Have you ever been caught in a situation where you had the urge to go to the bathroom but there was none anywhere to be found? Well, then you are just like the millions of other people that have found themselves in this very uncomfortable situation at one time or another. There are many places like the beach, campsites, and tailgating parties that just don’t have toilet facilities close enough to satisfy everyone. You don’t have to be the one caught in this awkward situation because there is a solution. With the best portable toilet packed easily in your vehicle, you will always have a place to go to the bathroom when the need arises.
There are probably many more portable toilet choices in the plumbing marketplace than you realize. Some of them are good and others not so good. That is why we have decided to do a series of in-depth portable toilet reviews to help you find the one that best fits your needs. So whether you need a portable toilet for camping, on your boat, or an RV toilet, we will help you to find the one that is right for you.
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Things to Consider When Buying a Portable Toilet
Although not all portable toilets are constructed the same way there are still some basic buying considerations that apply to all of them. Here are the important factors to consider when buying a portable toilet.
Size/Intended use
Just because a toilet is portable does not mean it is convenient to take places with you. A portable toilet is one that can be set up anywhere but getting it to where it needs to go depends on its size. There are big portable toilets that are not easy to transport but are good for setting up at a cabin or other place where they will be a long time. Smaller portable toilets are good for such things as emergency toilets on long trips or day-long boat trips. To determine the size of the portable toilet you need by factoring in what the intended use of that toilet will be.
Comfort
Although comfort should not be the most important factor when choosing which portable toilet you will buy it still needs to be considered. A 10-inch high toilet with an 8-inch toilet seat opening is not going to be a very comfortable portable toilet to use. On the other hand, a portable toilet that has a seat that is like a regular toilet and is 15 inches high will be ok to use.
Ease of Disposal
We all know it’s not hard to fill up a portable toilet but at some point what goes in it has to be taken out. This means you will be dealing with fecal matter and it can be very unsanitary if removing it is not simple to do. So look for a portable toilet where the brown water contents can be removed easily without you coming into contact with the waste it contains.
Freshwater and Wastewater Gauges
Many of the portable toilets we reviewed are two-piece portable toilets with flushing systems. That means they will have holding tanks for the wastewater that goes into the toilet and a holding tank for fresh water to flush them. It is recommended that any toilet that uses these types of holding tanks has a means where you can tell how full both the wastewater and fresh water holding tanks are.
Best Portable Toilets Comparison Chart
| PRODUCT | DETAILS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Complete Portable Toilet System |
| View On Amazon |
 | Sanitation Equipment Visa Potty Model |
| View On Amazon |
 | Thetford 92360 Porta Potti 550E Curve Portable Toilet |
| View On Amazon |
 | Dometic 301097202 Portable Toilet |
| View On Amazon |
 | Camco 41541 Portable Toilet |
| View On Amazon |
 | Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Portable Toilet |
| View On Amazon |
 | Stansport Portable Camp Toilet |
| View On Amazon |
Best Portable Toilet Reviews (Newest Models)
Here is what we feel are some of the best model portable toilets you can buy:
1. Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Complete Portable Toilet System
This is not just a good portable toilet model but it’s part of a complete portable toilet kit. It is just like carrying an entire bathroom with you in a backpack-sized storage bag. You have everything you need here which includes a privacy tent, 15 prepackaged waste kits, the carrying bag, and the portable toilet itself.
The toilet that comes with this one is the easiest type of portable toilets to set up and get working. It is a dry toilet system so no water has to be added. Once you are finished using the toilet you just wrap up the prepackaged waste kit and it seals up like a Ziploc bag. It’s a super easy system to use and pickup, to say the least.
By far the best feature about this portable toilet system is the tent-like enclosure you place over the portable toilet. Privacy can be hard to come by with a portable toilet and with this system, you don’t have to worry about that at all.
It’s true this toilet folds up small and the entire system fits in a backpack-like bag, but that still means if you are going backpacking or hiking that you will have that much more extra gear to haul.
2. Sanitation Equipment Visa Potty Model
This is a very well designed two-piece stackable portable toilet. It is the perfect complement to such things as pop-up campers and remote cabins with no bathroom facilities.
It is a portable toilet that functions very similarly to a regular toilet when it’s set up. This toilet has a two-directional rinse that helps keep the bowl clean and it also seals up very tight. It holds up to 24 liters of waste and has a handy gauge where you can tell how much waste and how much freshwater is in the toilet.
We like the fact that one part of it acts as a holding tank. That way it cuts down on some of the odor that is often associated with portable toilets. It makes it easier to clean up too.
This toilet system is the size of two small suitcases when it’s unstacked so it is not something you can carry with you other than in a vehicle. It is also a little bit higher than a regular toilet when you sit on it.
3. Thetford 92360 Porta Potti 550E Curve Portable Toilet
If you a looking for a portable toilet that is a little more compact and works great, then you will probably be very interested in this model. It is another toilet that has a convenient two-piece stackable design and a built-in flush.
