Camp toilet tips
Submitted: Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 05:16
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Ari W
Hi,
My family rarely camps. We used to have a caravan (pre kids) which was hardly used...maybe 3 times over 5 years. That was sold before we had the kids too.
We now have 2
young children and are looking to start camping with a tent.
We have a 2 room tent and some self inflatable mattresses.
I am thinking of using a basic
camp toilet in the tent solely for night time use.
So how is best to dispose of bags in the morning for both bush and park situations?
Reply By: Member - Core420 - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 07:12
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 07:12
We faced the same conundrum and after researching found that most national parks require chemical
toilets. Initially we carried both a basic bush
toilet and chemical
toilet. But soon found that the chemical
toilet won the day by far. So we ditched the bush
toilet.
It's a lot easier to find a
dump point (WikiCamps) than a waste disposal point. Despite sealing waste in a bag and plastic bucket, after a few days it stinks to high
heaven. It's also a messy business emptying your bucket into a waste bin, because more often than not you have to lift it to shoulder height to empty it. Compare that with a chemical
toilet where the waste is collected in a sealed container filled with lovely smelling chemicals. No smells are emitted at any time. Emptying the container is a breeze, as everything has liquified and easily pours out into the
dump point at ground level. At most dump points you'll also find a tap which you can use to rinse the container and prepare it for the next uses. Make sure you use the environmentally friendlier chemicals. Good luck!
AnswerID:
641646
Follow Up By: Member - Cuppa - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 09:30
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 09:30
In agreement with Core420, but would add that using sodium percarbonate emptying every 3 or 4 days works best. Carry a shovel, deep hole & empty the liquid contents (when no
dump point available),
well away from any watercourse, & where others
camp. Contents soak away after filling the hole in so won’t be dug up by animals. We have used sodium percarbonate (Laundry booster) for years. Works
well & is cheap & environmentally safe. Contents are less smelly if used for No 2’s only. Ladies can stoop hands on knees if squatting is too difficult. Return used wee paper to fire or rubbish bag.
FollowupID:
920915
Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 09:43
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 09:43
Hi Core420,
No offence intended, but please show me or direct me to a website that states the majority of National Parks require a camper to have a chemical
toilet. How do you think hikers get on in National Parks? They certainly do not carry chemical
toilets around. This sounds like another “Myth” that gets repeated by albeit
well meaning people. Similar to the one that states all caravans require a
grey water tank to
camp in a National Park. Simply not true.
Macca.
FollowupID:
920916
Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 16:18
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 16:18
Sorry Core420,, but nowhere on those National Park websites does it state you require a chemical
toilet. In fact, the majority of the campgrounds actual have pit
toilets and ask you not to dump your chemical
toilets into them.
Macca.
FollowupID:
920939
Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 16:26
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 16:26
My apologies Core420, just found the following on their website:
Campgrounds without
toilets
Where a
campground does not have
toilet facilities, campers must bring their own portable cassette chemical
toilet.
Where portable cassette chemical
toilets are required, campers cannot stay without one. Rangers conduct regular patrols and may ask you to leave the
campground if you do not have a suitable portable chemical
toilet.
‘Thunder boxes’ or buckets are not suitable as
toilets.
Toilet chemical bags are not permitted. It must be a sealed unit.
Macca.
FollowupID:
920940
Follow Up By: Member - Murray R (VIC) - Saturday, Sep 17, 2022 at 22:42
Saturday, Sep 17, 2022 at 22:42
The way that Cuppa has surggested is the way to go. , lve been doing it for ages, on smell cheap and eazy disposal. Make sure you use nappy san with 300 gm plus of sodum percarbonate .
Murr ay
FollowupID:
920960
Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 08:50
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 08:50
Core420 mentioned Karijini in a follow-up above.
We had 2 nights there in 2018, one night in the overflow section & the 2nd night at
Dales Gorge campsite. The long drop at the overflow was, I’d suggest, about average for cleanliness & odour, considering the large numbers it would have to cater for.
