The Toilet Debate!!

[Philip Smith]

Hi All,

Our van is due in 7 weeks and I guess I'm having a wobble!!

What are your thoughts on the lack of a toilet and shower? Feels like it pretty much ties you to camp sites, this worries me a bit!!


Phil

 

[Polokev]

thetford cube we use

 

[funkyegg]

Hi All,

Our van is due in 7 weeks and I guess I'm having a wobble!!

What are your thoughts on the lack of a toilet and shower? Feels like it pretty much ties you to camp sites, this worries me a bit!!


Everything in a camper van is a compromise and you will have to learn to adapt to it and that's

Phil

Everything in a camper van is a compromise and you will have to learn to adapt and that's exactly what makes it interesting. The smallest Thetford toilet is small and discrete enough and you should be fine for couple of days off grid. Motorhome is well equipped but you can't drive it everywhere and you cannot use it as a everyday vehicle. The MP is not a small car by any means but I find it really easy to live with after a few days. Hope this helps.

 

[BabaJen]

Hi All,

Our van is due in 7 weeks and I guess I'm having a wobble!!

What are your thoughts on the lack of a toilet and shower? Feels like it pretty much ties you to camp sites, this worries me a bit!!


Phil

I frequently disappear for days and weeks on end away from full facility campsites. There are plenty of alternatives to having a plumbed in shower and toilet. The portapotty, especially 335 thetford, is excellent but for days away from toilet dumps can be a worry regarding disposing of accumulated contents. The bog-in-a-bag Genre, for there are plenty of alternatives to the original expensive bag model, is hugely compact and the waste material, being nicely sanitised and packaged, more easy to dispose of but it does have a rather rustic quality to it. Failing everything else, if wild camping and caught short do as bears do, and remember to pack a shovel.

As for showers, wet wipes weren't just invented for babies You can get a whole variety of wipes, face wipes, body wipes, hand wipes, antiseptic wipes, .... the list is endless. Compact, easily stowed and with good attention to detail a human body can go weeks living off wipes and not be offensive.

Neither does the planet have to suffer. Everything I use is compostable. A bit more expensive but it saves oceans and landfills.

 

[Katie]

Hi Phil
I totally understand your feelings. We’re moving from a caravan with fixed bed, shower, loo and all mod cons to the mp and we know we cant use that as a bench mark for the future.
My van is expected at about the same time as yours and I’ve already bought the porta potti qube 335 as, for me, no toilet was one step too far. I think it’s going to be fun seeing how we can minimise all our belongings and I think it will give you a sense of freedom rather than restriction.
I recently spent a fortnight in Morocco and only took a cabin bag with me but still had clothes I didn’t wear when I returned. I now know that One cabin bags worth of personal
belonging each will will be more than enough for the camper van.
My mother in law has not had a bath or shower for 2 years due to disability and her carers use all the items suggested by Baba Jen - she smells as sweet as roses!
Keep in touch via this forum and we can all put our heads together if any of us has questions or problems

 

[mptripsaway]

In addition to the other suggestions, if you aren't staying on sites with facilities you can find options for showers on route to your next stop such as at service areas, leisure centres, swimming pools or even a cool shower from the MP in the summer!

 

[Dundry]

Agree with Braysway, I've done lots of cycle touring and leisure centres/swimming pools are a great place to grab a shower. Some local authority centres will let you have a quick shower for free if you ask nicely.

 

[BabaJen]

And ...

to just add to the "shower" of comments coming thick and fast .....

A lot of French Autoroute service areas have a shower in the loo's.

 

[Phil nalton]

I pick my MP up in a couple of weeks. Does anyone know whether there is room in the lower cupboard to store a porta potti with the shelf removed? Dimensions?

 

[BabaJen]

Removing a storage shelf/space in a camper is sacrilege

If you want a built in bog then buy a great white, twice the square footage for half the price and a tenth of the fun.

It's a camper, not a rolling home.

 

[Paul Rutley]

Going to the loo, ones and two's - it's a conundrum!
in my condition I go when I can, where I can and try to be discreet. I can't walk to site loos by night or day without my scootie and it's most unlikely I'll be 'wild weeing' in the woods! I'd just fall over...
Height was the reason I bought my cube, at 30 cm the price was good and it will stow behind or under the seat back even when horizontal (not much use then I agree), that plus Unisex self seal collapsible urinary bottles (i have several!) are good, some hold up to 2 litres. Easy to stow, use on the go, emptied at a convenient spot, quick rinse, collapsed, stowed and ready to go again

 

[Katie]

We keep our porta potti qube behind the rear seats in a bag, whilst travelling - only leave fluid in rinse container though.
On site we leave it outside (discretely) or in a small pop up tent that is useful to put things in and show others we are using that pitch when we go out for the day. At night we sleep upstairs and the loo is inside downstairs.
You don’t need to use those horrible chemicals that are sold for portable toilets. A bio pod from Lidl goes in the bottom container and a dash of fabric conditioner in the top. Much nicer smell and very effective way of keeping things clean. Used this method for years in our caravan and works out a lot cheaper.
However, we nearly always stay somewhere where you can get rid of the waste or if not wait until we get there.
There are lots of more compact options eg bog in a bag but difficult for some of us to use and a bit tricky at night if you have a dog downstairs

 

[Paul Rutley]

Thank you Katie interesting advice all round based on experience, you're a star