Among its nicer features are its sleek modern design and the fact that its flush is battery-assisted. The toilet bowl inside it is a lot larger than you would expect too. There is also a readout built into it to tell how full it is and how much freshwater is left to flush it.
This toilet is pretty easy to move around which is a nice feature to have with any portable toilet. It weighs only 10 pounds and is a bit bigger than 1 ½ foot in any direction. It also has a well-designed built-in carrying handle.
This toilet does not have any sizable hose to help dump out the black water. That can be pretty inconvenient, to say the least. There are some long-term durability concerns with it too.
4. Dometic 301097202 Portable Toilet
This is a portable toilet model that is very well-designed and very easy to carry. It is a two-piece stackable model portable toilet that is built to last you a long time. It is made out of very durable polyethylene which is scratch and dent resistant.
It’s a portable toilet model that weighs only 12 pounds dry and comes apart in seconds for easy dumping and cleaning. There is also a built-in hand pump for flushing and even a large adult will fit comfortably on the toilet seat.
One of the problems with portable toilets is sometimes brown water is very difficult to empty. That is certainly not the case with this model portable toilet. It has a very large section of pipe built into it to help dump the waste.
This tank only holds 2.6 gallons of waste. That means if you have many users you will be dumping it on a regular basis. This can be a bigger concern if you are in a remote area with no waste handling nearby.
5. Camco 41541 Portable Toilet
Camco has a solid reputation among portable toilet customers and this fine model is a fine example of why they have such a good reputation. A lot of thought went into the design of this easy to use a two-piece portable toilet.
This product weighs only 11 ½ pounds dry thanks to its durable plastic construction. It is also dent and scratch-resistant. There is an attached bellows style water pump to aid in flushing too. It also includes a gate valve on the wastewater tank to help make dumping it easier.
We really like the size of the wastewater holding tank on this model. With a 5.3 gallon capacity, you won’t have to empty it as much as some other models of portable toilets. The brown water waste tank is also easily detachable for convenient dumping.
There were a few things we did not like with this model portable toilet. We thought the bowl size on it was really small for one. This toilet also seemed like it would be very difficult to clean.
6. Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Portable Toilet
This is the stand-alone version of the toilet system that we reviewed in item number one. The fact that it is a dry toilet makes it one of the most easily transportable toilets of any on our list. That is a big advantage for backpackers, hikers, and others who like to have the convenience of a decent toilet when out on their adventures.
There is not too much to this toilet. It stores in a briefcase-size pack and all you have to do to set it up is unfold the three legs that hold it upright when in use. This toilet is even very comfortable to sit on.
This is a super easy toilet to clean up and transport. After you set it up to you simply put one of the dry chemical packets that come with it in the bottom. As it’s used these packets keep the waste contents in dry or gel form. When you’re ready to move these waste bags fold up and then simply zip shut for disposal.
This toilet is supposed to hold up to 500 pounds when set up but it seems a little wobbly for that. It also takes a little bit of effort to fold this toilet’s legs back up after use.
7. Stansport Portable Camp Toilet
This is another highly portable take-along the toilet. At nine pounds it is designed to go along with you everywhere you will stay for a while that has no toilet facilities. You will get some of the small comforts of being home while in the woods camping or miles out to sea on your boat.
There is no setting up or folding down with this model toilet. Once you get to where it is needed you simply open it up and put in a waste bag and you are ready to go. It is fairly comfortable to sit on and use too.
With this portable camping toilet, you get the convenience of having a portable, go-anywhere toilet without everybody knowing you are taking a toilet with you. When the lid is closed and this is ready for travel it looks more like a trash can.
This toilet uses waste bags which can be a little inconvenient to handle when full. You would be cautioned against using this with a big group too because the waste bowl on it is not that big.
8. Century 6210 5-Gallon Portable Toilet
This is a very nice two-piece portable toilet option. It will be a big bonus for any boat, RV, or campsite that does not have its own bathroom. This model portable toilet is also easy to transport and is built using tough polyethylene plastic.
It comes with several nice features built right into it too such as an easy to operate flushing mechanism and a 5-gallon wastewater holding tank. This product comes fully assembled when shipped too.
At 16 inches in height, this is a very comfortable toilet to use. We find that this is not always the case with portable toilets. The double-sealed drain valve helps cut down on odor and helps prevent leaks too.
The clips that hold the two sections of this toilet together are not high quality. That means you have the potential for some leaking problems if you transport it when full. The waste dumping handle is a little hard to operate too.
9. Best Choice Products Camping Hiking Dual Spray Jets Travel Outdoor Portable Toilet
Here is a really well-designed and solidly built portable camping toilet model. Best Choice has a winner when it comes to quality portable toilet design. This model toilet makes an excellent addition when camping, trekking, or if you just want to have an emergency toilet while traveling.
