# The Poop (deck) on Camping Toilets!



## Windkiller (Oct 6, 2010)

I've a little pocket cruiser with a cabin but no head.
I was thinking about getting a porta potty camping toilet unit. The square ones with the little flusher etc.
I'm wondering if this won't end up being more of a messy pain in the @$$ than a useful convenience. A bucket seems a much more streamlined solution.(and it could be used for bailing and sand castles)

Anybody have any experience with these units?
And how are they to clean(ick) if you use them...uh ..for ones and twos..oh yeah "solid waste" ? (that's the term I'm looking for)

Are they environmentally happy?...I'm pretty sure fish and sea mamals don't use them!


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

Windkiller said:


> I've a little pocket cruiser with a cabin but no head.
> I was thinking about getting a porta potty camping toilet unit. The square ones with the little flusher etc.
> I'm wondering if this won't end up being more of a messy pain in the @$$ than a useful convenience. A bucket seems a much more streamlined solution.(and it could be used for bailing and sand castles)
> 
> ...


Your, uhm, cedar bucket does double duty for building sand castles? Remind me not to bring my kids to your next beach excursion uke


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Have a simple pump flush porta, and they aren't bad. The chemicals are relatively cheap, and emptying is pretty straightforward. We have an RV type horse trailer we have a macerator for it, and pump directly into my house septic. From now on my "solid waste" disposal will also dump into the vertical 6 inch pipe to my septic as well.

But honestly it isn't bad. NO we don't do use it for solids much, but it's nice to know it's there if it's needed, stink doesn't seem to be a problem. Setting up the water reserve is necessary for "flushing." I think my unit is a thetford, and didn't cost much more than $60.


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## knothead (Apr 9, 2003)

Windkiller said:


> I've a little pocket cruiser with a cabin but no head.
> I was thinking about getting a porta potty camping toilet unit. The square ones with the little flusher etc.
> I'm wondering if this won't end up being more of a messy pain in the @$$ than a useful convenience. A bucket seems a much more streamlined solution.(and it could be used for bailing and sand castles)
> 
> ...


Sand castle building aside, you would be much better off with a simple plastic bucket with lid and sawdust for cover material. 
A friend of mine has a port-a-potty and it's fine when it's closed up, but it stinks to high heaven whenever anyone opens it up to use it. Even when sailing, standing in the cockpit, it's nauseating. 
A bucket when the contents are covered after each use, does not stink at all. 
Buckets are cheap or free. Sawdust is abundant and usually free. Port-a-potties cost money and are inferior in every way.

This is not an opinion, it is a fact. I've used a bucket for over two years now and would never go back. I would recommend that you procure a seat for comfort however. The rim of the bucket is not made for sitting on.


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## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

Warning! Sexist Generalizations Ahead! Warning!

If it's just you, use a bucket. If it's just you and your brother, use a bucket.

If you expect to lure lady friends onto your boat (they smell pretty!) you might (at the very least) give each of them their own bucket.

Or: "...yeah there's a bucket down below. Be careful taking the lid off. Be careful sitting on it. I really hope the boat doesn't pitch while you're down there.. no guarantees.."

I think we've all been using a 'proper' head at sea and had our bottoms washed by own own 'product' (diluted with water of course!); I'd like it even less with someone else's. uke

My last boat had a port-o-potti and I maintained and emptied it for the comfort of my guests. If it was just me (and my bro')? Bucket.


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## Windkiller (Oct 6, 2010)

That should be "Hard a starboard sexist generalization ahead"

That's for the most part probably true
Though my lady friend who owns and rides horses was more use to using a bucket than me when I took her out sailing. Another female friend I had peed off the back of my mutineer dinghy once...she was an ex gymnast and it sure helped.
My current girlfriend will pee in a bucket if she was an enclosed cabin but doesn't want to me to see the results ..not that I want to ..but pee is pee, mine yours, who cares..only when it splashes on you does it get funny that way..,,whew
perhaps a bit too personal
Maybe I'll put off the porta potty purchase.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Not to go off on a tangerine here, but I just remembered this line:

On a scale of 1-10...urinate.
I hope I didn't piss anybody off.

knotty has good advice on creative composting crapper construction. just because it IS a bucket of sawdust doesn't mean it has to LOOK like a bucket of sawdust.


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## Irunbird (Aug 10, 2008)

bljones said:


> Not to go off on a tangerine here, but I just remembered this line:
> 
> On a scale of 1-10...urinate.
> I hope I didn't piss anybody off.
> ...


Now THAT's funny!

