We're thinking of getting a porta potti for the PU, just for those trips in the middle of the night, especially now that our 3 y/o DS is potty trained.
If you have one, which one do you have and what do you like or dislike about it?
Yes, we have one, check it out:
Our Porta Potti (http://www.title-3.com/potti.htm)
It was a little low, so I made the stand to sit it on. Other than that it works great!
Tim, do you wish that your potti had a greater capacity or more "fancy" features, like the Thetford 500 series offers? My dh is 6'5" so we were already looking at the taller models since we're not very handy in the porta potti stand building category. :o But after all, it is just a porta potti...
Quote from: griffsmomTim, do you wish that your potti had a greater capacity or more "fancy" features, like the Thetford 500 series offers? My dh is 6'5" so we were already looking at the taller models since we're not very handy in the porta potti stand building category. :o But after all, it is just a porta potti...
The capacity has never been a real problem. Until you get up to the electric flush model basic operation on all of them is about the same.
I have a port-a-potty in my Coleman Westlake and I really like it. I hate those late night runs to the restroom (one night in a new park I wound up in the men's restroom) and this resolves that issue! I just take out the cassette and empty it at the sewer hook-up if I have one or at the dump station on the way out of the park. We've never had a problem with capacity.
Carole
We had the 155 or 165 which is larger than the 135, so capacity was never a problem. I don't think you would want to raise that one up very high especially since you have a 3 yr old unless you make a special step for him. If you look around, it might be easy to find something that you could set up without having to build a special stand.
Quote from: C. HainsI have a port-a-potty in my Coleman Westlake
I think you have a cassette potty. :confused:
We have the most basic Thetford model and it works just fine. Absolutely no odor except that minty fresh Scope scent.
Lori,
G and I finally broke down and got a pot. Just the basic model. We are able to store it under the seat where the hot water heater is.
We've used it on two trips and we love it. Since we hardly ever do more than #1 in the middle of the night, it works great. I just kneel to avoid height problems.
Get it; you'll love it.
gsm x2
Quote from: BARDENLWe have the most basic Thetford model and it works just fine. Absolutely no odor except that minty fresh Scope scent.
Scope??? you can use that in a potty??? I need to try something new...the blue stuff does not work so well....
Quote from: jpreiserScope??? you can use that in a potty??? I need to try something new...the blue stuff does not work so well....
Scope and potty in the same sentence. What has this board degraded into??? :D Lori---I should have known that you had something to do with this!!!
gsm x2
I think ours is a Thetford 155, bought at the good ol' Wally World. We had an Adventurer potty that came with the camper, but it started leaking.
I grew up camping in a popup that had no potty. So, when we bought the camper, I didn't think the potty would be that big of a deal. Trips to the bathroom during the night are rare for me. BUT, I am so glad that we have it now! I drink a lot of Gatorade and water (no alcohol) on camping trips, so I end up using it more on camping trips than I normally do at home.
Buy it...you'll like it. Yes, it is a little short (I'm 6'0"), but I get by. (We have a rule in our camper...No standing while using the potty! Oh...a second rule....The other person looks the other way!
Larry
Quote from: jpreiserthe blue stuff does not work so well....
Which brand of blue stuff do you use? Are you using the amount that they recommend on the label?
We had a porta potty before we got the Nevada with the cassette potty, and we never have had any problems with odor. I used to use the powdered, now I use the liquid with out formaldehyde. 4 ounces per porta potty. :)
I have never had any problem with odor from the porta potti. I think 4 oz was the recommended amount for the size I have.
Bought a Thetford 155, (I think that was the model), It was like two sizes up from the smallest! NEVER used it! Ended up giving it to my BIL & SIL. Always prefered the walk to the bathroom than fumbling around with a PP in the dark.
IF I had a 3 YO though, I probably would have kept it!! So I would go for it if I was you, but probably wouldn't get the smallest capacity or the largest!
Quote from: tlhdocWhich brand of blue stuff do you use? Are you using the amount that they recommend on the label?
We had a porta potty before we got the Nevada with the cassette potty, and we never have had any problems with odor. I used to use the powdered, now I use the liquid with out formaldehyde. 4 ounces per porta potty. :)
The tetford?? White bottle... stuff from walmart... Ours is a cassett potty maybe I need to add more water to the holding area??? All that # 1 and the little bit of water that "flushes" it stinks after a day or so . especially if it is really hot outside...
Saved my life last summer! I was, like, 28 months pregnant (slight exageration here!) and had to walk uphill in the middle of the night X 2. We put ours in the tent and my DS (age #) used it also. I won't begin to tell you of my 1st dumping experience ( I do mean the potty :J ) but let me advise you to read the directions!!
Yes, we have a Thetford porti-potti (I think it is a 155 model). It really helps when camping with my children.
We also purchased one of the privacy shelters that suezyque recommended last year. It is just a simple folding shelter, but it fits great under the awning next to the camper. Here is a link to it: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=77400
Last, I have a box of latex gloves that I keep in the camper for use when dumping the porti-potti. It is ususally the last thing we do as we are leaving the campground. The gloves let me handle both the potti and the rinse hose without contaminating my hands. The potti is clean for the trip home, and my hands are still safe. The gloves can be purchased at any pharmacy.
