Camper Toilets: Guide To The Common RV Toilet Types
(Camp Addict does NOT accept payment from any company to review or endorse their products.)
Aren't toilets' fun'? Ok, 'fun' is the wrong word.
But strangely enough, when you have to go, does this happen to you? When you get close to one and really have to go, does your intensity of having to ‘go’ suddenly turn into an emergency?
What’s that about, lol!?? Ok, let's stop with the jokes and get to it.
Most campers, and even some van dwellers, are likely to have some sort of camper toilet. It may be portable, fixed, or even an RV composting toilet.
Which type of RV toilet you choose is a personal decision that no-one but you can make.
In this guide, you will learn what camper toilets are all about, what kind will be best for you, and what you should look for.
Already know all about camper toilets? Just want to know what is the best choice for your RV? Click the button below to read our camper toilet reviews.
Camper Toilet Guide
There are four types of camper toilets to choose from, depending on your circumstances and rig:
1. Traditional gravity flush toilet
2. Composting toilet
3. Portable camping toilet
4. Cassette toilet
But hey, if you are a really RUGGED nomad, you can always get a bucket style toilet. This is the most inexpensive and disposable type of portable toilet for camping.
We're not going to discuss this type as we don't think you need a guide for it.
Also, a bucket is just not practical for most.
And many people turn their nose up at how 'unglamorous' it is!
But if you insist, you can certainly purchase a bucket style toilet.
So, uh, enjoy? LOL
Let's dive into the four most common RV toilets, now that we've 'flushed' the bucket idea.
Heh. (yeah, there's gonna be more where that came from)
Traditional Gravity Flush RV Toilets
The traditional flush RV toilet is much like a household toilet but without the water holding tank in the back.
These toilets must either be used in one of two ways:
- While connected to an outside water source (hence giving your unit water pressure)
- With the RV pump on, pumping water from your holding tank
First timers are often confused when they first see an RV traditional toilet. They often wonder where the flush handle is.
Usually, there's a foot pedal you press to flush. Also, you usually either pull the lever up or hold it halfway down to fill the tank with water if you prefer.
Regardless of how you flush, an RV toilet uses MUCH less water than a regular household toilet. Rather, how much water you use depends on how long you flush it.
Usually, all it takes is a second or two of flowing water to get your lovely bits down the hatch.
If you are conserving water, you won’t want or need to flush any longer than that.
How To Use A Traditional RV Toilet
Traditional RV Toilet Materials
A gravity flush RV toilet is usually made from hard plastic. You can find a toilet with a porcelain bowl, but usually the other parts will be plastic.
Dometic now makes porcelain RV toilets with a wooden camper toilet seat and lid. (Kelly has this model now) Our top picks for traditional RV toilets both have a porcelain bowl.
Toilet Heights
There are different heights to choose from.
If you are having a hard time getting up and down from your throne, you can usually find a higher setup. Also, if needed, you can build a higher base.
Bowl Options
Some of these toilets are narrower than others. You can find a standard-sized (elongated) bowl, but make sure it fits in the area the toilet will be going into.
Traditional Gravity Flush RV Toilet Pros and Cons:
RV Composting Toilets
'What is a composting toilet?' you may wonder. Welp, it's a self-contained toilet that doesn't use any water or plumbing. When using it, you must separate your solids from your liquids.
Who Uses Composting Toilets?
They are great for boats and RVs where a water supply and/or a dump are not around every corner.
Many folks who use one never go back and 'going' in a bowl of water seems like a very strange thing.
Does A Composting Toilet Stink?
Contrary to popular belief, and the biggest question posed over this type of toilet is, “Does it smell?”
Myths About Composting Toilets: No, They Don't Smell When Used Properly, and Other Myths Debunked!
Nope. They don’t when they are used properly. You may smell a little soil-earthy type smell, but you aren’t going to have a sewer smell.
Why?
Because with a composting toilet, the solids and the liquids are not mixed. The mixing of the two is the cause of 'sewer smell'.
