If you are an ardent follower of my blog you already know I’ve always loved camping and being outdoors ever since I was a kid.
There’s just something special about being out in nature; sitting around a campfire and sleeping under the stars.
You can’t beat it.
But, honestly, one thing I’ve never come to terms with is doing a number two in the bush. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for “being at one with nature,” but attending to nature calls in the bush is simply not me, and I know that’s the case with most of you.
Call me precious, but I miss the convenience, comfort, and even sanitation of an ordinary toilet.
The good news is, you don’t need to throw away your dignity when camping. There’s no need to forsake the convenience and comfort of a toilet seat if you don’t have access to a bathroom.
It’s easy to bring that comfort outdoors.
Enter camping toilets.
Also known as a porta potty or portable toilet, a camping toilet is the perfect waste disposal system whenever in the outdoors.
Porta potties make the process of using the bathroom a straightforward affair. More importantly, they help everything stay clean, odor-free, and altogether more sanitary.
Now, if the idea of camping toilets sounds intriguing, we are about to provide you with a list of the best options.
There’s a style to meet everyone’s needs and budget, from the simple portable potty seat to the complete toilet tent.
Table of Contents
- 1 Short on Time? Here is Our Pick!
- 2 Table of Contents
- 3 Quick comparison table!
- 4 The best camping toilet for the money
- 5 #1 Cleanwaste GO anywhere portable toilet system - EDITOR'S CHOICE
- 6 #2 Reliance fold-to-go collapsible portable toilet - Most Portable
- 7 #3 Sanitation Equipment Visa Potty - Best Flush Option
- 8 #4 Stansport “Easy-Go” portable camp toilet - Unique Design
- 9 #5 Camco premium portable travel toilet - Best Value
- 10 Best Camping Toilets Buying Guide
Short on Time? Here is Our Pick!
All the portable, camping toilets we’ve listed are fabulous and will efficiently and easily serve your camping waste management needs. However, we feel the Cleanwaste GO anywhere portable toilet system is the superior option.
In particular, it is feature-rich, with the addition of the privacy tent helping to add some separation when camping.
It’s also a relatively lightweight option, but it has a generous weight capacity of 500 pounds, despite its size. It can easily support plus size and tall guys without compromising on its integrity.
Table of Contents
Quick comparison table!
The best camping toilet for the money
#1 Cleanwaste GO anywhere portable toilet system - EDITOR'S CHOICE
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
The Cleanwaste GO anywhere complete toilet system is exactly as it’s named – a complete toilet system.
It comes with everything you need for your portable toilet use, wherever the outdoors takes you.
And the best part of the toilet is the tent, giving you the privacy you need during the sacred ritual.
But is the toilet, along with its features, the right option for you?
Features and benefits
Design
The Cleanwaste complete toilet acts like an outhouse or a “Porta-John.” It consists of a toilet to go and a tent to ensure you have the much-needed privacy when nature decides it’s time.
Even better, the tent unfurls in a matter of minutes, making it ideal for sudden urges.
Dimensions
The tent is spacious, offering a large, 64″ zippered privacy door that closes you inside a four foot square area. The tent height is six feet, six inches, so it’s perfect for use even by the tallest individuals.
The basin itself is also pretty large, and in more ways than one it feels just like your toilet seat at home. The height is comfortable and it’s easily tall enough for most adults, and I would say it’s a slice of luxury for those outdoors.
Portable
One might wonder why you need a toilet like this when you can simply use a bucket with a toilet seat on top – after all, they use pretty much the same concept.
While the above is true, there are numerous reasons to choose a toilet like this over a bucket style, and one of them is portability.
Cleanwaste weighs a mere seven pounds, so it’s lightweight and can be stored out of the way. And unlike a bucket that can’t be folded up, this option compacts into a convenient 28″ by 6″ rectangle to ensure it can easily go anywhere you go.
The handy carrying handle also underlines the portability, making it easy to set the toilet up in even the most primitive camping conditions.
Privacy
The main appeal for the Cleanwaste is the privacy it offers by means of the tent. It’s easy to conduct your business without worrying about anyone walking in on you, just as you would in a regular home bathroom.
The tent part is removable, so as well as attending to nature’s call, you can use the tent for changing clothes, showering, or even as a shade tent.