Once we get home, I dissasemble the porti-potti and wash it all down and let it drip dry next to the camper. I add a very small amount of the holding tank chemical to the potti and it is ready for storage.
Be careful with latex gloves as some people can be severely allergic to latex. For those who are not allergic it is a good idea to keep hand clean. The pour spout really takes care of the dumping problem.
We purchased one (I think it was about $70-80) at our local Wally World and loved it. We were able to take it apart and store it under the front cabinet. It fit very nicely there. In fact, since I'm 5'8", trying to do the dishes in the sink always krinked up my back, so I would scoot the porti-potty over to the sink and sit on it (of course with the lid down) to do the dishes. It worked very nicely. When we weren't using it, we scooted it out of our way. We also never had any "smell" problems.
Get it, you will like the convenience and it doesn't cost all that much.
Joan
Our TrailManor came with a regular recirculating toilet (kind of like they have on airliners) and it works wonderffully well and no odor problems. We also had a brand new, never-out-of-the-carton larger Thetford porta-pottis which we gave to a friend after a relative gave us a (also brand new) "electric" Thetford port-potti (battery powered)
Years ago when we dry-camped in our original Skamper pop-up, we had a basic porta-potti from Thetford and found it excellent--easy to charge, not difficult to empty if you just take your time, and also had no odor problems. READ THE DIRECTIONS FIRST! LIke many of you have found, ours was a great help to us when we camped with our kids.
We have one and we are definitely going to use it on our next trip !
We didn't have one on our first trip, and I usually visit the facilities at least once a night. With the amount of beer and soft drinks and water I consumed at R.J. Ranch, it was little bit of inconvenience to walk all that distance at night.
But the last two nights, in between my trips, DD had to go too, and that made it too much !
Before our second trip, we received a gift Porta Potti from a dear friend. But being the bone head I am, we did not take it with us, because I didn't want to learn how to use it, the space it would take in the minivan, it wasn't really a big deal and so on. Boy, did I regret it once we arrived ! DD had to go almost every night, and that made the trip so special. Can you imagine how nice it was to walk to the facilities every night with my daughter ! She was so chirpy at 2:30 am in the morning too ! :p
So, from now on The Porta Potti comes with us ! We will have to make a privacy section for it in our tent, and only for #1 use ! PORTA POTTI'S RULE !!! No more midnight trips ! Say no to midnight excersizes ! :J
We have a Thetford as well. We also purchased a Paha Que teepee for use with the pota potta and it has made those midnight trips to the comfort station a little more bearable, especially in lousy weather!
We usually set the teepee up in the back corner of the cs so as to afford some privacy. Not only is the teepeee a nice way to get the portta potty out of the PU to afford the user a degree of privacy, it is also a great conversation starter with your neighbours who have not seen one.
Quote from: jpreiserThe tetford?? White bottle... stuff from walmart... Ours is a cassett potty maybe I need to add more water to the holding area??? All that # 1 and the little bit of water that "flushes" it stinks after a day or so . especially if it is really hot outside...
That sounds like the same stuff I use. Are you using 4 oz. (half a cup) of the blue stuff? I cover the bottom of the potty with water and then add the blue stuff. I am guessing that you are not adding enough of the blue stuff. Do you close the flap on the potty when it isn't in use? If one of the kids leaves ours open I can smell the chemical smell in the PU, but not a "bathroom smell". The only other thing I can think that could cause your problem would be if the chemical would have been frozen at some point in time. Not all of the liquid blue chemicals can handle freezing. Hope this helps. :)
OK, I'll jump in here.
We have a Thetford 135 (the small guy) and always keep it in a "potti tent" just outside the pop up..
We use the blue stuff, but no measuring here - pour some in the bottom of the potti tank and add a little water.
We have never had an odor that I can identify. But, it is possible that it is because we keep it outsid in the tent.
Our Porta Potti (http://www.title-3.com/potti.htm)
Quote from: gsm x2Scope and potty in the same sentence. What has this board degraded into??? :D Lori---I should have known that you had something to do with this!!!
gsm x2
LOL! :D Actually Scott, that other post you made about kneeling to use your pot was a bit TMI. Now I have a visual I'm not sure I'll ever be able to shake....;)
Thank you everyone for your input on the potty issue. We bought one today on sale at CW. DH, being the gadget boy that he is, couldn't resist Thetford's top-of-the-line electric model. :D I am hoping that it will fit under the gaucho sofa in our PU, since that's where I want to store it. Even if it doesn't, I am so so sooooooo happy to have a potty in the PU--not only for my 3 y/o's "peeps on the potty" bedtime delay tactic, but for my own middle of the night trips!!! (It's never a question of if, only of when! :rolleyes: ) The tip on rubber gloves is a good one too!
Who'da thunk that buying a portable toilet would make a person so giddy with joy!?! :J
We have a Thetford, like most folks. Mine has an indicator on it that tells me when it is getting full. We only dump when the indicator says it needs it and have never had a problem with odors or leaking.
BTW, if you follow the instructions emptying and cleaning is not nearly as disgusting as I thought it would be. You should note however that anything you get the blue stuff on will stay blue!
cheers,
mike