Also, they use a little vent fan that pulls the bowl air outside through your vent. In a composting toilet, no sewage is made because there are two separate holes for the different contributions.
How Composting Toilets Work: Composting Toilets 101
The solids area should be filled (per instructions of the toilet maker) with something like sphagnum peat moss or coconut coir.
There is an agitator inside of this compartment that you turn after each deposit. This helps it dry quickly and also covers it.
Nothing to look at and nothing to smell.
The liquids container detaches from the unit and can be flushed down a toilet or septic tank/dump.
How Long Until Emptying Is Needed?
The answer varies greatly depending on how many people are using it and how often they are using it. If you live in an RV with a family of 4 full-time, it may not be ideal.
For ONE person, living in an RV full-time, the liquids might need changing every third day.
The solids compartment can go for at least a month, possibly longer depending on if you choose to go in other places from time to time.
Obviously, for a single boondocking man, if he goes #1 outside, he'll dump the liquids much less frequently.
Thoughts on an RV Composting Toilet
Samantha
DISCLAIMER: I may have a slight bias in this review, as we only went on a single week-long trip with our RV before installing the composting toilet
Much like a full solar setup, a composting toilet is an upgrade/conversion that may not even be necessary depending on your particular travel lifestyle.
The most prominent benefit of our Nature's Head is the length of time between needing to empty or 'reset' the composting tank of the toilet.
We are able to go a maximum of up to four weeks of regular use without needing to reset. Though on average, I typically reset ours around every three weeks.
The reset process is fairly easy and involves emptying the compost tank into a trash bag. It can then be disposed of in a trash can or dumpster.
In addition to resetting the compost tank, emptying the urine tank is another part of the composting toilet's regular maintenance.
For us, this is typically every two days.
Emptying the urine tank can mean pouring it outside, pouring it into another toilet (such as a campground or rest area toilet), or pouring it into your gray tank.
When used properly, the composting tank has relatively no scent at all or a sort of 'earthy-plant-scent'.
For all the benefits of a composting toilet, there are definitely some downsides as well.
First, I personally feel that Nature's Head brand is quite overpriced.
The price is hefty (just shy of $1000), and it does not feel like you get what you paid for.
The product is extremely simple overall, made of 90% plastic, and its construction is so-so.
I would also like to say that the Nature's Head product has some design flaws. The fact that the urine tank is able to backflow into the compost tank is the main flaw.
Next, the level detection on the urine tank is accomplished by the tank being semi-translucent plastic.
At times it can be challenging to accurately determine how full the tank is, especially under low light.
If you are not cautious, this can quickly lead to overflow situations.
Additionally, the manufacturer chose not to include any sort of gasket where the crank mechanism (used for regularly turning the compost medium) enters the compost tank.
I was told by a representative that gaskets in these locations 'were not necessary because the compost medium is never meant to be wet'.
If you do end up in a situation where your urine tank overflows and the composting tank itself is quite full, you may have sewage leak from these gasket-less areas on the composting tank.
If you are properly using your composting toilet, this type of situation will never occur, yet I feel that it possibly points to poor design.
All said, we feel that our composting toilet is an invaluable part of our boondocking outfit and we are pleased that we decided to convert to it.
RV Composting Toilet Pros and Cons:
Composting Toilet Potential Issues
The problem for some people is over usage or not renewing the medium for the solids often enough. The more that goes into the solids tank at a time, the wetter it gets.
If your stuff doesn't get a chance to dry because there is too much in there, it will start smelling.
You will get a sludge if you aren’t changing out the tank often enough. We’re not saying a family of 3+ can't use one. It will simply need more frequent maintenance.
What happened with the couple below is that he is an athlete and he eats a LOT every day. At times it was too much for their composting toilet to 'contain'.
Watch this video for a more thorough explanation of their experience.
Here's a Not-So-Glowing RV Composting Toilet Review
Composting Toilet Benefits
Still, with an RV composting toilet, you don’t have to drive your rig to a dump station to empty your black tank if you are boondocking.
You no longer have to deal with a black tank - period. (You will still need to dump your grey tank though if your rig has one. Most do.)
