Personal hygiene is very important no matter where you go. And when you go on a camping trip, medical assistance may take a long time to reach you if something happens. So the best thing to do is to prevent any possibility of you getting sick or injured along the way. Among the risks, the disposal of your feces is arguably one of the most essential. If you decide to go camping on foot, a portable camping toilet is quite an effective choice for the job. Never heard of it? Â Then this article will be of use to you.
As you may figure out from the name, this is the device to help you relieve yourself when modern WC is unavailable. Anything will be kept inside till proper disposal can be done. This minimizes the chance of any germ and bacteria to get out and infect you. It’s really simple and you can even build one on your own too. If you want to learn how to make a portable camping toilet, just take look down below and follow the instructions. All you need to do is to gather some common items and you can start making one already.
The required materials and tools
First of all, you will need an empty and cleaned 5-gallon bucket. You can reuse pain container or anything you like but make sure that there are no holes. Next, to store the waste and make it easy to dispose of them, grab a couple of large and flexible trash bag. Go for the type that can stretch itself a little bit while remaining durable. Besides that, you need something to absorb the humidity and liquid. In that case, sawdust or peat moss is wonderful at this task. But if you don’t readily have any of them, newspapers will be sufficient.
How to make a portable camping toilet?
The above are capable to take care of the waste, now let’s talk about your comfort while using the toilet. Pick a toilet seat design that you feel most comfortable with. You are going to modify it so the seat can fit your needs. A panel of plywood is also necessary to cover the toilet seat. Pool noodle is quite nice too so get some of them if you can. Finally, take out several usual tools such as a knife, glue, screwdriver and caulks then you are ready to go into work.
DIY Portable Camping Toilet step by step
Step 1: Apply a modification to the toilet seat and mark the plywood
Unscrew any screws and hinges then detach the lid from the seat. When you are done, put it on the plywood and draw a line along the edge of the seat. Next, take the seat out and put the bucket in. Â Make sure that the bucket stays in the middle portion of the lines you just drew before. If you feel that the position is ideal and balance, proceed to draw another line along the edge of the bucket. This whole part to get a plywood frame that will fit underneath the toilet seat. If you do it right, it will serve as insulation and provide a better surface for the caulk and screw to stick in with the bucket.
Apply a modification to the toilet seat and mark the plywood
Step 2: Cut out the frame and attach it to the seat
You got the lines on the plywood as indication already, you just need to cut along them. If everything goes smoothly, you will have a plywood frame that fits in beautifully under the toilet seat. The next thing to do is to secure them together. Apply a layer of glue and caulk upon the plywood frame and press it against the seat back side. Hold them like that for a few hours for the bonding to take place. You can also use any sort of additional fasteners as well but ensure that you don’t punch them through the toilet seat.
Cut out the frame
Attach it to the seat
Step 3: Process the seat and deal with the odor
Everything is mostly done now. Now you just need to sand and paint the seat to give it a nice finish. Oh, and if you happen to have pool noodle, it’s a good time to use it now. Cut the pool noodle in half or at a 45-degree angle and push the recently cut lip onto the toilet seat. Now you will have a better time using the toilet due to the pool noodle softness. In order to assist the cleaning and ease of disposal, consider putting layers of kitchen trash bag on the noodle
Sand and paint the seat
Since this is considered a “dry” toilet, the odor may become a problem. Luckily, you can efficiently deal with that by air freshener spray bottle. Or if you desire a certain smell, you can use essential oil such as lemonade, grape, orange, etc. Spray them into the bucket before and after use so the odor can be limited to the minimum.
Enjoy the finish
A recommended portable camping toilet
Camco Standard Portable Travel Toilet, Designed for Camping, RV, Boating And Other Recreational Activites
- Dimension:Â 14 x 16 x 15.5 inches
- Weight: 10.8 Ibs
- Shipping Weight: 12 lbs
- Customer Reviews: 878 (4.4/5)
- 5.3 gallon holding tank is detachable; 2.5 gallon flush tank
If you don’t have the time to make a portable camping toilet and need one right away, this Camco product can help you. Strong, durable and easy to use, this camping toilet offers a lot of mobility and versatility.Â
Camco’s 5.3 gallon portable toilet is designed for camping, Rving, boating or any other recreational activity. Its sturdy polyethylene construction is compact and lightweight. The 5.3 gallon holding tank is detachable and includes a sealing slide valve to lock in odors and protect against leakage. It includes two side latches to secure the tank to the toilet and a carrying handle for easy transport. The toilet employs an easy to use bellow-type flush and pull slide valve for easy flushing. The toilet measures 15.5″H x 14″W x 16″D. It weighs 10.8 lbs empty and approximately 32 pounds when full. A packet of Camco’s TST biodegradable toilet chemical is included.
Conclusion
And that should be everything you need to know how to make a portable camping toilet. Very easy to follow, right? Camping is a fun and exciting activity. But when it comes to relief options, you may have some trouble. Well, you don’t need to face that difficulty anymore. With a handmade portable camping toilet, you can quickly and safely relief yourself and dispose of wastes afterward. Or if you don’t have time to build one, you can purchase the recommended product above. Whatever you choose, your camping experience will be much better from now on.
Last update on 2023-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
