One of the problems with modern toilets is they have a large amount of water associated with them. In most cases, the toilet needs water to operate. Having enough water can be a problem if you don’t have ready access to freshwater to fill up the tank or bowl.
The solution is to either carry enough water on your person or pack a portable camping toilet. The toilet will allow you to do your business without using any fresh water at all. Also, ways to safely dispose of the waste are in this article about choosing a portable camp toilet.
For water for your portable camp toilet, this could be an option if you will not moving around and be in the same place. Or if you will be coming back to basecamp, it would work well as your water storage.
50-Gallon Barrel
A common way to utilize rainwater in a survival situation is through a 50-gallon barrel. The water collected will be naturally filtered and purified by the barrel through its filtering process.
For old barn wood in the barrel, use a waterproof sealant to create an airtight seal. The seal will prevent any excess moisture from causing your barrel to rot from the inside out.
There are several different designs for portable camping toilet
Reliance Luggable Loo
The Luggable Loo is designed with a handle makes it easy to transport. The Reliance is of durable polyethylene, and the bucket can hold 200 pounds before giving in under pressure.
The seat fits snuggly inside the bucket to ensure everything stays in place and no unwanted odors escape.
The manufacturer says that this product will last up to at least ten years when used correctly. Although it may seem like something you’d find in a typical household, this bucket has proven its value time and time again among campers and hikers.
It’s easy to clean and easy to use. Weighs in at three pounds, it is reasonable to purchase. The bags are low-cost and include pre-treated chemicals the Loo uses to break down waste.
Cleanwaste GO Anywhere Portable Toilet Seat
The Cleanwaste GO Anywhere Portable Toilet Seat is lightweight, easy to use, and perfect for outdoor excursions. The legs on the GO Anywhere fold down so the toilet seat can fit in a backpack or be carried in a car trunk.
The Cleanwaste GO Anywhere weighs 7 pounds and folds up to less than 3 pounds. When fully unfolded, the waste canister bag stretches out. The waste canister will hold 250+ uses before you need to dispose of it. The weight capacity for this toilet seat is 500 pounds.
The toilet seat is designed to be on the ground. It is not made for hanging off a tree or from a structure to do your business. The Cleanwaste GO Anywhere gives you the option of adding their biogel to your waste canister bag to break down any leftover waste.
The canister is reusable, and the biogel ensures that nothing will leak out of the bag. The GO Anywhere does not have a water source built-in. Because this option does not flush away waste, you need to bring your water to use the GO Anywhere without disgusting results.
Green Elephant Folding Commode
The Green Elephant is a lightweight, portable camping toilet. It’s easy to set up and use in an emergency. It’s a good idea to get some practice using it before you need it in an actual emergency scenario.
Since this commode folds down, it can hook onto your backpack. Weighs in at 3.5 pounds, it comes with an eight-gallon bag for collection of waste. Purchase the chemicals separately to break down the waste.
Instructions to Use the Green Elephant Folding Commode
The only real downside to this commode style is that you must use your hands or other tools to remove the toilet’s waste. Place it into your appropriate waste container if you don’t want it sitting around in your camp.
Of course, you can take the whole thing with you and dump it at your “proper waste” location on your way out of the wilderness. The Green Elephant is a good option for those who want something that has a decent capacity that is not too pricey.
Once again, be sure to get some practice setting this up ahead of time so you can do it quickly in an emergency. Perhaps use it once or twice before your bug out to make sure you aren’t wasting time setting it up when you need to go.
Another option is to use a tarp and dig a hole in the ground. The hole will need to be about four feet deep. The hole is not something you want to use for your entire trip but is a useful temporary solution.
If you take a shovel and dig a hole, you can survive just about any situation. It’s always smart to keep some toilet paper in your camp emergency supplies. Its lightweight takes up little space and could save the day if nature calls unexpectedly.
SereneLife Portable Toilet
The SereneLife Portable Toilet is an all-in-one composting toilet that doesn’t require any digging. Find a creek or pond and fill the tank up with water. To use, walk up, unzip and go. Every few days, to reduce the smell, add a cup of compost starter and some liquids from your water supply, e.g., coffee or tea but no sugary drinks or dairy.
The toilet will hold 5.3 gallons of water, but the size of 11.25 pounds makes it a better option if you will be staying in one place while you are on your outdoor trip. Clean between uses. The SereneLife, if not used correctly, can get very stinky. Once again, dry leaves go a long way to masking unpleasant smells.
Wrap Up
When bugging out in an emergency or going on your outdoor adventures, you will need to plan for using a bathroom. When you select the right camping toilet for your specific needs, it will be a combination of your outdoor toilet use and your toilet’s weight.
If you have to leave without already having an outdoor toilet in your supplies, here are some included tips for handling your bathroom needs. After reading these tips, you will be more likely to plan and review the options offered in choosing a portable camp toilet.
Tips for urinating in the woods:
1.) Stay away from stinging nettles or poison ivy.
2.) Aim to water if you need to pee at night. Keep the noise down and avoid attracting animals that might be around it.
- If you are going to forage for food, avoid urinating on any plants you might select later to eat. 2.) Breaking branches is one of the loudest things you can do in the middle of the night. If possible, try to urinate on a log if there is one within reach.
5.) Urinate downhill, as urine will flow downhill. 3.) If possible, cover your mouth with your hand and pee in or over water.
7.) Urinate in close to the same place each time. That will reduce the risk of you getting lost.
Use these things like toilet paper:
If you have to go to the bathroom outdoors, dispose of human waste by digging a hole 6 inches deep and bury it. To dispose of toilet paper without a bag, use leaves, pine needles, or snow by wrapping them around the paper before burying it.
Cover it with pine needles, leaves, dirt, or snow. Use similar strategies to dispose of urine. Get rid of the feeling that urine is dirty or disgusting. You are merely getting rid of excess water only!
Do this by urinating in a bottle or cup and pouring it out in the forest (as long as waterways are not nearby) until you have weakened your feelings of disgust/embarrassment. After that, urinate directly on the ground.
Doing this multiple times, and you will soon get used to doing it in the open. Peeing in approximately the same place each time will help you remember where you have gone, so you don’t get lost.
When it is cold out in winter and snow on the ground, you can bury your feces in a snowbank. Until spring comes along, if there is still snow on the ground, dig a hole 2 feet deep. It is easier to dig a hole 2 feet deep with an ice ax than dig a 6″ deep hole in hard snow. When burying your waste in a snowbank, put some leaves underneath the feces.
That will keep it from coming in contact with the bottom of the frozen snow. If you are ever concerned about seeing your waste, cut off branches and place them over the hole. The branches will prevent you from seeing your feces.
Heating the snow (if it is still frozen) or packing it down (if not frozen) with your boot before you defecate. Packing the snow down will cause the feces to be buried faster and deeper, making them harder to find.