Camping Toilet

The portable camping toilet is not the most important piece of camping and outdoor equipment but it is surely quite high on most people’s camping lists. Many people spurn camping or have deep reservations about actually going camping due to one major aspect. And that aspect is toilet facilities. One fact of life is that we all need to go to the toilet and in our own homes the toilet becomes like a sanctuary of familiarisation and cleanliness. But many campsites throughout the world have toilet facilities that to say the least at lacking. Some campsites do not even have toilet facilities. This is why now many experienced campers buy their own camping toilet and include it in their camping equipment.

Camping and Outdoor Equipment

Camping Toilet

The old adage better safe than sorry really does apply to the camping toilet. Camping is fun and enjoyable but if you are pitched in a site that does have toilet facilities yet they do not come up to the required standards, then your camping experience could become very unpleasant and even to the extreme, ruined.

Basically there are 2 types of camping toilet. You can either buy yourself a simple one or a complex one. The simple version of this great piece of camping equipment is normally just a light metal frame that supports a seat with a hole in the middle for you deposits to pass through.

If you imagine a camping folding chair then you have the basic image of how this version of the portable camping toilet works and looks. With one of these simple toilets you will need to have bags to capture all your deposits. The design here on this toilet is very simple and they are easy to manufacture for the camping equipment manufacturers. So the price of one of these camping toilets is quite cheap.

Moving on to the more complex camping toilet we will see a piece of camping equipment that is more robust and bulkier yet more user friendly. They can be used many times because they have large storing tanks for any waste and you only have to empty them once in a while. Such is the progression in camping equipment technology there are now examples of the portable camping toilet that have additional water tanks as well as the storage tank, so that you can actually flush the toilet just as you do at home. But maybe these versions should not be called a portable camping toilet, rather a camping toilet as because they are bigger and weigh more they are not so portable. They are ideal though for people who don’t want to change a waste bag every time after using and have the toilet as a more secure and permanent type of toilet. The ideal place for these versions is perhaps next to your living tent inside a toilet tent. They are definitely not ideal for hikers or backpackers because they are just too big and heavy to carry over long distances. They are however a very high standard camping toilet and hence the higher cost.

The Toilet Tent

So if you have decided to buy yourself a portable camping toilet to add to your camping and outdoor equipment there is something else that may interest you. The toilet tent is a perfect partner for your new camping toilet. With them both combined, never again do you have to concern yourself with the standard of toilet facilities in any camp site again. The toilet tent is not expensive to buy and if you buy yourself a quality one then there is no reason why it should not last you a lifetime.

When you go searching for a toilet tent you should treat it as if you are out trying to find a main living tent. That way you are assured you find yourself a high quality and high functioning tent. There is no point whatsoever in buying a toilet tent that is of poor quality and will not last. You may as well not bother and save yourself some money. The idea behind the toilet tent is to be able to pitch it next to or not so far away from your main tent, place your camping toilet inside it, and then you have a kind of outhouse toilet which is very close by and you always know where it is. The toilet tent will give you all the privacy you need when using the camping toilet.

So the toilet tent is pitched in the same area as your main tent and is obviously exposed to the same weather conditions as your main tent. Because of this then you must seek out a toilet tent that is very effective. Now I am a great fan of gor-tex. This is a very high quality material that is both breathable and waterproof. It is these attributes that you should be looking for in the toilet tent. You should also try to find one that is double layered as well.

The outer layer is obviously the most important though. Inside the toilet tent it’s pretty essential to have a groundsheet as well. You are pitching your toilet tent on grass or even mud and if water gets in then you will have a messy and wet base in which you can slip ove and even knock over your camping toilet. The groundsheet will protect from this and is also a good thing for hygiene. Say for instance you or maybe one of your children if you have kids misses the camping toilet whilst going to the toilet. With the groundsheet this is easy to clean up. If you have no groundsheet then the urine will seep into the ground and you could find yourself with odour problems which is not pleasant and really unnecessary.

Toilet Tent by Royal

Royal is a company that is well renowned for such things as toilet tents and camping wardrobes. This particular toilet tent has dimensions of 200cm in height, 120cm in width and 120cm in depth and weighs just 4 Kg. The flysheet on this example is 185T polyester with tapered seams so it is very weather proof. For ventilation purposes there is a roof cap and an additional vent to keep the air moving freely. On the inside of the tent for your convenience there is a built in storage shelf with a mesh bottom. Perfect for toilet paper and other toiletry essentials. On the outside of the tent there are mud flaps to help protect from the elements. The whole toilet tent is supported by 9.5mm fibre flex poles and double guying points for extra stability. All in all this is a very good piece of camping and outdoor equipment that supports the camping toilet perfectly whilst you are camping. An ideal piece of gear to add to your camping equipment we feel.

Well I hope this page has alerted to you the benefits of the portable camping toilet. If you add one to your camping equipment and combine it with a toilet tent then you have your very own private toilet wherever you decide to go camping. An ideal scenario if you are travelling as a family.

