When living on the road the convenience of a plumbed bathroom is not always available which can make it challenging for when nature calls. But don’t worry, in this article we will go through a variety of options to help facilitate your toilet for car camping needs.
When living in your car, space is often limited. Whether you’re driving a small hatchback or a large SUV, having a portable toilet may not be feasible. Unlike vans or RVs, having a fixed toilet is not always an option. However, there are fortunately other convenient alternatives available.
Do you need a toilet for Car Camping?
No, you do not necessarily need a permanent toilet solution for your car, truck or van camping set-up; However it is great to have a back-up for emergency situations.
In an ideal world, you’d never have to deal with the inconvenience of using your car or truck camper as a restroom. With the abundance of publicly accessible facilities, such as toilets at work, nearby grocery stores, restaurants, laundromats, and gyms, the option to utilize these amenities is a game-changer for both short and long-term car camping. However, when vehicle camping in remote areas without nearby facilities, these conveniences may not always be available.
So if you’re in a pinch or you are preparing for a the worst here’s a list of options to keep you ready, click on them below to skip directly to that section.
Bucket Toilet – Most convenient portable toilet for car camping
Bucket toilets provide a practical and economical solution. As the name suggests, they are composed of a bucket with a seat, often accompanied by a disposable toilet bag. The true value of these portable toilets for car lies in their adaptability, offering both do-it-yourself and pre-made alternatives that are easily accessible.
A simple D.I.Y bucket toilet option is comprised of a bucket, cut pool noodle and garbage bag for the collection of the waste. The video below by The King of Random does a great job at outlining how to create your own.
For those less D.I.Y savvy or want a ready made option the Reliance Products Hunter’s LOO is a handy solution, however can be a hassle to store in smaller car camping set-ups. A solution to this is a portable folding style toilet such as this Foldable Car Toilet available online.
Portaloo – Best alternative to conventional toilets
Portaloo’s also known as Portapottis are another great long term solution for those who have to regularly rely on using a toilet in their vehicle camping set-up. This option is the closest option to a regular plumbed toilet and can be regarded as a creature comfort of sorts. Being the only flushing toilet on this list, this is a great option for those becoming accustom to the car camping lifestyle.
These toilets require regular maintenance in the form of filling the holding tank with odor eliminating chemicals and disposal of waste water. It is important to consider the correct disposal of the waste water must be done in accordance to regulations in your state to avoid fines or penalties.
A downside of the portapottis is the amount of space it occupies in your vehicle camping set-up making it impractable for those living our of small cars or saloons. However with larger set-ups like a van or pick-up these are a much more practical solution.
Hiking/ Disposable Toilets
For those fighting with limited space or in love with the out doors and hiking, disposable toilets are a great option for when nature calls. With a majority of disposable toilets smaller than your mobile phone, these are extremely practical for storing in a glove compartment or purse for emergencies.
These toilets work by strapping the toilet to your legs and pulling the bag to situate between your legs followed by assuming a squatting position to complete your business. Most brands offer an ‘odor proof’ protection consisting of powder, bio-degradable bags and zip top bags for transport to a suitable disposable location. High end brands even offer toilet paper and wet wipes for peace of mind.
Although not financially practical for regular use with some brands costing around $10 each for smaller quantities, having half a dozen hidden away in your glove box is perfect for peace of mind. My preferred brand of hiking toilet is the Biffy Bag Pocket Size Disposable toilet which like most things now days is available on Amazon and good hiking/ camping stores.
Public Bathrooms
Luckily there is a plethora of easily accessible public restrooms available around the country available to use. Whether its within a park, restaurant, local business or grocery store these facilities are great to use however are not always a viable option with opening hours or purchases required to use the amenities.
Modern Technology has taken away the stress of searching the streets aimlessly searching for an open public bathroom. All of the major map providers now show close by public toilets including Google and Apple maps along with dedicated apps to finding public bathrooms or restrooms. Flush Finder is a great free application that displays the toilets nearest to you, with a whopping 200,000+ public toilets in its database!
Tip
A lot of these toilet for car camping solutions rely on the storage and disposal of waste. It is important to remember that a lot of countries have laws and regulations in place when it comes to the disposal of human waste. It is important to verify the policies that are applicable to you and the state in which you are residing. You can read more about our tips for waste disposal in the article linked here.
For more information on the safe and legal disposal of human waste in the USA make sure to check-out this guide from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
