To Tote a Tote or not to Tote

Our camper has three 35 gal tanks (two grey and one black). We got a 38 gal tote n stor to allow a little extra room over each tank load. Only used it on one week long trip this summer and it made the difference between navy showers and actually enjoying bathing. Worth the money spent. Even totally full it was easy to pull over rough ground to the truck and it pulled via the hitch just fine.

Never at a campsite long enough that empting the tanks are an issue. DW and I can go close to a week, the most we've tried, to not worry. However, when we first started out RV'ing with our first rig more than 10 years ago and we were not as well versed on saving tank space, especially it seems washing dishes, as we are now, I had no problem with a slow release of my grey water. That water with the amount of detergent, Dawn for dishes, shampoo and and body soap, is a heckuva lot cleaner than washing your car or your 38 ft. fiver and tow vehicle. Do you just go and dump, as prior posted 40-60 gallons on the ground, no. But there is nothing environmentally wrong with the slow drip. A lot of this will depend on normal camper courtesy that would be exhibited for a campsite like cleaning up empty beer and soda cans, trash deposal, don't leave your fire pit like your personal garbage pit etc. I am amazed when reading about this subject on this or other forums how many lawyers are out there in our camping community because so many are always quoting the law. Respect for fellow campers, present and next to your site and good judgment will go a long way to all of us enjoying the lifestyle.

I use mine a lot, but only for grey water. Instead of towing it, I use a 12V hose transfer pump from harbor freight to fill and empty it from the back of my tow vehicle. Then I don't have to deal with towing it and upending it to empty it.

ctilsie242 wrote:
I personally wouldn't use fresh water totes for wastewater unless I give them a rattlecan paintjob, so it is obvious that the contents are not drinkable.

It may not be obvious in the pic I posted earlier but my grey / black Aquatainers have red electrical tape wrapped around the handle so they're clearly identifiable. My fresh water Aquatainers have white electrical tape similarly identifying those - no mix up ever in 10+ yrs doing it this way. The difference is a full 7 gal Aquatainer, regardless of what it holds, can be lifted by the average person, a full 25 gal tote tank cannot. ;)

One thing I do recommend, if you have a pickup truck and a TT. Get a portable, FloJet macerator pump. They are less than half the price than they were in 2011, and are well worth having.

For example, I was boondocking, had my TT placed in a decent spot. To empty my black tank, I'd throw a Barker container in the pickup bed, use the macerator pump to fill the container. Then, I'd drive to a dump station, attach a sewage hose, let gravy do the work. I'd then return, do the same for the gray tank. This worked well, and the only thing I was moving were dump hoses. No slinging heavy stuff into or out of the truck.

I definitely plan to get a Barker tote when I move to a class "B". When empty, it can be stored with elastic cables and a security cable (the security cable keeps honest people honest, and as a last sort, keeps things from being a road hazard) on a rear ladder. When full, it can go on a front hitch mounted rack.

I personally wouldn't use fresh water totes for wastewater unless I give them a rattlecan paintjob, so it is obvious that the contents are not drinkable. To each his own, but that's just me.

And it doesn't matter what you personally do or wonder why anyone wouldn't use their toilet for #2. Just know that many people do choose to use campsite shower houses versus their RV.

As I said, a corner case which means it does not fit all.

RedRocket204 wrote:
Something NO ONE mentioned was a situation where those who use the campground toilets, and not their own black tank.

Can't imagine why we would. We paid for a trailer that offers the same facilities our house does, why would we not use them to their fullest extent? The key is to simply have a process worked out to deal with sourcing all the fresh water you need and off load / dispose of any grey / black water you generate. With the right approach all of this is easy ... we haven't seen the inside of a campground bath house in years. :B

We have a 25 gallon Barker (4 wheel) tote tank. Have had it for a very long time, about 10 years. Its worked really good for us over the years. Really like the 4 wheel kind, that you tow to the dump station. Makes it very easy to use when you only have to 'pull' it, not lift it when full. Wouldnt want to lift one end of that thing up when its full!

Yes, we use ours pretty regularly, as there are a few places we camp regularly that don't have sewer hookups, but have a dump station close by. And, we can fill up the grey tank in just 1 or 2 days of camping (showers fill it up quickly). We probably use it 2 or 3 times a year.

Yes, the wheels the Barker tanks (used to) come with, are pitiful. I did the upgrade to the wheels/axles, replace all 4 wheels with real, air-inflated tires/wheels. That was a HUGE improvement.

Not long after I and a few others on here did that (wheel upgrade) and talked on here about how we did it, Barker announced their new models that had those wheels/tires from the factory. And, they did it almost exactly how we had. Haha, don't tell me manufacturers don't read these forums and learn from us how to improve their products. :)

Only real issue I've had with it over the years, is a small crack in the case right where the dump valve is. I've sealed it a few times with JB weld, but it keeps re-springing that leak every so often. Its only a drip, and we only ever use it for grey water, so I've chosen to pretty much live with it.

As some have already said, you definitely have to think about the places you'll camp, how you'll camp, etc., before buying one of these. For a lot of people, they wouldnt be very useful. I like the idea some talk about, about putting the tank up on a pickup bed or something and pumping the water into it. That'd make it even easier to use.

Need to think about storage, too, as these things can get huge depending on what size you get. The 25 gallon tank we have, just barely fits in the trunk of our towed vehicle we bring (Ford Fusion). Any bigger, and we'd have an issue. Thats part of why we went with 25 gallon. On both the last RV we had (TT) and the present one (Motorhome), the 25 gallon tank just fit where we wanted it, and going any bigger would force me to store it somewhere else where I didn't want to put it.

I just read through this entire thread... entertaining, LOL.

Something NO ONE mentioned was a situation where those who use the campground toilets, and not their own black tank. If this is the case for you, you can equalize the gray and black tanks providing more space, possibly doubling the holding size, before your tanks need to be dumped. Sure, this is a corner case but still valid. Just DO NOT slow drip or dump that on the ground.

Beaker wrote:
Took the wheels off mine, put it in the pickup bed, and use a Flojet to pump it up.

dave_smith wrote:
This is what I do also. The Barker 32 gal. tank sits crossways just inside the tailgate with the slide valve facing out. Sani-Con pump attaches to the 3" outlet on trailer & pumps whatever liquid I want up into the tank.

I have no need for a heavy tote at all as I instead have a few inexpensive 7 gal Aquatainers tucked away dedicated to off loading grey & macerated black water, as needed.

- For grey, I sit the empty tank(s) on the ground at the back of the truck so once they gravity fill the most I have to do is lift the full tank(s) into the back of the truck for a trip to the campground dump station where I then lower each to the ground and tip it over to empty into the sewer inlet. I could instead use my FloJet Waste Macerator and avoid having to lift each 'Tainer into the truck but at 60 lbs full I don't find this difficult at all.



- In the rare case I may need to off load black water while still camping I do use my FloJet, pumping macerated black water into these same grey/black Aquatainers which in this case I already have sitting in the back of the truck. Although the macerator is mounted near the rear of the trailer I've wired it so I can control it from the tongue where I can easily monitor each tank as it fills - no need for silly bobbers that don't work well anyway. At the dump station the procedure is the same - simply lower a 'Tainer to the ground and tip over so the contents flow into the sewer inlet, then rinse clean when empty.

K.I.S.S. - no stinky slinky, no tote tank, no level indicators, minimal lifting. :B