- If you’re looking for reasons to have a camping toilet for your camping trip, then you are in the right place. This article focuses on whether the camping toilet is essential or not, why you should get one, how it works, and what to look for when purchasing one.
You’re probably ever worried about a toilet when you’re planning to camp in the wild. When you’re camping in a campground at the state or National Park, they usually provide the toilets, sometimes for free and sometimes for a small fee.
But you’re sick of rushing and snatching available sites to camp in the park, so you decided to camp on any free land but far, far away from the niceties of flush toilets to do your business. And guess what, in that situation, having a portable camping toilet will help you a lot!
If digging holes is too far outside your comfort zone, a portable camping toilet might be the best solution for you. So, we’re going to focus on whether the camping toilet is really necessary or not, why you should get one, how it works, and what to look for when purchasing one. Let’s look at the options out there and find out which might be best for you and your situation.
Table of Contents
Is a camping toilet necessary?
Being in the RV world, campers usually have their own attached bathroom. However, when you consider the cheap option, a portable camping toilet is not that bad. Our experience using it is actually a lot nicer and less complicated than the attached bathroom on RV!
5 reasons you should get a portable camping toilet
Here, we listed down the reasons why people still love using the portable camping toilet:
People have already been using the camping toilets for a long time
(specifically, the bucket toilet) and come into their own as a useful, compulsory outdoor utility. Nowadays, tech has grown tremendously and made it possible to create a lightweight, compact, and handy portable toilet. It is much easier to take care of your business from the comfort of your space.
There are so many different portable toilets on the market that you can choose to suit your own situation. Whether you are traveling solo, as a couple, or with a family, you will need toilets that have large capacity tanks, for example.
You can have the peace of mind of a toilet
You can have the peace of mind of a toilet wherever you go. Pooping in the wild becomes a comfortable, mess-free, carefree, worry-free experience. You don’t need to dig cat holes or squat behind thick bushes when you can just grab the portable toilet and do the business.
You’re going to need the privacy and comfort of an indoor bathroom, so you might want to check out this toilet and toilet tent to go with it: Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Complete Portable Toilet System
Campers are traumatized to use public toilets.
They can be awfully unclean and disgusting and not right for you and your family’s health. You no longer have to share bathrooms with strangers with a camping toilet because you have your own. Having your own personal toilet gives you the cleanliness you’re looking for with comfort, and no need to queue for your turns. And another good thing is that it can be a perfect ‘middle of the night’ option when you know you have your urgent needs.
And with the Covid-19 risk, people become more reliant on the portable toilet. You might want to minimize your family’s use of public restrooms to avoid getting the virus. Safety first!
They are transportable and easy to clean
They are transportable and easy to clean, suitable to bring for a long trip off the beaten track. It will be challenging to make it through a long ride when you don’t get a portable camping toilet with you. You can stop anywhere along the road without having to navigate rest areas or the closest restrooms. How cool is that!
Portable toilets provide proper disposal of waste, thus a cleaner environment.
In our modern era, waste is managed unsustainably, and portable toilets offer a more eco-friendly solution. Human deposits often carry harmful germs, that if disposed of to the water sources, can cause disease to other living things. Portable toilets will reduce the likelihood of it from happening if the deposits are dumped correctly.
How portable camping toilets work?
The standard camping toilets have the same feature and design; a sturdy seat, a stand to sit up above the ground, and the hole and ‘bucket’ to catch your stuff, and that’s about it!
Most portable toilets come with disposable waste bags that can fit. You are required to use them to easily remove the deposits, which is great because you don’t need to clean them up every time you use them. Simply set the toilet up, place the waste bag, do your business, then secure/tie the waste bag.
Some premium portable cassette toilets like Camco Porta Potty are specifically designed for a simple, user-friendly, and plumbed system. Super convenient to use and have a high capacity of holding tanks, so you don’t need to dispose of your deposits every time you use them.
How to Use Portable Toilet – Emergency Sanitation Hygiene Supplies to Stockpile
Things to look for when choosing the best portable camping toilet for you
There are so many different portable toilets on the market now that you can choose. But, before you rush out and buy one, you need to know the factors that need to be considered; the essential features to work out as what you wanted in a bathroom. And the worst thing is you can’t try before you buy in this situation, so choose wisely to meet your needs. We provide a simple guide to follow when you are stuck in selecting the best portable toilet for you.
Portability
- What vehicle are you going to use to transport the toilet?
- How minimal or deluxe do you want the camping toilet to be?
- How large is the space in your vehicle to put the toilet?
Your camping style
- Are you a rugged nomad or RV park camper?
- How long do you usually travel?
- Do you have a lot of free time while traveling?
