Portable Toilets

OK, just about time to think about picking up my 560Ultra (later this month -- "late-July" -- hopefully).

So, time to think about essentials for the trip home. Past time, in fact.

Question: What's the Lexus of portable toilets? Who among us has what, and what are the benefits and drawbacks? What should I be looking for, considering that my two young grandchildren and their parents may be the most frequent Camp-Inn users?

Jim

 

Hey Jim,

We use a " 5 gallon Bucket " with a removable Toilet seat, along with " Baby Wipes w/Alcohol ". I also place a small empty container nearby, to dispose of the used wipes.

It’s been only used for the " Late Night Tinkles ", which is immediately rinsed w/water, cleaned & disinfected (Alcohol Spray Bottle) every morning. It could be used for other functions, with a plastic liner .. !

I.E: Porta Pottie in Bucket.
http://www.emergencyanddisastersupplies.com/hygieneandsanitary

Check out the below link for additional photos.
http://www.campinnforum.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1504#Post1504

Benefits: It’s simple, it’s cheap, it’s self contained & can be transported to any area for disposal @ Campsite Waste System / Campsite Toilets / Campsite RV Dump Station / or a Dirt hole ( Boonie Camping ).

Drawbacks:HMMMM I’m the designated “ Waste Engineer Technician “ .. Fix-it / clean-up / pick-up / throw-out !

L.M.

 

For those late night callings, we use plastic coffee cans filled about 1/3 with peat. Snap the cover on afterward. Toss it the next day. No smell. No muss. No fuss. Side tents sure come in handy, don't they?

 

Well, I did try something a bit smaller...But, my girlfriend had a very hard time with her aim ( :

p.s: This thread was very amusing !!
Lady Teardroppers:
http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31771

L.M.

 

Well, let's see. I asked about "the Lexus of portable toilets," and got suggestions for a homer bucket with baby wipes and alcohol, plastic coffee cans 1/3 full of peat, an undisclosed "something smaller that my girlfriend had trouble hitting," and a comment from another guy as old as I am (maybe older) who is still working at understanding the fairer gender. Come to think of it, that last category probably applies to ALL of us guys.

Hmmmmm. Maybe tinkle-tech isn't as advanced as I thought it would be.

Still, SOMEBODY must have a really great, higher-tech solution. C'mon folks, help me out here.

Mr. Needs Help Going

 

Since we had "the wet mad raccoon in the bushes" episode last trip, I think we are also in need of help! And thus can offer no help.

The lady teardrops thread was soooooo funny! I am a field biologist and have mooned Camp Pendelton on more than one occasion, so my perspective is not the normal of my gender.
Eileen

This really is TMI!

 

Well, my estimated late-July pickup has now officially become August 4th in Necedah, so I have a few extra days to get this right. I ask not so much for myself as for my seven year old grandson who will probably have at least one "Pappy, I gotta go, RIGHT NOW!" episode per day on our three day trip to/from Albuquerque. I had thought pulling over and letting him use a good porta-potty of some sort would be the solution. Sure hope that those don't become "here's the bucket, duck behind the car door" moments.

Am I the only one who is incredlous that a highly talented group like this can create 236 threads about cooking (everything from dutch ovens to how to clean a fry pan), but doesn't have a clue about porta potties???

(And by the way, Eileen, I'm having a terrible time trying to put together a mental picture of "wet mad racoon in the bushes." I'm sure I'm not the only one.... If you have photos, by all means post 'em and help us all).

Jim (whose thread is collapsing by the hour)

 

Jim,

We are owners of a still-new 550 Ultra SUV that we picked up in Necedah on April 1. We are so happy with it so far that words fail me.

Can't say we have much experience with it but what we bought to handle the kind of emergencies you are describing is called a PETT "Go Anywhere Portable Toilet".

Go to Cleanwaste and you will find it in the second panel along with the bags that it uses.

We did look around quite a bit at many possible solutions and this looked like the best, but not necessarily the cheapest, solution for us. When it folds up it is about 14" by 19" by 4.5". We have it stored in one of the two under-mattress storage areas inside the teardrop. I suppose you could get it out of the teardrop and unfold the three legs in under a minute if you had to but of course you would need some enclosure. We have had it in the Camp Inn side tent (and I'm guessing that many others do the same thing). The bags are a bit pricey but at certain times cost does not seem to be the foremost thing on one's mind. We do not use it routinely but it is there when we need it.

