RE: Porta Potties, which one ?

[la62pv]

 
I m shopping for a porta pottie.  Our camper doesn t have one in it.  I ve got one of those little tents that you can use as a changing room/pottie room/shower stall.  Now I m looking for a portable flush toilet to put in it.  I ve looked at camping world and they have several Thetford models to choose from ranging from $49 to $118 for an electric flush model.  I checked the Coleman web site and they have 1 for $67.  Then I checked Sportman guide and they have a Passport Potty for $58.  Price isn t really the issue here.  I just don t want to end up flushing my money down the toilet by ending up with a pottie that leaks and doesn t hold in the odor.  So, I m asking the people who know best.  Which ones do all of you recommend ?

[jamminjo-jo]

 la62pv
After reading a thread on the old board, I chose the Thetford " electric"  and I am sure glad I did. The way the waste tank detaches for easy emptying, tissue holder,
 included deodorant.....oh, I feel like I m doing a commercial. well, any way, That s
 the one we use.
 
 
 
 Joe
 DW Lyndean
 DS Ryan
 1970 skamper
 1972 Galaxie 500

[Tim5055]

 la62pv
Thetford is the gold standard in " pottis" []
 
 You can t go wrong with any of their models.  I went with a manual as I felt the electric was jsut another thing to possibley go wrong.

[wssfetch]

 la62pv
I have the Thetford 135.  The 155 is identical except that it has a larger tank.  One thing to consider is where you will store the porta potty.  Many folks have found that the electric flush model is too tall to slide into the porta potty cabinet in their camper.  If you plan to ALWAYS use it in the potty tent and never keep in the potty cabinet, that might not be an issue.  You can always find a different place for it during travel and when you close down the camper.
 
 Make sure you get rv potty tissue (breaks down easier) and a supply of chemicals.  
 
 Porta potties sure do come in handy!

[la62pv]

 la62pv
Thetford it is.  Thanks for your help.  I just ordered the 565 from camping world.  Got the Thetford toilet tissue too.  But, went for the Enviro-chem instead of the Thetford chemical.  Something about the formaldehyde that bothered me, don t know why.  Did I forget anything ?

[Opie431]

 la62pv
I tested the Thetford toilet paper, some of the very cheapest single ply that I could find and some good toilet paper by puttine them in jars filled with the same amount of water.  I found the cheapest single ply did as well falling apart as the Thetford.  The nice soft stuff took a lot longer to fall apart. I am not going to bother getting the toilet paper made for RV pottis any more, I will go with El Cheaper, could be used as sandpaper brands.

[LoveOurBayside]

 la62pv
Looks like you already made you decision but just in case any others read this thread later ...
 
 We have the Passport model and have not seen anything else.  DH bought it in a hurry just to have something for our first trip (which was prophetic because DS sprained his ankle and couldn t walk to the bathhouse).  It fits perfectly in our porta potty cabinet and we haven t had any problems with odors. DH finds it a bit low for his preference but it has served us well.  It does not have an emptying spout but I guess you don t miss what you ve never known.  
 
 As far as chemicals go, I really like the single disolvable packets DH found at Wal-Mart.  So easy - no measuring or mess.
 
 
 
 

[Gamecock Camper]

 la62pv
We have the Thedford 155 that was in our first camper.... now we have it in our boat.  The new camper has a built-in shower / porta-pottie.   Look at your camper to see where you will store it and then measure.  If you have you eye on one that won t fit where you will store it, then you will either waste your time or your money.  Kinda like flushing it down the (you know....)...  Thedford seems to be a good brand that has easy to use features.  The most important thing to me was how to " un-load"  the tank.  It really isn t something that I look forward to, but it is pretty easy in both the portable and the new camper.   I d look for those features first.  Good luck.

[TheWallRocks]

 la62pv
We picked up the Thetford 235, and I have to say that it works very well.  I didn t know much about porta-potties and figured no matter what, they would be a pain to empty.  I have to say that I m pretty impressed with the design, and how easy (and clean) it is to empty.  Ours did spring a pin-hole size leak in the flusher-gizmo, but that s been the only problem.  I suppose if I had to buy another one I would go electric, or maybe bigger.  With 4 kids the 2.6 gal waste tank gets filled pretty quick.  The 235 is very light and easy to handle.... even when full.  As for deoderant, I probably only put a couple onces in and it works fine.... no measuring and no stink.
 
 Those $20 shelters that were mentioned on this forum recently are one of the best purchases we have made..... it works perfect for the potti room and stores flat on the bunks for travel.
 

[Jo Ann]

 la62pv
i like the potty pills i bought for chemical cuz no formeldayde (makes me ill and sets off asthma) and no real heavy sent...but i can t find them anywhere...and i am down to two!!!!!  has anyone seen or heard of them?
 
 nevermind...found them at campingworld...and they are called potty toddy tabs...and they are great...very little odor to them....and they work wonderfully and one tab works fine in my thetford.  they also had the best price if you buy the bottle of 50...23 bucks...but i wasn t sure how long they would last and i only use 1-2 tabs per trip...so i got two packs of 6.  also, they do not effect my asthma at all.