7 Best Portable Toilets: Most Comfortable Options for Camping
Who doesn’t like to camp or get out of town every now and again? It’s a real pleasure, especially if you have an RV to set up a camping site or just cozy up near a lake. But what about amenities, like a restroom, those simple yet essential comforts that make up your peace?
Having a functional toilet when traveling will surely prove useful. Modern utilities are made compact to come in handy while camping, going fishing, or simply on a long-distance trip. In this article, I’d like to focus on the best portable toilet and its alternatives that can be found online.
Table could not be displayed.Types of Camping Toilets
Before getting to know my top picks, it’s essential to get the basics about modern toilets. Manufacturers offer a great array of products that stand out with their functions and affordability.
However, there isn’t just one type of outdoor toilet for camping. They may vary in their capacity, flushing mechanisms, as well as black-box design. Here are a few to consider when opting between different types:
Bucket toilet
These are one of the most common types to see in an RV since they don’t take up much space and require little maintenance. They are very simple in their design and don’t require any additional equipment. Though buckets are considered very comfortable to use, they aren’t the most functional product you can get.
Such toilets are just containers with a seat on them. Buying one would be a very price-sparing option for campers with low space capacity. They need no special installation and can be relocated easily when required, but they lack one simple feature – flushing.
Flushing toilet
Now, the scope of products that can be called ‘flushing’ is rather vast. They have a lot of features that are simply indispensable for travelers, providing comfort and flexibility of use. Hermetically capped, the waste container is completely isolated from its environment, which prevents odors, infections, and general discomfort.
These utilities can be equipped with black vacuum boxes, automatic or manual flushing mechanisms, and many other functions that come in handy when needed. To use one, you will have to install it on board a van or caravan and supply it with water.
Composting toilet
Unlike similar prototypes, composting toilets don’t require special mounting or maintenance and are extremely eco-friendly. It collects wastes inside a sealed-off container located under the seat and puts them through a range of chemical processes.
It results in creating composting material that later can be used for fertilization or simpler disposal. To maintain this type of toilet, it’s often necessary to use some additional chemicals to accelerate decomposition though it’s not always the case.
Others
Besides the ones designated above, there are other kinds of travel toilet options. For instance, cassette toilets are utilities with rather large cartridges equipped on the back of the main construction. They are meant for fast and safe waste disposal and large water-holding capacity.
Also, there are freezing comforts that utilize electric power to cool down the wastes to the point when germs and bacteria cannot propagate anymore.
Top 7 Best Portable Toilet Options for Travel, Ease, and Comfort
- VINGLI Portable 5.3 Gallon Portable Flushing Toilet — Top Pick
- Stansport portable Green Camp Toilet — Budget Option
- Camco 41541 Travel Toilet for RV and Boating – Premium Choice
- ZIMMER Porta Potty Camping Toilet
- Reliance Products Hassock Lightweight Toilet
- Sanitation Equipment Limited Visa Potty
- Reliance Products Luggable Loo Portable
This being said, it’s time to take a look at camping restroom utilities that are so essential onboard a vehicle. I’ve got to say that the purchase choice is quite impressive. If you know what you’re looking for, you can acquire a highly functional product that will serve you long and well.
To take a load off your shoulders, I’ve compiled a list of camping toilet reviews with the most promising products. Each of them is a superb comfort that will surely prove useful during journeys, family getaways, and long business trips. Shall we begin?
1. VINGLI Portable Flushing Toilet — Best Compact Camping Toilet
No products found.
- Dimensions: 14.4 x 16.3 x 16.5 inches
- Flush type: T-type 3-way flushing
- Waste Holding Tank Capacity: 5.3 Gallon/ 20L
- Fresh Water Tank Capacity: 3 Gallon/ 12L
- Bowl shape: Round
- Material: High-Density Polyethylene
This one is doubtless the best portable toilet for camping that you can find online today. It’s perfectly suitable for people who are always on the road and prefer a secluded camping side to an all-inclusive hotel. If you want to have the best home-like comforts to follow you wherever you go, it is an option for you.
The toilet is a stylish complement to your onboard bathroom. It’s completely mobile and can be carried to fit in a place you find most appropriate. Also, there is a nice case for carrying and storing that is very convertible and makes relocation easier than ever. Made of highly germ-resistant polyethylene, the toilet is designed to withstand a lot of weight and pressure.
