Venturing into landscapes where temperatures plummet to -40°C presents unique and dangerous challenges. For women, a simple toilet break can quickly become a significant
Great follow-up — for women in –30 to –40°C conditions, the advice becomes even more important, because exposure time is usually longer without a system.
Here’s what women actually use in Arctic / polar / winter expedition conditions:
✅ Best solutions for women in extreme cold
1. Pee bottle + female urination device (strongly recommended)
This is by far the safest and most practical setup.
How it works:
- Use a female urination device (FUD) to direct urine into a bottle.
- Keep most layers on — you only open a small gap.
- Go quickly, seal bottle, re-cover immediately.
Common, proven devices:
- Shewee
- GoGirl
- Freshette
- PStyle (very popular with polar travellers because it’s rigid and works in extreme cold)
Pair it with a wide-mouth bottle (Nalgene style).
Why this is ideal:
- Minimal skin exposure
- Works standing, crouching, or kneeling
- Can be used in a tent or storm
- Much lower frostbite risk
2. Clothing setup matters a lot
Women who regularly travel in Arctic conditions usually modify their clothing:
- Drop-seat / zip-seat base layers (huge help)
- Two-way side-zip trousers
- Avoid complex belts, bibs, and tight harnesses
- Practice at home with full winter layers on
Being able to create a small opening quickly is as important as the device itself.
3. If going directly on the ground (last resort)
- Turn away from wind.
- Dig a shallow hole in snow (reduces splashback).
- Lower clothing as little as possible.
- Be extremely fast.
This is what causes most cold-injury problems, so it’s not recommended at –40°C.
🧊 Important cold-weather specifics for women
- Skin freezes extremely fast in that area.
- Urine can freeze on contact and glue fabric to skin.
- FUDs prevent splash and freezing accidents.
- Stay hydrated — urinary urgency actually protects against hypothermia by keeping circulation active.
🎒 Highly recommended kit
- Rigid FUD (PStyle is most cold-reliable)
- 1–2 wide-mouth bottles clearly marked
- Antibacterial wipes
- Small towel or cloth
- Spare thermal underwear (seriously)
🏕️ Night-time and tent use
Many women keep:
- Bottle + FUD inside the sleeping bag
- Headlamp already clipped
- Bottle stored outside vestibule after use so it freezes solid and doesn’t smell
🧠 Bottom line
For women at –40°C, a FUD + pee bottle + quick-access clothing is what winter expedition teams use. It turns a dangerous situation into a routine one.
If you’d like, tell me what kind of trip this is (tour, expedition, hotel-based, camping, skiing, dog sledding). I can suggest a very specific setup so this doesn’t become stressful when you’re out there.
