GoGirl Female Urinary Device
Test Report

Initial Report 11 October 2009
Field Report 5 January 2010
Long Term Report 24 February 2010
 
Name: Dawn Larsen
Age: 49
Gender: female
Height: 5' 4" (163 cm)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Email address: vicioushillbilly AT yahoo DOT com
Florence, South Carolina USA

Backpacking Background:
I used to backpack in college a zillion years ago and just in the last few years have backpacked some private trails in Tennessee, Missouri and most recently South Carolina. I have been an avid car-camper for eleven years and I have kayak/canoe camped for four years, both in South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. I use a lot of the same equipment for both. I hike hilly/rocky trails especially in Missouri (my home state) and Arkansas. I live in South Carolina and am busy checking out the terrain here with my sixteen year-old son.

Product Information
Manufacturer:  Go-Girl
Year of Manufacture:  2009
URL:  www.go-girl.com
Dimensions of tube:  3.75 in (95 mm) x 1.375 in (34.93 mm)
Dimension of the device unrolled:  6.5 in (152 mm) x 4.75 in (121 mm)
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $6.99 US
Colors:  Lavender in a pink tube and lavender in a camouflage tube
Made in USA


Initial Report
11 October 2009


Product Description

The GoGirl is a reusable medical-grade silicone Female Urination Device (FUD), akin to a funnel, that allows a woman to pee standing up.  The GoGirl came with a set of instructions; an informational brochure with a sticker; and a tube containing the Go-Girl device, a baggie, and a tissue.



Instructions:  They are easy to read and told me exactly what I needed to know in order to use it.  There is an illustration of how to hold it when using it, which I think is most important.  As well, there are instructions about cleaning, storing and disposing. The instructions for rolling it up to store in the tube were confusing to me. There is a video that showed me how to do that on the website. Once used, it should be washed and dried, then roll it up with a new tissue and baggie (the instructions say a fold over sandwich bag works great too) and insert it in the tube.  
 
I appreciate that the baggie is biodegradable and that the device can be used "hundreds or thousands of uses."

Initial Impressions
Weeeeeee (pun intended). Seriously, I think this thing is a miracle.  I used it the day after it came in the mail.  It was absolutely user friendly.  The instructions suggested that it should be practiced with at home before "taking the show on the road."  I'm for a product that reflects a sense of humor. They suggested trying it in the shower first, but I decided to be brave and try it in the toilet.  Wow, how liberating.  I hit the target better than my 16 year-old son ever does. And it is flexible enough to allow me to actually aim.

The GoGirl can be used once or multiple times. The instructions state that after I use it, I should shake it and it will dry quickly.  I did and it didn't dry all that quickly, at least not completely on its inside, in 10 minutes.  The instructions state that I should wash it with soap and water and that I can even put it in boiling water.
 
I am carrying this fabulous little device EVERYWHERE:  to public restrooms like the one at the Blumenthal Center where I went to use the toilet at intermission after a little old lady had used it and sat in her pee (why do old ladies insist upon peeing on the seat???!!!!!); in the woods like when I went to squat and looked down through my legs only to realize that I was peeing on a big snake; traveling like when I had to squat over a hole in Belize and was afraid I was going to fall in; or especially at gatherings like Burning Man where the morning game was to find the best portable potty, the one that was still wet from the morning's cleaning.
 
What I Like So Far
It WORKS!!!!
 
What I Don't Like So Far
It doesn't dry as quickly as the instructions led me to believe

---

Field Report
5 January 2010

Field Conditions and Use

I decided that I would organize the field report according to where I have used the GoGirl so far because I absolutely think this product is a miracle.  This thing is a MIRACLE! (did I say that already?!)  I can't stop singing it!  Not much has changed since the initial report except that I have used it and used it, probaby nearly twenty times.  It's also big fun to show it to people (not in use, mind you) and explain what it does. It is very shocking to some people!  An 85 year-old female friend of mine looked at it and said, "That is amazing!  Do they have one for men?...Oh, I guess they kind of grow their own."  Hey, this might make for a good short film!  