Waste disposal-wag bag
You don’t have to worry about sanitation for this toilet, because Cleanwaste uses special waste bags known as wag bags.
The bags are pre-loaded with pooh powder, which effectively turns your waste into a solid mass.
Pooh powder also absorbs any wetness, ensuring your RV or camping site is free from foul odors.
We also love the fact that the bags are biodegradable, so you won’t have to worry about hurting the environment.
Flaws
While the idea of using a bio-degradable bag sounds noble, I’m not a fan of one-time products that get thrown away after one use. However, it’s also a good thing as it removes the inconvenience of cleaning and managing your mess.
Pros
- Portable
- Sturdy plastic
- Privacy tent
- Bio-degradable
Cons
- Wasteful
#2 Reliance fold-to-go collapsible portable toilet - Most Portable
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
The Reliance toilet, aptly named the fold-to-go toilet, is a quality option and ideal for those needing a lightweight and ultra-portable system.
The Reliance toilet is also much more environmentally-friendly as it’s not made with any types of harmful material.
Features and benefits
Portable
Size, lightness, and foldability are the biggest selling points for this toilet chair.
At times when your car is packed full of camping gear and can’t accommodate any more, you could opt for the Reilance fold-to-go toilet.
The toilet weighs a mere five pounds and, when folded, it stands at just five inches high.
It’s a sharp contrast from other toilets which are heavier and more bulky. The Reliance toilet easily tucks into a cute self-contained unit, like a briefcase.
Sturdy-three-legged construction
The last thing you want when attending to calls of nature is titling or losing balance, especially in the night.
Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about any of this with the Reliance toilet, as it comes with a triple-legged construction, letting you enjoy a comfortable position.
Even better, the legs easily lock into place when open and closed, further reducing the chance of falling. This also prevents slipping down or re-adjusting when in use. After use, it’s easy to fold the toilet’s legs.
The three-legged construction also means it’s easy to set the toilet up on any kind of ground, whether in the woods, on flat ground, or up in the hills.
Comfortable
The Reliance toilet is a comfortable height; at only five inches tall all your family members, including older friends or kids, will have no problem using this device.
Material construction
The sturdy plastic construction on the fold-to-go camping toilet from Reliance is quite a heavy-duty option that makes it very resilient to damage. It can be used outdoors for several seasons without requiring a replacement.
It also has a generous weight capacity, with 300 pounds easily accommodating most average-sized adults.
Waste disposal
Reliance Toilet lacks a flush tank; instead, it comes with a Double Doodie bag for storing the waste.
It’s easy to install and remove the bag after use.
You simply need to slip the plastic bag under the toilet seat. The first bag fits seamlessly into a second bag, adding extra sealing protection.
From here, you can toss both the bags into the trash and wipe the toilet with damp, disinfected paper to keep it clean.
Like most other toilet hardware, you can also place this toilet above a latrine or a hole. It’s not necessary, though, since the bags are super convenient and hygienic.
Pros
- Lightweight and comfy
- Easy to clean
- Portable
- Can bear up to 300 pounds weight
Cons
- No flush tank
#3 Sanitation Equipment Visa Potty - Best Flush Option
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
The Sanitation Equipment Visa Potty is a flushable porta-potty, offering a convenient way to relieve yourself.
It’s heavy-duty and a full-size option, so not as portable as other units. But, as long as you have room in your packing space, it’s worth the tradeoff.
Features and benefits
Design
The first thing you’ll notice with the Visa Potty is the unique appearance; it’s quite a contrast from other camping toilets on our list.
It has a miniature, plastic-bodied design, and looks more like a photocopying machine.
If you’ve not encountered a portable john before, the Visa Potty is the last thing you would expect it to be.
Heavy-duty construction
The Visa Potty is among the heavier-duty options, built to bear heavy loads.
Though the manufacturer doesn’t define the actual maximum weight allowance, many users note it can hold up even for users up to 300 pounds, which is a good weight limit, especially for a plastic-made option.
Chamber depth
People are happy to use this toilet with its significant chamber depth as it won’t easily fill up after a day of large meals and drinks. The depth also ensures your waste is pushed further down, thus reducing the risk of overflowing.
