Packets or Liquid for Black water tank

Use plenty of water then drain before putting her back in storage.

Haven't had any issues.

I prefer the liquid type.

It's really personal preference; we use the Thetford Campakem in the tear-open packets simply because that's what came with our first trailer and the wife likes it so we never stopped using it. They all do about the same thing IMO. Pick what you like.

What is messy about using the liquid? Even if some gets on the bowl, the next flush will put it down the drain. Use whatever you want or don't want.

Some use just water, some use The Geo Method

H2O - it doesn't come in packets.

How long are you camping for? I used to consistently pour the small bottles of RV treatment (usually green) into the black tank. Now I don't bother. For a weekend camping trip, I have found there is little to no smell and no need for the chemicals.

When I get home I usually rinse out the black tank, and pour a small amount of bleach in the black tank and rinse it again. Works fine and little to no smell. You can do a similar routine at a dump station (just try not to take too long if there is a line waiting! lol).

Other people here will have better methods for long term camping.

I use the packets called Drop-Ins while camping. After a trip, I flush the black tank with one of those wands, then put a couple of gallons of water in it followed by that blue liquid. I ensure I have a clean tank by using a clear connector on the sewer hose. The drop ins don't have a real strong scent like some of the stuff out there. While I have considered the GEO Method, it seems more involved than my current procedure and since I don't have any issues with smells, I'm sticking to it.

We use the GeoMethod. No smells, no worries.

We have the small packets. We have on occasion not used anything, plain forgot. It made no difference. I think a more important thing to remember is to make sure you use lots of water and always add some water after you flush your tank.