There is a lot to like about it. With 5 gallons of wastewater storage, you don’t have to dump it that often and it is also very compact so it’s easy to transport. It also has a nice dual jet flushing system built into it and a large-sized drain for easy dumping.
This is one of the sturdier portable toilets on our list. Everything on it is made really well. It is built using tough polyethylene plastic and even the hinges that hold the waste tank on it are very good quality.
As well as this toilet is made we certainly were disappointed in the quality of the toilet seat. It is pretty flimsy, to say the least. This unit can also be difficult to clean because of all the nooks and crannies on it.
10. PARTYSAVING New 5.3 Gallon Travel Outdoor Camping Boat Portable Toilet Potty
Here is another very good portable toilet design. It is built to last and has a design that is made to be leak-free at all times. It is the perfect toilet to take with you on a camping trip, use on a boat, or to keep wet children out of the house during a pool party.
Waste does not sit in the bowl long with this toilet either. This model has a convenient flushing pump and then a lever drops the accumulated bodily waste into a holding tank. One of the ideal things about this toilet is it can be purchased with a 5.3-gallon wastewater storage tank or an, even more, portable 2.6-gallon wastewater storage tank.
We like the slide valve that separates the bowl and the brown water holding tank. That really cuts down on the chances of odor escaping from the unit and will also help prevent leakage when the toilet is being transported.
The seat on this model portable toilet has only a ten-inch opening. That is a little to the small side. If you buy it with the smaller wastewater tank its sits uncomfortably low too.
Types of Portable Toilets
There are basically three types of portable toilets as far as how they store waste for disposal. Here is what they are:
Holding Tank
This is simply when the portable toilet has its own wastewater storage tank. You simply dump it in a toilet or other sanitary facility when these tanks are full. These types of portable toilets often have a flushing mechanism too.
Dry Chemical
Wet waste is much harder to handle than dry waste. That is the thinking behind toilets that use packs that dry up liquids or turn them into easier to handle gels.
Waste Containment
These are the simplest forms of portable toilets. This type of toilet uses just a plastic bag type device to trap waste. They are usually only used for situations that cause them to be needed for only very small periods of time.
How does an RV toilet work?
Most RV toilets work exactly the same as a two-piece portable toilet. They consist of the bowl part that you sit on or urinate into and underneath that, they have a wastewater storage tank.
The wastewater storage tank can usually be easily removed by an access hatch from the outside of the RV. Bigger RV’s with large tanks will need to be pumped out at a facility that does that.
Most RV toilets also have a freshwater storage tank for flushing too. So camping toilets work very similarly to regular toilets except they don’t use as much water to flush them.
How to Keep an RV Toilet in Good Working Order
RV toilets are much more sensitive than regular toilets because they do not have as powerful a flush. They also store wastewater instead of just facilitating its movement into a sewer or septic system as regular toilets do.
Here are a few tips on how to maintain the toilet in your RV:
- Never put anything in the RV toilet except bodily waste and approved toilet paper.
- Never leave the tank with wastewater in it if you are not using the RV.
- Put a little bit of non-toxic antifreeze in the toilet when it is sitting during the colder months.
- Every once in a while after you dump out wastewater fill the tank back up to ¾ with freshwater. Add 2 cups of liquid bleach and wait about 15 minutes before emptying the portable toilet. Repeat this step one more time using freshwater without the bleach to rinse it out good.
- Clean the bowl part of the toilet as often as you would the toilet bowl in your home.
You may also be interested in our reviews on bidet toilet seats.
RV Toilet and Portable Toilet FAQs
There are many questions that we get more often than others regarding portable toilets and toilets for RV’s. We thought we would share some of them with you in case they were questions or concerns that you have about them too.
What are some of the most trusted brands of portable toilets?
That is a hard question to answer because as you saw in our reviews there are many good portable toilet manufacturers. Some of the most reputable manufacturers are Party saving, Camco, and Century.
Is it possible to replace the toilet in an RV?
The answer here is definitely yes but keep in mind it is not an easy thing to do.
Chances are if you own an RV for a long time you will need to replace at least some part of the toilet during the time you own it. In most cases, this is best left up to a professional with experience doing it. You certainly don’t want to have problems with a leaking or poorly working toilet when you are away on a trip.
Here, find the top ten answers for Who makes the best toilet?
Wrap Up
A portable toilet is a valuable thing to own even if you don’t plan to use it. You never know when it will come in handy. There is truly nothing worse than not having access to a bathroom when you really need to go. A portable toilet gives you a safety net in such situations as you are a one-bathroom household, as a handy RV toilet when the inside tank is full or when patiently waiting in your boat to catch fish in the middle of the lake.
Anyone of the models we did our portable toilet reviews on would be great portable toilets to own. We think we gave you some good information here which will help you in your search for the best portable toilet. Take your time when shopping and follow our advice here and you should be able to find the perfect model portable toilet for your needs.
For more product reviews like the best dual flush toilets and composting toilets, check out our homepage.
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