Scout Olympic vs Kenai

[svinyard]

Hey I haven't thought about Toilets at all as I was going to just get the built in Cassette toilet. That being said, I don't have any experience with them as far as owning one. Apparently if you use the right chemicals that Thetford one is commonly used, especially all across Europe. BUT, that Airhead toilet certainly looks interesting considering the capacity. That would be awesome. I'm guessing the 4 of us might be able to fill up a cassette toilet fairly quickly...and it's built into the camper so I can't remove it for quick trips where we don't want a Toilet.

What are you thinking? (or anyone else too).

That dometic is the direction I am leaning also too much brain damage to resolve it before we have the camper in hand and understand the actual design. The NL75 seems hands down like the best fridge option.
We are also weighing the toilet options as both the airhead and the laveo look to fit really well in the space. I don’t love the idea of the laveo due to the fact that our waste will be sealed up in landfill for thousands of years but the airhead seems to have issues with its ability to dry the bin in our humid climate.

 

[svinyard]

These Airhead composting toilets just might be the ticket. Anyone have experiences with these?

How It Works – Air Head Composting Toilet | For Boats, RVs & Cabins

airheadtoilet.com

I ended up speaking with Elliot at Airhead about their composting toilet. It sounds great actually. You get about 60-80 solid waste uses out of it, which would be great for 2 week trips. The liquid is separate from the solid which is nice because we will usually just go outside but it has 2 gal liquid container for those cold winter weekends. You prep the toilet with broken up coco shavings, optional enzyme packet (can get at most hardware store), and a bit of water. You open the trap door, go #2 and turn the crank. Apparently they are way less smelly than normal toilet since the solid/liquids aren't kept together. I've used compositing pit toilets on the Deschutes river wilderness area...they were freaking amazing. Clean, no small and you just dumped some shavings down the hatch when done. Being able to just the compost waste in a good sized hole in the ground would be pretty cool rather than having to find a dump station or pit toilet somewhere.

Disposing of the solid compost can apparently be done just by digging a hole and emptying it there to fully compost/breakdown. He said you could also just garbage bag it and toss it. I'm not entirely sure about all that but from what I've seen its not nasty at all and there are loads of chemicals etc.

I got the install instructions. Elliot said it only takes an hour or two. There are a couple of small floor mounting brackets to hold it steady (they are popular for long sail boat trips). I asked him about avoiding the floor brackets so I could remove it easier and avoid floor mounting. He said I could use a cam-strap to secure it to the back wall as an option and that I'd likely only need the lower part secured. The other install is the venting hose. It would need 2.5in vent hole drilled into the camper wall or ceiling and then the hose bracket would be installed on that hole. I'd also need a vent cover to keep water from getting in. The 12V fan would need to be wired in as well and is a critical piece. The lids seal and the fan helps draw out moisture/smells etc to keep the thing healthy. He said its hallmark is being way less smelly than other toilet options. I also like the fact that I can remove the thing easily if its 1) problematic or 2) I'm on a trip where we aren't using it. I'd regain a ton of storage space.

 

[svinyard]

So the Airhead Marine seat will fit perfectly in the toilet area space (which is 25.5" north-south and 17 7/8" east-west) it seems. A few options to vent it, and you can tap into the 12V power that runs to the tiny computer fan on the Dickenson I'm sure. (this uses a similar small computer case fan.

Scout Bathroom area dimensions: red= 25.5"/blue is 17 7/8"


So I can put the toilet-back to the sidewall, just below the rinsekit area. The toilet will easily fit there width wise (red measurement).

This should be sweet as the toilet has a "marine seat" option where the whole thing is either 15.5" or 17.5" front-to-back, depending on front urine bucket size...so one of those will work great I think for that space. The full sized Airhead seat makes the thing 19", too big as it would stick into the door area.

Airhead Marine Dimensions: https://airheadtoilet.com/the-air-head/details-dimensions/
Shown with big bucket...the entire width of the unit, including crank+handles is 19" and not shown here. Small bucket makes it only 15.5" front to back)

 

[WasMN]

The airhead is pretty sweet and does fit perfectly. I have been obsessing a little about them. It really checks all the boxes but not sure about the humidity concern. If the coco doesn’t sufficiently dry there will be issues.
the cam strap to the wall will work great rather than mounting it to the floor.
check out the laveo dry flush also. It is a really simple solution and will also fit the space perfectly.