We're thinking about the same thing. I just bought an Olson 30, and the one we picked (the more solid of the three) happens to not have a port-a-potty. One that we didn't pick, did- and it seemed like it might not scare off a female sailing with us (my wife and a handful of others we have on occasion). It's nice for them to not have to use a bucket (with sawdust or anything else), but something that resembles a regular toilet for creature-comforts' sake, if nothing else. I think $60 is well worth it for them, so we'll be searching for brands of those as well-- as long as they can be secured. The trick of how to secure them forward of the v-berth bulkhead is another matter, but we welcome suggestions as well.

Ray


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

We use a Thetford brand portable toilet on our Catalina 309. We bought the boat new, and took out the holding tank and porcelain toilet after one season. We got tired of having it pumped out. And got got tired of not knowing when it was just about full. And we got tired of the fact that it didn't really handle solid waste. C'mon, the opening at the bottom of the toilet is about the size of a half dollar...great for hamsters, I guess. 

I used to have a portable toilet on my old 26 footer and had learned that they work great. We don't seem to have to empty it any more often than we had to pump out the holding tank. Really. And it's easy and clean to empty. You carry it like a briefcase, and a pipe swings out when you're ready to dump it into a shore toilet. Not messy. 

I disagree about the smell. All you have to do is use the portable toilet chemical, and you won't have odors. If you use the toilet, and then don't use your boat for a couple weeks, there can be some smell. Just add some more chemical or empty it. 

Our portable toilet cost about seventy bucks. So think about it...I can NEVER have a repair that cost me more than seventy bucks. And after 5 seasons of use, I've had no problems. Never had a problem with the toilet on my old boat either. 

Do a search on this site for holding tanks or smell, and you'll see that holding tank systems on boats are a source of problems. 

Overall, we greatly prefer the portable toilet over the holding tank system for the day, weekend, and occasional 1-2 week cruising we do. It's not for everyone, but I think the portables get a bad rap simply because people equate them with small boats or camping and think they don't belong on a proper yacht.


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## Rangernewell (Oct 23, 2010)

I have to agree with Siamese... if you add the proper chemicals, there is no smell...On my mirage 24, I changed from a holding tank system to a portable toilet. Worked out great. I had an issue one day out sailing in heavey winds, I did not secure the toilet down properly and it fliped over. What a mess.....but that was my own fault.


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## Mobnets (Apr 24, 2011)

When we bought our 1973 Chance 32/28 in 2007 it had a porcelain marine head and direct overboard discharge (no holding tank). Amazing, since this boat spent it's entire previous life on Lake Michigan. This turned out to be the deep dark secret about this boat which I discovered pretty quickly on my pre-purchase inspection and became a great bargaining point when negotiating purchase price. 

After trucking the boat to lake Superior and before launching, I tore out the conventional marine toilet, sealed up the associated thru hulls temporarily and put in a porta-potti to get us through the first season, thinking I'd install a proper system before our second season. We were so satisfied with the porta-potti after the first season we're still using it. 

Chemicals are important, but inexpensive. Also, use of toilet paper designed for these toilets is essential. I learned that the hard way. Conventional toilet paper doesn't fragment readily in these systems and can form a huge plug in the waste tank that will make emptying difficult. 

Dumping a porta-potti in a conventional shoreside toilet can be messy. We are blessed in that our marina (Barker's Island) has a dedicated porta-potti dumping station with a hose for rinsing. Makes all the difference.

We're in the process of retiring our existing porta-potti before this season. We're actually replacing it with another. Thetford has a fancy, stylish new one that looks a lot nicer than any portable toilet I've ever seen. It's going to cost twice what the existing one did, but I'm still $$$$$ ahead of the alternative.

Mobnets
1973 Paceship Chance 32/28 "Westwind"


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## Irunbird (Aug 10, 2008)

I'm sure there are different methods (maybe?), but how do you typically secure these things?


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## Rangernewell (Oct 23, 2010)

For the one I bought, There was a kit you can buy, it locks it into place.......Think it was about $20. I concider that cheap compared to the mess I had to deal with.


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## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

On my C-18 the port-o-potti had 2 clips that held the top (water tank and seat) to the bottom (waste tank). On the cabin sole there were 2 bails that were sized and positioned for the clips: Carry it down below as one unit; set it in place; undo the clips and refasten them to the bails on the sole;

Ta-da! It's fixed in place.

Seems like opinions vary between bucket, potti, & holding tank. I've done the first 2 and I'm about to try the third!

Could I suggest that a small piece of black electrical tape be wrapped around the handle? This would help differentiate 'a bucket' from 'the bucket'.


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## CapnBilll (Sep 9, 2006)

I don't know. I'm not a big fan of portable potty being the one who will ALWAYS have to empty it out. 