On the whole, it’s box-shaped to fit easily, even in the most space-limited locations. With a height of around 17 inches, the product is extremely comfortable for both shorter and taller people.
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2. Stansport Green Camp Toilet — Budget Option, Portable Camping Toilet
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- Dimensions: 14 x 14 x 14 inches
- Warranty: 1 Year Limited Warranty
Since an RV is not always an option, this product is great for people who don’t tend to settle on one spot for too long. It’s extremely lightweight for easy carrying and rather simple in use. Take it to a camping site or your favorite fishing location without any complications.
At first, the item appears to be a common carry-on fridge – boxed, with rounded edges, and a manually closing lid. However, there is more to the design than it seems. The body is equipped with a couple of in-built handles that facilitate carrying and relocation.
Now, you can move it from one place to another simply by grabbing the sides. Also, it’s very neat in appearance, which is great for suiting your camping site without dragging too much attention.
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3. Camco Travel Toilet for RV and Boating — Premium Choice Travel Toilet
No products found.
- Dimensions: 14 x 16 x 15.5 inches
- Flush type: Bellow type flush
- Waste Holding Tank Capacity: 5.3 Gallon
- Fresh Water Tank Capacity: 2.5 Gallon
- Material: Polyethylene
If you’re looking for functions and something more automatic, here is a great option for RVs, caravans, and boats. Easy to install, the item is made to be used on distant trips to substitute a real home comfort. It’s very capacious and mostly automatic, which provides comfortability and functionality for travelers.
The utility is quite similar to a regular bathroom, apart from being a little bulky. With the top lid completely covering the seat, the product consists of a seat itself and a waste tank beneath. Such models are often used on trains and planes due to their durability and simplified usability.
Coming to around 16 inches in height and 14 inches in width, the toilet fits in medium-sized RVs nicely. It doesn’t take up too much space, yet it’s not too compressed, making it uncomfortable to use. The seat is a little over 12 inches wide, which is suitable for people of different heights and proportions.
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4. ZIMMER Porta Potty Camping Toilet — Best Camp Toilet for Low-Maintenance
No products found.
- Dimensions: 15 x 14 x 14.5 inches
- Waste Holding Tank Capacity: 5.3 Gallon
- Fresh Water Tank Capacity: 3 Gallon
- Material: Polyethylene
For people worried about maintenance, Zimmer offers a great low-maintenance toilet with reduced cleaning requirements. It’s rather compact, thus great for outdoor activities, camping, and traveling. There is no need to install the utility since it’s very autonomous and doesn’t require a direct water supply.
The product is completely assembled with little to no installation needed. When sealed, the overall height is around 17 inches, which is rather standard for toilets of this model. It allows for easy moving and portability while on the road. The waste tank at the bottom is attached to the body to ensure safety, simple use, and effortless maintenance.
Due to the hardened plastic used in the production, the item is meant to serve longer than similar models. It’s water and dirt-resistant since the surface is smooth, causing dust to fall off without getting stuck. The overall appearance is very pleasant to the eye and doesn’t get yellow with time, unlike regular plastic-based models. As for the capacity, the water container can accommodate about 3 gallons of water and cleaning supplies, whereas the black box holds up to 5 gallons of waste.
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5. Reliance Products Hassock Lightweight Toilet — Neat and Comfy Camping Restroom
No products found.
- Dimensions: 14.7 x 14.7 x 14 inches
- Material: Plastic
In case you’re concerned about the impact you make on the environment, here is an eco-friendly portable camping toilet. The product is designed to be the least harmful to your surroundings, thanks to the environmentally friendly core materials. No complicated features to be aware of, but simple comfort and longevity. The dimensions are extremely favorable for traveling and constant location changes.
Due to the compact length and height of nearly 15 inches, it doesn’t take up much space in a van, boat, or any other vehicle. Also, the design allows for carrying the utility by the handles around. They help keep the product balanced when carrying without having to bend forwards or sideways.
