I THREW MY PORTA POTTY IN THE DUMPSTER

[natureglo]

Here's what I do. I initially hated the idea of dealing with a porta pottie and the pressure of having to dump it probably every 4 - 6 days tops. So, I use a 5 lb plastic butter container with a lid. When I'm about to do my #2, I pour in about an inch of water on the bottom and stick a tray underneath....just in case. Afterwards, I put the lid on and can store it for a few hours before going outside to dig my at least 6" deep hole, or I can go dig the hole right away.

Before disembarking I ALWAYS make sure I've buried my #2 before pulling off. It's NOT travel friendly! So, this allows me to sit for up to 2 weeks at a time without having to run into town to dump anything. For me, this works great, since I typically only have to go once a day. I have a nice big shovel and dig those holes REAL deep and about 200 yards outside of camp. Perfectly legal and acceptable, I believe with most National Forests and parks. When I have the luxury of not camping near people or there's no possibility of being seen by others, I just grab my shover or more "stealth" hand trowel and walk out into the wilderness to do my business. This is my favorite of options since it illiminates having to clean out the butter bucket each time I use it. And yes, after each use, I clean out the bucket with paper towels and spray bottle with vinegar water. But, it's only typically once a day, so, not a big deal. You can also use those animal odor enzymes in a spray bottle to help kill the odor that leaches into the plastic.

So, animals do it, why can't we! LOL. Though, I know some people can be awful about it and will just go right on the ground in camp, toilet paper and all. I've seen camps like that. Geesh!

 

[SoulRaven]

What he has would be great! After 11 months living in my van I realize that I have to be more creative when it comes to a toilet and shower. Of course, it could be the weather.....it is no fun in my 'poop' pop-up tent' to take a shower with my garden sprayer shower at 40 degrees! Hahahaha!

Greetings!

Why on earth are you showering outside in the cold? Do you need directions for an indoor shower? I'd be happy to oblige...

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[Sameer]

Yes, I would like directions for an indoor shower! I found a doggie bath on Amazon I thought about trying...
but I am not sure about it. It is funny that after longer than a year on the road....going to the bathroom and showering still haunt me.

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

When i was camping as a kid we would use a 5 gallon pail with the bottom cut out. Dig a hole. Insert pail. Bury and move on.

Is there small scale damage done that is special to human feces? Or does the EPA worry about masses of people burying their crap in their front yards? What am I missing here?

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Is there small scale damage done that is special to human feces? Or does the EPA worry about masses of people burying their crap in their front yards? What am I missing here?

If the EPA could they would classify us as alien beings and would not allow us to leave a trace of our existence on planet Earth. No the EPA doesn't want masses of people burying their crap in their yards unless it is in an approved septic tank using lots of the Earths water to move the crap from the toilet to the septic tank!
Here's the thing on burying crap; its ok in out of the way places where few people go to but not in places where many people go to often. Many vandwellers are stealth camping in cities and have to dispose of their crap in other legal ways.

 

[SoulRaven]

Yes, I would like directions for an indoor shower! I found a doggie bath on Amazon I thought about trying...
but I am not sure about it. It is funny that after longer than a year on the road....going to the bathroom and showering still haunt me.

Greetings Sameer!

I will try to start a new thread about showering in your van...

Not sure how your 5 gallon bucket is working, but personally I like the bedside handicapped toilets. Still the bucket type, but they have sturdy tip proof metal legs and arms, and are height adjustable. As an added bonus they come with a tight odor free lid. With the plastic bags, I just tie it up, carry it in the bucket to dispose of it, then just dump the bucket. No muss, no fuss, no worry of the bag breaking or leaking... To anybody watching, it looks no different than anyone else emptying their trash bin of a bag of trash. If I'm dumping it into a container, I'll top it off with any other trash I have too.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

If the EPA could they would classify us as alien beings and would not allow us to leave a trace of our existence on planet Earth. No the EPA doesn't want masses of people burying their crap in their yards unless it is in an approved septic tank using lots of the Earths water to move the crap from the toilet to the septic tank!
Here's the thing on burying crap; its ok in out of the way places where few people go to but not in places where many people go to often. Many vandwellers are stealth camping in cities and have to dispose of their crap in other legal ways.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I appreciate it.