I'm looking at a self contained marine head, 8 gals holding tank built into base for $500.00, a little more than the porta's, a great deal more capacity, and requires two hoses, pressurized in, and pump out or Y valve out. I'm kinda leaning that way. 

For a multi day voyage with family that little porta is going to fill up fast, leaving ME to wrestle it up on deck, and dump it over the side, (hopefully not wearing the contents), clean it and wrestle it back down, while several family members are crossing their legs waiting. Not the beginning of a happy family trip. 

Also unless I go 3 miles out, dumping even the bucket is illegal. That means an emergency run to a marina with a full potty to find somewhere to legally dump it.

In the end that means a big holding tank with the capacity to handle several days of waste between point A & point B, or at least enough to get well out to sea.


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## fatmandandan (Aug 27, 2012)

.


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## Windkiller (Oct 6, 2010)

Yes I've pretty much decided a bucket is the way to go, it can be used in the cockpit discreetly (on the water) and the thought of emptying out/cleaning a porta potty gives me the willies
I once forgot a closed bucket in my old boat and it sat for a few days in hot weather...whoooeeee!! ..now I don't use a closed bucket anymore!! A porta potta would be fraught with the same peril...and if it's not usefull for the number 2's ..Why even have one??


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## Trailblazer (Apr 29, 2012)

A properly chemicaled porta potty will not smell. Ive had one on many truck campers, two 21' sailboats, a 23' sailboat, two 25' sailboats, and my present Hunter 23.5. I even take one tent camping. They are convenient, don't have any oder when properly used, and can go longer than your ice supply before they need to be emptied.


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

Gotta disagree with emptying of a porta potti being messy. The Thetford we use has a pipe that swings out and gets directed well into a shoreside toilet.

Not suitable for #2? Gotta disagree there, too. Yes, some poo can stick to the bowl because of the weak flush, but a little paper towel and water or spray cleaner takes care of that. I pity the fool that has someone poop in the the standard toilet on a Catalina 309, as the hole at the bottom of the bowl is waaaaay small. Gonna take a lot more than paper towel to fix that.

We very seldom have a problem with odor. Empty it, put in fresh chemicals, no problem. 

Like any device, you have to use it correctly. I'm just trying to imagine having mixed company aboard and sending one of the ladies down below to use a bucket. Doesn't she have to bring the bucket up on deck and dump it. Let's hope she doesn't drop it, or spill it...ugh. Does everyone look the other way as the turds fly overboard? If you're at anchor.....aw, c'mon.


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## Mobnets (Apr 24, 2011)

In a previous post on this thread I hinted that I was thinking about transitioning to a new porta-potti model by Thetford . . . the "Curve". I got one and installed it before my boat hit the water this year. It is very nice looking and much easier to carry and empty than the square one it replaced due to the streamlined design. It is also much more comfortable to sit on than standard units. Waste reservoir holds about the same as the old, which can get pretty heavy if you let it get full, but this one's much better balanced when carrying the waste tank.

I'd been using a non-formaldehyde containing orange colored citrus-based chemical I bought in the RV section at "Wally World" several years ago and had absolutely no problem with smells (even when I didn't empty it as often as I should have).

The new one has been in service since July 1st and is a stinker! I should say "was" a stinker as I got to the bottom of the problem this weekend. The new Thetford came with a small "trial" bottle of their proprietary porta-potti chemical. I was out of the stuff I'd been using so I used this new potion. I may be a little slow, but finally figured out that it's all in the chemicals. After my crew just about abandoned ship when the new porta-potti was in use this weekend, I picked up some of the tried and true citrus stuff at WMart and dumped a dose in (without emptying first). Solved 50% of the problem within an hour and 90% overnight. After emptying and just using the orange chemicals I expect to have the style and convenience of the new unit along with the little to no odor feature of my old one.

The "Curve" also has fluid level gauges for both waste and fresh flush water and electric flush, which does a much better job of cleaning the bowl than the bellows pump flush on typical models. If one or two hits on the flush button won't take care of any occasional #2 skid marks in the bowl, rather than repeatedly flushing, we use a stream of simple green cleaner, which is always in the cabinet in the head.

One thing I learned early on is the importance of using toilet paper designed for portable toilets rather than stuff you'd use at home. Originally thought it was a marketing gimmick, but when a huge knot of consolidated TP bigger than the dumping tube started making emptying difficult with my original unit resulting in some unpleasant extraction maneuvers I won't go into detail on here, I switched to the RV TP and never had the problem again. The RV stuff does exactly what it says . . . fragments quickly in the porta-potti and doesn't clog.

