Best toilet for weekend adventures with the family?

B^2

B^2

Observer
Looking at picking up a toilet for weekend adventures with the wife and kiddo. The kiddo is still in diapers for now so it would be just the wife and I using it. Inclined to get something I can dump in the toilet back home after a weekend away and something that isn't too difficult to clean. Should I be looking at toilets with a water tank? I'd like something a little nicer then pooping in a bag attached to a seat because if it has to be packed out in the car, I don't want to smell it. I see toilets with tanks are usually between 2.3-2.6 gallons and some that are around 5 gallons.

Came across this but wasn't sure how accurate it was: https://overlandsite.com/camping-equipment/best-portable-toilet/


Any other helpful info would be much appreciated.
 
DiploStrat

DiploStrat

Expedition Leader
Where is this thing going? Mounted inside a truck, I much prefer a composting toilet, specifically the C-Head. (And I can bore you to tears with the reasons.)

Otherwise, get a shovel and a bog roll and be done with it. Beloved Spouse and I used the latter for decades.
 
Herbie

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Coming from a similar position, I've had both a Thetford 135 (2.6g) and now a Dometic 976 (5.0gal). We found that the smaller tank capacity was not quite enough for 2-adults + 1-kid for more than a 2-day weekend. By the 3rd-4th day, we had to start making decisions about use, which sort of defeated the whole purpose.

With the 5 gallon unit, it's enough for "long weekends" without concern, and for longer trips we have (so far) never had problems finding a place to dump it (vault toilet, gas station restroom, etc.) before it filled. The dumping process is not terrible if you follow the protocol (opening/closing the "anti-glug" vent, etc.). It's the first thing I do after a trip and it takes no more than 5 minutes.

I would do careful research for the composting toilets before pursuing that route - as far as I'm concerned, the timing and cycling requirements for their use doesn't really work out well for the "weekend warrior" families. (Unless you're willing to leave the unit stowed somewhere to do the decomposition thing for several weeks after your weekend campout.) They make a lot more sense for full-timers, though.

IMHO this is one of the non-negotiable pieces of kit. My wife is fine with a fairly spartan rig - cook/eat outside, no wash basin, no shower, etc., but if I insisted she and the kiddo dig a hole for their business, the number of trips we'd take as a family would plummet.
 
J

john61ct

Adventurer
Composting is just a marketing term, their output 99.99% of the time just gets tossed in the trash.

Perfectly legal anywhere, but common sense dictates avoiding offending anyone's delicate sensibilities.

IMO way better than handling chemicals, but comes down to preferences, how harshly you were potty trained.
 
B^2

B^2

Observer
Herbie said:
Coming from a similar position, I've had both a Thetford 135 (2.6g) and now a Dometic 976 (5.0gal). We found that the smaller tank capacity was not quite enough for 2-adults + 1-kid for more than a 2-day weekend. By the 3rd-4th day, we had to start making decisions about use, which sort of defeated the whole purpose.

With the 5 gallon unit, it's enough for "long weekends" without concern, and for longer trips we have (so far) never had problems finding a place to dump it (vault toilet, gas station restroom, etc.) before it filled. The dumping process is not terrible if you follow the protocol (opening/closing the "anti-glug" vent, etc.). It's the first thing I do after a trip and it takes no more than 5 minutes.

I would do careful research for the composting toilets before pursuing that route - as far as I'm concerned, the timing and cycling requirements for their use doesn't really work out well for the "weekend warrior" families. (Unless you're willing to leave the unit stowed somewhere to do the decomposition thing for several weeks after your weekend campout.) They make a lot more sense for full-timers, though.

IMHO this is one of the non-negotiable pieces of kit. My wife is fine with a fairly spartan rig - cook/eat outside, no wash basin, no shower, etc., but if I insisted she and the kiddo dig a hole for their business, the number of trips we'd take as a family would plummet.
Click to expand...


Did you research the different options for 5 gallon toilets before you got the Dometic 976? Personally, I'd rather have the extra space and not need vs having to make decisions about use.
 
Herbie

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
B^2 said:
Did you research the different options for 5 gallon toilets before you got the Dometic 976? Personally, I'd rather have the extra space and not need vs having to make decisions about use.
Click to expand...

I had it narrowed down between the Dometic 976 and the Thetford Curve. The curve is, by far, the nicest of the portables, but it was taller than the cabinet I had available to put it in. (Technically, it was taller than the cabinet I was planning to build and I didn't want to give up the drawer in that cabinet to make it fit).

The Dometic also came with the Marine mounting kit, which I thought I may be able to take advantage of in the future (alternate mounting plans). Given that I would be sliding it in/out of a cabinet, the front handle was also very convenient.

toilet_cabinet.jpg
 
B^2

B^2

Observer
What makes the curve so much more expensive then anything else? The Dometic 976 looks like a great deal, the challenge is finding one in time for this weekend.
 
Herbie

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Electric Flush is a plus. Not sure if general demand/preference drives the rest of the difference.

Amazon shows a couple of different vendors who may be able to get the 976 to SoCal by the 3rd, so maybe you're not too much farther out.
 
Regcabguy

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
DiploStrat said:
Where is this thing going? Mounted inside a truck, I much prefer a composting toilet, specifically the C-Head. (And I can bore you to tears with the reasons.)

Otherwise, get a shovel and a bog roll and be done with it. Beloved Spouse and I used the latter for decades.
Click to expand...
What's a bog roll? Be sure and burn your paper.
 
DiploStrat

DiploStrat

Expedition Leader
john61ct said:
Composting is just a marketing term, their output 99.99% of the time just gets tossed in the trash.

Perfectly legal anywhere, but common sense dictates avoiding offending anyone's delicate sensibilities.

IMO way better than handling chemicals, but comes down to preferences, how harshly you were potty trained.
Click to expand...

Agreed. But as we actually have a compost pile, our weekend trips do actually get composted the full six+ months. Longer trips we dump in drop toilets, commercial dumpsters, RV sewers (with water), cow pastures, etc.

The real joy of a composting toilet becomes evident the first time you realize:

-- It will go for a week without attention, except for urine, and,

-- There is no gagging smell o_O when you dump the cassette/porta potty, etc. EDITED for clarity: -- You do not have the gagging smell that you get when you dump a cassette or portages potty, etc. o_O

The last bit makes it all worthwhile! :)
 
Last edited:
vintageracer

vintageracer

To Infinity and Beyond!
"There is no gagging smell when you dump the cassette/porta potty, etc."

I don't know why that would be a problem.

Everyone I know always tells me their schidt don't stink!
 
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