Do you or don't you?

[tenhorsun]

We're looking into buying our first trailer. Friends of ours bought their first one a few years ago and love it.
But this is interesting. They say they NEVER use their toilet except for quick toilet breaks, if you know what I mean. Otherwise, they use the campground restrooms or park outhouses. They say that using a trailer toilet ruins it... that the smell is always there. !?!? Surely this cannot be true. One reason why we want a trailer is to have the comfort of our own home with us. We don't WANT to use a public restroom. Plus, we plan to camp on public forest land where there are no facilities. What do YOU do?

[reed_cundiff]

Made correction and when I reposted, it posted it all over again,

[reed_cundiff]

As D74 noted, there are a lot of places that do not want paper put into toilet since it clogs the systems Every country we have visited in Latin America: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru do not permit placing toilet paper in the toilets, it is placed in a plastic bag lined trashcan (covered). No RV park we have visited in Baja, mainland Mexico, Yucatan, Belize or Guatemala permits placing toilet paper into their sewage systems. We started doing the same and have had no clogs in drains in six years. It is no worse than putting your kids'/grandkids' diapers in a diaper pail. Paper takes up a space in the black tank and that bacterial degrading fluid probably has no effect on it.

We have let a lot of friends and family use the john when we are "camped" and they are in tents. We just let them know our protocols. Most have traveled abroad and know the drill.
Reed and Elaine

[CavemanCharlie]

I didn't read all 7 pages of this thread. The reason I bought the TT that I have is for the toilet. I use it and there is no problem with smell.

Does the one in your house smell?

[dee74]

GaryWT wrote:

thirtydaZe wrote:
We do. We dont allow others to though.

So if you are at the fire with friends you tell them to go elsewhere if they have to go?

As for to OP, the campground bathrooms are one thing but to pick a jiffy john or pit toilet or other over your own RV toilet, that is strange. I hate using those when they are the only option, never mind if I had a choice. Too each his own I guess.

A while back on one of these sites someone said they did not put any paper in the rv toilet, they would just through it in the trash can in the bathroom, not that started a debate...

To wander a little off topic I have been to countries where you cannot put paper in the toilet because the sewer system cannot handle the paper. In one of the countries they would just let the pigs eat the paper out of cans on the curb. That will make you think twice about eating bacon.

To answer to OP, one of the reasons we got our own camper was to have our own bathroom and use it to the fullest potential.

[GaryWT]

thirtydaZe wrote:
We do. We dont allow others to though.

So if you are at the fire with friends you tell them to go elsewhere if they have to go?

As for to OP, the campground bathrooms are one thing but to pick a jiffy john or pit toilet or other over your own RV toilet, that is strange. I hate using those when they are the only option, never mind if I had a choice. Too each his own I guess.

A while back on one of these sites someone said they did not put any paper in the rv toilet, they would just through it in the trash can in the bathroom, not that started a debate...

[thirtydaZe]

We do. We dont allow others to though.

[Lantley]

Terryallan wrote:

Lantley wrote:
We use the entire bathroom exclusively. We never even look at the PUBLIC bath houses.
Since they are PUBLIC they can only be so clean.:S

use the pool???

My DW would get a kick out of your post. She swears many campers just rinse off in the pool vs. taking a shower.

For the record I do use the pool. I'm sure some pools are more sanitary than others. Since I can't bring my own pool along I have no choice by to use the public pools. However I do have my own full bathroom and have no need or desire to use the public CG bathrooms.

[toedtoes]

Everyone has different idiosyncrasies. If the friends of the OP don't want to use their RV toilet, that doesn't mean they are not REAL RVers. It just means they have issues with using their RV toilet. I don't see anywhere from the OP's statements that these people are demanding that everyone else stops using their own toilets.

I say what people do or don't do in the privacy of their own bathrooms is their own business and has absolutely no bearing on whether they are REAL RVers or using their RVs in an acceptable manner.

[GaryWT]

When we had a pop up we picked campgrounds by how clean the bathrooms were but even at that, what a pain when they were busy in the morning etc. now we pick campgrounds by full hook ups as we use our bathroom and don't care what the bathrooms are like. We do not have any issues with smells.

[Ron3rd]

4X4Dodger wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:

tenhorsun wrote:
We're looking into buying our first trailer. Friends of ours bought their first one a few years ago and love it.
But this is interesting. They say they NEVER use their toilet except for quick toilet breaks, if you know what I mean. Otherwise, they use the campground restrooms or park outhouses. They say that using a trailer toilet ruins it... that the smell is always there. !?!? Surely this cannot be true. One reason why we want a trailer is to have the comfort of our own home with us. We don't WANT to use a public restroom. Plus, we plan to camp on public forest land where there are no facilities. What do YOU do?

