Urinating standing up? I’ve tested the La Marinette standing peepee

How is La Marinette used?

The Marinette is a pee-debout (also known as a urinal or portable urinal) designed to solve a recurring problem for women. That of urinating when circumstances don’t allow you to hide or squat easily.

For example, in mountaineering, climbing, trail running, hiking or cycling, when you’re having trouble finding a spot out of sight, whether because of the lack of vegetation, the number of people in the area, the configuration (hanging from a harness on a rock face!) or quite simply… the lack of toilets at the start of a trail run when you really need to get there quickly before the start (those who have already taken part in races will know what I mean!).

The Marinette allows you to urinate standing up, without having to strip off your clothes.

Features

• Material: polypropylene, rigid with soft edges
• Dimensions: 210 mm X 43 mm X 41 mm.
• Weight: 17g
• Made in France
• Machine washable at 65°.
• Colors: black, pink, mauve, blue, turquoise or green

Full Marinette test

Getting started

I first tried it in the shower, as recommended, to get the hang of it, which was a bit intimidating at first. First sensation: it’s weird to pee standing up, you have to push more than when you’re sitting or squatting and… It splashes a lot, given the height, which is a bit out of the ordinary! Of course, on the shower tiles, this is not the normal situation 😉

I found itquite easy to use from the first time, although I had to be careful not to have too much flow, as I got a bit carried away. There’s still room for improvement, but perhaps I was a little too dynamic 😛 Once I’d dealt with that, there were no leaks, it was easy and never happened again.

Once I’d finished, I also did the test of sitting on the toilet and there was actually urine left to evacuate that I didn’t smell when standing. This remains a big point of vigilance, as explained above!

Use

Practical to use . If there’s a fly, you can put the Marinette directly through the fly (which is more or less easy, depending on the pants, so it’s best to unbutton them too!) If there isn’t, you can pull down your pants/shorts/shorts, which still leaves you less naked than when you have to squat with your buttocks in the air.

Next, place the Marinette against the vulva, taking care to position it so that the urinary orifice is level with the wide part of the pee-debout. Here’s a little anatomical reminder on the diagram below, to avoid placing it too far back, for example 😉

Next, wiping requires a certain dexterity to remove the piss-debris while placing a handkerchief or wipe. It’s not so simple at first, but it’s easy to do. I just recommend having your handkerchief in your second hand.

A reminder about tissues and wipes: NEVER throw them away. Take a small waterproof bag with you (a freezer bag, for example) and take them home to dispose of.

Cleaning and storage

Marinette’s material is odorless, retains no moisture and is easy to wash, even on the move. Once you’ve used it, just shake it to squeeze out the last drops, rinse it (long live water bottles) and wipe it dry if possible, then store it in its pouch.

Different types of pouch are available: the basic one (which costs just €1 more) is made of cotton, but there’s also one made of absorbent fabric on the inside and water-repellent on the outside.

Once at home, it can be washed with soap and water, and even machine-washed up to 65°.

In terms of storage, the material is rigid, so it can’t be folded, but it doesn’t take up much space either, given its dimensions. It’s easy to slip into a backpack, or even a trail bag depending on the model (in one of the larger pockets).

Tips for use

• Always carry tissues or wipes with you, to wipe yourself AND the pee-debout after use. And a small, watertight bag to dispose of them in, but not in the wild!
• As men know, you have to be careful… which way the wind blows!
• Pay attention to the floor too: a soft floor limits splashes… Otherwise, keep your feet well apart!
• If you’re in a dress, try tying a knot in the front so you don’t have to deal with peeing, holding Marinette, wiping AND blocking your dress that decided to fly off 😉

Conclusion

To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel particularly stressed about peeing outside. I always end up finding a quiet corner, and at worst, if someone catches a glimpse of my bottom for a few seconds, I’m not traumatized. I’ve never had to stop myself peeing because of it, and I don’t climb from a harness for hours on end, so my personal use of La Marinette will remain extremely limited.

On the other hand, if you’re a climber looking for a solution to urinate while on a rock face, if it’s a stressful subject for you, if you tend to hold back or, worse still, to hydrate less to avoid pee breaks, then La Marinette may be of interest, as it’s practical to use once you’ve got the hang of it. Be careful, however, to use it only occasionally, for the well-being of your perineum!