It was love at first sight (sit) for "The Admiral" and now that I've wised up on the chemical aspect of the thing she really loves it. 

And on my boat, "if The Admiral's not happy, nobody's happy!"

Mobnets
Paceship Chance 32/28 "Westwind"


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## Squidd (Sep 26, 2011)

Better not be dumping overboard...at anchor or anywhere else inside the three mile limit...

And for using that "Vertical Pipe" on your home septic...???? That's a "Vent" not an access port...


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## Mobnets (Apr 24, 2011)

It is my understanding that there is no dumping, period on the great lakes. The "three mile limit" applies to (coastal) ocean waters only.

Mobnets
1973 Paceship Chance 32/28 "Westwind"


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## fatmandandan (Aug 27, 2012)

.


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## Mobnets (Apr 24, 2011)

fatmandandan:

I've put the chemicals in the flush reservoir from time to time with my old unit. Not so much for the purpose you stated but with the idea of "freshening up" the chemical between dumpings. I stopped doing that. That practice, either alone or combined with the bright idea I had to put marine/RV antifreeze in the flush water reservoir when winterizing the boat, resulted in a weird chemical reaction that caused a rubber-like coating to form on the inside of the reservoir, which eventually plugged and ruined the bellows pump flush mechanism on my old, conventional unit.

Not knowing if one or the other, or the combination of the two (most likely IMHO) was the culprit, my new one gets water only and is coming home for the winter. 

Mobnets
1973 Paceship Chance 32/28 "Westwind"


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## fatmandandan (Aug 27, 2012)

.


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

Started off in scouts digging a hole. Then we went to tent camping which varried between that and a bucket if you couldnt make it to the campground outhouse (a giant hold of crap with a toilet seat on top... wonderfull buzz of flies and don't bother retrieving anything you drop in). Then went to porta potty on camping trailor and even a boat. Then went to manual pump heads and a holding tank. THen went to electric heads and a holding tank.

For the record, everything has been an improvement and I cannot imagine ever going back. WHen I race with the guys, its a bucket. WHen I am on my home with the wife, its luxury. 

More on topic:

I have had a lot of experience with the little portable heads. The old models had a habit of not being able to pour out easy and gurgled/splashed when pouring into a toilet. THe last model I used did not. It had a little tube thing that came out and poured well. DIdn't make the process any more fun, but better than cleaning up afterwards too.

Brian


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## Squidd (Sep 26, 2011)

I use the Blue Sauce...Not too slippery, but smells nice and is supposed to help breakdown "deposit"...

Not such an issue in a 10 gallon tank that get's pumped pretty regularly (when full)


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## knothead (Apr 9, 2003)

Cruisingdad said:


> Started off in scouts digging a hole. Then we went to tent camping which varried between that and a bucket if you couldnt make it to the campground outhouse (a giant hold of crap with a toilet seat on top... wonderfull buzz of flies and don't bother retrieving anything you drop in). Then went to porta potty on camping trailor and even a boat. Then went to manual pump heads and a holding tank. THen went to electric heads and a holding tank.
> 
> For the record, everything has been an improvement and I cannot imagine ever going back. WHen I race with the guys, its a bucket. WHen I am on my home with the wife, its luxury.
> 
> ...


I would think that the Boy Scouts would be at least as smart as a common house pet. Even a cat knows that if you don't cover your poop it's going to continue to stink. 

Seriously, I think the importance of cover material is what many people don't understand. 
A bucket is the epitome of KISS.

I use it once, (usually), a day. I cover it thoroughly and I let it sit. I don't stir or agitate it in any way. It does not smell or attract insects. I empty it once every two weeks when it's about 3/4" full. It takes less than 5 minutes and is no more difficult or disgusting than adding the regular kitchen scraps to the compost pile.


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## arf145 (Jul 25, 2007)

If you want to go with a bucket, Cabela's sells a toilet seat that fits a 5-gallon bucket: Luggable Loo Bucket Lid Toilet Seat

and they'll sell you the bucket too, if you want: 
Luggable Loo Toilet Seat and Bucket


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## polaris2.11 (Mar 21, 2012)

Bucket + good sealing lid + Double Doodie bags work very well for me - and the admiral is fine with it too. Best used in the cockpit (at a discrete anchorage). We get about 6 poos per bag (3 days X 2 people).


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

knothead said:


> I would think that the Boy Scouts would be at least as smart as a common house pet. Even a cat knows that if you don't cover your poop it's going to continue to stink.


Many's the day in my youth, sitting astride one of those Scout camp outhouses trying not to breathe through my nose, that I too pondered the shortcomings of the design.


