Having your own toilet in the trailer is a luxury. Dirty toilets in campgrounds or rest areas often come with dread. And the opportunity to relax behind a bush doesn't make everyone's heart beat faster. To help you hit the mark when choosing the right camping toilet, here we'll show you what options are available and what advantages and disadvantages the various toilet solutions have.
Quiet place almost like home
No matter how you choose to camp, whether you're comfortable with a mobile home, RV or just a little bit easier with a tent - everyone has to make things easy at some point. Personally, I prefer to use my own toilet. But there are only a handful of solutions when it comes to toilets for the mobile home, especially if you don't have a lot of space. With this article we want to show beginners what toilets are available for camping and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each.
What camping toilets are there?
Some have a dry toilet, some have a portable version. Here we show you which toilet solutions are available.
dry toilet
separation toilet
Portable toilets as emergency toilets
adventurous toilet
vacuum cleaners
Cassette toilet (with and without SOG)
burning toilet
Dry toilet or dry compost toilet
How it works is pretty simple. You have a regular toilet bowl with a bucket at the bottom (including a bag inside) and an insert in the front. Here, solid and liquid are collected separately. Urine is passed into a canister and solids enter the bucket. e.g. B. Sawdust can coat the solid material, causing it to dry out. Install a fan to prevent odor build-up. It just carries the bad air outside. You can empty the urine in the bin at waste stations or a regular toilet. The bag with solid residues is simply tied closed and disposed of with household waste.
Advantages: Easy disposal, no water required, no odor, no chemical additives, longer disposal intervals.
Disadvantages: Increased space requirement for the camping toilet, which can be difficult for small campers.
Nature's Separating Toilet
This toilet basically works like a dry toilet. The only difference is the use of coconut fibers. There is a crank where you mix your solids with coconut fibers thereby advancing composting. In addition, a fan is connected, which dries the legacy. As a result, only crumbly, almost earthy residues are left in the end, which can be disposed of with household waste and even composted. The urine container connects directly to the urine diverting toilet.
Advantages: No water consumption, easy disposal, no odor, no chemicals, no longer need to be disposed of.
Disadvantages: The urine container is relatively small at 8.3 l and needs to be emptied every 2-3 days, relatively high purchase price.
portable camping toilets
A common solution is mobile camping toilets. This is a portable model that can be mounted using two small floor mounts. They are available in different designs and sizes. Depending on its permanence, it lasts for 3-4 days and needs chemical additives like a conventional cassette toilet bowl. You need these for the tank on the one hand and for the wash water on the other.
Advantages: price, easy to assemble, space saving.
Disadvantages: It must be emptied frequently, chemical additives are required.
adventurous toilet
In principle, it works very simply. What goes into the toilet is basically broken down into small pieces before it gets into the holding tank or cassette. Accordingly, the content is then only liquid. It is disposed of normally at disposal stations. However, it must be said that the Zerhacker toilet requires a relatively large amount of flushing water. Instead he has a ceramic bowl just like at home.
Advantages: Easier disposal, longer disposal intervals with a large holding tank, a real toilet feel, no chemicals, no need to be mounted directly above the holding tank.
Disadvantages: increased water consumption, purchase price, weight.
vacuum cleaners
Many people probably know this variant from planes or trains. The principle is that the residues are not washed off, but absorbed. This has the big advantage that you only need water to rinse the toilet bowl. However, electricity is required for the vacuum generator to work. However, this requires only 6 amps. But here, too, the price is not completely absent.
Advantages: Lower water consumption, the toilet does not need to be installed directly in the holding tank, chemical free, "real toilet feeling".
Cons: powered by electricity, initial cost.
cassette toilet
It is one of the best-known camping toilets installed as standard in almost every mobile home or caravan. A plastic flush toilet where the debris is collected in a cassette. This cassette can be removed from the outside and then emptied at suitable waste stations. However, chemical additives are required for use. If you don't have SOG, you can save money on these additives as the extraction doesn't cause bad odours. However, emptying a cassette toilet is not a pleasant occurrence. Many use vinegar, mild soap, fabric softener or the like to avoid additives. This isn't exactly hassle-free for rubber seals.
Advantages: space-saving, inexpensive, often installed as standard.
Disadvantages: short destruction intervals with chemicals (without SOG)
burning toilet
This is probably the most expensive and also the most practical variant on our list of camping toilets. In Norway, they are installed as standard in many campers and are becoming increasingly popular here as well. This toilet does not require water and residues are incinerated above 600 °C. Of course, this requires a connection to electricity. Alternatively, there is a model that can be operated with gas. Since a lot of air is sucked with the burner toilet, you should choose a model that absorbs the outside air, not the room air, so that the room climate does not change.
Advantages: use, no need for rinsing water, easy disposal as only ash remains, chemical free.
Disadvantages: high price, work with electricity or gas, installation should be left to a specialist.
emergency toilet for camping
Toilets are one thing in the mobile home, but how about camping? If you like to have a great time outdoors with your tent, of course, you can also go behind the bushes. However, you should not forget that it may take 1-2 months for solid residues to decompose in nature. Accordingly, a place frequented by tentmates below cannot be exactly pleasant. That's why we show you a few alternative solutions for camping in nature. Bucket toilet for emergencies This toilet replacement is exactly what its name says. A bucket with a toilet seat containing a plastic bag. The lid closes odor-proof and you can take it with you anywhere. Needless to say, the fact that the bag is not simply thrown out. From there household waste and that's it. And it can also be turned into a trash can if needed. foldable camping toilet
This works similarly to a bucket toilet, with the difference that it can be folded and stacked to save space. However, it is also slightly more costly. However, if you're not driving, it can be a great way to avoid wasting too much space or walking around with a bucket in your hand. Mini Camping Toilet
Another camping toilet option is the Trelino, an extra small dry toilet that can fit in even the smallest van. This also makes it a good solution for camping, as it takes up little space and can also function as a seat.
Decision aid: Which toilet for the mobile home?
We have now shown a wide variety of options that can be used as a toilet in the mobile home or while camping. We have a few questions to ask yourself before you buy so you can find the right one.
How much money can and would you like to spend on a camping toilet?
It often stands alone and so do you want to be self-sufficient for as long as possible or can you throw it out every few days?
How much space do you have in your sanitary space?
Could you put a holding tank under the caravan and thought the contents could freeze in very cold temperatures if the stationary tank is not specially heated?
We chose the dry toilet for practical reasons. We set it up ourselves and we get along very well with it. In the mobile home, we have no odor, both in the cold and in the heat above 40 degrees. If you can and want to spend more, you should seriously consider the incineration toilet. The combination of comfort and disposal is ideal for this model.
