What To Know About Waterless Toilets Before Your Next Camping Trip

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Camping in the wilderness, far away from the trappings of modern life, is an amazing reset for body and soul. But even if you're a fan of stripped-down camping adventures, going to the bathroom in the wilderness can present an uncomfortable challenge. One way to improve the experience is to incorporate a waterless toilet into your summer camping must-haves.

A waterless toilet is any kind of toilet system that will collect and seal up your waste instead of needing water and plumbing to flush it away. Waterless toilets are a go-to for off-the-grid camping, whether in an RV or a tent, where water is unavailable or in limited supply. The simplest of these is a dry flush toilet that collects your waste in an air-tight bag you can throw away later. Portable, dry flush toilets are suitable for tent camping or use in small camping rigs. An upgrade from using a bucket with a plastic bag inside, a dry flush toilet will even do the dirty work for you. Models like this one from Modiwell come with a rechargeable battery that will automatically seal up your waste in a provided bagging system, keeping odors at bay. 

Of course, the big drawback to a dry flush system is that it creates a lot of extra trash that has to be dealt with (as well as the need to purchase new bags). Fortunately, there are additional options if you're looking for a toilet alternative.

Another waterless option that works well in an RV is a composting toilet, which turns your waste into something you can use in the garden. These toilets come with fans and ventilation systems that send smells outside, and they have sealed chambers that separate liquids and solids. You'll have to periodically mix the solids chamber and frequently empty the liquids chamber into a black tank for later disposal. Issues do happen with compost toilets like odors, bugs, leaks, clogs, and simply too much moisture for the solids to properly break down. A compost toilet can be messy and unpleasant to manage when problems arise, but they generally perform well when traditional toilets aren't an option.

Incinerator toilets may sound intimidating, but they function very efficiently to get rid of your waste for good. They look like a regular toilet, but instead of water, the basin holds a paper liner, which after you're finished is whisked away to a chamber that uses gas or electric heat to burn up your waste into a fine ash. You need to empty the ash chamber about every week, and you do need to have electricity or propane to operate these toilets. Smells can become an issue if not properly ventilated.

Whatever type of waterless toilet you choose, keeping your waste contained is an important part of keeping your campsite tidy and being a good neighbor to nature.