Van Essential: Going potty

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Van-Tramp

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Van Essential: Going potty
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/van-essential-going-potty/

During my time living in a van I often get questions from others on what they may need to get started themselves. Most of us tend to overly complicate what is actually a very simple lifestyle, myself included in my first few years. In fact, it took three full years of van living to fully realize which few essentials were required, beyond your own personal clothing or hygiene options. It is one of these essentials that I want to discuss today; going potty.

The most frequently asked questions from anyone I talk too about living in a van is, “Where  do you go to the bathroom?” It is always a fun subject to talk about, especially if you are face to face with the person asking the question. Their facial expressions can be quite dramatic and chuckle-worthy. There are many options to rid ourselves of human waste. Some vans will have a built in toilet and tank (which requires regular emptying at dump stations, something I am not fond of) but others will have no such luxury. For these others, we still have a few options;

luggableloo-300x270-300x270.jpg

Luggable Loo toilet seat that fits onto a 5-gallon bucket is one of the most simple methods. Add a sturdy trash bag and some sawdust and you have an easy – and inexpensive – way to dispose of solid waste at the next dumpster you come across. The downsides are the potential for odor as this is far from an air-tight system. Then there is the size of the bucket – 5 gallons is a lot space for the small amount of solid waste we produce each day. And lastly, you would still want to do your number-1’s in another container to avoid it becoming a soup, for lack of a better word.


 


Cassette toilets give you full sized functionality in a small size meant for portability. The usually consist of a standard looking toilet seat with a manual or battery powered flushing mechanism, and a tank below it that holds the human waste. The lower tank is air tight to avoid bad odors, and detachable for when you need to empty it which can be done in any toilet or port-a-potty you come across. The larger models can be about the same size as a 5-gallon bucket setup, but there are smaller models (1-3 gallons of capacity) that will more easily fit into a small space, and still hold a few days of waste before the need to empty. They can also easily handle both solids and fluid waste. The downsides are the need to empty the tank by hand. Although they are fully sealed to prevent spillage, the idea of carrying that much waste in their hands can be a problem for some. Lastly, this disposal is usually done at a public restroom, such as a rest area, which is not always private, so you need to get past that too.

If carrying a bucket or tank of poo around is not your thing, we can bring it all the way back to the very basics of using public restroom as much as possible. Public use toilets can be found at most campgrounds, rest areas, truck stops, parks, etc.  If camping well out in the woods, simply digging a small hole and burying the waste is acceptable (
here is good etiquette). With a little planning, one never has to do a number-2 in their own van. A number-1 however, is just going to happen. For us men, it is as simple as keeping that milk or orange juice jug around to use in those times of need. For the women, there are tools for that very thing, so don’t feel left out. Simply toss the jug at your next dumpster or empty it into a toilet and use again.



Thanks to Kerri, we are taking a “greener” way to dispose of our number-2’s this time around. Normally, we poo into a bag that lines out cassette toilet then it gets thrown out with the trash. (Yes, we often have our own waste in our trash, get past it). The problem with this method is the plastic bag. It never biodegrades, so neither does the poo. Kerri recommended we start using bio-bags to solve one problem (we already use similar bags for the dog poos), then to top it off we sprinkle a little Poo-Powder to help start the breakdown process. Now our poo, and the bag that contains it, are naturally returned to the earth in a very respectable amount of time. Though each of our number-2’s now cost a few pennies, I admit that even this old man feels better about it all.

It all may sound gross, but it becomes second nature pretty quickly.
 
Van-Tramp said:
The most frequently asked questions from anyone I talk too about living in a van is, “Where  do you go to the bathroom?” 


I often say that this makes me feel something like an astronaut, since this is the question they get asked all the time, too.
 
I just noticed those green bio bags at the store and wondered how well they would work with the 5 gal loo toilet. Will pick some up next trip and see.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's been my experience that the green bags are NOT watertight and seem to start decomposing quickly---even with wood shavings in the bottom of the bag to soak up moisture. I've learned to carry my composing pail out to the roller can as carrying the bag by itself can result in some nasty distributions of egg shells, coffee grounds, potato peels etc etc in places where I don't want a mess.

I can only imagine how much of a mess you'd get if the contents were a little more...liquid...and stayed in the bag for more than a day or two.
 
Huh. Ive wondered how quickly they may start to break down, but I haven’t had any issues with thier integrity in the 2 or 3 days it may take us to find a trash bin. I sure wouldn’t push my luck on keeping them around for weeks or anything, that is for sure.
 
I'm a fan of that toilet on the right, only with the smaller 2.5 gallon tank (it's easier to carry). Shop around,  Wal-mart usually has them as well as Amazon. I've seen them from $40 to the $90 range for the same thing.
I've used them several different periods in my life and they worked great, I NEVER had an accident with one and that's important!

You do have to empty them. Usually where ever I can get to a toilet, outhouses work & I make sure there is plenty of liquid in the tank.
 
I've had one of these for years for occasional use:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIJG1A4/

It's basically a folding seat with a hole in the middle. It folds down fairly small when not in use and can be used as a regular chair though you may not want to. I use standard kitchen trash bags and leave them outside my van until I'm ready to head into town. You can buy more expensive bags that contain the smell better. I don't boondock or I'd need a better storage solution.