To ensure comfort, the manufacturer has installed a nice toilet paper holder on the lid. It fixes nicely, holding personal hygiene items firmly and always on hand. Moreover, the inner space of the utility is specially designed to use vacuum waste bags. The bags are organic and disposable, requiring rare changes. Besides this, the seat is adjusted to be comfortable and feel most natural when used.
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6. Sanitation Equipment Limited Visa Potty — Smallest Portable Toilet for Self-Assembly
No products found.
- Dimensions: 16.5 x 14.5 x 16.2 inches
- Waste Holding Tank Capacity: 6.3 Gallon
- Fresh Water Tank Capacity: 3.7
This portable flushing toilet is quite different from similar prototypes due to its disassembly and easy-to-mount construction. It’s versatile enough to be an add-on to your onboard bathroom, as well as to be taken along to camping sites. Extremely classy and with a lot of useful features, the product is truly worth considering.
Highly compact and neat, the product can fit in not only a specifically designated area but also a cupboard, or the space underneath a table. It possesses the dimensions of a standard portable toilet that ensure comfortability for users of different heights and weights. On the top, the seat is modified with a nice seal-off lid that prevents odors and smells once closed.
Also, the lid is fully detachable, which is great for maintenance and cleaning. As for the bowl, it’s intentionally elongated. This allows for a more comfortable seated position, let alone the additional legroom. A feature worth noting is the water container scale. It shows the user the volume of water used and left to prevent a sudden water shortage.
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7. Reliance Products Luggable Loo — Traditional Self-Contained Portable Toilet
No products found.
- Dimensions: 34 x 37 x 32.5 inches
- Waste Holding Tank Capacity: 5.3 Gallon/ 20L
The last but not least product you should consider acquiring is this extremely lightweight, easy-to-use Luggable Loo. It’s the freshest model to come up with ergonomic dimensions, easy maintenance, and high durability. The utility is a great fit for placing on camping sites, fishing spots, and other low-comfort outdoor getaways. It’s not higher than 15 inches and has an overall diameter of 13.5 inches.
Thanks to this, the toilet can be transported in the back of a van or even in the trunk of a regular car. The waste-holding box is as capacious as 5 gallons for longer use. As one of the smallest portable toilet options, it weighs fewer than 3 pounds, which is superb for carrying from place to place by hand. To make it even simpler, there is a nice bucket-like handle on the side.
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Buyer’s Guide: The Little Things You Should Know About
When choosing a compact camping toilet, there are a couple of factors to pay attention to. You see, each product can be an outstanding comfort with a set of impressive features. However, every model has a range of recommendations and requirements to comply with.
Things to consider before buying a portable toilet for camping
Let me give you some more information about different characteristics that are to be considered when choosing a portable comfort.
Conditions of stay
The use of a portable toilet considerably depends on such things as the number of people using it and the duration of stay. You want to have a product that is capable of being a comfort for a certain number of people without tending to it too much.
Also, how long you’re going to stay on a camping site is important. The less you use a toilet, the smaller it can be. For instance, a standard bucket comfort will do for a family of 3.
Dimensions and type
When it comes to the dimensions of your product, you need to consider the fact that even small toilets can have a large enough capacity. You have to pay attention not to the water tank capacity designated in the instruction manual but rather to the output holding capacity.
This being said, a toilet with a 3-gallon holding capacity can be a little too minute for a group of 3 people. Another important thing about dimensions is height and length compatibility. Quite taller people might find a 13-inch commodity less comfortable than a 16-inch one.
The same applies to the legroom, where wider seats are found more comfortable than those that are narrower. Also, though the type of toilet doesn’t determine its comfortability, there might be certain limitations in the recommended weight and height.
How to install a portable toilet
Normally, a regular bucket-type utility doesn’t require any installation. It’s meant to serve its purpose regardless of the place and needs a water supply. Moreover, it rarely needs any assembly or adjustments since the product normally comes already put together.
On the other hand, a portable chemical toilet might require some plumbing or water access. It can be joined manually with a supply pipe to provide fresh water without having to refill. Though this function is sometimes possible, be sure to check the recommendations since not every RV toilet has a design compatible with modifications.
How to use a portable toilet
Depending on the type of your product, the way you use it can vary in some aspects. For instance, a cassette toilet is bulkier because of the black box’s position right behind the back. This requires regular maintenance of the part to ensure that it’s well-attached at all times.