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## Squidd (Sep 26, 2011)

Back in the day (and yes I lived in a house with an out house) we had a bucket of lime to give the "deposits" a daily sprinkle..other than in super hot muggy no wind weather....Kept smell to reasonable/liveable levels...

BTW... I still have a functionable outhouse, that gets use from time to time...


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Wow! RTFM folks.

3 step toilet use... Sadly this actual process (less descriptive) is written on the lid of the Thetford toilet in my horse trailer (which has a 29 gallon holding tank directly below)

1.Before USING... pump BOWL full of water, yes, kind of like home!
2.Do your business (yep this stinks)
3.Pull flush tab, liquids and ehm solids go together (yep that stinks until it's closed again). If you exceed the bowl capacity (poor fella), you might want to "go in stages."

Sticky solids less likely to be happening if you use some of the "anti-stink" in the water for flushing as well, because it's slickeryer than just water. It also cuts down on the overall smell during the flush.

Get a porta pottie, make the crew happier. Give the ladies (kids and everyone else) the, "please go potty before we leave the dock speech." This should minimize the use of the portable. If you are out for so much time that it HAS to be used, then you might benefit from a permanent fixed potty with a separate tank (which by the way are no different than these self contained ones, other than the distance to the tank, and perhaps a more pressurized water spraying the bowl, both nice features).

As for mounting the pottie? These things are used in campers too, so someone already thought of that. They all have a built in ledge around them for either A) screwing them into the floorboards, or a B) pocket for a strap to secure them to the floorboards. Even my little Thetford cheapy has a pretty robust flange to screw into.

My boat has a slightly raised platform for a portable head, it's got a 2 inch lip around the area, that keeps the potty in place. It also has the tabs already screwed in place to just turn the tabs to hold the potty in place onto the flange (no need to screw in).

For the record, I don't recommend using any of these devices at 25 degrees of heel, and it ain't because of the potty slipping, um OK?

Once you're under 10 degrees of heel they are usually just fine (just watch for the wave pounding), and you don't get christened by the bowl water then.

I've not even bothered to secure mine in, as the 2 inch lip around the pottie, keeps in place (been to 35 degrees of heel so far). Oh, and I should point out, I have a board that sits JUST above my pottie that while not in use, holds the top down as well. Only while in use does this board lift up (hinged), and the thought process is, someone will hold the potty down when that occurs.

Never thought I'd have to go into this much detail on how a porta-pottie worked. 

As for the boy scouts... Yep, summer camp they dug a latrine roughly 3 feet deep (part of a merit badge I believe), moved the houses over it... used it for the week, at the end of the week we were required to fill it back with soil. Ah the good ole days. 

Now a days you likely have to have an EPA permit to use a Johnny on the Spot near a boy scout camp.


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## sww914 (Oct 25, 2008)

I don't know if you have room, but we installed a C-Head and we have no regrets. No smell and no problems and it was just under $500.00 with shipping. It's footprint is about 1 1/2 times the size of a 5 gallon bucket. If you want to read about our decision on our website you can see it here- Landfall Voyages » Day 10: The **** Diaries, Golden Showers and ****

We scavenged a small fan from a dead inverter later to ventilate, it's vented through our old waste deck fill, we screw the top back on if there's a chance of any water getting in.


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## kjones (Aug 4, 2011)

Has anyone made a gimbaled toilet yet?


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## Squidd (Sep 26, 2011)

I have a hard enough time trying to hit a stationary toilet in a rocking boat...


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## TaliscaAdrian (May 24, 2017)

I have Cleanwaste Go Anywhere and it is one of the best portable toilet for camping . This is literally a complete portable toilet system. Not only does it include a portable toilet but it also includes a privacy shelter. The whole toilet including the shelter neatly packs up into the supplied backpack for easy storage and transportation. The total weight of the toilet and accessories in the backpack is only 18 lbs. This toilet works a little differently to the most competitors in that the waste goes into a biodegradable sack. Added to the sack is some special; powder that turns all the liquid waste into solids. The waste bag is then sealed and disposed of complete.Best Portable Camping Toilets - (Ultimate Guide 2017)


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Hello Adrian, welcome to SailNet. I think it is good your first post start with handling sh!t. You can only go up from there.


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

I remember how they do it in Tuk. Black plastic bag in a pail. When full just put it outside where it freezes solid and doesn't have to move till spring .By then a big pile of bags. Sun thaws and skidoos tear them up so now you can't move them because it's all over the road .No worry, it will soon freeze again. .


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## amandacian (Nov 2, 2019)

There are many camping toilet available in market. You can find you self that which best for you and which is more suitable for you. If you have any question and confusion then this blog will help you. Best Portable Camping Toilet


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