Potty Question

[kermit4u]

any suggestions on what to cover a porta potty with if there is no cabinet to fit it in. I'm not keen on sliding on under the table/bed

[accrete]

Hi all, thought i'd share my wife's and my experience with the potty thingy

We've camped in various forms for all 30 of our years together. We both came from outdoorsy/backpacking backgrounds and we're used to "roughing" it. . . then we purchased our first adventure rig; a 2009 A-Liner. All the trimmings for making a comfortable camp including a Thedford cassette toilet C403L. It had a 5 gallon holding tank that my wife and i would _fill up_ in just under 3 days. The Thetford 135 has a ~3 gallon tank, so may need to be emptied more frequently if used by two adults.

AND because of the frequent need to empty, and being out in the middle of nowhere due to our dry-camping preference... we began researching other options.

And what did my McGirlver 21st century 100% civilized and sane wife come up with??

A 2 gallon bakery frosting bucket under a toilet seat (a clone of the PETT folding seat)


Now inside our rigs we use one of two things:

first rule...We do our best to never mix liquid with solid. (If we were to install a commercial potty we would most likely go with one the popular "Urine Separating/Diverting Toilets" currently on the market.)

For now this works great for us:

1) If in an area that has to have _approved_ waste disposal then we use commercial "Wag-Bag" products. OR if our home-made-wag-bag will do...

2) We line the bucket with a bio-degradable bag. Put ~a cup of arm&hammer kitty litter in the bottom... We then cover each solid use with a cup of litter. We empty each bag before settling in for the night when the rest of the _trash_ is taken out.

What do we gain by going the _separating_ route?..Nearly unlimited dry camping because we no longer have to find a dump site/toilet facility to empty our Thetford.

Thom

[carlkeigley]

Oh, the good ol' days of finding a tree.
Squat, make sure leaves aren't poison ivy.
Kick debri over it. And off ya' go.
Those were also the younger days with good knees.

[Rpryor3]

Originally Posted by accrete

Hi all, thought i'd share my wife's and my experience with the potty thingy

We've camped in various forms for all 30 of our years together. We both came from outdoorsy/backpacking backgrounds and we're used to "roughing" it. . . then we purchased our first adventure rig; a 2009 A-Liner. All the trimmings for making a comfortable camp including a Thedford cassette toilet C403L. It had a 5 gallon holding tank that my wife and i would _fill up_ in just under 3 days. The Thetford 135 has a ~3 gallon tank, so may need to be emptied more frequently if used by two adults.

AND because of the frequent need to empty, and being out in the middle of nowhere due to our dry-camping preference... we began researching other options.

And what did my McGirlver 21st century 100% civilized and sane wife come up with??

A 2 gallon bakery frosting bucket under a toilet seat (a clone of the PETT folding seat)

Now inside our rigs we use one of two things:

first rule...We do our best to never mix liquid with solid. (If we were to install a commercial potty we would most likely go with one the popular "Urine Separating/Diverting Toilets" currently on the market.)

For now this works great for us:

1) If in an area that has to have _approved_ waste disposal then we use commercial "Wag-Bag" products. OR if our home-made-wag-bag will do...

2) We line the bucket with a bio-degradable bag. Put ~a cup of arm&hammer kitty litter in the bottom... We then cover each solid use with a cup of litter. We empty each bag before settling in for the night when the rest of the _trash_ is taken out.

What do we gain by going the _separating_ route?..Nearly unlimited dry camping because we no longer have to find a dump site/toilet facility to empty our Thetford.

Thom

Same here. When we were looking for a trailer I wanted a toilet built in for sure. Ended up buying my Campster with no toilet so we had to find a solution. Ours is damn near the same.....only a five gallon Home Depot bucket with a toilet seat that snaps on. We use heavy duty biodegradable trash compactor bags( about five times thicker than an average trash bag...absolutely no holes or leaks) and some "Johnny cat". Works amazing well and is so much more convenient than campground bathrooms. After I got my setup I started hearing people tell me "be glad you didn't get a trailer with a cassette toilet....the seals dry out and they stink after about a year." This bucket solution is just so simple, quick, clean and easy.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by accrete

Now inside our rigs we use one of two things:

first rule...We do our best to never mix liquid with solid. (If we were to install a commercial potty we would most likely go with one the popular "Urine Separating/Diverting Toilets" currently on the market.)

