When we build our campervans, one of the big decisions van lifers will have to make is whether or not to include a toilet and shower in a van conversion. Our customers often ask, “Where is the bathroom in your campervan?”
When you’re parked in the middle of nowhere, it’s easy to go to the outdoor open-air toilet. But if you’re in a built-up area or just an area where there aren’t many outdoor options, it becomes critical. This post discusses 5 campervan toilet ideas that will help you choose the right toilet for your campervan conversion. Keep up with us for the best van life toilet solutions.
Do You Need a Toilet in Your Campervan?
The simple answer is “YES” you do. First of all, this is our ethical responsibility to keep the environment clean and uncontaminated. Here, a question strikes, how much does human waste impact on environment? Well, if only 1 person doing it open air, it may not harm. However, if 1000 people travel to the same location and do so, definitely it is going to ruin the area.
Secondly, campervan toilets give you a better self-safety. In daylight, it is quite easy to go just behind a bush or big tree, but at night time, it is not safe at all. Especially when you are in the wilderness. Even a tiny pharaoh ant can ruin all the fun. On the other hand, nocturnal predators like coyotes, wolves, and cougars may get confused and think of prey by seeing you sitting for a natural reason.
Pros of Putting a Toilet in Your Campervan
Toilet in a camper van offers many advantages and you should consider these before your van conversion. Without a toilet, there is no option as an emergency toilet you will find everywhere. And you have to go outside of the van to use public toilets.
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Convenience
With a toilet inside your campervan, you don’t have to wait for a suitable time and place. You can comfort yourself anytime without getting wet in the rain or waiting for too long for a suitable place.
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Privacy & Hygiene
A camper van toilet connected with a proper campervan water system offers nearly the same hygiene as the toilet in your home. When you are using a toilet inside your campervan, you are in your private zone. There is no chance of being seen by anybody you wouldn’t like to be seen in that situation.
Cons of Putting a Toilet in Your Campervan
The cons of putting a toilet inside a campervan are not actually the cons of the toilet itself. It is cons of the thing we are leaving behind into it. Just like any other garbage bean, the black water tanks of your campervan toilet need to be cleaned frequently. There are other associated drawbacks like,
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Space
A toilet inside your campervan occupies a considerable space. But if you plan it practically without adding luxury showers or a bathtub it will take a smaller space while still being equally functional.
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Odor
Toilets are smelly, but if you consider the reasons, it won’t be as much. Chemical cleaning or composting, no matter which method you have adopted, if you use it to flush and regularly clean the waste tank, it will function properly and be less likely to be smelly in the long run.
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The Faff of Emptying It
Emptying the black tanks of a campervan can be time-consuming. At the same time, it may cost you a hefty amount of money. You can solve both these problems by keeping the process as regular as possible.
5 Campervan Toilet Ideas
The type of toilet you want to have in your campervan completely depends on your choice. Here, we are discussing some ideas with their pluses and drawbacks. It will help you choose a toilet from many campervan toilet options.
1. No Toilet
Many vans don’t have a toilet inside them. If you’re running one of those, using a public bathroom will work best for you. Other options can be toilets at gas stations, 24-hour stores, nearby schools, and even a restaurant. However, if you are boondocking, you may not get these options available.
When traveling to a remote place, keep a trowel to bury the waste you are leaving behind outside your van. Actually, having no toilet is not an ideal option, as it is dirty and unhygienic. Still, if you want to adopt the option of not having a toilet inside your van, you have to know the best practices for doing your things in the open air.
2. Bucket Toilet
The bucket toilet is more like a medieval toilet. It’s basically sitting on a toilet seat fixed upon a bucket. After you are done, clean the bucket, and keep it as it is. Sounds very simple, but may not be in reality. You need plenty of water every time, a place to clean it, and, more importantly, you are leaving a trace behind. Wild animals track prey by smell. When you are leaving the waste outside the van and the bucket is in your van, the loop is completed for a wild predator. Would you like it? We don’t think so.
3. Compostable Toilet
By mixing waste with other materials, composting toilets eliminate odor and use significantly less water than the average flush toilet. These are eco-friendly and more hygienic than the first two options. The only drawback of compostable toilets is their price. But when you compare the benefits with the price, it may not feel that high. After all, no smell, no outside going, and less water usage isn’t a cheap combination.
4. Cassette Toilet
Portable cassette toilets include a removable waste-holding tank for easy disposing and are made of materials for a long lifespan and carefree camping. Cassette toilets use chemicals to get rid of smell, which is a potential negative side of this type. Considering the pluses like portability and comfort of use can be good reasons over negative sides.
5. Flush Toilet
These are more like the regular toilets we use in our homes. Fully functional, superbly comfortable, and quite luxurious. But these toilets are ideal for larger vans only as they occupy a greater space. If you have a large van and a habit of camping for several weeks, these are ideal for you. Flush toilets are as expensive as regular home toilets. After having a refreshing shower on a hot day in the wilderness, you will find the investment as recouping as you wanted it to be.
The ideas we have shared with you are primary ideas that you would be relating easily to. Apart from these ideas, you can think of trash bags, portable toilets, urine bags, shower shelters, and many more. We believe that your study and experience would help you better than anything else.
Best Places to Put a Toilet in Your Campervan
The best place to put a toilet in your campervan depends on your preference. However, these are what we can suggest to make you feel comfortable with your decision-
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Between the Two Front Seats
You may fit your portable toilet seats in between two front seats. Measurement of the toilet seat is important here; if it’s a wide seat, it won’t be fitted. Choose moderately smaller models if you want to go with this option. It is a popular choice among solo campers. But if you are camping with family and friends, this may not be a practical one.
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Inside Your Shower
This is the most common place. It’s just like a home, with proper privacy and ease of use; not coming in between the way inside a van. Additionally, this placement would be hygienic and less odorous. You can do it all in the same place, shower, toiled, and peeing.
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Hidden in Bench Seating
This is a good option for compost toilets. This option offers multiple uses of space, when you want to just sit, it is a bench, and when you need to do your thing, you can use it as a toilet seat.
Conclusion
A toilet inside your campervan is a convenient, hygienic, and safe option to answer the call of nature. As human beings, we have the freedom of choice between a proper toilet or open-air options. At the same time, we have equal responsibility to keep the environment safe for other species. Campervan toilets provide us with safety from rain and wild animals in very sensitive moments. They also keep our privacy intact.
At Highland Vans, we always focus on the safety and privacy of our clients to ensure flawless and enjoyable camping. We specialize in van builds that make you feel like your van is an extension of your home. Whether it’s a van for a long road trip or a van to live in full-time, we can bring your van vision to life. If you are thinking about owning a camper van with all the options for a successful campaign, call us today at (866) 751-7358. Let’s turn your “vanlife” dream into a reality together!