If you are a backpacker then it’s the simple form of portable camping toilet that you will want. You will not need accessories such as the toilet tent and the main criteria for choosing the right portable camping toilet for you are a unit that can be folded up very easily and either carried by being strapped to the outside of your backpack or even slipped inside the pack.. It should definitely be compact enough not to be a burden and preferably not need to use water as water may be hard to come by in the wild. And of course you want it to be odour free.

If you go for a portable camping toilet that uses bags then always choose bags that are specially made for disposing human waste. Normally waste disposable bags are patented. Always buy environmentally friendly bags and environmentally powders to use with them. Most bags can be used 3 or 4 times before throwing away, but they are cheap enough to throw away after just one use if that is how you wish to use them.

But remember wherever you go in the world or whatever you are doing you will always need to go to the toilet. it’s a fact of life. And a famous scouting expression is always be prepared, so the best thing to do is invest wisely in a portable camping toilet.

If you do not own a portable camping toilet in a situation like this then you must at least cover the dirty toilet seat with paper. But there’ a thing inside you isn’t there that makes you feel uncomfortable and even a little nervous about sitting on an unfamiliar toilet seat. So actually don’t even go down this road. For a few dollars you never have to even think about this problem. Convenience also plays a great part with the portable camping toilet.

Kampa Porta Flush 10 Litre Portable Camping Toilet by Kampa

Here is a camping toilet made by Kampa who have a very good reputation amongst outdoor types for the quality of product they produce. This is a 10 litre toilet ideal for adults with it’s adult sized seat and lid. So well constructed is the camping toilet with it’s thick walled construction that it is strong enough for you to be able to actually stand on it. The waste holding tank has a 10 litre capacity and the additional fresh water tank has a capacity of 12 litres. You should be able to get 50 or so flushes out of this toilet. To protect from leaks or escaping odours there is a double sealed valve whilst the nice looking matt finish will conceal any scratches. This is a very hygienic toilet and easy to clean. For easy operation the side latches are quick release and heavy duty no corrosive. It is very easy to empty and for extra security both of the tanks are one piece constructions so that there are no seams for leakage problems.

Folding Portable Camping Toilet by Highlander

Here is one of the simple types of camping toilet that I was talking about earlier. As you can see it is very basic and a lot simpler in design to the previous Kampa toilet. The benefit of owning a toilet like this is the fact that it folds incredibly flatly and is hence very easy to transport anywhere or store it. Don’t be deceived by how fragile it looks in the picture though. This portable camping toilet has an extremely sturdy steel frame to support you with. It is ideal for camping, going to festivals and fishing because of it’s user friendly transportability. If you buy this piece of camping equipment new it is supplied with 6 refill bags.

Portable Camping Toilet 20 Litre by Lime Marketing

Here is a very convenient camping toilet that is ideal to have especially in a place that has no toilet facilities at all whilst you are camping. Its not the best designed piece of camping and outdoor equipment due to it’s bulkiness, but it certainly does the job it is designed to do. The seat on this toilet is very comfortable and the whole unit is very strong and robust. For security the lid on this toilet is water tight and what we really like about it is the fact that the carry handle is separate to the lid. It is easy to empty and whenever you need the toilet it is always there for you. Price wise it is a very nice priced portable camping toilet.

When you use these types of camping toilet you also need to think about liquid or power agents that you add to the waste in order to liquefy and neutralize any of the waste you produce. The problem with many of the neutrlizing agents out there on the market today are not environmentally friendly. But if you shop around properly you will find environment friendly versions and you should really be using them. If you are a camping person that means you love the environment and nature. They give you great pleasure so give a little back and try to protect them. The main advantages of these types of camping toilet are the capacity and versatility of them. A well designed, good quality portable camping toilet will hold a lot of waste which means you don’t have to empty them so often and that you can use it practically anywhere. When not used for camping, they can always be a spare or second toilet for your home.

Earlier I mentioned about toilet emergencies at night. If you have the toilet tent and camping toilet set up in near proximity to your main tent then this problem of walking around in the dark search for a toilet is pretty much alleviated. But remember that even though your toilet facilities are located nearby it can still be very dark and your vision is impaired. So try to find yourself a toilet tent with luminous guy ropes. You will be grateful that you did as stumbling around or tripping over guy ropes is not much fun.

So before embarking upon a camping trip you really should buy yourself a portable camping toilet. They are not too expensive to buy and in the long run they will pay for themselves both in usage and peace of mind. Obviously when you go camping it is not possible to keep your personal hygiene levels to those levels you can in your home but with the camping toilet you can at least maintain a minimum level of cleanliness

The portable camping toilet is an excellent piece of camping equipment for convenience and health reasons. If you have one you know exactly where it has been, who has used it and how clean it is because it is you that cleans it. By having the camping toilet you eliminate the risk of exposure to pathogen bacteria that reside on dirty or unclean toilet seats in poor quality camp site facilities.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and it’s pitch black and cold outside, the last thing you really want to be contemplating is going out of the tent to try and locate some toilet facilities, if there actually are toilet facilities where you are pitched. Most of us have experienced this situation and unfortunately it’s not possible for us to ignore the situation and go back to sleep and deal with it in the morning. When you have to go to the toilet, you have to go. End of! So at the end of the day having a portable camping toilet as a part of you camping and outdoor equipment is a very wise choice to make.