 

[Sameer]

I would like to shower in my van! I have switched to a plastic kitchen trash can. I keep Walmart shopping bags in the bottom and just loop the bag on each end and it makes a perfect place to 'go'......tie the top.....throw it away....and I am done with it. It fits perfect and is comfortable and discrete. What is the problem with 'people poop'? How can my waste be any different than any other animal's waste?

 

[Belinda2]

All these big companies, they make no money marketing to you basic buckets, spray bottles, plastic bags, and hula hoops. The best is just a basic, discrete, empty liquid laundry detergent bottle! It's not about money. It's about what works. Simplicity IS elegance.

 

[SoulRaven]

I would like to shower in my van! I have switched to a plastic kitchen trash can. I keep Walmart shopping bags in the bottom and just loop the bag on each end and it makes a perfect place to 'go'......tie the top.....throw it away....and I am done with it. It fits perfect and is comfortable and discrete. What is the problem with 'people poop'? How can my waste be any different than any other animal's waste?

Greetings!

I got that posted, but I guess you didn't see it...

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-DIY-Indoor-Outdoor-Shower-Toilet-Enclosure

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[Sameer]

The shower looks great! I have a high top to my van so I would be able to stand up. I have seen plastic 'feed' containers that would work for the bottom. I am going to work on putting this together. I might be able to still use my garden sprayer as a water source. Thank you! ! ! ! !

 

[SoulRaven]

The shower looks great! I have a high top to my van so I would be able to stand up. I have seen plastic 'feed' containers that would work for the bottom. I am going to work on putting this together. I might be able to still use my garden sprayer as a water source. Thank you! ! ! ! !

Greetings!

Glad it will work for you. I so enjoy "Roughing It"...

An indoor shower can sure make you feel like a million bucks!


Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[accrete]

OK, so i'm going to share what my wife came up with and i designed into our regular body chevy van. The van has 9 ft of floor space behind the cab. The rear 75" is a full size platform bed with a street side closet. In front of the bed is a bath closet that is about 18" deep on floor.

This first photo is an overall view looking from the front passenger seat:

this second is a shot of street side bath closet from the curb side slider:

Here is the closet open showing how we pack all the goodies inside that allow us to both potty and shower:

Below we are set up to go potty... my wife's idea as to how, my design as to what tools

...And here it is with our preferred 2 gallon sized plastic bucket from a local bakery (cake frosting, they just toss them in the trash when empty) with a lug-able-loo toilet seat cover on top. A small trash can with lid & lined with a bag takes used hand wipes. Additional kitty litter (arm & hammer is our preferred brand) is in the bin behind the toilet with hand wipes on top. TP is on the hanging rung thingy.

and below our set up for showering:

...You can see our REI camp towels, soap and other toiletries on the upper shelf ready for use during showering. The privacy/shower curtain clips toward the front over-cab area but is open for these photos. Shower curtain is an insert and surrounds the area for no-splash showers. No the TP doesn't get wet...the shower pan was found at our local Home Depot and is simply a mixing basin found near the concrete supplies area of the store. We purchased a battery powered insect sprayer _like this one_ We pour a kettle of room temp water into the sprayer first. Then we bring a kettle to boil and pour that in. We get a 5 to 10 minute warm shower with this setup, and get a week's worth of showers out of a set of "D" batteries no problem. We used a manual-hand-pump sprayer for 3 seasons though we got tired of having to add pressure to the setup mid-shower, so went with this battery powered unit.

I hope that sheds some light on the mysterious Bath-Closet in our setup.
Feel free to ask any questions for further clarifications.

Cheers,
Thom

---

OK, so i'm going to share what my wife came up with and i designed into our regular body chevy van. The van has 9 ft of floor space behind the cab. The rear 75" is a full size platform bed with a street side closet. In front of the bed is a bath closet that is about 18" deep on floor.

