Where will I poop and pee? Bathroom visits are simple in a sticks-and-bricks house with indoor plumbing, but take some extra thought in a camper. Small vehicles may not have room for a full toilet, and those with a toilet aren't going to have a standard flush toilet. Obtaining water and taking care of sewage (“black water”) are both constant concerns when living in a vehicle.
If you don't have room or don't want to deal with sewage, you can stay near places where toilet facilities are available. This might be in paid campsites, a friend's driveway, 24hr stores, fast food joints, rest areas, etc.
Essentially, you have to decide if dealing with your own toilet is more or less of a problem than finding someone else's toilet when you need it.
Toilet options
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From most expensive to least expensive, and least primitive to most primitive!
- Plumbed toilets are closest to a conventional flush toilet. Waste is dropped from the toilet into a sewage holding tank which will later be emptied at a dump station. These often use a bit of water as a rinse, and chemicals need to be added to the tank to reduce odors.
- Composting toilets separate liquid and solid waste and dry out the solid waste to virtually eliminate odors. They may cost several hundred dollars.
- Cassette toilets are portable toilets with a small holding tank built into the base of the toilet, which can later be removed and emptied into a flush toilet.
- Bucket toilets can be used for solid waste (similar to a composting toilet) or for solid and liquid waste if disposed of quickly.
No toilet
"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.Continue reading …What about the smell?
If your vehicle has a plumbed toilet with holding tanks, smells are handled by chemical treatment and stopping airflow back up into your living space. Tanks may be vented also.
If you have any other type of toilet in your vehicle, separating solids is key. Any toilet that mixes solids and liquids together must be emptied very quickly. Separated wastes won't smell very much at all, especially if the solids are covered with a desiccating or drying medium like sawdust or even kitty litter. See Reducing odors in your vehicle for other tips.