The bowl shape reduces the chances of a splashback, meaning you no longer need to worry about contamination.
The large size is also a plus for many; it has similar measurements to a regular toilet bowl, so you will have no difficulty sitting down and getting up from it. It’s also quite comfortable and won’t require you to squat low on the ground.
Sizing
The size benefit goes beyond comfort to the overall convenience.
Due to its large size, this porta potty has a substantial capacity for both fresh water and waste.
It can effectively hold up to 24 liters of waste and 14 liters of fresh water, so you don’t have to frequently maintain it.
And with the help of indicators, it’s easy to know when you need to dump the contents from your toilet.
Clean up
Cleaning up after this camping toilet has been used is not at all inconvenient, in fact, it’s a doddle.
First, the toilet is powered by a piston pump, delivering a two-directional rinse that can effectively clean the surface after every use.
The pistons are replaceable, so it’s easy to swap them out with a new part if they lose their effectiveness.
Second, the waste tank is detachable from the upper chamber, so you won’t struggle to empty the contents.
You also won’t have to worry about spills or getting into contact with the piping when emptying the waste tank of your potty. The long directional pour spout streamlines the process, letting you point it at the toilet bowl with accuracy.
Pros
- Super all round solution
- Flushable
- Mess free
- Large capacity
- Comfortable
Cons
- Bulky
#4 Stansport “Easy-Go” portable camp toilet - Unique Design
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
It’s easy to mistake the Stansport toilet for a small garbage bin. The Stanport strongly resembles a kitchen garbage bucket, and it’s even more confusing to see it in an RV, boat, campsite, or trailer.
However, do not be fooled by its simplicity. Sure, it lacks the bells and whistles of the flushable options, but it offers a convenient and easy waste management solution.
Features and benefits
Design
If you’re not a fan of the traditional campsite designs, you’ll love this innocuous design that could easily pass for a regular garbage bin.
Aprt from the design, this option offers a minimalistic approach, and the small footprint is certainly one of the attractions of this unit.
Taking up the space roughly the size of an actual garbage bin, the toilet takes up minimal packing room. With a modest dimension of 14″, it’s among the smallest options on the market. It doesn’t fold, but it doesn’t need to, because it’s still compact.
Despite the small size, this option is quite sturdy and reliable too. If anything, the 350-pound weight capacity is higher than some of the larger options on our list.
Comfort
The Easy-Go is also quite comfortable to use. The way the seat opens resembles that of a regular system, so you won’t feel any strain while attending to the nature’s call.
The height is also decent, and won’t make you feel as if you’re squatting too low to the ground.
Waste solution
The simple, Easy-Go design makes the toilet straightforward to use.
It’s not flushable, and while it’s easy to perceive this as a flaw, it’s not necessarily, as its simplicity is the attraction. To use, you simply need to place a waste bag inside and off you go.
No need to fill the tank with water or make messy replacements.
However, due to the small footprint you might need to change the bags quite often, which can be a pain if you don’t have a place to dispose of the bags safely or conveniently.
Pros
- Unique design
- Portable
- Comfortable and contoured seat
Cons
- Small bucket requires frequent emptying
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
The Camco premium travel toilet is a product from one of the most renowned and respected brands in the industry.
Typical of any other Camco product, this offering has several unique features and capabilities in its armory.
Compared with other portable toilets within its class, the Camco premium travel toilet has a larger seat for more comfort, a larger bowl size, and is more portable.
But, is it the right camping toilet for you?
Features and benefits
Intuitive waste tank
To help with more efficient waste disposal, this toilet uses a detachable waste storage tank. This way, it’s easier for you to empty the waste once the tank is full.
The detachable tank might not be the biggest one on the market, but it effectively seals firmly to prevent waste or odor from leaking out.
Portable
The small size of the wastage storage tank is both a benefit and a flaw.
While the maximum 2.6 gallons capacity limits the volume of waste it can hold, the small size also translates to a smaller and lighter option for better portability.
Effective latch mechanism
Operating the Camco premium travel toilet is a doddle, thanks to the latch mechanism, which is comparatively easy to use even on a single hand.
It has a spring-loaded action, allowing the Camco’s automatic re-attachment making the toilet easier and more intuitive to use.
