Cassette toilet vs porta potty

[realter]

I'm putting together my next TC, and wondering, if it doesn't have a shower, why pay for a cassette toilet, when a $99 porta potty does the same thing. Besides much cheaper, a whole lot less complicated.

Comments or suggestions? Thanks.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

DutchmenSport wrote:
We have a Wall Mart purchased port-a-potty that is simply a bucket in a container with a plastic toilet seat on top. We use it when we don't have water in the tanks (mostly in the winter for winter camping when we camp witout water in the tanks).

I have a "Luggable Loo" - same idea. Bucket, seat and lid. I use WAG bags and kitty litter in ours, and can toss it in a dumpster when we're done using it. We first used it for our 5th wheel, when traveling (winterized) in sub-freezing temps; now it's in our Bronco pop-up TC.

[Bubtoofat]

DutchmenSport wrote:


I think Cassette toilets are a bit more complicated, and more parts to clean. Often they require using bags to catch everything.

Bags?:h

[kknowlton]

My vote would be for a portapotti. We had one in our popup and the best thing was that we could take it out of the camper and dump it at the dump station without having to hitch up the trailer and drive the whole kit & kaboodle over there.

[DutchmenSport]

We have a Wall Mart purchased port-a-potty that is simply a bucket in a container with a plastic toilet seat on top. We use it when we don't have water in the tanks (mostly in the winter for winter camping when we camp witout water in the tanks). Works perfectly fine, easy to clean out, and has lasted for years and years .. (well, the first one did.) We purchased our first one in 1999 and used it with our pop-up. Last year 2015, the metal handle on the bucket finally rusted into nothing. We purchased a new one from Wall Mart again. Hope it last for 16 years too!

I think Cassette toilets are a bit more complicated, and more parts to clean. Often they require using bags to catch everything. But the clean up is more involved.

Go for simplicity and spend your time camping and not clean parts from a toilet.

[rockhillmanor]

I've used the Thetford porta-potty toilet with the cassette bottom as the black tank.

I think they are great. The seats are the exact same size as an RV toilet and many models to choose from as far as how big the holding tank part is which in turn dictates how high they sit.

IMHO They are REAL easy to dump. No smell, no spills. As a first time user I was really impressed.

They even have one that has a battery operated flush button!!! Go figure!! :B

http://www.thetford.com/products/toilets/

http://www.thetford.com/products/toilets/portable/

[tonymull]

Look into it but I think the cassettes are vented. If not then I'd go with the porta potty. We have a porta potty since I remodeled our bathroom and it works fine. Got one with a 5 gal tank so it sits at a comfortable height. The only problem I've had is when gaining a lot of elevation the air in the tank expands and since it's not vented.... I learned quickly that I need to leave the gate valve cracked 😉 No problems since. That was a 5000 foot elevation gain. We are both very happy with the remodel. There is far more space than before and more storage which is critical for us. We boondock almost exclusively and we have an enclosure for the outside shower with is far better than the old cramped thing before. Emptying the potty tank is actually less trouble than the black tank was, there is no concern of buildup or blocked outlets and I can quickly rinse it clean in any outhouse or bathroom.

[kbaum]

Having had both, the cassette toilet is much cleaner and easier to care for. It's in a fixed location, you normally unload the cassette outside of the Camper instead of moving it arround inside, it's also easy and cleaner to store chemicals with the cassette outside. Emptying the contents would be similar with either one.

I do wish I currently had a cassette toilet and either more storage or a larger water or gray water tank. I believe a cassette toilet is now optional for NL TC's.

[Tiger4x4RV]

My pre-Tiger, which I camped in often and happily for 15 years, had a PortaPotti which was inside an enclosed bathroom area which also had a sink with running water and a shower. It had no black tank, just the PP's own tank. When I wanted to shower, I could lift the PP out onto a rubber mat in the living area and then have a shower stall big enough to use comfortably. Cleanup after the shower was easier than drying off a whole wet bath area. Emptying the PP was not a problem either on the road (into dump station or camp toilet) or at home (into house toilet). The PP tank does not have the wheels and handle often found on cassette toilets, so you have to carry it. A PP seals well and creates less odor than an RV toilet plus black tank; do watch out for altitude changes. If something breaks on a PP, you can buy the parts to replace it; I had to do this several times for the pump bellows. For extreme boondocking, you could use non-potable water in the flush tank; I guess you could also do that for a cassette toilet.

If you need extra tank capacity, you could buy a second tank and switch them out; you could also do that with a cassette toilet. Either way, you would have to have space to store the second tank.

[tmartin000]

I would have both. Having had a cassette poti in an older pop-up camper and enjoying the simple ease use factor, I now have a daughter. I prefer when possible, that both girls use our shower.

I wouldn't want a unit without a shower. Have you ever seen the creepy people now that use the showers at Campgrounds...nowadays?

So, I would be fine without the black water tank, but would demand a bigger gray instead.

[d3500ram]

Hi Stan,

I agree that space for a cassette without a shower could be wasted space. For me I would not be without a shower and the wet bath combo with cassette is ideal. My first camper was a NorthStar TC-800 pop-up, it had neither shower nor cassette, but did have the porta-potty.

The only downside I had with the porta was the need for a little more modesty when using it... there is the situation with whom one is camping needs to exit the camper in order to use it. While there is little containment in the wet bath combos, they do offer a little more privacy.

[jimh406]

I think a cassette is easier to empty, but I don't have either one!

[gbopp]

Or, you could put a toilet seat on a 5 gallon bucket. That would be cheaper than a porta potty. :B