 

[svinyard]

I've had some good emails with Elliot at Airhead that might be helpful:

(since the bucket is sealed mostly and actively ventilated, I don't think the humidity here in the PNW will be an issue...I'll know in about 8 weeks tho )

Q: Are there any concerns/issues about using the toilet in a cold/wet climate like the PNW here?
A: The bacteria responsible for the composting process will slow down dramatically when the ambient temp gets below 50-55 F. The unit will still work as a container, but your capacity will be lower unless the toilet is a bit warmer.

Q: We will do 2-3week trips during the year...but a lot of our trips will just be 2-3 day trips with the 2 of us and 2 kids. Will the unit work well for that use-case? If so, do I just empty it normally after the long weekend (perhaps wasting coco) but ensuring it does dry out if unused for a couple of weeks?
A: It would be better to leave the toilet with the fan going if you can, but it's fine to just empty it between uses as well.

Q: Do I have to worry about it drying out of I don't use it for a month?
A: After a month you may have to add a little water in order to turn the agitator, but it isn't really a big deal. Usually the problem is too much moisture so I wouldn't worry about it.

Q: How much is an extra bottle if I find that the 2Gal bottle is too big and I need the smaller 1Gal? I have 17.5in to work with space wise, which would fit the large bottle...but the smaller bottle makes the unit only 15.5in and would buy me some real estate.
A: An extra 1-gallon bottle is $45, you can see the cost of all our extra parts on our website.

Q: Is it advisable to use a "coffee filter" placed at the bottom of the unit for solid waste? I've seen people mention that the trap door doesn't retract all the way in, and hence waste can get trapped on it perhaps.
A: The unit comes with filters and usage is included in the instructions. Some people prefer to use the filters but some people never use them, you'll have to decide once you get it.

Q: Being that I have kids, in the event of solid waste being messy in the toilet bowl, what's the best method of cleaning that? I could spray it with vinegar and wipe it clean, but then I have wet toilet paper and perhaps that isn't good to put in the solids bucket?
A: Cleaning is also included in the instructions. Spraying vinegar or vinegar and water is fine but you should avoid getting too much straight vinegar into the solids tank. A small amount is okay though.

Q: Is it advisable/more fool proof to have guys sit to pee to ensure less urine go into the solids bucket?
A: No, the unit is designed and tested so you don't need to do that.

A great YouTube channel with info on this. Look at the comments as they answer a bunch of the typical questions not always covered:

 

[Porkchopexpress]

Has something changed as far as availability of the Kenai?

Scout Campers Kenai now Available for Preorder - Expedition Portal

The Scout Campers Kenai is the newest and biggest full-featured truck camper in Scout's lineup, with sleeping space for up to 6 adults.

expeditionportal.com

I thought at least one member had pre-ordered the Kenai a while ago.

 

[PNWExpo]

Has something changed as far as availability of the Kenai?

Scout Campers Kenai now Available for Preorder - Expedition Portal

The Scout Campers Kenai is the newest and biggest full-featured truck camper in Scout's lineup, with sleeping space for up to 6 adults.

expeditionportal.com

I thought at least one member had pre-ordered the Kenai a while ago.

I ordered one Mid-September, pushed my unit out until end of March for an arrival date...

After initial thoughts of a December delivery, perhaps early January date... COVID restrictions are bad in WA State... I think there’s some of that in effect.

Not Happy with the delays... I’m tiring of COVID as an excuse for every delay...

 

[svinyard]

I ordered within the first 1.5hr of them opening so I'm part of the "first batch". But I'm not sure on the delivery date anymore. May is WAAY further out than I would have expected.

@PNWExpo how did they communicate the delay to you...or did you just email them/ryan and they told you May? I'll reach out to Ryan and see what he says. We were supposed to be late Nov, but that changed to Dec and now January. I was updating my order (to cancel the toilet option) and they said they were starting on the first batch of Kenai's the following week (and that I need to have my order dialed in). So that would have been the 3rd week of Dec for their first production run. January could be promising for ours...but hell who knows if they are telling you May.

