We have a Mazda Bongo/Ford Freda (I'm going to cross post if that's OK here), with a full side conversion and rock and roll bed. Bought it at the end of August and extremely pleased with it so far. We feel we got a good deal and it came with lots of extras thrown in (from Oak Car Sales in Bolton - a good guy to deal with). Although we've only only done a few trips in it so far that has been enough to test out various aspects and most work extremely well. I've got a whole host of question areas which I thought I'd do as separate posts - disclaimer, we are not very practical people, and we are both in our 60s so not likely to change now.
Right, to be a potty mouth. This is the main unresolved dilemma for us so I have questions about what you people are using for your toilet arrangements. Products and prices are just from Amazon searches - not seen any real range of options in the flesh anywhere.
So overall questions first (detailed ones follow) - what do others do about toilet arrangements in their small camper van? What is the most discrete option with the least fuss? Has anybody made a cover/box for theirs - out of what? Are we missing anything - is there a more obvious solution (NOT just going behind a tree)?
Included with our Bongo was a fairly elderly but working (in fetching yellow) porta-potti chemical toilet. We use it in a pop-up toilet tent, which is fantastic by the way. We only use it for overnight No 1s, which means a couple or three trips for each of us. We use baby wipes instead of toilet paper and this we throw away into a plastic bag and dispose of each morning. It works well and is fine, no smells or leaks and we are not grossed out by it or anything. BUT this unit is big and bulky, it is heavy unless we only quarter fill the flush tank, and even then is awkward to lift. Most crucially, it doesn't stow away anywhere in our Bongo so sits out in the van whilst we are driving about, which I absolutely hate & detest. It takes almost a quarter of the clear floor area. And in fact it seems to be overkill for our needs as we generally go away for short trips.
So. I have looked around at what our options might be.
1. We could get a much smaller chemical toilet. The Thetford Porta Potti 335 Qube (£87.95) seems to be small. Not sure if that would stow away anywhere (by quoted measurements it would fit in under sink cupboard) but would presumably be lighter at least. Our porta-potti is 37cm tall and that feels as low as I'd like.
This one would be too low for me, so can they be stood on a box when using them? What does anyone else do about a low toilet if they are past their first youth (and don't say get a bigger van!)? We only need to hold enough chemical for a relatively small number of flushes so are there other even smaller cassette type toilets out there?
2. We could get one of the 'bucket with toilet seat lid' arrangements. Whilst these might be a bit dearer 'per use' than the chemical type we really don't mind using bags and cat litter, disposable nappies, or specialist granules, and chucking the bag away each morning. They still can't be stowed, but at least a bucket can have other uses and looks more discrete. And throwing away our waste daily rather than carting it around would suit us better I think. However, we can't find anywhere to actually see these and at least try sitting on them so I fear they will be unsteady in use. I've narrowed it down in this category to 3 possibilities:
Reliance Unisex RE Luggable Loo Toilet 19 litre £34.31
Leisurewize Need A Loo Portable Toilet £17.80
Branq 22 litre Portable Camping Festival Toilet £15.82
Anybody use any of these? How sturdy are they in use? Is there any advantage in paying more than for the cheapest?
3. Next possibility is the same sort of thing but housed in an outer shell - presumably that makes it sturdier in use but otherwise I guess has same advantages as the bucket type, with an added problem of a bit bigger to stow. They don't seem to be any taller but perhaps that matters less if they are less likely to fall over? Couple of these would be:
Kampa Khazi Portable Toilet £22.95
LIVIVO Lightweight and Portable 5L Camping Toilet £19.95
Again, any experiences with either of these or others of this type? How do you stow it away?
4. Finally, there's the off beat FOLDING options. They do seem to offer some advantage in being much more discrete (very important in our tiny van). All fold up and could possibly fit under the bed. In fact, the Popaloo comes in a bag, but is expensive for what it is and lacks a lid for repeat uses during one night. The folding commode seems an interesting possibility but who knows how steady it would be! Neither my partner nor I are light weights. Even more true of the folding frame type (which is perhaps cheap enough to just buy and try).