Toilet feature
- Do you need a toilet with a water pump?
- What chemicals do you put in a portable toilet?
Overall weight and tank capacity
- Do you want a lightweight toilet but less feature, or a heavy one but you get all the great features?
- How many people will be using the toilet?
- How often do you need to empty the toilet?
- Do you need a big tank, or a small tank would be just fine?
Budget
- How much are you willing to spend on the toilet?
- Do you have extra money to purchase the chemicals needed to clean the toilet/ wag bag?
Extra points: what will you need to bring in addition to your toilet?
- Privacy tent/space
- Quick-dissolving toilet paper. Preferably to use recycles and plastic-free toilet paper roll like Seventh Generation White Toilet Paper 2-Ply 100% Recycled Paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Eco-friendly biodegradable wag bag (Optional)
- Eco-friendly chemicals as sanitary treatment
- Additional water
- Disinfectant spray/wipes
Frequently-asked questions
1. Can you poop in a portable camping toilet?
Yes, absolutely! What’s the point of having the toilet if you can’t poop in it, right? In this article, we have described how you can choose the best portable camping toilet for you.
What’s more, human fecal matter can actually be devastating to many wild ecosystems. Human poop isn’t like animal poop. It contains a far greater number of harmful bacteria that can kill fragile plant life and even run-off into waterways and cause contamination. It also takes about a year to fully biodegrade, so we try to avoid pooping in the woods as much as possible.
2. How to pack toilet supplies for camping?
You can carry a few pieces of toilet paper or one pack of small tissues on overnight camping and hand sanitizer inside a zipped plastic bag of any size you prefer.
3. What do people do about a toilet when camping in a car?
Car camping is convenient, very affordable (great gas mileage compared to an RV), and easy to zip around from one place to the next. Some people choose a camping location with bathrooms provided, such as state campgrounds and RV Park. However, you can also carry your own portable toilet for a more effortless and worry-free car camping trip. Read this article to know more about the portable camping toilet’s necessities on why you need one.
4. How can I camp without a toilet?
If you’re in a situation where you don’t have a portable toilet, you can still do the business in the woods, but you need to be a responsible pooper. The first thing you need to do is prepare the hand sanitizer, toilet paper, trowel, and a sealable plastic bag. Then, find a private spot 200 feet away from the water source, campsite, and hiking trail. Dig a 4-inches wide and 6-8 inches deep hole. And you can do your thing. Don’t forget to cover it up with soil, pack out your used toilet paper, and wash your hands.
5. What is a toilet tent?
A toilet tent is a privacy tent, best known as an outdoor portable shower tent that provides shelter and privacy for your toilet business. When you have a hard time finding a secluded space, so having a toilet tent is helpful. We love to use Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Complete Portable Toilet System!
6. What’s bad about a portable tent toilet?
Complaints from the people using the portable tent toilet are minor and can be fixed. Some of them are disposing of waste and cleaning it can be unpleasant. The toilets need to be emptied after 2 days based on the tank capacity. However, we recommend you dispose of the content once a day.
Some models take so much space and too heavy to place in the vehicle trunk. That is why it is crucial to research what toilet works best for you and your camping situation. Some locations will not allow a portable toilet. So, you need to keep alert of the rules and regulations.
7. What are the tips for the new campers to use the portable toilet?
Based on our experience, there are some things you can do to create a better experience with portable tent toilets.
- Make sure you read all the manufacturer instructions in the booklet.
- Bring a toilet/shower tent, even when you are remote camping.
- Pour a little water into the toilet bowl before pooping to avoid the poops stuck.
- Use the portable toilet as infrequently as you can. Use the convenience store/petrol station toilet’s bathrooms as often as you can along the way.
- Avoid peeing in it as much as possible. We want to reduce moisture in the toilet to avoid unwanted scents.
- Pack out your toilet paper, don’t throw it in the toilet. Some toilet papers take a longer time to breakdown and will take too much space in the tank.
8. What chemicals do you put in a portable toilet?
Most of the portable toilets only need water, and they work great. Some portable toilets like bucket toilets use wag bags/bucket liners so that when you’re done with your business, you can directly pack the deposits and dispose of them right away. Make sure that they are biodegradable.
You can also use a special chemical fluid to flush the toilet. It will not only help with breaking down deposits but also keeping the gas and scents under control. Use only chemicals that the manufacturer approves, so do check first.
Conclusion
Buying a camping toilet and having it with you can make all the difference to a perfect outdoor adventure. You will make your trip more comfortable and enjoyable, but you also need to think of your location, nearby campers, and facilities before you go out and buy one. Hopefully, this guide to using a portable tent toilet has provided you with enough information and knowledge to decide whether it is necessary or not for your camping trip.
