1. What is a Kula Cloth?

A Kula Cloth® is a reusable pee cloth for hiking, backpacking, travel, and outdoor adventures—designed specifically for anyone who squats when they pee.

Instead of using toilet paper (and packing it out), you simply pee and pat dry. That’s it.

If you’ve ever wondered:
“What do women (or anybody who squats when they pee!) use instead of toilet paper while hiking?”
→ This is your answer.

It keeps you clean, dry, and comfortable outside, while also helping you follow Leave No Trace principles.

2. Who can use a Kula Cloth®?

The Kula Cloth® was designed for anybody who squats when they pee (or uses a pee-funnel)!  Some people use Kula as a handkerchief or a small washcloth.

3. When can you use a Kula Cloth®?

Short answer: basically anytime you don’t have a bathroom.

Perfect for:

• Hiking and backpacking trips
• Camping and overlanding
• Long road trips or van life
• Trail runs or alpine starts
• Festivals, porta potties, and questionable gas stations

Kula Cloth® is also perfect for: staying at home, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, mountain biking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, motorcycling, fly fishing, going to concerts, space travel, camping, rollerblading, skiing, golf, snowshoeing, ice fishing, horseback riding (not on the horse, mind you), underwater basket weaving, motocross, snowmobiling, archaeology expeditions, boating, quidditch matches, travelling, ice skating, sailing, spelunking, canyoneering, musical mountaineering, any type of running (trail, road, ultra), frisbee golf, yoga, ATV riding, treasure hunting, deep sea fishing, hunting, orienteering, curling, geocaching, rock climbing and... well... pretty much, you get the idea. 

4. What is Leave No Trace?

Leave No Trace is the ethical standard for any wilderness activity. As adventurers, it is our responsibility to protect and preserve our natural spaces. Many people carry toilet paper into the wilderness and scatter it - believing that it will simply 'disappear'. By using a Kula Cloth®, you are reducing the amount of toilet paper that you have to carry into the wilderness!

Here's a great video that the Leave No Trace center produced about peeing in the outdoors (with a celeb cameo from Kula!):

5. How do I use a Kula Cloth®?

It’s simple (and becomes second nature fast):

1. Pee like you normally would
2. Pat dry with the absorbent side
3. Snap it onto your pack to air dry

The other side is waterproof, so nothing soaks through to your hand.

Pro tip: squat about 200 ft from water sources and use a trekking pole for balance if needed.

Please note: the Kula Cloth is a toilet PAPER substitute for peeing… not a TOILET substitute. Please do not pee directly onto the Kula Cloth - it is meant to be used for drying off after peeing.

Here is a helpful video describing exactly 'How to Kula':

6. Is it hygienic to use a reusable pee cloth?

Yes—this is the #1 concern, and the answer is very yes.

Kula Cloth is made with:

• Antimicrobial fabric to resist odor
• Quick-drying materials
• Purpose-built textiles designed for hygiene

Translation: it’s way cleaner than using a random bandana or drip-drying.

Will it smell or feel gross?

This is what SO MANY people wonder!

And then… everyone tries it and says:
“Wait, why did I not do this sooner?”

The antimicrobial fabric helps prevent odor, and because you’re staying dry, you actually feel cleaner than using toilet paper or nothing at all.

7. Can I use a Kula Cloth™ if I'm having my period? 

Yes—you absolutely can.

Many people pair it with a menstrual cup for a low-waste, backcountry-friendly system.

The absorbent side is black, so it doesn’t show staining.
If needed, just rinse with biodegradable soap and hang to dry.

8. Why would I buy a Kula Cloth® when I could just use a bandana?

You can—but here’s the difference:

Toilet paper:

• Creates waste you have to pack out
• Can be messy and less effective
• Not great for Leave No Trace

Bandana:

• Not antimicrobial
• Not designed for hygiene
• Can get… questionable, quickly

Kula Cloth:

• Designed specifically for peeing outdoors
• Antimicrobial + quick-drying
• Reusable and eco-friendly
• Actually works better

9. Is it hypoallergenic and eco-friendly?

Yes—this is a huge part of why it exists.

• Reduces toilet paper waste in the outdoors
• Made with non-toxic, responsibly sourced materials
• Built to last for thousands of uses

It’s a small swap that makes a big environmental impact.