Size-wize it does seem to give you a standard toilet seat at a standard height. I'm 6'4" and it is sturdy enough for me.

I don't remember at this moment where we bought it but we did see one at a Bass Pro Shop at one point during our research. We would buy one again now if we needed to.

Hope this helps...

 

I also went with the PETT after looking around quite a bit... much more compact than the more deluxe looking port-a-potties.

However, I have not even unboxed it yet, so I can't really recommend yet. The trucking company called me, and my camp-inn arrives tomorrow. I'm not sure I'll sleep much tonight. It feels like when I was 6 years old Christmas morning at 6am waiting for my parents to wake up.

 

Jim,
Tim denies the episode ever occurred.
The raccoon denies it too.

Don and Sue,
Thanks for the info on the PETT. Its just what we need for our earthquake supplies (and the Save the Raccoon league insists we take it camping from now on....)

 

Have you checked out any " Camping World Stores ".. ?

http://www.thetford.com/Thetford/HOME/Products/PortableToiletsHome/tabid/83/Default.aspx

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/thetford-porta-potti-365/35770

L.M.

 

Jim, we have the Porta Potti 265, kept it when we sold our Sportsmobile. Anyway, it has a better seat height than some and seals tight as a tick so we never have any odors. We use it on rare occasion, boon dock camp and at night in a camp if not near a toliet, bad weather and such. It is most important that my wife like it. A pre-condition to camping as a matter of fact. The downsides are heavy when charged (empty when 1/2 full to keep it lighter), takes up some space (carry it in the back of the Murano, not the trailer). The ups are that we can dump it most anywhere there is a toliet. We have never found it to be messy and I'm the guy that cleans it up. It is very stable and makes a nice seat in the side tent.

I think some of the options people have pointed out are pretty good. If we had not already had this unit and been very happy with it I might ponder something else, then again, not so sure about that. Best advice I can offer is buy quality, best seat height and the rest will sort itself out. Oh yes, the purchase of a toliet need not be a forever kind of commitment. Heck, you might own 2-3 before you are happy....

Kent

 

Hey all,

Heres another link.

These guys are hardcore " Roadtrip Travelers "..
Expedition Portal:
Search: Portable Toilet
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=3278566

L.M.

 

Hey,

This one looks very interesting !
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28563&highlight=Portable+Toilets

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2729

" The system meets all requirements of the BLM, NPS and USFS for a washable, reusable toilet. It empties easily at an RV dump or in a Scat Machine. "

It's now on my future buy list (upgrades) :whistle:

L.M.

 

We bought a travel john. I don't know how to add photo's here so will put some pictures ing the photo album area. We did not buy the special bags instead we used small garbage bags with kitty litter. Only used for this purpose once. The nice thing is there is nothing to clean up once you toss the bag. There is a a separate peice that is the shape of a toilet seat and it gets velcroed in place over the hole - the bag gets put on over the toilet seat and tucked under the edges thus it stays in place and nothing gets dirty except the inside of the bag. We used it as a side table most and as you will see in the pictures our dog liked it.

 

We've been using the PETT for 6 months. HIGHLY recommend it.
The bags are a bit pricey, but hey - this is one time you don't want to mess around, right? It comes with about 15 bags, but you can buy the 50 pack or 100 pack online and save a bit on the long run.

We looked around at all kinds of setups at IRG (most people have some kind of port-a-potty in their side tent or privacy tent - but I wouldn't trade our PETT for anything else. Craig saw it and wants to put up a link to it on Camp-Inn's site, because it's something that everybody has to deal with soone or later. You might as well do it right.

We also got a canister of the POOH powder. It's pricey too, but it saves you money because you can use the same bag for 1 to 2 days with no odor issues.
Just throw in a scoop each time you use it.

The PETT privacy tent is also very good - well made, and very easy to set up. It can also be used for showers. They sell everything in one kit - toilet, tent, 15 bags, etc... That's what we got.

When we camp with a small group, I put the PETT in the privacy tent for the ladies. At night, the PETT moves into my wife's side tent. They are all happy campers. After a day or two, throw the bag away and put in a new one. Easy.

You asked for the "NASA" solution. This is it.

 

Re: Travel John update

We were not pleased with the travel john last year. So are buying the Pett this year - should have read Evan's note before buying. We tried several different bags with the travel john and they all seem to slip - not a pleasant experience. Also the stool is saggy which also isn't great.

 

Re: Travel John update

Jenn and the other ladies

This might just be the ticket for you.

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/13088