They have been teasing some small videos of the Kenai which is promising. Hoping to see the video/photo reveal next week maybe. They've made some small tweaks that might be interesting.

 

[PNWExpo]

I ordered within the first 1.5hr of them opening so I'm part of the "first batch". But I'm not sure on the delivery date anymore. May is WAAY further out than I would have expected.

@PNWExpo how did they communicate the delay to you...or did you just email them/ryan and they told you May? I'll reach out to Ryan and see what he says. We were supposed to be late Nov, but that changed to Dec and now January. I was updating my order (to cancel the toilet option) and they said they were starting on the first batch of Kenai's the following week (and that I need to have my order dialed in). So that would have been the 3rd week of Dec for their first production run. January could be promising for ours...but hell who knows if they are telling you May.

They have been teasing some small videos of the Kenai which is promising. Hoping to see the video/photo reveal next week maybe. They've made some small tweaks that might be interesting.

Communication through the dealer, I reach out to them monthly. At least I was, I’ll check in again in March... I misspoke and corrected to March...

 

[Victorian]

I ordered one Mid-September, pushed my unit out until end of March for an arrival date...

After initial thoughts of a December delivery, perhaps early January date... COVID restrictions are bad in WA State... I think there’s some of that in effect.

Not Happy with the delays... I’m tiring of COVID as an excuse for every delay...

I can assure you that pretty much every manufacturer is going through huge delays right now. For example: finding a shipping container and a freight company that has capacity is like winning the lottery. Manufacturers/ suppliers can’t get parts as factories around the world are either shut down or have lost people due to Covid.
we are receiving a container today that was expected for October.
I can’t wait till things are back to normal!

 

[GeorgeHayduke]

Just got word our Kenai is delayed as well. I'm told the unit is "built" but is waiting on some more parts. Scout thinks it will ship out in mid-February now. I also don't have much confidence in them or their suppliers avoiding any further delays. Pretty frustrated as it looks like I'll miss most of the ski season and that was one of our main reasons for getting it.

 

[svinyard]

Yeah I'm slated for early Feb at the moment. Ours is built as well but also waiting for parts. Fwiw this is happening to other stuff I'm buying as well (NL fridge etc) and the 3rd Party component manufacturers that Scout uses are also struggling to get stuff. Its like this nearly everywhere unfortunately. I'd like to see the marketing people get the Kenai picks put out already tho since they have some built. I'd like to see how the mudroom/bathroom area shaped up and any other small tweaks.

 

[danruss]

Yeah I'm slated for early Feb at the moment. Ours is built as well but also waiting for parts. Fwiw this is happening to other stuff I'm buying as well (NL fridge etc) and the 3rd Party component manufacturers that Scout uses are also struggling to get stuff. Its like this nearly everywhere unfortunately. I'd like to see the marketing people get the Kenai picks put out already tho since they have some built. I'd like to see how the mudroom/bathroom area shaped up and any other small tweaks.

Curious when you ordered? We're in for an Olympic which has a 'Q2' timeline. If it slips to Q3, we'll need to come up with an alternative.

 

[svinyard]

We ordered August 20th about an hour after they released it for preorder.

 

[svinyard]

Just a quick FYI on getting solid mounting points in my truck bed for the Scout Camper. I have the bolt on stock bed tie downs in my 2005 F250. No one, including Ford, was able to comment on their weight capacity and plenty of people I spoke with were skeptical of using them for the camper tie down. Scout/Apache didn't entirely have a pre-defined solution for this either. When I Googled some stuff, I immediately found FWC solution that they use for this and they have an extensive dealer network that has does this stuff for 30+ years. I spoke with Mule Expedition Outfitters in PDX and they said just come get their setup for 75$ and that its a super easy install. Its a proven system that works for 4x4'ing and will give me more peace of mind. They just install under the bed and use the backer plate to distribute the load. They aren't mounted to the frame anywhere or the cross beams so you get a lot of flexibility on where they are installed. You'll want them as close to the corners (within reason) as possible I'm told. Make sure they are in the low spot of your bed channels.