Thom

Gee. Thanks for the information.

baglo

[santacruzer]

My all-time favorite...The Bumper Dumper

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by santacruzer

My all-time favorite...The Bumper Dumper

It seems like the hard part would be climbing out the back window at high speeds.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by santacruzer

My all-time favorite...The Bumper Dumper

I'm no expert, but that is GENIUS!

[santacruzer]

Alas, I wish I could say I had the patent on it! Full name is Uncle Booger's Bumper Dumper, and you can even buy a T-Shirt. American Ingenuity.

[accrete]

on the seat + bucket... this is our first season with the three legged seat thingy...before that we had the luggable-loo toilet seat on the 2 gallon bakery-frosting bucket (the opening fits a 5 gallon lid/loo seat but is closer to the ground...wife's pick).

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

It seems like the hard part would be climbing out the back window at high speeds.

The same thing could be said about crawling back into an all-molded TOWABLE while under tow

[Gilda]

Yes, it's a delicate question, but one we must all deal with. We have the Dometic brand "sanipottie" that Scamp sells. I thought it would be helpful for you to see a copy of the Owner's Manual but the Scamp link to it does not work, nor can I find it online. Scamp Trailers - Owners Manuals Camping with the Scamp was my first experience with a porta-pottie. Following are some of my comments/tips. Warning: This may be more than you want to know, but it's exactly what I wanted to know but did not know to ask.

• Yes, it's a bit short and tricky to use if you have bad knees. It might be a good idea to make a 4-6" high box of wood with 3 sides that can store on top and be used only when you bring it out.
• Guys, it's impractical/messy to stand using this pottie; better to sit, sorry.
• We keep the pottie in the designated spot under the front "sofa".
• We put a rug sample under the pottie to make it easy to slide it out easily without scratching the cabinet floor. (note: we also have an area rug on the "kitchen" floor.)
• Best to use pottie for #1 only as it's much easier to dump/clean.
• Two toilet paper rolls can be put on an IKEA toilet brush stored in the pottie cabinet.
• Scott brand toilet paper breaks down easily.
• Don't put flushable wipes in our sewer systems. Read about it here Flushable wipes clogging sewage systems? - SFGate
• We put the toilet paper or wipes in a flip-top garbage can. No toilet paper makes it easier to dump.
• You may dump into most flush toilets but NOT most pit toilets because the chemicals mess with their chemical balance.
• We prefer to dump in a toilet in a stall. This keeps the experience more private and doesn't require great aim! Lift the seat, flush, pour, flush again. Done!
• We rinse the tank with clean water at the dumpsite or with a handheld container of the water for that purpose.
• Do use the chemicals recommended (or a bit of laundry detergent) to keep down the smell.
• I don't think I'd like to have the pottie under my bed, just sayin'.
• I agree with others, dump every 3 or 4 days. It's difficult to tell when it's full and I don't want any surprises!

Hope these comments help. Good luck with your choice of "loo".
Happy Camping!
Gilda (Jill-da)

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Gilda

Yes, it's a delicate question, ....... Good luck with your choice of "loo".

Happy Camping!
Gilda (Jill-da)

I wouldn't trade my flushable china toilet for a lugaloo or porta-whatever for nuthin', but that's MY choice and YOURs may be different and that's what's important.

[Joy A]

I have the Thetford 135. The trouble with it is that it low to the ground. I store mine under the bed. Since I have a couch I leave the dinette permanently as a bed. I have a piece of plywood with low sides on it that fits the space under the bed (that is the footwell of the dinette area). It acts as a tray that I can pull out to get to anything that I store on it.

Well, I store the PP there. I made a brace for the tray so when I pull it out it doesn't tilt because the footwell area is elevated about 4" above the main floor. The brace is 3 pieces of wood cut the height of the stepup area. It's hooked together with 2 "L" brackets and stores around the PP.

Since the PP sits on the tray it is at a very usable height when I pull the tray out.

[Otters]

Very clever Joy.

[carlkeigley]

Guys, it's impractical/messy to stand using this pottie; better to sit, sorry.
====================================
This is just me, but a commode is NOT a urinal.
Why everyone uses it for a urinal irritates me.
Especially when there are 2 to 4 empty urinals and
some insist on using the commode. Guess they want
that privacy, but it's disgusting to follow them and they
splattered all over it.