Popaloo Portable Camping Toilet £73.95
Folding lightweight commode chair with top loading pot £34.95
Andes Portable Folding Outdoor Camping Toilet £9.95
Anybody used any of these or indeed other folding types? Thoughts?
Right, to be a potty mouth. This is the main unresolved dilemma for us so I have questions about what you people are using for your toilet arrangements. Products and prices are just from Amazon searches - not seen any real range of options in the flesh anywhere.
So overall questions first (detailed ones follow) - what do others do about toilet arrangements in their small camper van? What is the most discrete option with the least fuss? Has anybody made a cover/box for theirs - out of what? Are we missing anything - is there a more obvious solution (NOT just going behind a tree)?
Included with our Bongo was a fairly elderly but working (in fetching yellow) porta-potti chemical toilet. We use it in a pop-up toilet tent, which is fantastic by the way. We only use it for overnight No 1s, which means a couple or three trips for each of us. We use baby wipes instead of toilet paper and this we throw away into a plastic bag and dispose of each morning. It works well and is fine, no smells or leaks and we are not grossed out by it or anything. BUT this unit is big and bulky, it is heavy unless we only quarter fill the flush tank, and even then is awkward to lift. Most crucially, it doesn't stow away anywhere in our Bongo so sits out in the van whilst we are driving about, which I absolutely hate & detest. It takes almost a quarter of the clear floor area. And in fact it seems to be overkill for our needs as we generally go away for short trips.
So. I have looked around at what our options might be.
1. We could get a much smaller chemical toilet. The Thetford Porta Potti 335 Qube (£87.95) seems to be small. Not sure if that would stow away anywhere (by quoted measurements it would fit in under sink cupboard) but would presumably be lighter at least. Our porta-potti is 37cm tall and that feels as low as I'd like.
This one would be too low for me, so can they be stood on a box when using them? What does anyone else do about a low toilet if they are past their first youth (and don't say get a bigger van!)? We only need to hold enough chemical for a relatively small number of flushes so are there other even smaller cassette type toilets out there?
2. We could get one of the 'bucket with toilet seat lid' arrangements. Whilst these might be a bit dearer 'per use' than the chemical type we really don't mind using bags and cat litter, disposable nappies, or specialist granules, and chucking the bag away each morning. They still can't be stowed, but at least a bucket can have other uses and looks more discrete. And throwing away our waste daily rather than carting it around would suit us better I think. However, we can't find anywhere to actually see these and at least try sitting on them so I fear they will be unsteady in use. I've narrowed it down in this category to 3 possibilities:
Reliance Unisex RE Luggable Loo Toilet 19 litre £34.31
Leisurewize Need A Loo Portable Toilet £17.80
Branq 22 litre Portable Camping Festival Toilet £15.82
Anybody use any of these? How sturdy are they in use? Is there any advantage in paying more than for the cheapest?
3. Next possibility is the same sort of thing but housed in an outer shell - presumably that makes it sturdier in use but otherwise I guess has same advantages as the bucket type, with an added problem of a bit bigger to stow. They don't seem to be any taller but perhaps that matters less if they are less likely to fall over? Couple of these would be:
Kampa Khazi Portable Toilet £22.95
LIVIVO Lightweight and Portable 5L Camping Toilet £19.95
Again, any experiences with either of these or others of this type? How do you stow it away?
4. Finally, there's the off beat FOLDING options. They do seem to offer some advantage in being much more discrete (very important in our tiny van). All fold up and could possibly fit under the bed. In fact, the Popaloo comes in a bag, but is expensive for what it is and lacks a lid for repeat uses during one night. The folding commode seems an interesting possibility but who knows how steady it would be! Neither my partner nor I are light weights. Even more true of the folding frame type (which is perhaps cheap enough to just buy and try).
Popaloo Portable Camping Toilet £73.95
Folding lightweight commode chair with top loading pot £34.95
Andes Portable Folding Outdoor Camping Toilet £9.95
Anybody used any of these or indeed other folding types? Thoughts?