No more accidents at the dump station or clogged black tank messes.
You are also using less water. Therefore, RV composting toilets make the most sense for conservationists and for those who boondock a lot.
What do you do with solid waste?
People either keep them in the bag and throw them in the trash (same thing people do with diapers) or they can dig a hole and bury it and it will eventually compost.
Read our RV composting toilet review to learn what is our top pick.
Advice on Keeping Your Composting Toilet Clean From Kelly R. (Thanks, Kelly!)
- Keeping the urine hole/tube clean eliminates most urine smell. Kelly R (not to be confused with Camp Addict Kelly) keeps a bottle of fresh water handy and pours a dab of it down the urine hole after each urine 'session'.
- She also keeps a bottle of Nature's Miracle handy and pours a bit of that down the urine holes each day to help keep it clean and neutralize any urine smells. (We know people who keep a spray bottle full of water or this to spray into the urine section.)
RV Composting Toilet Pros and Cons:
Portable Camping Toilets
These mini commodes are fully portable and require the least amount of work to install. A camping portable toilet require more work as far as dumping goes, and it’s a pretty unappealing type of dump.
Because there is no separation of the solids and liquids in a portable camping toilet, the end result is raw sewage.
Sewage Up Close And Personal
You can remove the portable toilet top to take just the waste tank to an appropriate dumping place (either a dump station or a toilet).
The issue is that you are going to see and smell the sewage worse than you would at a sewer dump using a hose from a black tank (traditional) or than you would with a composting toilet.
Just watch this shiny video below to get a glimpse of how horrible it can be! (It's rather funny)
Why These Types Of Dumps Can Be Gross: Watch At Your Own Risk! (Vomiting)
This is the price you pay for the ease of installation and easily transported nature when you are using a portable toilet for camping.
Height Concerns
Some portable commodes also sit lower than the other types do. Therefore, if you have a hard time squatting, either reconsider your choice or place it on an elevated platform.
Though our top picks for portable toilets both sit at close to residential toilet height.
Portable Camping Toilet Pros and Cons:
Cassette Toilets
An RV cassette toilet is similar to the portable camping toilet.
The big difference is that this toilet is fixed in place. The waste storage tank is usually accessible from a door on the outside of the unit.
How To Dump Your Cassette Toilet Tank
Also Up Close And Personal Sewage Viewing
This type of tank, determined by what type of toilet came with your rig, is also like the portable type.
How?
You are going to have to get up close and personal with the sewage when you dump it either into a toilet or a dump.
How To NOT Empty A Portable Toilet.
A cassette toilet typically is found in smaller vehicles such as vans.
If your rig comes with this type of toilet, have fun changing it out for a different type of toilet.
Cassette Toilet Pros and Cons:
Is RV Toilet Paper Necessary?
You think you can use just any old brand of toilet paper in your RV toilet? Think again.
The camping toilet paper you use can also clog your black tank if you don't use the right stuff.
Camper toilet paper should disintegrate quickly in water.
Team Over Or Team Under? Heh.
Lots of people claim to use Charmin Ultra Soft or Angel Soft brands without any issues. Still, how do you know what is the best RV toilet paper?
You can buy 'real' RV toilet paper - you know, the stuff marketed as such. However, it may not suit your... well... your back-end, very well!
(You may or may not like the feel of it.)
There are certain types of 'normal' toilet paper that you can generally put down your black tank. TP labeled 'septic safe' is usually RV safe toilet paper.
If you aren't sure if what you pick is safe or not, fear not. There's a super simple test you can do.
Testing Your Toilet Paper For RV Friendliness
Get a jar and partly fill it with water. Tear off one sheet or two of your toilet paper. Put it in the jar so that it is completely wet.
Then shake the jar a couple of times. Let sit for an hour or so and then shake again.
If it doesn't shred, you might want to steer clear.
RV Toilet Paper Test
How About No Toilet Paper?
Wait, what??
Yeah, you read that right. NO toilet paper is the best choice when it comes to a flush RV toilet. Why? Because even if you use the right type, it can clog.