There were numerous long drops at Dales, and the one we frequented, about 200m from
our camp, was clean and almost odour free. Users were advised to swab out the “funnel” after use, so may have kept smells to a minimum?
And talking of long drops, has anyone had to use the dunnys at the Mt Connor viewing point, on the Lasseter Highway? A definite threat to human health!
Bob
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Frank P (NSW) - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 11:15
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 11:15
A WAG bag may be worth investigating.
WAG bag link. There are other sellers that freight to Aus -
Link, for example.
The fold up
seat pictured on the bag has been discussed here a long time ago, IIRC, or you can devise your own. EDIT: Just found a link:
Fold up toilet seat - low enough for kids. There are other simpler and cheaper alternatives
such as this.
The stuff in a WAG bag gels human waste and renders it harmless so that the bag and its contents can be disposed of in general garbage.
AnswerID:
641652
Follow Up By: Member - Cuppa - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 13:09
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 13:09
Must admit to being a tad surprised , but the following is a screenshot from WA Parks web site.
WA Parks Toilet policy
I wonder if that means they have removed the
toilet facilities which used to be in all of those campgrounds mentioned by Core420?
Don't think those WAG bags are acceptable over in the west Frank.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 13:34
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 13:34
Sigh.... Reading the last line of your screenshot you're probably right, Cuppa.
A bit silly really, as if there is no
toilet, there is probably no rubbish collection. The WAG bags convert waste to a harmless, odourless gel or lump which is then sealed and double bagged. It would be as sealed as a cassette that has a removable lid - as all cassettes have. As there is no rubbish collection, you'd carry it out for disposal with other rubbish, just as you'd carry out a full cassette for disposal at a
dump point.
I would like to think that those who went to the trouble and expense of obtaining WAG bags would be motivated enough to carry used ones out, but I suppose some animals would leave them behind. Those same animals might also decide to empty their complying cassette behind a tree, so I don't see the logic in not permitting WAG bags.
Oh
well, it is what it is.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Core420 - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 14:26
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 14:26
We found in the national parks I mentioned above that there's a
camp host who verifies your booking and sometimes checks daily what you're up to. So the
camp sites are monitored to a certain degree.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Briste - Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 21:02
Friday, Sep 16, 2022 at 21:02
Does a composting
toilet qualify?
FollowupID:
920951
Follow Up By: Member - Outback Gazz - Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 08:06
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 08:06
Just wondering how the thousands of overseas tourists and local Aussies who travel Australia each year by motorbike go ?
Bit hard trying to carry a chemical
toilet on a motorcycle !
Obviously the reasoning must be that it's cheaper to get the tax paying public to purchase and use their own portable
toilets than build and maintain public ones !
Happy and safe travels - but not in some National Parks
Cheers
Gazz
FollowupID:
920961
Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 09:24
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 09:24
"Just wondering how the thousands of overseas tourists and local Aussies who travel Australia each year by motorbike go ?
Bit hard trying to carry a chemical
toilet on a motorcycle !"
Perfect case for WAG bags!
FollowupID:
920963
Follow Up By: Member - Outback Gazz - Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 10:09
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 10:09
Howdy Frank
Yes - perfect for the travelling motorcyclist !
But after reading the above comments and that Rangers regularly visit and
check that campers have a chemical
toilet you wonder if the Rangers would allow the WAG bag for motorcyclists ?
In this day and age, knowing how Government departments run, I would guess a "fine" would be issued !
All the best
Gazz
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 15:12
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 15:12
I agree, Gazz. It's quite likely that bureaucracy would trump common sense.
FollowupID:
920971
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 15:35
Sunday, Sep 18, 2022 at 15:35
.
I imagine also, that it could be quite difficult to ride a motorbike with one's legs crossed? lol
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Monday, Sep 19, 2022 at 08:23
Monday, Sep 19, 2022 at 08:23
Side saddle? :)
FollowupID:
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