I got a FreeTom, and I also felt that it was too big to pack with and too difficult to use as an STP. I will probably sell it eventually--right now it just sits on a door. I have been with a lot of guys, so when that thing came out of the box I was like "SERIOUSLY?!
This is what you call average sized?" (It was actually one of the smaller ones, but it was huge compared to 90% of guys, especially in width. So basically, I didn't find it worth my $350, but I know some people love them.
I wouldn't mind trying another STP packer that isn't porn star sized, though...
My favorite STP is the Go Girl. It is well designed, cheap ($10 on Amazon), and I actually have a lot of female friends who use it, too, when they don't want to sit on public toilets or when they're out in nature. It's easy to use, and it now comes in khaki so you no longer have to pee with something that is hot pink, lol.
As for peeing without an STP... That didn't work too well for me. Though urine is technically clean, it's still not fun to accidentally get it all over yourself, and that's what tends to happen when I try to pee standing up without an STP. Sometimes it's a success, sometimes it's a failure. I eventually just gave up on that. Plus it leaves me wanting to make jokes about golden showers...