Which Van Life Toilet Options Actually Work Best?
Let's become honest, figuring out there your van life toilet options is usually probably the minimum glamorous part associated with building out the rig, but it's one of the particular most important decisions you'll make. If you're planning on living in a few dozen square foot, where you visit the bathroom becomes the logistical puzzle that will can't really be ignored. I've noticed people spend months agonizing over tile backsplashes and photo voltaic arrays, simply to realize at the last second that they haven't actually believed about where they're going to "go" when it's several AM and pouring outside.
The fact is, there isn't a single "perfect" setup. What realy works for a solo traveler who spends all their time with Planet Fitness might be an overall total headache for a couple boondocking in the middle of the particular desert for 2 weeks straight. This all comes down to your budget, how very much space you've got, and—most importantly—how much you're willing in order to handle your own waste.
The easy Budget Choice: The Bucket System
In the event that you're looking for the cheapest and easiest way to deal with business, the bucket toilet is the particular undisputed king. You've probably seen the "Luggable Loo" or similar setups at camping stores. It's essentially a five-gallon bucket having a snap-on toilet seat.
It sounds old fashioned, and honestly, it really is. But for a lot of individuals getting started, it's in fact remarkably effective . You line the container using a heavy-duty compostable bag, put the layer of several kind of absorbing material at the particular bottom (like pinus radiata pellets, peat moss, or even cat litter), and you're good to go.
The secret in order to making this work without making your own van smell like a literal sewer will be splitting up . If a person can keep your liquids and solids independent, the smell is usually almost non-existent. Many people buy a "urine diverter" to attach on top of their bucket to assist with this particular. If you don't separate them, you're basically creating the sewage slurry that smells exactly as bad as you'd imagine.
Composting Toilets: The Van Life Standard
When you begin looking at serious van life toilet options, you're going in order to hear a great deal about composting toilets. Brand names like Nature's Head or Air Mind are simply the precious metal standard in the community.
These lavatories are designed in order to separate liquids into a front container and solids straight into a rear trash can filled with a medium like coconut coir or peat moss moss. You convert a handle after every use to mix the shades with the medium, which helps it break down and dry out.
The good qualities: * They don't use any water. * They don't smell like the traditional "porta-potty" since there are simply no chemicals. * A person can go weeks (sometimes two weeks with regard to a single person) before needing to empty the solids bin.
The Cons: * They will are expensive . We're talking $900 in order to $1, 500. * They are heavy. You need a decent quantity of flooring space. * You will still have to clear a bottle of urine every day or two, which usually isn't exactly the fun chore.
Cassette Toilets plus Portables
If you grew up about traditional RVs, you're probably familiar with the cassette toilet. These are the ones that use water to flush and a blue or natural chemical liquid in a bottom container to "break items down" and mask the smell.
The Thetford Porta Potti is a traditional example. It's the self-contained unit exactly where the top fifty percent is the water tank and the particular bottom half is definitely the waste tank. When the underside contains large amount, you remove it and have it to a dump station or perhaps a normal toilet to bare it.
The particular biggest downside right here is the smell. Those chemical substances have an extremely distinct, medicinal fragrance that most van dwellers find worse than the actual waste. Plus, you're restricted to how much water you have plus how quickly that bottom tank floods up. If you're staying in campgrounds with dump stations, it's fine. When you're off-grid, it's a bit of a hassle.
The High-Tech "Burn It All" Choice
If a person have an enormous budget and a lot of electric power to play along with, you might consider an incinerating toilet. These things are wild. You perform your business right into a paper liner, hit a button, as well as the toilet literally incinerates every thing into a tiny pile of sterile ash .
It's the cleanest option by far, but it's certainly not for everybody. These are incredibly expensive, often costing more than $2, 500. More importantly, they use a massive amount associated with energy (either lp or electricity) in order to reach the temperature ranges needed to burn off waste. For most van builds, the particular power draw is just too much to deal with unless you have a massive lithium battery bank.
The Dry Flush "Diaper Genie" Approach
Then there's the Laveo Dry Flush. Consider this like a Diaper Genie for adults. There's no water and no chemicals. Instead, it uses a consistent foil lining. If you "flush, " the toilet twists and seals the particular waste in the foil and brings down a brand new section of liner for that next use.
It's incredibly spending you never possess to see or smell anything. Nevertheless, the refills are expensive. You obtain about 15-17 flushes per cartridge, and a pack associated with cartridges can definitely consume into your vacation budget. It's a great "emergency" toilet, but it can get pricey if it's your primary option.
The "No Toilet" Philosophy
Believe it or not really, a fair amount of people decide not to include any van life toilet options in their construct at all. I know, it sounds crazy, but if you're mostly staying in urban areas or near trailheads with facilities, you can get away with it.
These folks rely on: * Gym Memberships: Planet Fitness will be the unofficial "van life bathroom" thanks to their $25/month black card plus 24/7 access. * Coffee Shops & Libraries: Great for daytime use. * Rest Areas & Pickup truck Stops: Places like Love's or Pilot are usually very clean. * The truly great Outdoors: If you're in the woods, digging a "cat hole" is an option, provided a person follow Leave No Trace principles (stay 200 feet through water, bury this deep, and pack out the paper! ).
While this particular saves space plus money, it can be the massive pain when you're sick or even when you wake up up in the center of a cold night and realize the nearest bathroom is really a ten-minute drive away.
Which One Ought to You Choose?
So, how do you actually determine? It really depends upon your tolerance for "ick. "
If a person want something that feels like a true toilet and a person don't mind the chemical smell, a cassette toilet is a solid, affordable middle terrain.
In the event that you're a serious environmentalist who desires to stay off-grid for weeks, the composting toilet is usually the way to go, even with the particular high upfront price.
If you're on a shoestring budget and just need something intended for emergencies, a bucket with a seat and some cedar bits may actually do the job much better than you think.
Personally, I think the particular "urine diversion" part is the most critical piece of the problem. Whatever system you choose, if a person can keep your fluids separate from your shades, your van can smell like a house instead of the port-a-potty.
Keep in mind to strategy for disposal. Whether or not it's a drop station, a trash can (for bagged solids), or an open public restroom, you must have the plan that is definitely respectful to the particular places you're visiting. Nobody likes the person who damages an attractive campsite simply by leaving a mess behind.
At the finish of the day, your toilet is definitely just a device to help you stay on the road longer. Pick the particular one that fits your own lifestyle, get it set up, and then return to focusing on the actual adventure. After all, you didn't move into a van just in order to think about toilets all day!