This first photo is an overall view looking from the front passenger seat:

this second is a shot of street side bath closet from the curb side slider:

Here is the closet open showing how we pack all the goodies inside that allow us to both potty and shower:

Below we are set up to go potty... my wife's idea as to how, my design as to what tools

...And here it is with our preferred 2 gallon sized plastic bucket from a local bakery (cake frosting, they just toss them in the trash when empty) with a lug-able-loo toilet seat cover on top. A small trash can with lid & lined with a bag takes used hand wipes. Additional kitty litter (arm & hammer is our preferred brand) is in the bin behind the toilet with hand wipes on top. TP is on the hanging rung thingy.

For liquids she uses...drum roll...a stainless steel ice bucket, I use a 64oz Stanley thermos Yup. It's that simple. No plumbing to freeze or have to winterize, no black tank to wait in line to empty.

and below our set up for showering:

...You can see our REI camp towels, soap and other toiletries on the upper shelf ready for use during showering. The privacy/shower curtain clips toward the front over-cab area but is open for these photos. Shower curtain is an insert and surrounds the area for no-splash showers. No the TP doesn't get wet...the shower pan was found at our local Home Depot and is simply a mixing basin found near the concrete supplies area of the store. We purchased a battery powered insect sprayer _like this one_ We pour a kettle of room temp water into the sprayer first. Then we bring a kettle to boil and pour that in. We get a 5 to 10 minute warm shower with this setup, and get a week's worth of showers out of a set of "D" batteries no problem. We used a manual-hand-pump sprayer for 3 seasons though we got tired of having to add pressure to the setup mid-shower, so went with this battery powered unit.

I hope that sheds some light on the mysterious Bath-Closet in our setup.
Feel free to ask any questions for further clarifications.

Cheers,
Thom

---

wowzer.
this is the FIRST and ONLY (yes that was for emphasis) forum i have been a member of that the admins have set the "edit" function to anything less than a full 24 hours. Crazy. I tried to add a simple set of changes (added the liquid waste info) and it did some crazy "can't edit post" yet added both posts into one long one. crazy indeed.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Looks absolutely fantastic. Great thinking and great work.

 

[accrete]

Thanks for the kudos.

I think it is important for the women among the forum-visitors to realize that this sort of simple set up can be quite accommodating even for the girlz. My wife is totally behind the functionality of the set up. And we have had RVs with all the modern plumbing/fixtures, and this is what we've decided (for us) is a workable solution and preferred to the holding tanks and winterizing issues.

 

[janncoo]

Hello. Love the idea of a battery operated shower and will be looking for a battery operated insect sprayer. What a great idea. We have our 5 gallon bucket with a luggable loo seat sitting inside of a igloo cube cooler.

 

[Sameer]

This is most remarkable and has given me an idea about priorities. I so yearn for a decent shower and a comfortable place to go. Without a "humbug" to set it up. You have accomplished that!

 

[accrete]

Thanks again.

Really? NONE of what you see in those pictures would have been possible unless my MacGyver of a Wife had dreamed it up. There is no way this happy hubby would ask my dream-girl ( & risk 30+ years of marriage ; ) to poop in a bucket or shower with a garden sprayer!

It's one of those things i was happy to wait for her to come up with rather than me suggesting it (i'd done similar in my hippie days in a box van)...Just sayin'

The other side benefit to this sort of Modus operandi is that the rig doesn't need to have a huge house battery setup, or (as stated) holding tanks, propane, etc... you can keep it really simple.

 

[Sameer]

What you and your wife have accomplished has inspired me. It reminds me of a train compartment. I have always wanted a convenient shower. And now I am going to build one after looking at your design. Thanks! !

 

[accrete]

...And now I am going to build one after looking at your design. Thanks! !

Happy to plant a seed
Best wishes on your project & hope to see some pics in the future.
Cheers,
Thom