Camping:  Since it is small enough to fit in a backpack, it goes with me hiking and backpacking always.  The carry tube is not crushable, but since this device is so important to me, it deserves special room in my pack.  See the Day Hike section below, however.  The first time I took it out camping in South Carolina, for some reason, I had to pee twice in the middle of the night and it was 36 degrees with me in my long johns.  I was sleeping in a hammock and I got out, put on my boots, pulled down the front only of my long johns, placed the GoGirl to form a seal, and did I go, girl... I can't tell you the feeling I had standing there in the middle of the night looking out at a lake and peeing.  I just wanted to wake someone up and show them.  No more cold hienie!!! Yes, I had to "shake it" while still "sealed,"(I questioned my gender for a moment there), but that way I didn't dribble.  I put it in its baggie until I had to go again about 3 hours later. Same success!  I camped in a tent during this reporting period, as well.  I usually do not have to get out of the tent. Instead, I just pee in an old water bottle.  The GoGirl makes peeing in an old water bottle much more successful--every time.  I also just finished an overnight backpacking trip in Missouri.  Now that I have this device I can't ever imagine backpacking without it!  

Every Day Use:  I can't tell you how thankful I am that this device is small enough to fit in my purse.  I just drove 1000 miles home and back for the winter holiday and there was a wreck that stopped traffic for 30 minutes.  I got out of the car and found a spot in the trees.  I used it in rest stops, gas station bathrooms, and restaurant bathrooms.

Day Hikes:  The tube is a little cumbersome in a daypack or fanny pack.  So I just took the device out of the tube and put it in a Ziplock freezer bag. Since the silicone is so pliable, it crushes to fit very well in a small pack.

Kayaking:  Same as camping.  Fabulous.

Biking:  It has come in handy to allow me to take off in the woods and do what I need to do.

Geocaching:  Once again, in the woods, works great!

Cleaning:  I cleaned this device once in the top rack of the dishwasher.  It did just fine, although people that I told about it were kind of grossed out.  Come on! It sanitizes the dishes, so it all comes out clean.

What I Like
It works!

What I don't like
Except that it doesn't dry as fast as "immediately," I really like this product.

---

Long Term Report
24 February 2010

Use and Conditions

I used the GoGirl in this 2 month period approximately 10 times:  4 times on a 3-day camping trip in South Carolina, on 3 dayhiking trips, and at least 4 times in public restrooms. The weather for the camping trip and the dayhikes was clear and about 50 degrees F (10 C) during the day and about 40 degrees F (4.4 C) at night.   It is absolutely holding up after multiple uses.  No discolorations, signs of wear, and I have carried it in its tube every day except when I carried it in a baggie on the 3 hiking trips.

Conclusions

I still think this product is a MIRACLE!!!!  I had such fun testing this thing (is that weird?!).   The only thing different that I discovered during this section of the report was on a hiking trip.  I wore hiking pants with an elastic waist, no zipper/fly, and they were not as stretchy as the long johns that I typically sleep in when I camp (see the field report section).  So I tried to "go" while on the trail (it was during the week and there weren't any people around). I found a tree and tried to do the same "pull just the front part of my pants down so my butt would not be exposed trick" like I did while wearing stretchy long johns.  Well, it was a good thing the hiking pants were quick-dry.  Since the pants had more loose material than the long johns and they were not as stretchy, nor did they have a fly that would allow "access" to the part of me where the GoGirl should be placed, I wasn't able to position the pants completely out of the way of the pee stream... so I dribbled, sort of a lot.  When wearing hiking pants like that again, I am going to have to pull them down past the end of the GoGirl, which will expose my backside.  

Summary

I will continue to keep this product in my purse, backpack, bike bag, and daypack.  I am taking students to Burning Man again and told all the girls that are going, to absolutely purchase one of these.  

What I liked
It works!

What I didn't like
It doesn't work as well with all clothing items.


This concludes my long term report.  Many thanks to GoGirl and Backpackgeartest.org for allowing me to test the GoGirl Urinary Device.