The same can refer to its water supply technology, which takes some time to get used to. Also, other types of products have their peculiar features as well. All of them work in a specific and relatively simple sequence.
Here’s exactly how:
1. When everything is set up, you need to refill the water tank.
1.1. Ranging from 2.3 to 5 gallons of freshwater input in each product, it’s essential to mind the specifics. Use the quantity of water designated in the instruction manual, not more.
1.2. If you use chemicals and cleaning substances, make sure to mix them with water proportionally. Normally, you will need ⅓ of the tank of chemicals and ⅔ of water.
2. Now, it’s important to stabilize your utility, especially if it’s used onboard a van or boat. Because it can easily flip in the rocking, you’d want to avoid it at any cost. For this, look for even ground without dents or bumps. Fix it with something heavy to place it in a narrow corner.
3. After using the utility, press the flush button or step on the paddle to initiate a flush. Make sure not to press for too long to prevent water waste.
4. Depending on the type of utility, change and clean the black box accordingly.
Bucket toilet vs Chemical toilet
If you think that a bucket toilet is less reliable and useful while traveling than a chemical one you should think again. Both these models are highly capable of providing the comfort you need and deserve. The questions remain – when to use, which one to use, and why.
Now, a bucket toilet is a good-old solution to such a delicate problem. It’s normally lightweight and made of high-durability materials, like metal, plastics, etc. Using one is very easy since there aren’t any high-tech features that require carefulness and tediousness, unlike with the rest. This also results in low-maintenance and less time spent on water refills.
However, a bucket toilet is not very comfortable for long trips where you have no time to tend to the waste container or clean it with chemicals. On the other hand, a chemical utility is the best camp toilet for longer trips. It’s almost like a regular home comfort with water flushing, a good seal-off, and less fuzz.
It is automatic and partly independent of the user, as well as it does well with germs and odors. On the downside, a chemical toilet needs a constant water supply, it’s quite hefty, and can be difficult for children to use.
FAQs
Do you have some more questions left? Follow me to learn more down below!
How to empty a portable toilet?
Get rid of the waste beg by opening the waste container. If you’re using a chemical or cassette toilet, free the container manually.
Where to dump portable toilet waste?
Use specifically designated areas on camping sites or dig a hole in the ground far from your resting place.
How to clean a portable toilet?
Use chemicals and smell-repelling substances to clean the bowl. Let it dry up and seal the container again.
What do you do with toilet paper?
It’s highly discouraged to throw toilet paper into the bowl since it can get stuck in the tubes, causing you trouble. In this case, you will have to learn how to unclog a toilet. Use a separate box or container for waste toilet paper.
How to naturally deodorize a portable toilet for no smell?
Of course, you can arrange the area around your camping restroom with natural smell repellents, like incense, essential oils, or herbs. However, this might not be as effective as applying chemical solutions. The latter is of great help not only when it comes to odors but also for germs and bacteria. Anyway, make sure to use them both inside and outside the utility.
Be a Holidaymaker With Comforts, Not Urges
If you want to ensure complete tranquility of mind and body, you shouldn’t forget about the basic needs that can easily ruin your holiday. A compact toilet is doubtlessly a must for your camping, fishing, and hunting spots. When choosing one, always aim at finding a product that can promise you not only durability but also a good set of functions.
Trust me, they will prove most useful at some point. Get yourself a simple bucket toilet for occasional fishing. It’s compact and neat, and no excessive maintenance is required. On the other hand, don’t forget that groups of people can find a chemical toilet much more comfortable, especially if you’re going to be away for a while. Choose a product that suits your needs and can be a comfort, not just a utility.
With this being said, I hope you’ve found something interesting here. Have you found what you’ve been looking for? Do you stick with a bucket toilet or prefer a modern chemical model? Tell me what you think down below!
Gerald Carpenter
My name is Gerald Carpenter and I am a professional plumber in the third generation. My father was a plumber, my grandfather was a plumber. I wish I had records on my other ancestors.
The greatest thing about this portable toilet is that it provides the same feel as my home one. Well, in my childhood I used to have no portable toilet at all, and we thought it was okay. It’s the perfect option to use in an RV as well as when out camping.