March 28, 2024

Just Moments

Travel Groove

Who Else Really Needs Portable Camping Toilets?

Did you ever have to go through a pitch black campground in the middle of the night to look for the toilet and find it even more disturbing at night? Did you have to do it in the rain?

You probably spent half of the time thinking about the merits of a portable camping toilet. Even one that comes with it’s own little tent, just outside your own tent that has no odors at all… Dream no more. All those things are possible, and what’s more, they are portable.

The chemical portable camping toilets have been around for a while. They are more robust and can be used a number of times before emptying. Some of them come with a tank of water, to wash away the waste. They feel like the toilet at home, hence their popularity, despite the fact that they are costly to maintain. But those more complex toilets include a tank of liquid, and chemicals to neutralize the odor. Those chemicals are harmful to the environment, and isn’t that a part of why you went camping? To be in nature?

The simpler portable camping toilets are nothing but a frame made of a light metal with a seat that has a hole in the middle. The simplest ones are literally a bucket, lined with a plastic bag that you close and dispose.

The more advanced portable camping toilets are foldable. Made out of sturdy plastic. One kind, Phillips- Phillips for example, has three legs that lock into place, a toilet seat and cover. Double plastic bags are used for the waste and a chemical is dropped in to neutralize the smell. They fold down to a flat surface and are easy to move around and store.

If you care about the environment, you must have felt uneasy. Plastic bags? Not biodegradable. Well, there are some that are degradable. BioToi has a folding frame made out of sturdy plastic that looks like a roman chair. It uses big biodegradable bags, that cover the toilet seat itself to insure sanitation. The frame is easy to fold and carry around and an added bonus is that they don’t make use of chemicals. The price is about $50.

The idea of a BoiToi portable camping toilet inside a privacy tent might change the minds of many city dwellers as to the fun and merits of camping in nature. Let’s face it, some of the comforts of home are just essential.