"No toilet" is one of the toilet options for living nomadically (or camping) that some people choose for their bathroom needs. This option just means to forgo having a toilet in the vehicle at all, instead relying on nearby public toilets, urine bottles, and other options. The primary advantage of no toilet is saving space, which can be a necessity in small vehicles. The main disadvantages are regularly needing to find a place to go and emptying urine bottles.
Finding public toilets
Availability of public toilets varies by region. Some of these places restrict restroom use to current customers or similar. Look for restrooms in these places:
- Public parks (sometimes closed in winter or after dark)
- Public campgrounds (and some private campgrounds)
- Rest areas
- Truck stops and other fuel stations
- Libraries
- Restaurants
- Most government buildings
- Most larger retail stores (grocery, big box, malls, etc.)
- Some schools
- Some hotels
- Places of worship (at least during service hours)
- Some marinas
You can also use apps or web sites to find places to use the bathroom. For example:
- MapComplete Public Toilets (uses OpenStreetMap data)
- Toilet Finder
- Where is Public Toilet (Android)
- Flush Toilet Finder - Apple or Android
- Toilet Map (United Kingdom focused)
- Other apps for nomads may have map layers for toilets.
- Use Google Maps or other navigation apps to search for "toilets near me" or similar terms.
When you find a good toilet that you might return to in the future, mark it as a favorite on your navigation app.
Urine bottles
If you don't have a toilet or close access to a restroom, you can pee in a bottle and dump it later.
For men, Gatorade bottles are preferred by many because of the wide opening. Laundry detergent bottles may work well since they have a handle and are opaque for discreet dumping.
Women may find a Go Girl or SheWee-type device helpful. Some women report success with inexpensive funnels in place of proprietary female urinals, and with pee cloths instead of toilet paper.
Cat holes
Cat holes are the most primitive of the toilet options for nomads. Named after the tendency of domestic cats to bury their excreta[1], a cat hole is a small hole (typically 6-8in or 15-20cm depth), dug to contain solid waste. It is dug away from from the immediate campsite and water sources, and is covered after a single use. This method is discouraged in very dry regions since the waste will desiccate and then decompose very slowly, increasing the chance that it will bother someone else.Emergency toilet
If you have no toilet, it's a good idea to have a backup plan when no public options are available nearby. Even if you don't have a bucket, you can use doubled-up grocery or trash bags. (Grocery bags are less likely to be water-tight!) Tie off and dispose in trash after use, as one does with baby diapers or dog poop bags. Dog bags are a good way to store the tied off bags until you can get rid of them to reduce the chance of leaks and smells.
Legal and environmental considerations
In many places, it's legally and environmentally acceptable to dump human waste in the regular garbage as long as it's properly sealed. In some places it is illegal to put fecal waste in the trash at all, including diapers or dog waste. In these places, be sure to dump your waste into a toilet.[2]
In remote areas on public property, depending on the climate and location, cat holes can be dug in the ground to bury your waste.