Porta Potties?

[Wandering Sagebrush]

The time for the new ATC is getting closer, and I need to add a Porta Potti for the Boss of Me. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just functional and reliable.

Any recommendations?

 

[PaulT]

The Thetford that came with our Hawk has worked well for us for night time liquid only. Once we began bringing my 90 YO MIL with us we switched to a Luggable Loo with wag bags to ensure all worked fine especially in back country. There are several types & brands you could consider. They are inexpensive enough that you could test drive a few to see what works in your situation.

Paul

 

[billharr]

We used the Thetford Curve Electric for years in our 2 Hawks. Simple easy to use and service. The electric part is AA batteries to run the pump. Trouble free for over 10 years.

EDIT: Buy the mounting plate and you will not have to strap to keep the pot from turning over.

 

[LAWNMOWERMAN]

I am in the wag bag/ plastic bag and a bucket or luggable Lou camp. The first time you have to empty one of those porta potty tanks you may understand why.

 

[JWL]

I’ve started using the bucket and Wag bag method as well. My wife even now prefers that method! I like it because in the boonies I can easily take out to a nice spot. (I have vowed not to do cat holes) I also put a Gamma lid on the bucket to seal things up. I just use a slit pool noodle that curls up inside and the gets place on the edge for soft cushy comfort.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Wag bags...one and done. It's bad enough when i empty the black tank on our motorhome, I can't imagine the up close and personal aspect of something like the Thetford type of loos.

 

[craig333]

And I can't imagine lugging around bags of poo. Whatever works for you. I think my thetford is 115.

 

[DavidGraves]

Back in our small boat sailing days I devised a loo essentially a three gallon bucket with chemicals and tight fitting lid that nestled in its place at the stern.

We trailered the boat and often ranged around the hot humid mid Atlantic area for three/four day sailing weekends.

Once at trips' end the container had greatly swelled ......I chose the easy way out and drilled a 1/8 inch hold in the lid.....in the back yard.

 

[Ted]

No experience with wag bags but we did use a Thetford Porta-potti in our FWC for years. Lawnmower man has it right, I gagged every time I emptied it out after a trip. I now find emptying our black tank at a dump station to be a pleasant experience in comparison.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Good point craig333! I toss them, double-bagged, into our Trasharoo and then into the first dumpster we cross.

 

[craig333]

Ted, what chemicals did you use in your Thetford? I never found much smell using the toxic chemicals. I'm transitioning to a more environmentally friendly chemical. Hope it works as well.

 

[Ramblinman]

Check out Clean Waste Portable Toilette. Works when you are boon docking and can bury your “business” as well it uses a wag bag.

 

[PaulT]

We use the Happy Campers treatment in our Thetford. Although it's meant for RV holding tanks, the local trailer supply store recommended it for Porta-Potti units as well.

https://www.happycampers.store/

Paul

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

I use Happy Campers in the RV.

 

[teledork]

Bags and buckets for me. I spent a good deal of time on a sailboat. My dad had me empty the cassette toilet one time. I never complained about peeing over the side of the boat after that.

 

[ski3pin]

Back in our small boat sailing days I devised a loo essentially a three gallon bucket with chemicals and tight fitting lid that nestled in its place at the stern.

We trailered the boat and often ranged around the hot humid mid Atlantic area for three/four day sailing weekends.

Once at trips' end the container had greatly swelled ......I chose the easy way out and drilled a 1/8 inch hold in the lid.....in the back yard.

Around here somewhere is a tattered paperback, a collection of "Groover" stories on raft trips. From memory, there was one entitled "The Day the Mormon Swore." It was one of those stories that was hard to read because I was shaking with laughter, couldn't get my breath, and tears running down my face. It had to do with a swollen container. Mr. Graves, you got off easy.

 

[teledork]

Ya know - I have to divulge that when I saw the topic "Porta Potties" the image in my mind was one of those blue things that you can stand in. I had to see what this was about.

 

[DavidGraves]

Teledork...That is what we are talking about ...they are the latest accessory to hang off your camper to ensure the full adventure experience....there's even a bracket for those.....

 

[Foy]

Around here somewhere is a tattered paperback, a collection of "Groover" stories on raft trips. From memory, there was one entitled "The Day the Mormon Swore." It was one of those stories that was hard to read because I was shaking with laughter, couldn't get my breath, and tears running down my face. It had to do with a swollen container. Mr. Graves, you got off easy.

I'll bet those "groover" stories are a scream. I'd never heard the term until embarking on a 5-day float down the Grand River (aka the Colorado River) in June 1994. One of the 3 ladies among the 21 "sports" (paying passengers) complained mildly about the bathroom facilities upon finding out that it was an open air arrangement involving large Nalgene tanks with nice toilet seats, lids, etc. One of the 5 guides, a comedy troupe if there ever was one, muttered "Then you would have really hated the groovers". I think the groovers had then only recently been retired in favor of the nalgene tanks.

Foy

 

[Missing Link]

As with so many topics that appear on WTW, a lot depends on how you use your camper. We seldom stay in one place for more than one or two days and here is the system that we use:

#1s = Large mouthed jar that originally contained mixed nuts from Costco serves us well at night
#2s = If in a campground with pit toilets, always use them
If dispersed camping, we use a PETT Toilet with wag bags (we've had the PETT for almost 20 years and while it certainly costs more than a 5 gallon bucket, it stores perfectly in one of the cabinets of our front dinette).

Because we move often, we never have to carry the poop bags for an extended period of time. If you tend to stay in one spot for a while, you may want to look at other options.