Your friends don't know what they're talking about and must have some weird obsession with odor. Their comments are some of the most ridiculous I've heard in 20 years. Your trailer is an extension of your home; why would you use a public toilet when you have your "home" toilet with you? They must like Hotel beds. No thanks. Talk to real RV'ers and get some real advice. Good for a chuckle though.

I Beg Your Pardon! I am a REAL RV'er and I choose to use the public bathrooms when available except at night. I have no qualms about dumping, (the tank, no pun intended) it's easy and quick. And if you read my previous post on this subject (above) you would see I have dealt with some pretty awful bathrooms.

However there are other considerations beside dumping that go into peoples choice of what they do. Further your assertion that the TEST for a "REAL RV'er" is where they poo is full of more S!!* than has been discussed here.

You misinterpreted my post, I was addressing this comment by the OP which I find rediculous:
" They say they NEVER use their toilet except for quick toilet breaks, if you know what I mean. Otherwise, they use the campground restrooms or park outhouses. They say that using a trailer toilet ruins it... that the smell is always there"

You sound like your use the campground facilities maybe for conservation reasons? Many do. But from your post you appear to have no qualms about using your trailer's toilet. You're obviously a "Real RVer" IMO.

[4X4Dodger]

Ron3rd wrote:

tenhorsun wrote:
We're looking into buying our first trailer. Friends of ours bought their first one a few years ago and love it.
But this is interesting. They say they NEVER use their toilet except for quick toilet breaks, if you know what I mean. Otherwise, they use the campground restrooms or park outhouses. They say that using a trailer toilet ruins it... that the smell is always there. !?!? Surely this cannot be true. One reason why we want a trailer is to have the comfort of our own home with us. We don't WANT to use a public restroom. Plus, we plan to camp on public forest land where there are no facilities. What do YOU do?

Your friends don't know what they're talking about and must have some weird obsession with odor. Their comments are some of the most ridiculous I've heard in 20 years. Your trailer is an extension of your home; why would you use a public toilet when you have your "home" toilet with you? They must like Hotel beds. No thanks. Talk to real RV'ers and get some real advice. Good for a chuckle though.

I Beg Your Pardon! I am a REAL RV'er and I choose to use the public bathrooms when available except at night. I have no qualms about dumping, (the tank, no pun intended) it's easy and quick. And if you read my previous post on this subject (above) you would see I have dealt with some pretty awful bathrooms.

However there are other considerations beside dumping that go into peoples choice of what they do. Further your assertion that the TEST for a "REAL RV'er" is where they poo is full of more S!!* than has been discussed here.

[mich800]

reed cundiff wrote:
We were in line to dump at Rocky Mountain NP. There were two German women ahead of us (said their husbands did not like to travel so they left them in Germany) and noticed they did not use rubber gloves. They said "we are not getting anything on our hands and shall immediately scrub with hot soap and water, and then with Hand Sanitizer, so why wear gloves. I still use rubber gloves

:h Most people wash their hands after using the bathroom. It is fine to use gloves but not necessary.

[Wishbone51]

I'm really anal (pun intended) when dealing with my black tank, and have never had an odor in the bathroom.. While flushing, camping, sitting at home, 100+ degree weather, etc.

1) I use GEO and an enzyme digester, since it sits for a month or so in between trips (bathroom used during this time)

2) I fill up the tank to full with the external tank rinser before dumping. Fill it up again, and dump again. Rinse until clear

3) Flush 5 seconds for pee and 10 seconds for poo.

4) I dump before the trip (as mentioned, I use the trailer toilet between trips) and put in 5 gallons of fresh water/treatment, so that when driving, clean, soapy water is cleaning the sides.

5) I dump after camping and put 5 gallons in again so that when driving home, the tank is cleaning itself again.

This sounds like a ton of work, but it's really not. The only thing that takes time is filling the tank, but I'm doing other things at the same time. I set a timer on my phone so I don't forget and 'stuff' comes out the vents :).

My sensors even work like they're supposed to.

[Hannibal]

I don't use gloves either. Wash and go.

[reed_cundiff]

We were in line to dump at Rocky Mountain NP. There were two German women ahead of us (said their husbands did not like to travel so they left them in Germany) and noticed they did not use rubber gloves. They said "we are not getting anything on our hands and shall immediately scrub with hot soap and water, and then with Hand Sanitizer, so why wear gloves. I still use rubber gloves