Design-enhanced durability
The Camco travel toilet comes with premium construction, sporting high-quality materials for ultimate durability.
For instance, the lid is made from durable ABS plastic and is effective at sealing any unpleasant odors in the toilet.
Portability
Portability isn’t a major selling point for this toilet, but it’s still lightweight enough to move it from one location to another.
It’s relatively portable, weighing 11 pounds when empty and 42.5 pounds when full; it should be easy to move around.
Additionally, the lid on this option can be latched for easier transportation, or even removed completely for more efficient cleaning.
Pros
- Compact
- Quality ABS material
- Detachable waste tank
Cons
- The latch may start leaking odor after some time
Best Camping Toilets Buying Guide
In the guide below, we share some of the factors you should consider before purchasing a camping toilet.
However, there is not just one type of outdoor toilet solution for camping. They vary in capacity, flushing mechanism, design, and usability. So, it would help if you first knew the various types of camping toilets.
Types of camping toilets
The common types of camping toilets are:
Bucket toilet
Bucket toilets are common with the RVing community since they don’t take up much space and require little maintenance.
They’re quite simple in design and don’t need additional equipment. Bucket toilets are also budget-friendly and require no special installation.
However, though comfortable, they’re not the most practical waste solution.
Flushing toilets
The scope of “flushing” toilets is vast, but the basic waste disposal remains the same.
They come with a hermetically sealed waste container which is isolated from your immediate environment, preventing odor, infections, and discomfort.
Composting toilets
Composting toilets collect waste inside a sealed-off container before introducing it to a range of chemical processes.
The composting waste can later be used as a fertilizer or for simpler disposal.
Others
There’re plenty of other types of camping toilets, though they’re not as common as those listed above.
For instance, freezing toilets use electric power to cool down the waste to the point where germs and bacteria can no longer propagate.
On the other hand, cassette utilities come with rather large cartridges and are meant for fast and safe disposal.
What to look for in a quality camping toilet
As with any tool, there are some features every good survival toilet should have, as follows:
Portability
Portability is of the essence when camping.
After all, if it were easy to bring your toilet straight from home, you would, right?
So, you need to find a lightweight and compact enough toilet to suit the space you have available.
To determine a camping toilet’s portability, you need to consider its weight, dimension, and foldability.
Minimalistic design
Most of you are probably drawn in by richness in features.
This is not a bad thing, however, in a portable toilet, the more bells and whistles, the higher the chances of malfunction. Likewise, the fancier it is, the more cumbersome and less packable it’s going to be.
So, when shopping for a camping toilet, you should choose a frill-free and simple option.
Sturdy
The last place you want to worry about balance and support is on the toilet, so you should steer away from wobbly thrones.
Instead, pick a robust option that can easily handle your weight, without question.
Generally, most of the toilets have a 300-pound weight capacity, so if you’re a plus-size guy, you should consider an option with a higher weight capacity.
Low maintenance
A camping toilet is one of the camping essentials that should be easy to clean.
Avoid options with nooks or crannies, as they can easily hold infectious bacteria and germs. Also, avoid a toilet with complicated cleaning instructions as it might not be enjoyable to use.
Size
The size will depend on your camping needs.
For personal use, a small unit consisting of a sitting apparatus is sufficient.
However, if you’re in a larger group, you might need a bigger toilet with more, better facilities.
Comfort
Just because you’re out in nature doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice comfort.
Bigger sitting platforms and an efficient weight management system are just some of the features promoting comfort in a camping toilet.
Tank
The water supply tank plays a huge role in the practical usability of a camping toilet.
A larger water supply tank means it’s easy to store more clean water for flushing, while a larger disposal tank makes a perfect option for the toilet’s longer term use.
Disposal mechanism and hygiene standards
It’s easy for hygiene standards to get compromised, especially when dealing with a large group.
Bad hygiene standards can bring about infections, so you should consider camping toilets offering the highest hygiene specifications.
For instance, it should have a seal-proof and proper disposal system. The use of double valves is also recommended as it keeps the tanks closed, preventing odor and spillage.
Durable
Finally, your choice of camping toilet should last for several seasons. Avoid picking an option that you need to replace every time you hit the outdoors.
Generally, the building material determines the overall durability of your camping toilet.