So, how about you simply use the toilet paper your back end likes the best?
Won't it clog? It might. But it won't if you DON'T PUT IT DOWN THE TOILET.
Stay with me here.
For the entire time I have had my RV, I have not put toilet paper down the hatch. Instead, I put it into a plastic bag-lined trash can in my bathroom.
No, it's not gross. No, it doesn't smell. No, you don't see the 'brown'.
Trust me. It's THE BEST way to go- you save black tank space, you WON'T have a clog, and you can use any dang toilet paper your heart dreams of!
Conclusion
There you have it.
Now you know what to consider for your specific situation as far as what type of toilet you will go with. Most rigs use a standard traditional gravity flush toilet, which works fine for most.
If you boondock a lot or you just like the idea of using less water, a composting toilet might be good for you. It's pricey though, so this issue might limit using this type.
Well, we've done our part, now it's up to you to choose and get your new toilet on the road!
Comment below if you have any questions that haven't already been answered. We happily answer all relevant and reasonable questions our readers have.
Authors: Kelly Beasley & Marshall Wendler
Kelly Beasley
He-llllo. I'm the co-founder of Camp Addict, which my biz partner and I launched in 2017. I frigging love the RVing lifestyle but in December of 2020, I converted to part-time RV life. Heck, I lived in my travel trailer for over 5.5 years, STRICTLY boondocking for pretty much all of it. Boondocking is a GREAT way to live, but it's not easy. Anyway, I'm passionate about animals, can't stand campgrounds, I hardly ever cook, and I love a good dance party. Currently, I can be found plotting and scheming whether or not to start collecting farm animals (or plotting my next RV trip!) at my beautiful new 'ranch' named 'Hotel Kellyfornia', in Southern Arizona.
Marshall Wendler
Camp Addict co-founder Marshall Wendler brings his technical expertise to help explain RV products in an easy to understand fashion. Full-time RVing from April 2014 - December 2020 (now RVing about 50% of the time), Marshall loves sharing his knowledge of the RV lifestyle. Marshall spends the majority of his RVing life boondocking. He is the part of Camp Addict that knows 'all the things'. He's good at sharing his technical knowledge so you can benefit.
When people create blogs to document their passion, it inspires. I laughed real hard reading this post. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.
Hey ‘Adventure’!
Toilets, by their nature, should automatically be regarded as funny. I mean, am I wrong?
Human poo is pretty horrifying, especially when it’s not one’s own. Ever run across human poo at a campsite? THE WORST.
Therefore, I choose to laugh at it. It’s a funny thing that we must consume energy and then POO out the rest, always in the same smelly form. Why couldn’t it come out smelling all good and fresh? Or why couldn’t it be that we ingest and make use of ALL of what we eat?
Man, life is weird.
Welp, are you sorry you commented now? LOL! 😂
Seriously, thank you for the kind words and have a superb day!
Yeah right. It’s just one part of the adventure people wish they could avoid. Well turns out we’re all humans and we need to let the load out everytime we need to. I doubt if any RVer loves that chore. It’s like a lump in the neck that neither goes down or comes up. You just have to deal with it.
I am a writer and an aspiring travel writer and after reading this piece you put together, I got to realize how much you guys have. It’s so strong in your writing and I definitely want to see more of you guys.
Never thought about if there was any single RVer out there who loves the chore of dumping. THERE MIGHT BE!!!! Would they admit it? Very unlikely.
Well, have fun with your writing, and go for the travel writing! What do you have to lose? Quite literally, nothing. DOOOO IT.
Thanks again for the fun banter and the non-trolling and positive comment! 😄
We currently have a theford 4 camper toilet the hand mechanism broke. So my question is can we replace with any camper toilet or does it have to be a Theford 4 ?
Hi Alisa,
You should be able to replace it with any RV toilet as long as it physically fits in the same area. You may have to reconfigure/adjust the water inlet as it most likely won’t match up exactly the way the Theford IV is connected. But the actual connection/hole to the black tank should be a standard size that fits all RV toilets.