One possible solution I saw here some time ago was glass jars like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A5SF10/

Glass will contain the smell better than most things. DO NOT use a plastic container to hold poop bags unless you plan on throwing it out with the bags. It will absorb the smell and release it over time no matter how thoroughly you wash it. I know this from experience.
 
just my $0.02

For sturdyness, ease of use, Function (no discernible odor escape), and space saving... I use a 2.5 gal bucket with a gamma lid.
Fits under my bed (coolest spot...less .. fermentation.. lol) inexpensive and works.
 
gypsy, how do you sit on a bucket with a gamma lid? I ask because you can't use the typical lid toilet seat when a gamma lid is in place?
 
With limited space, I like the idea of a folding seat, right height and weight bearing capacity, completely separate from

an airtight container much smaller than the big 4-5 gal buckets.

Rather than the latter sitting on the floor with a big airgap above, need a secure way to hang it directly under the seat's hole, easy to setup/attach and break down/detach.

Any designs out there along those lines?
 
Tool Amour said:
It's been my experience that the green bags are NOT watertight and seem to start decomposing quickly---even with wood shavings in the bottom of the bag to soak up moisture.

That was going to be my question to this thread: How long before they start falling apart, even when separating solids and liquids?  

In the past I've used one of those Camco flushable camp toilets with the 5 gallon holding tank and 3 gallon water tank.  For the most part I really like them, especially the way the holding tank is sealed up air tight.  It sat right next to the bed in my tiny van, but I never smelled even a hint of odor from it.  

The problem I have with it, is when it comes time to empty the holding tank.  OMG that's a foul odor, and there's no way of escaping it, short of wearing a gas mask!

More recently I've made the switch to a 7 gallon bucket with a screw-on lid.  And while I enjoy the convenience of being able to toss the poo bags into a dumpster, I'm not thrilled about the plastic bags filling up the landfill.    

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to dump plastic bags of poo into a pit toilet.  At least I hope you're not.
 
BigT said:
 

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to dump plastic bags of poo into a pit toilet.  At least I hope you're not.

Definitely a BIG NO NO!

Someone kept doing that at at least one of the porta potties at the RTR.

The guy pumping them would get the bag stuck on the open end of the suction hose and would have to stop pumping and remove the offending plastic bag.... :rolleyes:

But then he also had to stop pumping to rescue a cell phone.... :D
 
RVTravel said:
gypsy, how do you sit on a bucket with a gamma lid? I ask because you can't use the typical lid toilet seat when a gamma lid is in place?

I find the bucket to be at a near Squatty potty position height (so things are not hindered or challenging) and the heavy snap on frame ring for the gamma screw on lid to be sufficient in width and strength.
Granted, I am not, and never have been, one to Linger for long periods of time while taking care of necessities.
Granted ya gotta be willing to be in a little bit of a crouch posture.. but I figured it was more natural- biologically. Theory seems to prove true.
 
Van-Tramp said:


Thanks to Kerri, we are taking a “greener” way to dispose of our number-2’s this time around. Normally, we poo into a bag that lines out cassette toilet then it gets thrown out with the trash. (Yes, we often have our own waste in our trash, get past it). The problem with this method is the plastic bag. It never biodegrades, so neither does the poo. Kerri recommended we start using bio-bags to solve one problem (we already use similar bags for the dog poos), then to top it off we sprinkle a little Poo-Powder to help start the breakdown process. Now our poo, and the bag that contains it, are naturally returned to the earth in a very respectable amount of time. Though each of our number-2’s now cost a few pennies, I admit that even this old man feels better about it all.

It all may sound gross, but it becomes second nature pretty quickly.

That's exactly what I was asking about  a while ago.  I suppose I would line the bucket with a regular waterproof bag first just in case.  Then if it didn't leak, just reuse that bag.
 
GypsyDogs said:
just my $0.02

For sturdyness, ease of use, Function (no discernible odor escape), and space saving... I use a 2.5 gal bucket with a gamma lid.
Fits under my bed (coolest spot...less .. fermentation.. lol) inexpensive and works.


Hey there coyote girl! I have a love hate relationship with my luggable loo. Don’t know if it’s the bucket or loo, but I had trouble getting the lid off. I found a smaller pail that a 4 gal bag fits, and I sit it inside of the bigger one. I have made numerous attempts at girly pee devices, but just can’t get it to work for me. What is the gamma lid?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It still amuses me how squeamish people are over their own bowel movements. I feel most the population would rather be dead than forced to go to bathroom in a toilet that doesn't flush. Growing up in the construction trades and camping off grid I guess I just never thought anything of it as it was a regular occurrence in my life.
 
My bucket in the big truck was a multi use thing. Potty bucket, trash can, step stool and seat for checking tire air pressure. As a potty bucket I just double bagged the cheap walmart 10 gallon trash bags and put a toilet ring with 4 small steel angle brackets to hold it in place. Wrap it up and toss it at the first opportunity. Same as using it as the trash can. Wrap it up and toss it at the first opportunity. 14 years and never had any issues what so ever. Same bucket too and I still have that bucket downstairs now I use for a shop trash can. Sturdy little things....
 
I put a crack in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket from walmart and I don't even know how. It was never used as a step stool but I may have used it as a chair by sitting on the bottom. I weigh about 170 lbs.
 
Mine is an old drywall mud bucket from some remodel I did decades ago. I painted it black for no good reason other than to hide the printing. I hate looking at company logos. At 235 pounds it has never grunted once with me standing on it or sitting on it. Heck, the handle is still on it too.
 

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