10. How do I clean it?

Super simple:

• On trail: rinse with water + a little biodegradable soap
• Hang to dry (sunlight helps naturally sanitize)
• At home: machine wash or hand wash

No complicated system required.

The Kula can be cleaned in a standard washer/dryer, but to protect the life of your product, please consider hand washing it. Also: no fabric softener, no bleach. Make sure to fasten the snaps on your Kula before you put it in the washer so that the strap does not get snagged.

For a more comprehensive guide, please see this blog post: How to clean a Kula Cloth!

11. Does the cloth show urine? Does it stain?

Nope.

The absorbent side is black, so it’s designed not to show stains.

If you prefer extra discretion, you can fold it using the snap, so the wipe side is hidden.

12. Is it disposable?

Kula is meant to be a reusable pee cloth! So, use it as many times as you would like. The idea of the Kula is to reduce our dependency on disposable products (like TP!). When you feel that it is time to replace your Kula, please clean it and simply bring it to a location that recycles fabric!

13. Will it contaminate my backpack/things that it touches?

No. The double snap feature allows you to snap it 'closed', so that the used side does not come into contact with your backpack or fanny pack or pocket or purse.  

It’s designed to:

• Clip securely to your pack
• Air dry quickly
• Stay clean thanks to antimicrobial fabric

If you’re extra cautious, you can fold it or store it—but most people just let it hang.

14. Does the Kula Cloth attract bears or cougars?

We’ve tested extensively in the Pacific Northwest and have yet to summon:

• Bears
• Cougars
• Sasquatch (tragically)

Like anything with scent, you can store it in a bear canister overnight if needed—but it’s generally a non-issue.

More likely would be the chance that the smell of salt (from urine) could possibly entice a goat or a deer. We recommend hanging the cloth in a tree (to air it out/dry), or keeping it away from any place where animals could be tempted to nibble it.  

Note: Our 30 adventurous testers reported zero Sasquatch sightings during field tests of the Kula.

15. Is it safe to have silver in fabric?

We feel very strongly that a product designed to reduce the impact on the environment should not cause MORE impact through the manufacturing process. If you would like specific data sheets regarding the silver, please contact us, and we will send them to you! 

• It uses silver ions (Ag+) rather than silver particles
• The product relies on bound silver so no free silver is released into the environment
• non-toxic, non-sensitizing, and non-irritating to human skin

16. Can I use the Kula for anything else?

We've seen people use their clean Kulas for a handkerchief, a sweat towel, a dust mask in Mongolia at a horse race, and a bug swatter. If it's clean, it's fair game - but once you use it to wipe pee, we recommend keeping it for only pee. If you bring two on a trip, you could easily use one for a small towel and one for a pee cloth.  If you have a paperclip, a piece of floss and a toothpick handy, you can also use it to make an emergency shelter (ok, just kidding).  If you find a unique use for your Kula, let us know - we would love to hear about it!

17. What if I need to use it in the middle of the night? How will I find it?

See that grey stripe of thread on the Kula? That's a special, high-tech retro-reflective thread! If you are on a backpacking trip and you need to locate the cloth in the middle of the night, you will easily be able to find it with the light of your headlamp. 

18. Is it weird to take photos of a Kula Cloth®?

Absolutely not! In fact, please do! Anastasia's dream of creating an intentionally designed pee cloth actually began when she was taking photos of her scrap of microfiber in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Please take photos of all the incredible places around the world that your Kula Cloth® gets to visit with you - and tag us on Instagram, #staykula, to be featured!

19. Why do all of the Kulas have poems on their page?

It has been a tradition since day one of Kula Cloth that founder Anastasia would write a little poem to celebrate the release of each new print. Although it is funny to say this - Kula is not really about the gear. Kula is about connection and community and about learning to listen to the little 'crazy ideas' that pop into your head... and following those ideas, instead of talking yourself out of them. That includes writing poetry about pee cloths. We hope you love the poems as much as we do!

19. Is the Kula Cloth really worth it?  

If you:

• Hate drip drying
• Don’t want to deal with toilet paper
• Care about hygiene outdoors
• Want to feel more comfortable peeing outside

Then yes.

This is one of those pieces of gear that people try once and then say:
“I will never go back.”