag.
posted by notsnot at 12:20 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Could you wear a cheap belt-bag (fanny pack, bum bag, whatever you call it) around your waist that you could put the dog poop bags in?
posted by erst at 12:22 PM on October 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Maybe a chalk bag that climbers use? It can be worn around your waist or across your chest, or attached to something with a carabiner. You could line it with a small trash bag and use the drawstring so you don't have to look at it/smell it.
posted by AFABulous at 12:27 PM on October 27, 2017 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: CHALK BAG! When I was imagining a solution in my head it was something like that, only I didn't have a name for it there. That is totally a smart thought and I am pretty sure my harness has a nylon loop I could attach it to.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:35 PM on October 27, 2017

When we go on long hikes that won't have us looping back, one of us wears an old EpiPen insulated fanny pack that we repurposed as a poop receptacle. It's insulated, which keeps the gross to a minimum, and we use poop bags with handles that we can double knot to prevent leakage. And when I say we "wear" it, we usually just clip it to the back of our packs. So the person who scoops the poop just walks to the other person's back, unzips the bag, and deposits the nasty. The insulated lining is easy to wash and doesn't absorb, uh, spillage.

I picked up this pack at a conference, but they're for sale--we have this exact one in black.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:35 PM on October 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Those "chalk bags" are also sold as bait bags for dogs, and for a LOT less.
posted by HotToddy at 1:09 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

You can also browse other kinds of bait bags--they're all designed to open easily and close securely, many with rigid metal frames that snap open and closed.
posted by HotToddy at 1:11 PM on October 27, 2017

Call me cheap, but I often just hang a double-bagged plastic grocery bag off my backpack somewhere, then pick up with normal poop bags and dump them in there. You could probably attach that to your harness pretty darned securely. And bonus: free!
posted by nosila at 1:19 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

You say the dog can't wear a pack, but does the harness that you use preclude your wearing a small pack? Like, something simple like a "string backpack" that is used only for holding poop bags that could be lined with a grocery bag and that is easily washable on a period basis.
posted by drlith at 1:20 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

I’ve met service dog users who have a bag clipped to the the leash or harness so the bag containing the poop sack is neither on the human nor the dog. Like this: leash luggage. But based on the video you posted, the leash is in for some heavy jostling.

P.S. That looks really fun!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:16 PM on October 27, 2017

Ive found, that, double or even tripple bagging with the small poop bags, while a bit wasteful perhaps, really contains odors and gives me greater peace of mind. I reccomend tripple poop bagging then pop into a clippable chalk bag.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:51 PM on October 27, 2017

You can store the poop bags inside an old plastic peanut butter jar - or if you have a larger dog, maybe one of the plastic containers that protein powders come in - which will eliminate any gross explosions inside your backpack. If odor is an issue, add a couple of teaspoons of baking soda to the plastic container.
posted by gin and biscuits at 3:53 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My dog and I did canicross before she got arthritis in her lower back. “Standard” solutions for attaching the bags to a lead don’t really work because the harness doesn’t fit with a pack, and you don’t want something smacking the dog or flopping around on a bungee line. On days we didn’t wear a camelback, I used a ‘training pouch’ (meant to hold treats) attached to a SPibelt. I double bagged with fairly thick dog bags (Earth-rated non scented is the brand I use) and never had issues with gross, even in the summer heat. Also, she makes a relatively compact mess so the weight and volume were negligible.




(Unrelated to poop storage, but I really like Musher’s Secret for keeping dog paws happy and healthy when -joring.)
posted by chaostician at 10:22 PM on October 27, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks, all, for getting me on the right track. Just ordered a drawstring top bag on Amazon for $7, pretty sure it will work and I can definitely just clip it to my harness with a biner...just needed the right search terms.

P.S. That looks really fun!

It really, really is- it’s both our favorite thing in the world. Praying for a good snow year.
posted by charmedimsure at 10:37 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Update: tried it this weekend, it worked great!
posted by charmedimsure at 7:06 PM on November 20, 2017